MR TOBIAS MANDER’S NEW STORES in Gaffikin Street had been a public wonder from start to finish. From the moment that this almost unknown man from the west country had visualised the idea of a store that would beat all other stores for cheapness combined with luxury, a highly-paid press-agent had seen to it that the country should join vicariously in the building and equipment.

When Colonel Coppe, an elderly bachelor, inherits a fortune from his father, he is keen to do right by his large extended family. As well as setting up his various nieces and nephews in appropriate professions, he takes care to make the necessary provisions in his will. Everyone is content - until, that is, the Colonel becomes engaged to a local widow, Mrs. Brown. On the evening the Colonel announces his engagement, and the terms of his new will, one of the family resorts to murder in orde...

When a guest at Stowe House is found dead, killed by a lethal dart, suspicion naturally falls on the resident collector of poisoned weapons from tribes in South America. With the entire house party as potential suspects, what part did the woman explorer play in this sinister tragedy? The local police are baffled, and call on the help of an amateur, whose recent assignment working with bushmen in Africa brings new insight into an increasingly unconventional investigation.

When the body of a murdered deaf-mute vagrant is found in a West End square, Scotland Yard have trouble finding a motive for the deed. When the body of another deaf-mute, apparently a suicide, is found in the grounds of a Hendon hotel, the police are even more baffled. Are the crimes related? And did the first murder have anything to do with a recent spate of jewel robberies in the houses near where the body was found? These are the questions that Superintendent "Paddy" Mix and Chief-Inspe...

"This was murder, my dear. Someone seems to have beaned Marden with your blasted crystal!"Jean Maze is looking forward immensely to the Ingle Parva village bazaar, at which she is to play the part of fortune teller, complete with a real crystal ball. On the day in question, however, she receives a macabre surprise when a business rival of her brother-in-law is discovered beaten to death in her fortune teller's tent. While the police diligently pursue all available leads, Jean does ...

Old Dr. Purton has always been a mystery to the gossipers of Lower Plaine. His grandiose living arrangements at Rampole Manor hint at a hidden source of income, outside the remit of a simple country doctor. When Purton is found murdered, his head battered in, the local police, aided by Purton’s solicitor Mr. Gayte, get busy. What is the significance of the pages torn from Purton’s case-books? And how justified was the gossip about Purton’s unexplained wealth?Originally published in...

Sir Leonard Craysh knows there'll be trouble when his wife announces that she has included Alexander McDowell, the radical Labour MP, on the list of guests that she has invited to stay at their country estate for the weekend. But when McDowell is found murdered in local woodland, even Craysh is taken aback. Could political differences really have provoked one of his house-guests to murder? Or is the motive altogether more personal?Originally published in 1932, this is a vintage Bri...

The delight of Christmas shoppers at the unveiling of a London department store’s famous window display turns to horror when one of the mannequins is discovered to be a dead body…Mander’s Department Store in London’s West End is so famous for its elaborate window displays that on Monday mornings crowds gather to watch the window blinds being raised on a new weekly display. On this particular Monday, just a few weeks before Christmas, the onlookers quickly realise that one of the fi...

The little town of Martley is alive with gossip concerning Julius Hennessy, who has been spending a great deal of time on the golf links with the young and pretty wife of Mr. Holt the solicitor. Mrs. Hennessy, meanwhile, has also been exciting gossip, on account of the amount of time she has been spending on the river fishing in the company of Bill French. Thomas Brown, a man whose interest in criminology has led to a growing friendship with Captain Maylem of the local police, has also att...

Description "He is dead. It is quite impossible that he should have killed himself. He has been murdered. About half an hour ago. By a long knife passed under the left shoulder-blade into the heart."On a fog-bound London night, a soirée is taking place in the studio of artist Laurence Newtree. The guests include an eminent psychiatrist, a wealthy philanthropist and an observant young friend of Newtree's, John Christmas. Before the evening is over, Newtree's neighbour is found stabbed to de...

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 ...

The Reverend Ashley Drew is suspicious of Mrs. Slocombe's new companion, Margaret Cresswell - for he has just recognised in Margaret the former wife of the notorious criminal Albert Plimmer, whose capture he helped bring about. As Vicar of Cornborough, Ashley has a duty to uphold the moral standing of his flock, and he gives Mrs. Plimmer an ultimatum - confess all to her new employers or he will be forced to reveal the truth himself. But before he is able to put his ultimatum to effect, th...