Kirjahaku

"An unusually well told mystery tale" -- The New York Times The party has commenced, yet the host is inexplicably absent. The lifeless body of Sir Simon Chandos, the wealthy and respected owner of Freyne Abbey, is discovered in his library, ostensibly a victim of self-inflicted demise. Tensions grip the guests as they grapple with the overwhelming shock. However, amateur detective Scott Egerton, a guest himself, uncovers an unexpected connection between the Freyne household and a long-forgotten event, leading to a shocking revelation. Determined to discover the truth, Egerton embarks on a perilous quest to unveil the malevolent presence behind the murder. Anthony Gilbert, the pen name of Lucy Beatrice Malleson, kept her identity a secret for many years, publishing over sixty crime novels under four pseudonyms between 1925 and 1972. This classic golden age mystery, published in 1927, introduces the amateur sleuth Scott Egerton and is a testament to Gilbert's mastery of intrigue, suspense, and storytelling.

This classic country house mystery, first published in 1933, contrasts the splendours and frivolities of the English upper classes with the sombre overhang of the First World War and the irresistible complications of deadly familial relationships.

Discover the captivating treasures buried in the British Library's archives. Largely inaccessible to the public until now, these enduring crime classics were written in the golden age of mysteries.At a soir e like this, anyone can be the life--or death--of the partyThe British Secret Service, working to uncover a large-scale blackmail ring and catch its mysterious mastermind 'The Spider', find themselves at the country residence Feltham Abbey where a fancy-dress ball is in full swing.In the tumult of revelry, Sir Ralph Feltham is found dead. Not the atmosphere bewildered guest Tony was expecting, he sets out make sense of the night's activities and the motives of the other guests. Among them is Hilary, an independently minded socialite still in her costume of vivid silk pyjamas and accompanying teddy bear.This country house British mystery contrasts the splendours and frivolities of the English upper classes with the sombre over-hang of the First World War and the irresistible complications of deadly familial relationships.Includes an introduction by Martin Edwards and featuring the short stories 'Horseshoes for Luck' and 'The Cockroach and the Tortoise'

Lawyer-detective Arthur Crook always believes his clients are innocent... despite the evidence to the contrary.Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubA famous art collector's car discovered at the bottom of a cliff after he was supposed to have taken a young woman to the railway station, so naturally the police expect to find his body there, too. But it turns up weeks later, in a locked room in his country house, and he's been stabbed to death...

A man is accused of murdering his wife - and all the evidence points to his guilt.Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club'No author is more skilled at making a good story seem brilliant' Sunday ExpressIt was a dark night, clammy with fog; an evil night when anything could happen. That was the night it all began - when the net of cruel circumstance began to close in around Jack Barton The body of his beautiful, murdered wife had rotted away in a trunk in the dark cellar where he had hidden it. It was useless to say hiding the body was all he had done. It was pointless to insist he was innocent of her death. Who would believe him?

The most unlikely person is plunged into danger - but the police don't believe her. After all, she's not the kind of woman these things happen to... not murder, surely...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection 'No author is more skilled at making a good story seem brilliant' Sunday ExpressLaura Verity is an elderly lady with not much money and no past - not someone things happen to. But suddenly her life is plunged into danger, and without lawyer-sleuth Arthur Crook's timely interference, she might have lost it altogether.One thing she will never lose, though, is her head: the police don't believe her - she proves them wrong. The wine might be poisoned - she'll keep it for Crook to test. Does that car belong to the murderer? She'll just get in and see where he takes her. Together, brave Miss Verity and Arthur Crook uncover the truth about a murder.

In the 'ads - wanted' section, no one said anything about murder...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club'No author is more skilled at making a good story seem brilliant' Sunday ExpressMiddle-aged spinsters of independent means shouldn't answer matrimonial adverts. Agatha Forbes realised this when she saw what her brand new husband kept in his woodshed and screamed in mortal terror.By then her husband's tender caresses had slowly turned into a stranglehold. But, unbeknown to her, the moment that a doctor would scrawl his signature on her death certificate was creeping nearer with each passing day.

In the darkness of World War Two, a murderer strikes... Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club'No author is more skilled at making a good story seem brilliant' Sunday Express'He stood very still for a moment. He said he had a sixth sense that warned him of danger. The fact that more murderous attempts had been made on his life did not affect his belief in his instinct. He said that in his profession a man had to harden himself to take risks. That was what his clients paid him for, "and," he would add, "they pay damn well." 'Death in the Blackout takes place in the heart of World War II and opens as a bomb drops uncomfortably close to detective Arthur Crook's London flat, setting off a mysterious chain of events.

How do you catch a killer when the murder goes unnoticed?Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubThe victim was certainly deserving of death, but not the hard, cruel death he found. No one deserved that . . .At first, the killer goes unsuspected. Someone else would pay the price for the crime - an innocent woman would pay and the murderer was willing to arrange other, more 'accidental' deaths to ensure it . . . until solicitor-detective Arthur Crook steps in. In one of his most baffling cases, Crook only has two guiding principles: his client is always innocent and, come hell or high water, he always gets his man.

Murder, politics and Nazi sympathisers - Arthur Crook has his detection skills pushed to the limit., with a most unlikely conspirator...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club'The lobby of the House of Commons was very full on the momentous afternoon that Miss Sarah Bennett, a composed and amused spinster, torn from her happy obscurity by an energetic and enterprising Minister of Labour, came from the Temporary Pass Office, up the stairs, through a corridor lined with effigies of the great . . .'Arthur Crook, and valiant conspirator Miss Sarah Bennett, secretary to Allen Wilkinson Stout MP, adventure through murders, Nazi incitement and parliamentary happenings to save a wing commander arrested for murder.

Blackmail leads to murder - but which of the blackmailer's victims is guilty of such a brutal crime?Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubJames Chigwell is a blackmailer, a human spider who fattens on the blood of other men - on their misfortunes and on their mistakes. But retribution comes to Chigwell when one of his victims at last rebels against his maliciousness and bludgeons him to death.But who among Chigwell's final victims has the courage of despair to slay his tormentor?The Scarlet Button is at once grim and entertaining and, of course, features the celebrated detective Arthur Crook.

A young woman has a new position - but will she listen to the voice warning her not to cross the threshold of that sinister house...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubNora Deane, a young nurse, has been instructed to report to 12 Askew Avenue, Charlbury, to look after a new patient. As she steps from the station into an impenetrable blanket of fog, she is glad to accept the escort of a mysterious young man to the address. Once alone in the darkness, she presses the bell and waits. She shivers. She wants to be inside, out of the dangers of the dark. Yet some inner voice persistently warns her not to cross the threshold of that sinister house . . .

Some men are born to be murderedClassic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubLewis Bishop was born to be murdered - the perfect victim, a man whom many had every reason to hate and fear. When he is suddenly shot dead one night he leaves behind him only unpleasant memories, a flood of relief, and a pretty puzzle for the police - and a case for the irrepressible detective Arthur Crook . . .

A rich, curmudgeonly old husband, a beautiful young wife, a mysterious voice from the past - and murder...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubWhen murder hits the sleepy town of Hinton St Luke tongues start wagging. It's what you might call a cosy domestic murder: a beautiful young wife; her much-older husband dying at just the right moment; a jealous nurse; a mysterious voice from the past and a set of anonymous letters.But which one will lead directly to the killer's front door?

A chilling day of murder in the midst of post-World War II austerityClassic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubIn the spring of 1946, the redoubtable Lady Bate arrives at The Downs, built by the eccentric Colonel Anstruther years before. The aftermath of war has forced the colonel's daughter to take in paying guests, but only Lady Bate knows the secret of Mrs Anstruther's past life and the mystery behind her hermit-like existence. When Lady Bate is found dead, a chance remark puts detective Arthur Crook on the right track, which he follows - at risk to his life.

Forget The Girl on the Train - meet the woman who watches from her window, and finds herself caught up in murder...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club'Watching, fascinated and horrified, he saw thin fingers creep around the edge of the black curtain. Someone from inside was tugging to loosen it . . .'Miss Janet Martin, a 74-year-old spinster, enjoys her daily habit of watching passers-by from her window. When she strikes up a friendship with one of them - the golden-haired Pamela - she has no inkling that the innocence of her fading years is about to be turned upside down.The little old lady becomes inextricably involved in the child's fate, and when she calls in private eye Arthur Crook to help, a plot of abduction, fraud and murder unfolds . . .

A seemingly-innocent advert; a missing widow. And it's the detective who's in the most danger...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubDetective Arthur Crook is browsing the newspaper on the morning of 14 April 1947, when an advertisement jumps out at him. 'Rest and Refreshment: to a lady seeking the above and able to pay for it, is offered a unique opportunity for complete seclusion in a delightful country house'Disastrously, Mrs Emily Watson has read the same ad, and soon Crook becomes embroiled in the disappearance of a rich widow preyed upon by her unscrupulous nephew. And, for once, the super sleuth almost comes a cropper . . . 'The ebullient Crook at his boisterous best' Country Life

After years of caring for her often impossible mother, Alice is finally free. But an unexpected legacy gives her more than she bargained for...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubWhen Alice Hunter's mother dies, after grimly clinging on for eighty-odd years, it is enough for genteel Alice just to be free. But she soon becomes lonely, having few points of contact with the people in the cheap boarding houses which are all she can afford. Then comes news of a legacy, and Alice's soul rises as she travels to the family's lawyers in Bath.Her new life is not what she expects, however, and she is lost in a fog of human misunderstanding, hatred and deceit. A nice cup of tea, stirred by detective Arthur Crook, is what she will need to put things right . . .

Henry's vocation is being a husband. First he woos. Then he weds. Then he kills... Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubWhen he falls in love with orphan Sarah, Henry takes her to a lonely cottage and her initial happiness at being with him soon gives way to some uncomfortable suspicions. But will anyone reach the isolated spot before Henry deems her a little too inquisitive for her own good?

If you ever need my help, I'll be there. But by the time he arrived, she had already disappeared...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubArthur Crook and Miss Pinnegar meet by accident and take to each other on sight, parting with mutual appreciation and an invitation by the detective to call on him professionally should she ever need help - unlikely as that may be.But when Miss Pinnegar receives a visit, it threatens to shake her life to the very foundations. She sends Crook an SOS and he comes at the double, but by then Miss Pinnegar has already disappeared . . .