Nate: Poe's brilliant detective stories are rightly praised as scintillating forerunners of this genre in fiction. Poe's sharp, incisive style and his ability to establish and then enhance suspense fully justify his reputation as the master of the modern detective story. "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The Purloined Letter" exhibit features that became standard in later detective fiction: A crime is committed, an investigation ensues, and an unexpected solution is discovered by the brilliant mental gymnastics of the detective.