A night of revelry ends with a perplexing death in the first novel featuring one of the greatest detectives of the Golden Age of Mystery.In the early hours of a wintery morning, Harold Merefield returns home from a festive little party at The Naxos, a popular nightclub in Paddington. But just as he tries to get some much-needed sleep, he is startled by a gruesome discovery on his bed: a corpse.There is no way to identify the dead man or the cause of his death...

“The Hanging Woman” (1931) is a classic mystery novel by John Rhode (Miles Burton) featuring his recurring detective, Dr. Lancelot Priestley. It centers on an investigation into a suspicious death at a supposedly haunted house.

The Vanishing Diary (1961) by John Rhode (Miles Burton) is the last installment in the Dr. Lancelot Priestley series, featuring Superintendent Jimmy Waghorn. The plot centers on a family dispute over a historic diary, locked in a double-sealed box, which vanishes, followed by the murder of a family member. Test pilot Freddie Hapton becomes involved with the feuding Greystoke family in Alderscar, North East England, after his plane crashes. The family, split into two factions, holds keys to...

“Men Die at Cyprus Lodge” (1943) by John Rhode (Miles Burton) is a classic Golden Age mystery featuring Dr. Priestley investigating a series of murders at a reputedly haunted house in the English village of Troutwich. The plot centers on a "haunted" house where victims are killed by poison (aconitine) via a booby-trap.

''Twice Dead'' by John Rhode is a classic Golden Age mystery where the eccentric Sir Francis Yordale fakes his own death to test his heirs' affection, only to be found genuinely dead soon after, leading Superintendent Jimmy Waghorn and Dr. Priestley to investigate his real murder by carbon monoxide poisoning, revealing hidden family secrets and ingenious criminal methods.

Death on the Boat Train, first published in 1940, is book no. 32 in the series of mysteries featuring private detective Dr. Priestley and Scotland Yard's Superintendent Hanslet and Inspector Jimmy Waghorn. Author John Rhode, a pen name of Cecil Street (1884-1964), was a prolific writer of mostly detective novels, publishing more than 140 books between 1924 and 1961. From the dustjacket: Fair blew the wind from France, and the Channel steamer Isle of Jethou rolled ...

Death at the Helm (1941) is a Golden Age detective novel featuring recurring amateur sleuth, Dr. Lancelot Priestley, where Inspector Waghorn investigates the poisoning of two people on a grounded motor cruiser, a complex "howdunnit" rich in botanical details about poisons, set against a backdrop of wartime England. The book is praised for its well-clued puzzle, detailed detection, engaging characters, and poignant ending, balancing the technical mystery with emotional depth.

“The Links in the Chain” (1948) is a detective novel by John Rhode (Miles Burton), featuring his recurring character Lancelot Priestley, focusing on the intellectual, deductive puzzle typical of Golden Age mysteries. We begin with the death of Mrs. Fransham in her London service flat, who dies after consuming a meal that is later found to be poisoned with digitalis. Scotland Yard initially suspects her husband, Charles Fransham, who was away at the time of her death. With the assistance of...

Dr. Priestley Lays a Trap, first published in 1933 (and also known by the title The Motor Rally Mystery), is part of the series of mysteries featuring private detective Dr. Priestley. Author John Rhode, a pen name of Cecil Street (1884-1964), was a prolific writer of mostly detective novels, publishing more than 140 books between 1924 and 1961.From the dustjacket: The death of Lessingham and his companion, Purvis, was, indeed, a tragic affair; but ...

“Dead of the Night” (1942) is a mystery by John Rhode (Miles Burton) featuring his recurring investigator Dr. Priestley. Written during WWII, the plot reflects the atmosphere of the British Home Guard preparing for a potential invasion. The story involves a murder that occurs during a Home Guard training exercise (a "night exercise").

Praed Street is not at any time one of London’s brighter thoroughfares. Certainly it ends upon a note of hope, terminating as it does on the fringe of the unquestioned respectability of Bayswater, but for the rest of its course it is frankly lamentable. Narrow, bordered by small and often furtive shops, above which the squalid looking upper parts are particularly uninviting, it can never have been designed as more than a humble annexe of its more prosperous parent, the Edgware Road. And th...

The Robthorne Mystery, first published in 1934, is part of the series of mysteries featuring private detective Dr. Priestley. Author John Rhode, a pen name of Cecil Street (1884-1964), was a prolific writer of mostly detective novels, publishing more than 140 books between 1924 and 1961.When one of the Robthorne twins commits suicide, there is a question over which one it is and whether it was, in fact, suicide or murder. From the dustjacket: Dr. Priestley,...