Detective fiction

Detective fiction is a branch of crime fiction that centers upon the investigation of a crime, usually murder, by a detective, either professional or amateur. Detective fiction is the most popular form of both mystery fiction and hardboiled crime fiction. Commonly in detective fiction, the investigator has some source of income other than detective work and some undesirable eccentricities or striking characteristics. He or she frequently has a less able assistant (or foil) who acts as an audience surrogate for the explanation of the mystery at the end of the story. One of the earliest examples of detective fiction is Voltaire's Zadig (1748), which features a main character who performs feats of analysis. The Norwegian crime novel, "Mordet på Maskinbygger Rolfsen" ("The Murder of Engine Maker Rolfsen"), by Maurits Hansen was published in 1839. However, detective fiction is widely considered to have begun in 1841 with the publication of "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", a short story... full article at wikipedia