In 1950, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine took a vote of 11 experts, among them Vincent Starrett, Charles Honce, and Lew D. Feldman asking for the experts' pick of the best detective stories ever written. There were 83 detective stories nominated. The final selection of the best was as shown below. The results were published in the July 1950 issue of the magazine.
| 1 |
Thomas Burke |
The Hands of Mr. Ottermole 오토몰씨의 손 |
| 2 |
Edgar Allan Poe |
The Purloined Letter 도난당한 편지 |
| 3 |
Arthur Conan Doyle |
The Red-Headed League 붉은 머리 연맹 |
| 4 |
Anthony Berkeley |
The Avenging Chance |
| 5 |
Robert Barr |
The Absent-Minded Coterie 건망증 있는 사람들 |
| 6 |
Jacques Futrelle |
The Problem of Cell 13 13호 독방의 문제 |
| 7 |
G. K. Chesterton |
The Invisible Man 보이지 않는 남자 |
| 8 |
Melville D. Post |
Naboth's Nineyard 나보테 포도원 |
| 9 |
Aldous Huxley |
The Gioconda Smile |
| 10 |
H. C. Bailey |
The Yellow Slugs |
| 11 |
E. C. Bentley |
The Genuine Tabard |
| 12 |
Dorothy Sayers |
Suspicion 의혹 |