E. C. Bentley

Twelve stories from the celebrated author of one of the most famous mystery classics ever written, Trent's Last Case. Philip Trent is an artist, a journalist, and an urbane unraveller of highly problematical crimes. Here the unshakable sleuth appears in twelve tales of misadventure, where the crimes that he investigates range from fraud and embezzlement to criminal assault and murder, yet they all succumb to his adept methods even if the criminal sometimes escapes. Trent Intervenes affirms Bentley's reputation as an author of the first rank and displays his ability to write equally well in the short story form.

The first of a series of detective novels featuring "gentleman sleuth Philip Trent," later published under the title "Trent's Last Case."

My dear Gilbert: I dedicate this story to you. First: because the only really noble motive I had in writing it was the hope that you would enjoy it. Second: because I owe you a book in return for "The Man Who Was Thursday." Third: because I said I would when I unfolded the plan of it to you, surrounded by Frenchmen, two years ago. Fourth: because I remember the past. I have been thinking again to-day of those astonishing times when neither of us ever looked at a newspaper; when we were purely happy in the boundless consumption of paper, pencils, tea and our elders' patience; when we embraced the most severe literature, and ourselves produced such light reading as was necessary; when (in the words of Canada's poet) we studied the works of nature, also those little frogs; when, in short, we were extremely young. For the sake of that age I offer you this book.

A mouth-watering feast of crime fiction, including stories of mushroom murders, brown bread spread with bacillus botulinus, and tales in which the identity of killers is proved by a purchase of fillet steak or an inexpert knowledge of fine wines. This new collection from British Library Crime Classics features some of the greatest mystery tales from the Golden Age of detective fiction to be based around food and drink. Complete with a well-stuffed introduction from expert editor, anthologist and crime author Martin Edwards, detailing the fascinating role of what we imbibe to the genre, this anthology includes tales from the likes of Dorothy L Sayers, Michael Gilbert and EC Bentley, and is sure to leave readers hungry and wanting more.

Detective Philip Trent investigates the mysterious murder of a leading financier. Despite the title, Trent's Last Case is the first novel in which the gentleman sleuth Philip Trent appears. The novel is a whodunit with a place in detective fiction history because it is the first major sendup of that genre: Not only does Trent fall in love with one of the primary suspects usually considered a no-no he also, after painstakingly collecting all the evidence, draws all the wrong conclusions! This novel was much praised, numbering Dorothy L. Sayers among its admirers, and with its labyrinthine and mystifying plotting can be seen as the first truly modern mystery. It was adapted as a film in 1920, 1929, and 1952. The success of the work inspired him, after 23 years, to write a sequel, Trent's Own Case.

Trent’s Last Case (1913) is a detective novel by E.C. Bentley. Adapted three times for the cinema—including a 1952 feature film starring Michael Wilding, Orson Welles, and Margaret Lockwood—Trent’s Last Case, which was titled The Woman in Black in the U.S., earned the acclaim of such writers as Dorothy L. Sayers, and was followed by a sequel and a collection of short stories involving its main character. When Sigsbee Manderson, a prominent American plutocrat, is murdered at his country estate in southwest England, Philip Trent, an amateur detective and freelance journalist, is hired to investigate the case. Aided by police, Trent begins his examination of the facts and evidence. Granted access to the body as well as the grounds of White Gables, Manderson’s estate, Trent concludes his investigation with a series of interviews. Beginning with Manderson’s wife, he uses his journalistic skill to collect information from the plutocrat’s secretaries, servant, and maid, as well as Nathaniel Cupples, Mrs. Manderson’s uncle and an old friend of Trent’s. When the coroner’s report is released, and in coordination with his own research, evidence suggests that Manderson was murdered due to some unknown business vendetta. There is reason to believe, however, that his death could have something to do with his troubled marriage, a possibility complicated by Trent’s growing attraction to Mabel, his widow. Unable to reach a conclusion, Trent embarks for Latvia to work as a traveling correspondent, but no matter how much time or distance he places between himself and White Gables, the questions and the mystery remain. Trent’s Last Case is a masterful detective novel by a writer whose reputation has unjustly faded over the past several decades. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of E.C. Bentley’s Trent’s Last Case is a classic of English detective fiction reimagined for modern readers.

Trent’s Last Case (1913) is a detective novel by E.C. Bentley. Adapted three times for the cinema—including a 1952 feature film starring Michael Wilding, Orson Welles, and Margaret Lockwood—Trent’s Last Case, which was titled The Woman in Black in the U.S., earned the acclaim of such writers as Dorothy L. Sayers, and was followed by a sequel and a collection of short stories involving its main character. When Sigsbee Manderson, a prominent American plutocrat, is murdered at his country estate in southwest England, Philip Trent, an amateur detective and freelance journalist, is hired to investigate the case. Aided by police, Trent begins his examination of the facts and evidence. Granted access to the body as well as the grounds of White Gables, Manderson’s estate, Trent concludes his investigation with a series of interviews. Beginning with Manderson’s wife, he uses his journalistic skill to collect information from the plutocrat’s secretaries, servant, and maid, as well as Nathaniel Cupples, Mrs. Manderson’s uncle and an old friend of Trent’s. When the coroner’s report is released, and in coordination with his own research, evidence suggests that Manderson was murdered due to some unknown business vendetta. There is reason to believe, however, that his death could have something to do with his troubled marriage, a possibility complicated by Trent’s growing attraction to Mabel, his widow. Unable to reach a conclusion, Trent embarks for Latvia to work as a traveling correspondent, but no matter how much time or distance he places between himself and White Gables, the questions and the mystery remain. Trent’s Last Case is a masterful detective novel by a writer whose reputation has unjustly faded over the past several decades. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of E.C. Bentley’s Trent’s Last Case is a classic of English detective fiction reimagined for modern readers.

The second novel from the celebrated author of one of the most famous mystery classics ever written, Trent's Last Case. James Randolph is murdered early one evening and his body is found a few hours later. When the police arrive they discover that Randolph's safe has been ransacked and discarded wrapping paper litters his bedroom floor. Perhaps by chance or perhaps by design, Trent seems to have been the last person, other than the murderer, to see Randolph alive. But this is only one aspect amongst many which connect Trent with the murder and stimulate his interest: his friend Inspector Bligh is the detective in charge of the investigation, and then a long-time friend readily and perplexingly confesses his guilt. As much as he respects the abilities of Inspector Bligh, Trent's personal knowledge has him doubting the confession and intent on finding the truth.

Written in reaction to what Bentley perceived as the sterility and artificiality of the detective fiction of his day, Trent's Last Case features Philip Trent, an all-too-human detective who not only falls in love with the chief suspect but reaches a brilliant conclusion that is totally wrong. Trent’s Last Case begins when millionaire American financier Sigsbee Manderson is murdered while on holiday in England. A London newspaper sends Trent to investigate, and he is soon matching wits with Scotland Yard's Inspector Murth as they probe ever deeper in search of a solution to a mystery filled with odd, mysterious twists and turns. Called by Agatha Christie "one of the best detective stories ever written," Trent's Last Case delights with its flesh-and-blood characters, its naturalness and easy humor, and its style, which, as Dorothy Sayers has noted, "ranges from a vividly coloured rhetoric to a delicate and ironical literary fancy."

This volume of 4 Detectives collects the stories of four very different detectives. Bromley Barnes is a retired Chief from the Treasury Department who is often enlisted for cases of national security. Trent's Last Case shows us the investigation of an industrial magnate by a newspaper journalist through all its twists and turns. The four "Divinations of Kala Persad" focus on an intuitive Indian national who aids a young English detective. Gallagher is an eager street-smart newsboy who helps track down and capture a murderer. This diverse group of investigators offers plenty of thrills and pleasurable reading.