One of my goals is to read more classic detective fiction ...

[quietprofanity]

Good LORD, "The Mystery of Marie Roget" by Edgar Allan Poe was execrable. Finding out it was basically Poe going "I know what happened in this popular murder! My Mary Sue told me!" makes it worse. It was a surprise, because "Murders in the Rue Morgue" wasn't quite so bad.

I think "The Purloined Letter" will be better, though. It's at least SHORT.