"The Man With the Twisted Thumb" is an elegant detective short story by Anthony Berkeley, first published in 1933. The narrative begins on a bench at the Monte Carlo casino, where an incredible similarity leads to the accidental swap of two small black handbags. One belongs to Veronica Steyning, a young English governess, and the other to a mysterious woman of Spanish appearance. Inside the mistakenly taken reticule, Veronica discovers a coded message, setting off a chain of unpredictable ...

A munitions factory. A managing director who can't stop talking. And a guest who appears to understand absolutely nothing about steel.Appearances, as ever with Roger Sheringham, are not to be trusted.Wartime England keeps its secrets close — except, perhaps, from the one visitor everyone assumes isn't paying attention.Anthony Berkeley at his wittiest: deduction with a wink.

This new edition, which is reproduced from a first printing of the book, is introduced by the author Martin Edwards, archivist of the Detection Club, and includes a never-before-published Preface by Agatha Christie, ‘Detective Writers in England’, in which she discusses her fellow writers in the Detection Club.Lord Comstock is a barbarous newspaper tycoon with enemies in high places. His murder in the study of his country houseposes a dilemma for the Home Secretary. In the hours be...

A classic Golden Age crime novel, and one of the first to feature a serial killer.Investigating the disappearance of a vicar’s daughter in London, the popular novelist and amateur detective Roger Sheringham is shocked to discover that the girl is already dead, found hanging from a screw by her own silk stocking. Reports of similar deaths across the capital strengthen his conviction that this is no suicide cult but the work of a homicidal maniac out for vengeance – ...

Republished for the first time in nearly 95 years, a classic winter country house mystery by the founder of the Detection Club, with a twist that even Agatha Christie couldn’t solve!Stephen Munro, a demobbed army officer, reconciles himself to taking a job as a footman to make ends meet. Employed at Wintringham Hall, the delightful but decaying Sussex country residence of the elderly Lady Susan Carey, his first task entails welcoming her eccentric guests to a weeke...

This anthology of rare stories of crime and suspense brings together 18 tales from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction for the first time in book form, including uncollected stories by Ngaio Marsh and John Dickson Carr.The Golden Age of detective fiction had begun inauspiciously with the publication of E.C. Bentley’s schismatic Trent’s Last Case in 1913, but it hit its stride in 1920 when both Agatha Christie and Freeman Wills Crofts – latterly crowned que...

One of the earliest psychological crime novels.Mrs Bentley has been arrested for murder. The evidence is overwhelming: arsenic she extracted from fly papers was in her husband’s medicine, his food and his lemonade, and her crimes are being plastered across the newspapers. Even her lawyers believe she is guilty. But Roger Sheringham, the brilliant but outspoken young novelist, is convinced that there is ‘too much evidence’ against Mrs Bentley and sets out to prove h...

The Detective Stories Library is a rich and engaging collection of classic mysteries by some of the greatest writers of the genre. This illustrated volume brings together brilliant tales of crime, deduction, and suspense, featuring works by masters of the Golden Age of detective fiction such as Dorothy L. Sayers, John Dickson Carr, Ngaio Marsh, John Rhode, and Christianna Brand. Among the highlights are intriguing stories such as The House of the Poplars, Grand Guignol, Boots, The Yellow S...

Berkeley, like his contemporaries Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, "were fascinated by murder in real life," according to Martin Edwards, who makes another observation. True crime tales provided them with inspiration and motivation. (four) The Wychford Poisoning Case drew inspiration from the case of Florence Maybrick, who faced accusations of poisoning her husband, James Maybrick, and ultimately proved guilty of the crime. Both Edwards and Tony Medawar have mentioned this fact. Sher...

The Golden Age Mystery Anthology: 40 Timeless Detective Stories is a richly illustrated collection that celebrates the brilliance, elegance, and enduring appeal of classic crime fiction. Bringing together forty masterfully crafted tales, this volume showcases the finest works of the genre’s most iconic authors, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, John Dickson Carr, Ngaio Marsh, Christianna Brand, and others Featuring memorable stories such as The Man Who Knew, ...

"Detection and crime at its wittiest—all Berkeley's stories are amusing, intriguing and he is a master of the final twist." —Agatha ChristieIn this classic Golden Age British mystery, Anthony Berkeley—the renowned author of the Roger Sheringham series—delivers a tense political thriller that starts with a shocking assassination . . .The House of Commons has been breached in the most unthinkable manner. In the middle of his speech introducing a controversial...

The Layton Court Mystery introduces best friends Roger Sheringham and Alexander "Alec" Grierson, who join a distinguished roster of London society guests at the country estate of wealthy bachelor Victor Stanworth. The retreat takes a grim turn when Stanworth is discovered dead in his study with a gunshot wound to the head. At first glance, the scene suggests suicide: the study is locked from the inside, there are no signs of forced entry, and nothing unusual was reported the night before. ...