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...

A stolen jewel box, a London crook on the run, and a single clue lead a rural sergeant into a case that unfolds across farms, pubs, and police precincts. Set during the chaotic hop-picking season in Kent, The Harvest Murder blends rustic charm with meticulous detection as Sergeant Wragge and Scotland Yard unravel the threads of a seemingly simple burglary. From fingerprints to false identities, the case builds into a tightly coiled investigation where every pint served may hold a whisper o...

Cecil John Charles Street OBE MC was born on the 3rd May 1884 in Gibraltar.His career in the military began in 1903 as an artillery officer before moving into propaganda during the Great War. By the outbreak of the Irish War of Independence he was an officer working between Dublin and London.His writing career began during the Great War and by the mid-1920’s he was writing under both his own name and that of several pseudonyms including John Rhode, Miles Burton and Cecil Wa...

Despite starting out life as an officer in the British army, Cecil Street went on to become a successful author of detective fiction. His most famous crime-solver, Dr. Priestly, featured in almost fifty novels, including the acclaimed The Elusive Bullet. Many crime and detective stories, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the ...

In Face of the Verdict, first published in 1936, 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. In Face of the Verdict, Dr. Priestley is called to the harbor town of Blacksand to find the killer of two brothers, both of whom died by drowning.

A classic crime novel by one of the most highly regarded exponents of the genre.The murder of old Mr Fransham while washing his hands in his niece’s cloakroom was one of the most astounding problems that ever confronted Scotland Yard. Not only was there a policeman in the house at the time, but there was an ugly wound in the victim’s forehead and nothing in the locked room that could have inflicted it.The combined efforts of Superintendent Hanslet and Inspector Waghorn brou...

The Murders in Praed Street features Dr. Lancelot Priestley, an eccentric scientist and mathematician. The novel's first part introduces the neighborhood of Praed Street, its shopkeepers, and their families. Among these characters are the first victims of a series of shocking murders that terrorize London and baffle the police. In the second part, Scotland Yard seeks the help of Dr. Priestley, who is eager for "some enticing problem, mathematical or human." To confirm his theory o...

The Fatal Garden, first published in 1949, is book no. 49 in the series of mysteries featuring private detective Dr. Priestley and Scotland Yard's Superintendent 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: "Yes, the initial murder in this book was certainly committed on a path in a garden; but it is possible that the ...

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 ...

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 ...

This anthology of rare stories of crime and suspense brings together 15 tales from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction for the first time in book form, including a newly discovered Gervase Fen novella by Edmund Crispin that has never previously been published.With the Golden Age of detective fiction shining ever more brightly thanks to the recent reappearance of many forgotten crime novels, Bodies from the Library offers a rare opportunity to read lost stories from the first half o...

Death of a Bridegroom, first published in 1957, 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. In Death of a Bridegroom, Inspector Jimmy Waghorn investigates the death of a man found hanging in his workshop on the morning of his wedding day. Initially, the death is believed...