His Honor finds a public-spirited corpse; the school-ma’am detective finds a murderer; and Inspector Piper discovers what was wrong with the four Fates, the beautiful marble hussy, and the nice young man with the beard. A Miss Hildegarde Withers Mystery!

In Murder on Wheels, the indomitable Hildegarde Withers returns to solve another baffling crime. This time, the sharp-witted schoolteacher-turned-detective finds herself entangled in a perplexing murder case involving a deadly automobile accident that may not have been an accident at all. When a wealthy automobile tycoon is found dead under suspicious circumstances, Miss Withers suspects foul play. As she delves deeper into the case, she uncovers a web of deceit, greed, and hidden motives ...

A sharp-witted Manhattan schoolteacher tackles eight little mysteries in this collection from the author of The Puzzle of the Happy Holligan.When not teaching third graders, middle-aged singleton Hildegard Withers enjoys sipping orange pekoe tea, reading Sherlock Holmes stories, and tending to her tropical fish. And from time to time, she also helps her friend, Insp. Oscar Piper, with some puzzling cases . . ."The Riddle of the Lady from Du...

On a trip to the New York Aquarium with her third-grade class, a teacher discovers a dead body: "One of the world's shrewdest and most amusing detectives" ( The New York Times).For the third graders at Jefferson School, a field trip is always a treat. But one day at the New York Aquarium, they get much more excitement than they bargained for. A pickpocket sprints past, stolen purse in hand, and is making his way to the exit when their teacher, th...

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...

WHEN IT COMES TO MURDER, THERE'S ALWAYS A CHOICE…The only thing more varied than how people are killed is the many, many ways people try to get away with this terrible crime. Now masterful mystery writer Dorothy Salisbury Davis brings together 23 classic stories of crime and suspense, whodunits and detective stories from some of the finest authors of the 1950s.Ross Macdonald's classic P.I. Lew Archer takes a chilling case in California, where the mob isn't ...

The savvy Miss Withers investigates a mysterious hanging-while-driving in this delightful addition to a classic cozy mystery series.As snow falls on the steps of the New York Public Library, a line of cars moves sluggishly down Fifth Avenue. Oblivious to the traffic, a blue Chrysler roadster tears down the street, hops the curb, and slams to a halt. The car is empty, its driver thrown half a block back. He's stone dead, his cigarette still burning, and a noose tied ...

Spinster sleuth Hildegarde Withers and Inspector Oscar Piper are on the case of murder among the dog breeders, in a case reminiscent of S.S. Van Dine's "The Kennel Murder Case" (1933).

A newspaperman investigates the strange case of a murdered society clownHowie Rook does not care for the police. After a long career in newspapers, he has seen too many cases loused up by unimaginative detectives to have any faith in by-the-book investigation. Recently retired, he spends his leisure hours writing letters to the editor regarding police stupidity. He's so good at pointing out the department's screw-ups that it has decided to reach out to him. They hav...

The Riddle of the Black Spade by Stuart Palmer is a brisk, witty, and cleverly engineered mystery featuring one of Golden Age crime fiction’s most unconventional sleuths — the irrepressible schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers. With her sharp tongue, sharper mind, and talent for stumbling into trouble, Miss Withers once again proves that common sense and keen observation can outmatch official procedure. What begins as an ordinary social occasion quickly turns sinister when a strange symbol — t...

In Four Lost Ladies, the ever-resourceful Hildegarde Withers finds herself drawn into a chilling mystery when four women vanish without a trace. The no-nonsense schoolteacher-turned-sleuth is no stranger to solving crimes, but this time, the case is unlike any she has encountered before. When a retired judge disappears from a quiet New York boarding house, Hildegarde Withers is intrigued—but when three other women also go missing under eerily similar circumstances, she realizes that someth...

On a gloomy old California estate, the Cameron heirs confront greed, madness, and murderIn the heyday of silent cinema, Cameron Heights was billed as the "California Wonder Town." A sprawling development of lavish bungalows, its streets were named after film stars, its houses decorated with Hollywood finery. Fifteen years later, it's a ghost town, and the spirit who rules over it is more disturbing than any horror that has ever haunted the silver screen.Elde...