 Poe biographer Jeffrey Meyers sums up the significance of " The Murders in the Rue Morgue " : " [ it ] changed the history of world literature . " Often cited as the first detective fiction story , the character of Dupin became the prototype for many future fictional detectives , including Arthur Conan Doyle 's Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie 's Hercule Poirot . The genre is distinctive from a general mystery story in that the focus is on analysis . Poe 's role in the creation of the detective story is reflected in the Edgar Awards , given annually by the Mystery Writers of America . 
