Mystery novels where the murder takes a while to happen

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I was just looking at Amazon to see whether Barbara Neely had a new book out and I noticed a customer was slamming her for not having the murder happen right away -- they were impatient for it. I realize lots of classic detective fiction is all about the PI or officer's struggle to piece the passions that led to the crime together after the fact. But I sort of like watching it happen. Is this a crime against the genre? Is it widely considered against the rules? I don't know as much about mystery conventions as I'd like.

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Sunday, 30 May 2004 02:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Best example I can think of is "LA Confidential" by James Ellroy. Main crime (the Nite Owl Massacre) happens a good 100-150 pages in. You're right, it's not conventional, but I'm sure there are more examples out there. Oh, just thought, in several Agatha Christie novels, she lets you get to know the characters before starting the bloodletting...

Good luck hunting for more.

― Cornelius Murphy, Wednesday, 2 June 2004 08:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I vaguely remember a Margery Allingham book featuring her regular detective Albert Campion where the murder occurs in the very last chapter, and is solved 2 pages later by Campion. It's at least 20 years since I read it (no idea of title), so I may be totally wrong about this.
A related question - what mystery/detective novels involve a crime other than murder? When I found out that the only crime in Wilkie Collins' 'The Moonstone' was a jewel theft, I thought I wouldn't be very interested (I need dead bodies) but of course it turned out to be a great read.

― Joe Kay (feethurt), Friday, 4 June 2004 12:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Very few of the Sherlock Holmes stories, cased on The Adventures of Shelock Holmes (3-4 out of 12) Probably a lot more Father Browns.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 4 June 2004 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I just finished "the land of the blind" by Jess Walter, where the detective has this man who hasn't even been arrested writing what he claims to be a homocide confession. His confession forms a large part of the book and it's never certain whether or not there even is a murder. (I liked it).

― cuspidorian (cuspidorian), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 01:13 (twenty-one years ago)

This might be obvious, but Patricia Highsmith is the master of crimes being committed (or implied) well into the plot. One of the Ripley books is about Ripley being accused of a crime (killing his wife) which he didn't commit. Highsmith is beyond a genre.

― aimurchie, Wednesday, 9 June 2004 01:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Georgette Heyer is known for Regency romances (don't laugh, they're classics, and she was an expert on the period), but her mysteries are sometimes leaden. One of them had a great title--something like "Pendragon," though I don't think that's exactly it--but it just oozed along and when the murder finally happened, it was a relief. But then it hardly picked up at all. Pretty much put me off her mysteries, but I still love the romances.

― Carol Robinson (carrobin), Friday, 11 June 2004 12:24 (twenty-one years ago)

does 'The Bros. Karamazov' count?

― fcussen (Burger), Friday, 11 June 2004 14:10 (twenty-one years ago)

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