Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's tales of Sherlock Holmes set a new standard for the mystery story. Previously, mysteries (when they appeared) tended to be rather haphazard, relying on impossible coincidences and strokes of fortune for the resolution of the case. Doyle introduced the concept of "deduction" - and the Holmes stories created an insatiable appetite amongst Victorian readers for tales of mystery. Even before Doyle attempted to drop Sherlock Holmes over a high cliff, magazine editors were seeking new writers to help fill the demand for mystery tales. These new detectives (the most popular being Dick Donovan and Martin Hewitt) have often been referred to as the "rivals of Sherlock Holmes." You'll find more mystery tales under the pen of Grant Allen, who wrote a number of stand-alone tales and several series of mystery and adventure.

Romances from a Detective's Casebook by Dick Donovan

The Jeweled Skull (The Strand, 1892B)

The Story of the Great Cat's-Eye (The Strand, 1892B)

The Secret of the Black Brotherhood (The Strand, 1892B)

The Chamber of Shadows (The Strand, 1892B)

Martin Hewitt, Investigator by Arthur Morrison

First Series

I: The Lenton Croft Robberies (The Strand, 1894A)

II: The Loss of Sammy Crockett (The Strand, 1894A)

III: The Case of Mr. Foggatt (The Strand, 1894A)

IV: The Case of the Dixon Torpedo (The Strand, 1894A)

V: The Quinton Jewel Affair (The Strand, 1894B)

VI: The Stanway Cameo Mystery (The Strand, 1894B)

VII: The Affair of the Tortoise (The Strand, 1894B)

Third Series

I: The Affair of Mr. Geldard's Elopement (Windsor Magazine, 1896A)

II: The Case of the Late Mr. Rewse (Windsor Magazine, 1896A)

III: The Affair of Mrs. Seton's Child (Windsor Magazine, 1896A)

IV: The Case of the "Flitterbat Lancers" (Windsor Magazine, 1896A)

V: The Case of the Dead Skipper (Windsor Magazine, 1896A)

VI: The Case of the Ward Lane Tabernacle (Windsor Magazine, 1896A)

Lauder Caine the Confessor by Percy Andreæ

I: His First Case (Windsor Magazine, 1896B)

II: The Case of the Jealous Wife (Windsor Magazine, 1897A)

III: The Case of the League of the Aigrette, Part I (Windsor Magazine, 1897A)

IV: The Case of the League of the Aigrette, Part II (Windsor Magazine, 1897A)

The Dorrington Deed-Box by Arthur Morrison

The Narrative of Mr. James Rigby (Windsor Magazine, 1897A)

The Case of Jannissary (Windsor Magazine, 1897A)

The Case of the "Mirror of Portugal" (Windsor Magazine, 1897A)

The Affair of the "Avalanche Bicycle & Tyre Co., Ltd." (Windsor Magazine, 1897A)

The Case of Mr. Loftus Deacon (Windsor Magazine, 1897A)

Old Cater's Money (Windsor Magazine, 1897B)

The Emperor's Detective by Percy Andreæ

I: The Incident of the Severed Forefinger and the House in the Waldstrasse (Windsor Magazine, 1898A)

II: The Incident of the Runaway Horse and the Face at the Window (Windsor Magazine, 1898A)

III: The Incident of the Princess in Disguise and the Conspiracy in the Hostelry at Wittichau (Windsor Magazine, 1898A)

IV: The Incident of the Wife's Double and the Tragedy at the Masked Ball (Windsor Magazine, 1898A)

V: The Incident of the Arrest of Walter Raleigh and the Man with the Missing Forefinger (Windsor Magazine, 1898A)

VI: The Incident of the Magic Card, and the Story of an Imperial Detective (Windsor Magazine, 1898B)

Jennie Baxter, Journalist by Cottrel Hoe

I: The Daily Bugle Misses "A Hit" (Windsor Magazine, 1898A)

II: The Diamonds of the Princess (Windsor Magazine, 1898A)

III: The Duchess of Chiselhurst's Ball (Windsor Magazine, 1898A)

IV: The Search for the Girl (Windsor Magazine, 1898A)

V: The Indiscretion of the Prime Minister (Windsor Magazine, 1898A)

VI: The Explosion at the Treasury (Windsor Magazine, 1898B)

VII: The Modern Wizard in His Magic Attic (Windsor Magazine, 1898B)

VIII: The Robbery in the Sleeping Car (Windsor Magazine, 1898B)

IX: An Unlooked-for Encounter (Windsor Magazine, 1898B)