Kirjahaku

Discover the new Penguin Crime and Espionage seriesFor two secret agents, there's no such thing as a quiet life in the countryside...In a peaceful Kent village, Mr Behrens lives with his aunt at the Old Rectory, where he plays chess and keeps bees. His friend Mr Calder lives nearby with Rasselas, a golden deerhound of unnatural intelligence. No one would suspect that they are in fact working for British Intelligence, carrying out the jobs that are too dangerous for anyone else to handle - whether it's wiping out traitors, Soviet spies or old Nazis - in these gloriously entertaining stories.

"The Man Who Couldn't Sleep" contains four radio plays by Michael Gilbert, none of which has ever been published before. The solicitor, Henry Bohun - who is the man who couldn't sleep - features in a six-part serial thriller involving secret agents. Other series characters included in this volume are Mr Birley, Mr Rumbold and his son Nap, plus Hargest Macrae Q.C. This collection also contains two previously unpublished synopses for proposed plays: "My Aunt She Died A Month Ago" and "The Game Called Justice", as well as other plays featuring an escaped sex murderer and a wartime betrayal. This collection, edited and introduced by John Cooper, is a must-have for all readers of that fine writer, Michael Gilbert.

A man is found dead in an escape tunnel in an Italian prisoner-of-war camp. Did he die in an accidental collapse - or was this murder? Captain Henry `Cuckoo' Goyles, master tunneller and amateur detective, takes up the case. This classic locked-room mystery with a closed circle of suspects is woven together with a thrilling story of escape from the camp, as the Second World War nears its endgame and the British prisoners prepare to flee into the Italian countryside.

At the Central Criminal Court, an eager crowd awaits the trial of Victoria Lamartine, an active participant in the Resistance during the war. She is now employed at the Family Hotel in Soho, where Major Eric Thoseby has been found murdered. The cause of death? A stabbing reminiscent of techniques developed by the Maquisards. While the crime is committed in England, its roots are buried in a vividly depicted wartime France. Thoseby is believed to have fathered Lamartine’s child, and the prosecution insist that his death is revenge for his abandonment of Lamartine and her arrest by the Gestapo. A last-minute change in Lamartine’s defence counsel grants solicitor Nap Rumbold just eight days to prove her innocence, with the highest of stakes should he fail. The proceedings of the courtroom are interspersed with Rumbold’s perilous quest for evidence, which is aided by his old wartime comrades.

Horniman, Birley and Craine is a highly respected legal firm with clients reaching to the highest in the land. When a deed box in the office is opened to reveal a corpse, the threat of scandal promises to wreak havoc on the firm's reputation - especially as the murder looks like an inside job. The partners and staff of the firm keep a watchful and suspicious eye on their colleagues, as Inspector Hazlerigg sets out to solve the mystery of who Mr Smallbone was - and why he had to die. Written with style, pace and wit, this is a masterpiece by one of the finest writers of traditional British crime novels since the Second World War.

In the village of Brimberley, the worst thing on the horizon seems to be the chance of being outshone by the rival village choir of Bramshott. But that is until Brimberley's lead tenor is blown up in his home by an explosion that rocks the whole community. As an amateur coalition of the motorcycling choir leader Liz, her ex-commando son and a retired general begins to piece together this strange crime, mystery upon mystery compounds in a case involving dark secrets buried in the turmoil of the Second World War, parochial grudges, a burglar whose reputation borders on the mythical, and a volatile killer poised to strike again. First published in 1955, this classic village mystery with elements of WW2 spy fiction showcases Gilbert's ingenious plotting and ability to blow the reader's assumptions sky high.

Discover the captivating treasures buried in the British Library's archives. Largely inaccessible to the public until now, this classic crime novel, featuring the challenges of World War II, was written in the golden age of detective fiction."Any book by Michael Gilbert is a treat"--Daily TelegraphA man is found dead in an escape tunnel beneath an Italian prisoner-of-war camp. Did he die in an accidental collapse--or was this murder? Captain Henry 'Cuckoo' Goyles, master tunneller and amateur detective, takes up the case.This classic locked-room mystery with a closed circle of suspects is woven together with a thrilling story of escape from the camp, as the Second World War nears its endgame, and the British prisoners prepare to flee into the Italian countryside.Perfect for readers of Sophie Hannah and Louise Penny Also in the British Library Crime Classics: Smallbone DeceasedThe Body in the Dumb RiverBlood on the TracksSurfeit of SuspectsDeath Has Deep RootsCheckmate to Murder

Discover the captivating treasures buried in the British Library's archives. Largely inaccessible to the public until now, these enduring classics were written in the golden age of detective fiction."A first-rate job"--New York Times"A classic of the genre"--GuardianHorniman, Birley and Craine is a highly respected legal firm with clients drawn from the highest in the land. When a deed box in the office is opened to reveal a corpse, the threat of scandal promises to wreak havoc on the firm's reputation--especially as the murder looks like an inside job. The partners and staff of the firm keep a watchful and suspicious eye on their colleagues, as Inspector Hazlerigg sets out to solve the mystery of who Mr. Smallbone was--and why he had to die.Since its initial publication in 1950, Smallbone Deceased has been lauded as a perfect British mystery as well as a historical fiction bestseller. Written with style, pace, and wit, this is a masterpiece by one of the finest writers of traditional British crime books since the Second World War.

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of MurderAn eager London crowd awaits the trial of Victoria Lamartine, hotel worker, ex-French Resistance fighter, and the only logical suspect for the murder of her supposed lover, Major Eric Thoseby. Lamartine--who once escaped from the clutches of the Gestapo--is set to meet her end at the gallows.One final opportunity remains: the defendant calls on solicitor Nap Rumbold to replace the defence counsel, and grants an eight-day reprieve from the proceedings. Without any time to spare, Rumbold boards a ferry across the Channel, tracing the roots of the brutal murder back into the war-torn past.Expertly combining authentic courtroom drama at the Old Bailey with a perilous quest for evidence across France, Death Has Deep Roots is an unorthodox marvel of the mystery genre.