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A riveting collection of five of the most famous crime novels of the 1920s, presenting anew some of the most admired authors of the era -- with insightful annotations by the Edgar-winning anthologist Leslie S. Klinger. American crime writing was reborn in the 1920s. After years of dominance by British authors, new American writers -- with fresh ideas about the detective and the mystery -- appeared on the scene and rose to heights of popularity not witnessed since the success of the Sherlock Holmes tales in America. Classic American Crime Writing of the 1920s -- including House Without a Key, The Benson Murder Case, The Roman Hat Mystery, Red Harvest, and Little Caesar -- offers some of the very best of that decade's writing. Earl Derr Biggers wrote about Charlie Chan, a Chinese-American detective, at a time when racism was rampant.