The Surakarta by Edwin Balmer and William MacHarg is a gripping mystery-adventure novel that weaves together intrigue, danger, and psychological suspense in a tightly plotted narrative. Known for their collaborative storytelling, the authors deliver a story rich in atmosphere, hidden motives, and escalating tension. At the heart of the novel lies a mysterious object or entity known as the Surakarta, whose significance draws multiple characters into a web of secrecy and conflict. As competi...

The Blind Man's Eyes by Edwin Balmer and William MacHarg is a gripping mystery novel that delves into perception, deception, and the pursuit of hidden truth. With its tightly woven plot and atmospheric tension, the story explores how insight can come from the most unexpected sources, challenging assumptions about sight, knowledge, and understanding. At the center of the narrative is a compelling mystery involving individuals whose lives become entangled in a series of puzzling events. As t...

The Achievements of Luther Trant by Edwin Balmer and William MacHarg is a compelling early twentieth-century collection of psychological detective stories that showcases one of the most distinctive crime-solving minds in classic fiction. Blending scientific reasoning with narrative suspense, the book follows the innovative methods of Luther Trant, a pioneer in the use of psychological observation to uncover truth. At the center of the work is Luther Trant himself, a consulting investigator...

The Indian Drum by Edwin Balmer and William MacHarg is a gripping mystery-adventure novel that blends suspense, cultural intrigue, and psychological tension into a fast-moving narrative. Known for their collaborative storytelling, the authors create a richly atmospheric tale where hidden motives, dangerous secrets, and unfolding clues drive the story forward. At the heart of the novel is a mysterious drum associated with an "Indian" origin, whose presence becomes central to a chain of puzz...

"The Blind Man's Eyes" revolves around the character of Roger Verbeck, a wealthy and resourceful amateur detective who finds himself embroiled in a complex case of murder and intrigue. The novel begins with Verbeck receiving a cryptic message from an unknown sender, warning him of an impending threat to his life.As Verbeck delves deeper into the mystery, he uncovers a tangled web of secrets, lies, and betrayals involving a diverse cast of characters, including wealthy socialites, hardened ...

The story likely features elements of mystery, humor, or the supernatural, given the title's suggestion of peculiarity or strangeness. As with many short stories of this nature, "Decidedly Odd" may involve unexpected twists, eccentric characters, or unusual situations that challenge the reader's expectations.As Edwin Balmer was known for his contributions to various genres, including mystery, science fiction, and fantasy, "Decidedly Odd" may incorporate elements from one or more of these g...

“The Hammering Man” (also published as “Decidedly Odd”) is part of Edwin Balmer and William B. MacHarg’s Luther Trant series, a 12-story sequence of mysteries featuring a detective armed with psychoanalysis. (It doesn’t hurt that Trant also has a keen analytical mind and can unravel the greatest of puzzles). The series began in 1909 in Hampton’s Magazine and was collected as The Achievements of Luther Trant in late 1910. In "The Hammering Man," Trent must unravel the puzzle of a advertisem...

One rainy morning in April, Luther Trant sat alone in his office. On his wrist as he bent closely over a heap of typewritten pages spread before him on his desk, a small instrument in continual motion ticked like a watch. It was for him an hour of idleness; he was reading fiction. And, with his passion for making visible and recording the workings of the mind, he was taking a permanent record of his feelings as he read.The instrument strapped on Trant’s arm was called a sphygmograp...

Trant substituted for the photograph the bend wire given to him by Miss Rowan. Then for the last time he swung to the instrument and his eyes caught the wildly vibrating pencils, they flared with triumph.

This volume collects 21 stories featuring Detective O'Malley from the pages of Collier's. They date from 1930 through the early 1940s. William MacHarg's title character is a lot of fun and sure to appeal to fans of classic puzzle mysteries.Of the series (which numbers about 80 stories), Mike Grost wrote: "The brief tales are heavily plot oriented. Some of them have mystery puzzle plots, in others the killer's identity is simply found through police work. O'Malley puts great emphasi...

At one of the Tuesday Club meetings, Petherick presents his case. The beloved granddaughter of old Simon Clode dies from severe pneumonia. Desperate, Clode hires Eurydice Spragg, a medium. He is so grateful for the medium's work that he decides to sign a will in her favor, but something strange happens with the document. Will Miss Marple solve this mystery?

In this original short story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly, LAPD Detective Harry Bosch seeks justice for the forgottenNOTE: This file includes a preview of Michael Connelly's novel The Crossing.In "Switchblade," an anonymous tip puts Bosch on a case that has remained unsolved for decades, the vicious stabbing of a teenage boy whose body was found in an abandoned Old Hollywood restaurant.