The Crime at Black Dudley, a riveting historical crime fiction novel by Margery Allingham, transports you to the chilling depths of the golden age of detective storytelling. This true crime activity book for adults, published in 1929, unveils the enigmatic debut of the legendary detective Albert Campion in a tale of suspense and cunning that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Nestled within the isolated and mysterious English countryside, Black Dudley Manor sets the stage for an unfor...

A classic collection of mystery stories: "With skillful plotting laced with tongue-in-cheek humor, Allingham never ceases to intrigue and surprise" ( Daily Mail).One of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction's Four Queens of Crime"With skillful plotting laced with tongue-in-cheek humor, Allingham never ceases to intrigue and surprise."— Daily MailThis volume offer eighteen delightful mysteries from the Q...

An unconventional parlor maid upends the lives of an aristocratic family in prewar EnglandCluny Brown refuses to know her place in society. Last week, she took herself to tea at the Ritz. Then she spent almost an entire day in bed eating oranges. So, to teach her discipline, her uncle, a plumber who has raised the orphaned girl since she was a baby, sends her into service as a parlor maid at one of England's stately manor houses.At Friars Carmel in Devonshir...

It was indeed very difficult for the Laventie children not to be a little priggish.Ann Laventie, the youngest of three children in a long line of anti-social Sussex gentry, doesn't quite fit the mould of her intellectual, elegant, ultra-modern siblings Dick, an artist, and Elizabeth, a high-brow writer. Their father is scholarly and just wealthy enough to focus all his attention on reading and other highbrow pursuits. Ann, on the other hand, worries about being plump, is w...

Lisbeth Campion was engaged, as usual, in resisting advances.Arthur Alfred Partridge, a middle-aged widower with a drab job and a frustrated sense of adventure, gets more than he bargained for when he encounters the irresistible Lisbeth Campion, whose troubles go well beyond her plethora of suitors. She's particularly concerned about her wastrel brother Ronny, fresh from six months in prison for peddling cocaine (he thought it was baking powder, really he did!), with whom ...

"It's in my mind to put an end to this heathen wickedness that's stalking abroad through Gillenham. It's in my mind to terrify that evil man from his morrow's sinful doings.""We'll be going to Old Manor, then?""Not yet," said Mrs. Pye grimly. "We go first to the village. To rouse the women . . ."Professor Pounce arrives in the idyllic village of Gillenham, along with his sister-in-law, his nephew Nicholas, and Carmen, his voluptuous assist...

Margery Sharp's enchanting New York Times–bestselling novel about the profound ways that love can change our view of other people and the world around usMiss Dolores Diver and Harry Gibson have been passionately in love ever since they met at the Chelsea Arts Ball: He came as a brown paper parcel, she as a Spanish dancer. Only the eye of love could have transformed plain Dolores into a Spanish rose and stout Harry into the man of Dolores's dreams. But ten y...

She announced herself, rather self-consciously, as Mrs. Henry Smith, and he replied that Mrs. Cornwallis was expecting her. To Caroline, following him through a wide shabby hall, the whole episode was beginning to feel like a nightmare. She was intensely conscious of herself-of her dress, her voice, the way she placed her feet. She felt like a cook-general going to be interviewed."Mrs. Henry Smith," said the butler contemptuously.In Four Gardens, ...

Sentimental, affectionate, uncritical, Mrs. Bracken so easily attached herself to persons, places, and even objects that after no more than two days in an hotel she had a favourite waiter, a favourite ornament, a favourite view. She had adored her husband, and was very fond of her French pepper-mill.World War II has ended and widowed Isabel Brocken, kind-hearted and generous if perhaps just a bit foolish, is back in her old family home on the outskirts of London, accompani...

A collection of eighteen classic Golden Age short stories from "the best of mystery writers"—with a tribute by Agatha Christie ( The New Yorker).One of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction's Four Queens of CrimeAcclaimed by critics and her peers, Margery Allingham was one of the finest writers of her day, crafting fiction that challenged readers' crime-solving skills and kept them on the edge of their seats. Foul play, mystery, and th...

A Jazz Age socialite impulsively adopts an orphaned boy in this humorous, heartwarming taleIn 1929 London, twenty-eight-year-old Lesley Frewen lives a privileged, cultured life. But one thing is missing: love. When her aunt's female companion suddenly dies, leaving behind a young son, Lesley decides on a whim to adopt four-year-old Patrick—though she doesn't have any particular affection for children.As soon as Patrick moves in with her, Lesley gets to work...

A chilling murder. A whispering past. A detective with everything to lose. When a man is found shot dead outside a quaint English cottage, the seemingly peaceful countryside erupts into scandal. The victim was charming, cruel—and deeply hated. Everyone had a motive. But only one pulled the trigger. Enter Detective W.T. Challoner, a man as brilliant as he is intuitive. As he peels back layers of family secrets, forbidden desires, and long-held grudges, he realizes the truth may be more sini...