Looking back on it now I can recall every circumstance connected with that day just as plainly as if it had all happened but yesterday. In the first place, it was about the middle of the afternoon, and the S.E. trade, which had been blowing lustily since ten o'clock, was beginning to die away according to custom... read more »
She Had Everything To Fear. Suddenly beautiful Georgia Yeo realized that she was not the guest of her fiance, Count Gustav, on his lonely Swedish island - but his prisoner! Her terror was not for herself alone. She had brought her two young children to the island. And now Count Gustav threatened their lives if... read more »
Mystery novelist Harriet Vane knew all about poisons, and when her fiance died in the manner prescribed in one of her books, a jury of her peers had a hangman's noose in mind. But Lord Peter Wimsey was determined to find her innocent--as determined as he was to make her his wife. read more »
Here is a first-hand description of some of the doings in the slimy, mysterious places of the largest city in England. Here the detectives of Scotland Yard know of many strange things and see the results of the workings of such evil minds as Dr. Fu Manchu. The author is one of the few men who has penetrated the... read more »
A colonel receives five seeds in the mail--and dies within weeks. A young bride disappears immediately after her wedding. An old hat and a Christmas goose are the only clues to a stolen jewel. A son is accused of his father's murder. These mysteries--and many more--are brought to the house on Baker Street where... read more »
A young, wealthy vagabond English man, Calladine, whom Ricardo knew before, hastily comes to Ricardo's London home in the morning, while Hanaud happens to be visiting. Calladine, very agitated, still dressed formally as for an evening ball, tells his disturbing story-- He had gone to a costume party that night in a... read more »
Jack Glover of Rennet, glover and Simpson does not believe his cousin Meredith killed Bulford. Meredith s father was an eccentric and unless Meredith is married by the age of thirty, his sister inherits everything. She is dead and Meredith, now in prison, is thirty next Monday. Meanwhile Lydia Beale is struggling to... read more »
Francis Elmer has vanished, and all that is found is a typed note signed 'The Head Hunter'. Elmer's niece Adele Leamington is an extra at the Knebworth Film Corporation. The actress Stella Mendoza keeps the whole set waiting to shoot, in the best Hollywood tradition, but her starring role is given to Adele... read more »
Get set for a rip-roaring romp around the world in Guy Newell Boothby's The Beautiful White Devil. Packing in plenty of action and romance, this novel follows the exploits of a beguiling criminal mastermind who steals the heart of the tale's protagonist. read more »
Playboy stockbroker, Alvin Benson, is found in his brownstone mansion with a bullet through his head. First on the scene is Philo Vance, amateur detective, who is at once intrigued by the absence of Alvin's toupee and his false teeth. With a jigsaw of odd clues he sets off in pursuit of an elusive murderer, making... read more »
When Joseph Cochrane Robin is found murdered in New York's upper west side accompanied by a note quoting the nursery rhyme "Who Killed Cock Robin", Philo Vance is called in by District Attorney Markham to help the police track down the murderer. But can Vance solve this complex case before Mother Goose claims any... read more »
In Charlie Chan's fourth outing the 'camel', or death itself according to the Chinese proverb, has 'knelt by the gate' of a glamorous Hollywood actress who is visiting Honolulu. More accurately, she has been murdered-stabbed through the heart-and Inspector Chan must unravel the web of secrets and intrigue that... read more »
The Black Star was a master criminal who took great care to never be identifiable, always wore a mask so nobody knew what he looked like, rarely spoke to keep his voice from being recognized, and the only mark left at the scenes of the crimes which he and his gang committed were small black stars which were tacked... read more »
If a man is not eager for adventure at the age of twenty-two, the enticement of romantic possibilities will never come to him. read more »
The beautiful Margaret Odell, famous Broadway beauty and ex-Follies girl known as "The Canary", is found murdered in her apartment. She has a number of men in her life, ranging from high society to gangsters, and more than one man visited her apartment on the night she dies. It is Philo Vance's characteristic... read more »
Read the final twelve stories that Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about his brilliant detective. It is perhaps the most unusual and certainly the darkest collection that he penned. Treachery, mutilation, and the terrible consequences of infidelity are just some of the themes explored in this collection, along with... read more »
Philo Vance receives an anonymous letter warning of deadly danger to the wealthy Llewellyn family heir, Lynn. Eccentric widow Priscilla Llewellyn presides over a society family filled with greed, ego and unhappy marriage. Her secretary Doris becomes romatically involved with Vance, and the two are soon entangled in... read more »
William Standerton returns to England with his two kids and a small fortune, where he purchases a supposedly haunted-house. Shortly after, William is killed by an old enemey and so we have a great mystery to follow while his son, James, tries to work out who killed him. A classic tale of crime and mystery, which... read more »
A mysterious millionaire with a penchant for strange pets takes a flyer on a string of pearls and finds that death is the broker. Charlie Chan embarks on an incognito journey across the desert to find the answer to a question – a question posed by a dead parrot who spoke in Chinese . . .Chan dons a disguise and... read more »
Ruthless criminal masterminds, deliciously devious villains, last-minute escapes, mysterious figures lurking in the shadows, a spunky female detective -- when it comes to classic detective novels, Edgar Wallace's The Clue of the Twisted Candle definitely hits all of its marks. Fans of the genre will adore this... read more »
In their second explosive adventure, the Four Just Men must sacrifice one of their own. There are crimes for which no punishment is adequate, offences that the written law cannot efface. This is the justification for the Council of Justice—a meeting of great and passionless intellects. These men are indifferent to... read more »
When Mr. Thomas Lyne, poet, poseur. and owner of Lyne's Emporium insults a cashier, Odette Rider, she resigns. Having summoned detective Jack Tarling to investigate another employee, Mr. Milburgh, Lyne now changes his plans. Tarling and his Chinese companion refuse to become involved. They pay a visit to Odette's... read more »
Inspector Holt is enjoying the Caf‚ de la Paix and the Boulevard des Italiens. He and his valet Sunny are planning a visit to Monte Carlo when an urgent telegram arrives from the Chief Commissioner of Scotland Yard. Mr Gordon Stuart has been found drowned in suspicious circumstances. Holt returns on the same boat... read more »
Voted greatest mystery novel of all time by the Crime Writers’ Association in 1990, Josephine Tey recreates one of history’s most famous—and vicious—crimes in her classic bestselling novel, a must read for connoisseurs of fiction. Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard, recuperating from a broken leg, becomes... read more »
The Dead Secret begins with the death bed confession of Mrs Treverton that will take her family by storm. The maid, Sarah Leeson, against the dying wish of Mrs Treverton, hides the letter, and thus the disaster is delayed but not averted. Rosamond, her daughter, who is married to a blind man, gives birth prematurely... read more »
To whisper the name of Charles Pearce is to incite a hoard of wild imaginings, all that makes the flesh creep. Pearce is physically repulsive, tiny in stature, but a Samson in strength. He is a gifted musician, a terrible braggart - and for some reason women find him irresistible. He is also a burglar. And a... read more »
Dick Martin is leaving Scotland Yard. His final job, investigating a stolen book, takes him via a meeting with Doctor Stalletti. Tommy Crawler, Bertram Cody s chauffeur, is also there. Arriving home, Martin finds Lew Pheeney being followed by a man for whom he recently worked. Doing what? demands Martin. Lew finally... read more »
A guest at Inwood Hill Park, an estate in northern Manhattan, dives into the swimming pool and disappears. Has a mythological dragon which is said to prey on the imprudent anythin g to do with the murder? Philo Vance uses his knowledge of both dragons and criminals to demonstrate and solve the case. read more »
Bulldog Drummond has slain his archenemy, Carl Peterson, but Peterson's mistress lives on and is intent on revenge. Drummond's wife vanishes, followed by a series of vicious traps set by a malicious adversary, which lead to a hair-raising chase across England, to a sinister house and a fantastic torture chamber... read more »
During a painting retreat, a killer takes a creative approach to the ancient art of murder. The majestic landscape of the Scottish coast has attracted artists and fishermen for centuries. In the idyllic village of Kirkcudbright, every resident and visitor has two things in common: They either fish or paint (or do... read more »