171. The Messanger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi

Zouroudi asserts that when living in a village on a small Greek island, social mores, family pride and long memories shape your decisions. Hermes Diaktoros, frequently referred to as "the fat man" arrives from Athens to solve the mystery surrounding the death of wife of a local fisherman. Was it murder or suicide? And if Diaktoros isn't a policeman, who is he?

135. The Secret of the Wooden Lady by Carolyn Keene

Girl detective, Nancy Drew, and her friends are enlisted by Captain Easterly when strange things start happening on his clipper ship the Bonny Scott. Through research and following clues, Nancy finds the treasure and the thugs get their just desserts.

123. The Excursion Train by Edward Marsden

Set in England at the dawn of the railway age, this murder mystery is solved by Inspector Robert Colbeck. A man's garrotted body is discovered on board an excursion train that has brought spectators to an illegal fight match.

67. The Crocodile Bird by Ruth Rendell

Liza, at the age of sixteen, runs away to live in a caravan with her boyfriend after her mother has been arrested for murder. Liza has been witness or has knowledge of three. During her upbringing in the gatehouse of "Shrove" a secluded mansion, Liza was home schooled by her mother who sought refuge from a troubled history. Although not street smart, Liza can read and speak French and Latin and is a voracious reader of classic fiction.

50. Framed by Gordon Korman

In this third book of the series, Griffin gets framed for stealing a super bowl ring that was given as a gift to his school. A stint in the "Jail for Kids" and an electronic monitoring anklet can't keep the "Man with the Plan" from trying to clear his name.

49. Thrones, Dominations by Dorothy L. Sayers & Jill Paton Walsh

Sayers passed away before completing this mystery novel which takes place in 1936. It was finished by Walsh and published in 1998.  Lord Peter Wimsey and his new bride, the writer Harriet Vane, are adjusting to domestic life together when an acquaintance is found murdered in her suburban home. The historical backdrop includes the death of George V and Hitler's rise to power.

29. Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett by Georges Simenon

First published in 1931, this novel is the first of seventy-five novels to feature Inspector Jules Maigret. The story line, with its organized crime, forged passports, drug and alcohol abuse, and the rift between the haves and have nots stands the test of time. It could have been written today.

27. Annette and the Mystery at Smuggler's Cove by Doris Schroeder

Published in 1963, it is one of five titles written by Schroder as companion books to the Disney TV program and teen movies featuring Annette Funicello . Annette and her friends solve a mystery while planning a luau at her aunt and uncle's beach house. Not politically correct; it is a product of its time.

4. Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

This first book in the Flavia De Luce mystery series is set in the English village of Bishops Lacey in 1950. Eleven-year-old Flavia is keen on chemistry but not her older sisters Ophelia and Daphne. She helps police unravel a current murder and one that occurred  twenty years earlier.

88. Myths and Mysteries of Washington by L.E.Bragg

ISBN 0-7627-3427-2 - The Globe Pequot Press, 2005
An interesting collection of mysteries that occurred in Washington state that ranges from a skyjacking in the 1970s to the accidental discovery of a skull over 9000 years old. Many tales are linked to the regions gold prospecting past. Several relate people's encounters with the paranormal or unexplained phenomenon. I was intrigued by, "The World Famous Lobotomy" and the claims by surgeon Dr Walter Freeman than he performed such an operation on famed actress Frances Farmer.

87. Dead Man's Mirror by Agatha Christie

ISBN 0-425-10435-4 - Dodd Mead, 1931

Four short mystery stories featuring Hercule Poirot: Dead Man's Mirror, The Incredible Theft,

Murder in the Mews, and Triangle at Rhodes. Christie provides a snapshot of the political and social scence in 1930s England. The roles of women, and Poirot's attitude towards them, are particularly interesting in this pre-World War II world.

81. Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN0 00 651238 - HarperCollins, 1943

Colour plays an important role in unravelling the clues to solve a rather gruesome murder, det against the backdrop of the second world war and the geothermal hot springs of New Zealand's North Island. Marsh's passion for Shakespeare is personified in the character of Geoffrey Gaunt, a celebrated and tempermental actor. Insight into the "white" New Zealander's opinions of and interactions with the native Maori seems dated but was probably close to the mark at the time of writing.

68. Clutch of Constables by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN 0-00-651259-3 - HarperCollins, 1968
Once again, Troy Alleyn is 'in situ' when a crime takes place. This time, a gang of international crooks is involved in forgery, robbery and murder. But which one of the river cruise boat Zodiac's passengers is the notorious ringleader nicknamed the 'Jampot'?
As is frequently the case in her mystery novels, Ngaio Marsh displays her interest and expertise in the art world.

66. Final Curtain by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN 0-00-651241-0 - Harper Collins, 1947

The Ancred family make it impossible for painter Agatha Troy Alleyn, (CDI Roderick Alleyn's wife) to refuse the commission of portrait of patriarch and Shakespearean actor Sir Henry Ancred, Bart for his 70th birthday. There is much "drama" at Ancreton Manor which largely revolves around the family's distaste for Sir Henry's fiance Miss Sonia Orrincourt.
If Araidne Oliver was Agatha Christie in her own novels, Troy Alleyn was Ngaio Marsh living vicariously.

62. Dead Water by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN 0-00-616465-X - William Collins & Sons, 1964

When Wally Trehern's warts are "miraculously" cured by the cascading waters of a natural spring, hundreds of visitors flock to the Cornish village of Portcarrow seeking similar results.
Agatha Christie is the undeniable queen of the classic whodunit, complex plots being her forte. In Ngaio Marsh's Roderick Alleyn mysteries, characters and the foibles of human behaviour take centre stage. Spinster shop owner Elspeth Cost and fresh-faced teacher Jenny Williams, visiting from New Zealand, are immediately recognizable and sympathetic.

52. Swing Brother Swing by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN 0 00 613394 0 - 1949

Published in the USA as A Wreath for Rivera, this Roderick Alleyn mystery is full of interesting characters which include the eccentric Lord Pastern & Bagot, who flits from one obsession to another, and the handsome, womanizing accordionist Carlos Rivera.

When a theatrical stunt performed during a swing band concert goes wrong, Alleyn sifts through clues (which include a pair of pistols, an ornate French parasol and a silver pencil)to solve the murder.

49. Black as He's Painted by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN: 0006138403 - London: Fontana, 1975

"The story concerns a visit made by the President of the Commonwealth nation of Ng'omwana, known as "Boomer" to his friends, to London. He insists on dealing with the London police through Alleyn, an old public school friend of his, rather than allowing Special Branch to work directly with him on his security. Special Branch is not happy at his unwillingness to co-operate with their wishes, particularly as the Boomer had survived an assassination attempt only a few months previously. And then the Ng'omwanan ambassador in London is killed at a reception early in the visit, apparently in mistake for the president."

Read more here.

38. Tied up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN 0 00 613215 4 - Fontana/Collins 1972
Hilary Bill-Tasman has hired staff for his English country mansion straight out of some of Britain's most notorious prisons - Wormwood Scrubs, Broadmoor and the (fictional?) Vale. Each man served time for a single murder/manslaughter and has adapted to a life in service to varying degrees. Superintendant Roderick Alleyn's wife Troy is at Halberd's Manor to paint Hilary's portrait over the Christmas Holiday and so is on the scene when Moult, visiting Colonel Forrester's much maligned manservant goes missing.
From answers.com: Marsh, Dame Ngaio (nī'ō) , 1899–1982, New Zealand detective story writer. She was an art student, actress, and theatrical producer before her first novel, A Man Lay Dead, was published in 1934. Her many mystery novels, acute in characterization and literate in style, reflect her knowledge of the art studio and the theater. They include Artists in Crime (1938), Died in the Wool (1945), False Scent (1959), Killer Dolphin (1966), Last Ditch (1978), Photo Finish (1980), and her last book, Light Thickens, published posthumously (1982). She was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1966.

29. Spinsters in Jeopardy by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN 0-00-616530-3 - Fontana, 1954
This Roderick Alleyn mystery takes place in post World War II France where in infamous team of Mr Oberon and Dr Baradi use a cult as a front for a heroin factory and distribution network. Their own perverse egos are fed by recruiting young women into the fold.
While still in London, Alleyn's wife Agatha Troy receives strange letters form a distant relative - P. E. Garbel who lives near the Chateau de la Chevre d'Argent where Oberon leads his cult. As the plot unravels, Alleyn employes the aid of Raoul Milano who helps bring things to an intense climax during a bizarre ritual.

27. The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey

ISBN 0 14 00.4560 0 - Peter Davies, 1953

A classic whodunit that will keep you guessing until the last chapter. Set in post World War II London, a man is murdered while standing in the queue at the theatre. Various suspects emerge and Inspector Grant goes undercover as a fishing enthusiast in Scotland in search of the truth.