The Murders in the Rue Morgue: The First Locked-Room Mystery

Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) was a pioneering American writer, poet, and critic known for his dark, atmospheric works that explored themes of madness, death and the macabre. When Poe published a short story titled ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue’ in 1841, he didn’t just write one of the first detective stories – he also inadvertently created the blueprint for the locked-room mystery genre.

The story centres around the brutal double murder of a mother and daughter in their Parisian apartment. The crime is particularly baffling because the murder scene appears impenetrable – the apartment is locked from the inside, and no signs of forced entry or exit are evident. The police are stumped, and the crime seems unsolvable, until the arrival of C. Auguste Dupin, Poe’s early detective figure, who would go on to inspire literary giants like Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes) and, by extension, generations of locked-room mystery authors.

Dupin is a brilliant but eccentric character who uses his sharp powers of observation and deductive reasoning to unravel the puzzle. His method, which includes sifting through the evidence and observing small but significant details that others overlook, allows him to reveal the identity of the killer, culminating in the realization that the “locked room” is not as impenetrable as it initially seemed.

While subsequent locked-room mysteries would delve deeper into intricate puzzles and use more elaborate devices, 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' established key elements that would become mainstays: the baffling crime, the isolation of the victim, and the brilliant detective who reveals an unexpected but rational solution, making it a prototype for countless impossible crime stories to come.

Serling Lake’s ‘Impossible Crime Classics’ collection of fiction from the early 20th century is available on Amazon, Google Play and Barnes & Noble.