Three detective problems that seek a solution from a genius, eccentric, slightly snobbish investigator who is called to solve them, using tools of analytical thinking and logic, and a narrator who watches with admiration.
The pattern may be familiar to us, but with these three stories, Poe stamps literature with the character of Auguste Dupin, whose most prominent successors are Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.
If you ever wondered why the author of the macabre is also considered the father of the detective mystery, the answer lies here.