In a writing career of over 60 years, Ben Travers is regarded as the master of the ‘Aldwych Farces’. This collection is being published at a time where farces are coming back into fashion following the smash hit of One Man Two Guvnors, and the success of The Magistrate both at the National Theatre, as well as the recent productions of Noises Off and What the Butler Saw. The four plays in this collection are representative of Travers’ work at its best and most characteristic.The plays inclu...

Six classic farces from the renowned comedy writer, with casts including Judi Dench, Michael Williams, Joan Hickson, Alex Jennings and Penelope WiltonIn the 1920s and ’30s, Ben Travers proved himself a master of comic confusion with his hugely successful Aldwych farces. Featuring battle-axe mothers-in-law, beleaguered wives, henpecked husbands and a host of humorous misunderstandings, they wowed West End audiences and were frequent...

Twenty-nine years of silent obedience have left her a timid, unmarried woman, crushed by the expectations of her overbearing family. On a rain-soaked birthday, she receives a devastating medical diagnosis: she has a fatal heart condition and only a year to live. With nothing left to lose, she decides to stop being afraid and to start living for herself.Defying her mother’s fury, she leaves home to care for a dying friend and scandalizes her relatives by proposing marriage to a myst...

In "Strong Poison," Dorothy Leigh Sayers masterfully weaves a complex tale of murder, mystery, and moral ambiguity through her exquisite prose and intricate plotting. Set against the backdrop of 1930s London, the narrative follows the astute detective, Lord Peter Wimsey, as he unravels the enigma surrounding the poisoning of a prominent novelist, highlighting the era's cultural tensions. Sayers's literary style is characterized by sharp dialogue, rich character development, and a flair for...

A malicious letter A tragic death A village filled with suspectsNothing ever happens in the sleepy village of Lymstock.Until letters accusing the villagers of unspeakable acts start to appear.They try to dismiss them as a cruel hoax, but then one of the recipients is found dead. The letter next to her body reads simply, ‘I can’t go on’.As fear spreads among the villagers, Jane Marple must uncover who is writing these letters – before anyone else is hurt....

'Best period book I have EVER read! - 5-star reader review'Emmy Carter's mother is a prostitute - and her life has made Emmy determined to avoid the same fate. But Emmy is beautiful, so attracts unwanted attention; her mother's protector has his eye on her, as does evil Marcus Armistead, her employer's nephew. Marcus is excited by Emmy's virginity and has her kidnapped, but Emmy hits him over the head and escapes. Marcus, futher enraged, kills her mother and become...

Mills & Boon presents the complete Betty Neels collection. Timeless tales of heart-warming romance by one of the world’s best-loved romance authors.Emmy was plain and mousey-why would Ruerd look her way? Ermentrude Foster helped the family finances by working at St Luke’s Hospital. While she often spoke her mind to Professor Ruerd ter Mennolt, who was sometimes impatient, he did offer practical aid with Emmy’s difficulties.Ruerd couldn’t understand...

Edna O'Brien's wonderful, wild and moving novel shocked the nation on its publication in 1960. Adapted for the stage by the author, The Country Girls, the play, is a highly theatrical and free-flowing telling of this classic coming of age story.

Murder on haunted ground . . .Mary Stokes was walking through Dead Man's Copse one evening when she saw, in the beam of a torch, the corpse of a young woman dressed in a black coat, black gloves, no hat and an eternity ring set with diamonds in her ear. But when she and Detective Sergeant Frank Abbott went back to the wood the body had vanished.This would have been mystery enough for Miss Silver to solve if a woman had not also reported that her lodger had gone out on Frida...

War doesn't only bring suffering . . .Born in Canning Town, in the heart of London's teeming dockland, red-headed Lily is a true Cockney in her zest for life, her natural humour and her instinct for survival.With the outbreak of World War II, husband George goes off to fight for King and Country and into the close-knit East End community bursts Kasie, a Dutch seaman who quickly falls for Lily's bright curls and ready smile. His romantic ways make Lily go we...

The D.D.I. recognized him and smiled. “That was a great case you brought us. You’ll be interested to hear that it is a case of mur-r-der!”For eight years Basil Thomson headed the famous C.I.D., New Scotland Yard. He knew the Yard inside out. Now in this tale of mystery and detection we are taken behind the scenes. We are shown the greatest detection machine in the world in motion, and see how the Yard tracked down its man.Stand, then, with young P.C. Richardson on ...

90 CRIME NOVELS: Complete Collection gathers Edgar Wallace's prodigious crime fiction into a panorama of early twentieth-century suspense, ranging from police investigations and courtroom intrigue to secret societies, jewel thefts, blackmail, and international conspiracies. Wallace's style is swift, theatrical, and intensely plot-driven: chapters often turn on revelations, disguises, and reversals rather than psychological introspection. Situated between Victorian sensation fiction and the...