Green's last published detective novel, The Step on the Stair is typical of her earlier mysteries. Quenton is in love with Orpha, and thinks their marriage has been approved by her guardian. Imagine his shock when her engagement to Edgar is announced. Jealousy rears its ugly head. But then Quenton is made aware of gossip and superstition, which may affect his position in the household. Finding the lost will after their uncle's death could answer all their questions.

America's greatest detective is back! "Nick Carter will solve the mystery. No crime is too deep for him. He’ll ferret out the truth and run down the rascals. He will recover your lost treasures, too, Mr. Strickland, one and all of them, take my word for it. If there is one man on earth who can accomplish it, Nick Carter is that one man. So pull yourself together, sir, and face this calamity man fashion." Mr. Rudolph Strickland's apartment occupies the entire floor of the building and was crammed with priceless treasure. The robbery threatens to destroy his fragile health.[/

Dashiell Hammett’s hardboiled detective is assigned by his agency to guard a stash of wedding presents on an exclusive Bay Area island. Just as he settles in for what he thinks will be a boring break from the pursuit of bad guys, the lights go out and the sounds of gunfire and explosions shatter the quiet of the night. A military style assault on the island ‘s rich residents is underway, and only the Continental Op can stop it! - Summary by Winston Tharp

The first-century scholar and historian Plutarch tells a strange tale of sailors at sea, who heard a mysterious voice proclaiming: "Pan is dead." This narrative poem tells the story of another Greek who sees the funeral of Pan in a vision and is launched on a quest to find the meaning of his vision. His journey eventually leads him all the way to Jerusalem and back, before he finds the answer he is searching for. - Summary by Devorah AllenLeander: MozartjrHelen: Krista ZaleskiPhilo: Larry WilsonPasserby: Kerry AdamsNarrator: Devorah Allen

Narrated in the first person by Raymond Sturgis, Anne's old high-school beau, the story opens with a lavish house party hosted by the Van Wycks. David Van Wyck has suddenly decided to become a philanthropist and proposes to give away his entire fortune to the building of a new library in the community, thus leaving his family penniless. The morning following his late meeting with the library committee, David is found dead in his locked study. The Van Wyck pearls are missing as is the deed giving away the fortune...

The Black Cat was a monthly literary magazine, publishing original short stories, often about uncanny or fantastical topics. Many writers were largely unknown, but some famous authors also wrote original material for this magazine. These are the stories in the twelfth issue of Volume 2: "Sombre", by John M. Ellicott, U. S. N.: can Anita save her beloved pet-bull and her fiancé from the deadly arena ? "The Debut of Mandana", by Alden Lyman: sometimes one has to go to great lengths to make people come on a visit "Number Seven", by Livingstone B...

While Mary Shelley will most likely always be known for her enduring classic of mad science Frankenstein, this collection intends to show the sheer breath and quality of her writing beyond the creation for which she is most known. Many of these stories are told in an atmospheric gothic fiction vein, full of eerie old castles, strange revelations and family secrets. But we also have stories of the supernatural and even science fiction to contend with. Shelley was a true literary master and should be recognized for her contributions to literature beyond her most famous work. - Summary by Ben Tucker

The Black Cat was a monthly literary magazine, publishing original short stories, often about uncanny or fantastical topics. Many writers were largely unknown, but some famous authors also wrote original material for this magazine. We're presenting the first issue of Volume 3 with the following stories: "His Millionaire Client", by Sallie Pate Steen: a clever plan is hatched to claim a convicted murderer's inheritance "The Egg that Ran Away", by Philip Verrill Mighels: a naturalist finds a supposedly new species of eggs "Love and Avarice", by Leonard Freeman Burbank: obsessive love often ends in tragedy "How the Widow Raised the Mortgage", by R...

An abandoned young white woman dies with a baby in her arms in rural Japan. The child is raised by a Japanese woman. This child sees herself only as Japanese. As she grows older, necessity forces her into a racial awakening. And a romantic one.

The Black Cat was a monthly literary magazine, publishing original short stories, often about uncanny or fantastical topics. Many writers were largely unknown, but some famous authors also wrote original material for this magazine. This is the second issue of Volume 3 with the following stories: "Melted Melody", by James J. McEvilly: witness an archaeologist's unusual experiment in an ice cave "Old Pruitt", by Wellington Vandiver: the explanation why Block 2 was the merriest block in gaol "The Coming and Going of a Washoe", by Philip Verrill Mighels: a little Indian boy conquers the heart of two men "A Problem of the East", by Joseph A...

This post-humous collection of stories, sketches and essays by celebrated quintessential New England author Nathaniel Hawthorne gives us glimpses of the many different facets of Hawthorne's personality. The titular tale The Dolliver Romance was an unfinished manuscript that was edited and prepared for publication after Hawthorne's death and relates the story of an aged man with a small child in his care who swallows a magical tincture daily that rejuvenates his vitality, reversing the aging process...

Twelve stories, one for each month of the year, which first list a few Bible verses then relate how those verses took effect in a young person's life. The first 10 chapters are letters written by Frank Hudson to his cousin Renie. Frank is a boy who gets into trouble when he doesn't think before acting. He receives Bible verses as a kind of "hedge fence" he has to jump through or climb over to do the wrong things; they scratch him and give him a prick, and remind him of what is the right way to go...

This 1913 story is far more than a Christmas tale. It is a story about spiritual wisdom; the seeking of wisdom, the getting of wisdom, even when the seeking and the getting is obscure. Henry Collinton is an 81 year old, widowed, Episcopal Church bishop. The story opens on the morning of the Bishop’s last Christmas and ends with his death that night. We see him encounter four to him important people throughout the day, three friends and the Nazarene, the Christ, he has followed all his life...

Now that the railroad has come through, Christie Tucker's parents have decided to save enough for her to go to her well-to-do Uncle Daniel for a one-day visit, on Christmas, which is also Christie's birthday. It's her first trip away from home -- and on the cars! Of course, the trip doesn't turn out exactly as expected. That one day, and how Christie lived it, has consequences that keep coming! Addressed by the author to girls, it is still a pleasant story for adults, too.

Seven stories, chapters, essays, or poetry about Christmas or around Christmas. - Summary by david wales

From celebrated crime author Rex Stout, creator of the long-running Nero Wolfe detective stories, comes this early mystery, that served as an inspiration to the first Nero Wolfe novel Fer-de-Lance, of a golfer who, while out on the greens, clutches his chest and keels over from an apparent heart attack. But the coroner rules it a poisoning, and the president of the country club, Canby Rankin, takes it upon himself to track down the killer. - Summary by Ben Tucker

Regina Miriam Bloch is a somewhat enigmatic figure in the world of Weird Fiction, having written only two slim volumes , yet her language and impact of writing style is unrivaled. The Swine-Gods and Other Visions is a haunting, at times grotesque, at times exuberant collection of strange and otherworldly fables, filled with pagan deities, bizarre allegorical parables and rich imagery unlike anything in print at the time. The dream worlds that Bloch creates, of priests sacrificing souls to boar-headed...

Dudley Baker is new to Grafton School. Like many rookie students he finds himself feeling out of place amongst the strange new faces he encounters there. With the help of his roommate, Jimmy Logan, he attempts to overcome his insecurities and become a popular member of school society. Struggling with these attempts he finds redemption in the game of baseball and strives to make an indelible impact in sport. Of course many interesting adventures ensue! - Summary by Howard Skyman

Dick Brewster is implicated in a murder and comes to his aunt's farm to hide. His Aunt Sarah stands by him in his need and they all move to the city in the effort to clear his name. She investigates on her own account and.... - Summary by The Author Cast list: Lily Ann, Help at the farm: Devorah Allen Aaron Flint, the hired man: Alan Mapstone Mrs. Brewster, from New York: TJ Burns Helen Brewster, her daughter: Jenn Broda Leonard Fillmore, a young country lawyer: skypigeon Sarah Newcomb, sister of Mrs...

These stories have been written in the hopes of giving some pleasant qualms to their reader, if by chance, anyone be occupying in their perusal a leisure half-hour before he goes to bed when the night and the house are still, he may perchance cast an occasional glance into the corners and dark places of the room where he sits, to make sure that nothing unusual lurks in the shadow. For this is the avowed object of ghost stories and such tales as deal with the dim unseen forces which occasionally and perturbingly make themselves manifest. The author therefore fervently wishes his readers a few uncomfortable moments. Preface - by E.F. Benson

The Black Cat was a monthly literary magazine, publishing original short stories, often about uncanny or fantastical topics. Many writers were largely unknown, but some famous authors also wrote original material for this magazine. The seventh issue, offers the following 6 stories: "The mystery of the thirty millions", by T. F. Anderson and H. D. Umbstaetter : what happened to the large ocean-steamer that inexplicably vanished in mid-Atlantic ? "The man at Solitaria", by Geik Turner: after 15 years...

A minor lord is killed and a rich socialite is missing, and they are both tied to the enigmatic Kazmah the Dream Reader, who has also disappeared. New Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Red Kerry scours post-WWI London looking for clues, encountering rich Bohemians, theatre people, landed gentry, sailors, and, stereotypically, sinister Chinese people and sneaky Jews. The story is based on the history of Billie Carleton, a young English actress whose scandalous lifestyle ended with her death from a drug overdose in 1918. - Summary by TriciaG

Emma Watson, the youngest child of six from a poor family, was sent away as a child to be raised by her wealthy aunt and uncle. When her uncle dies and her aunt remarries, Emma returns home to help care for her ailing father and reconnect with her estranged siblings. She quickly must learn how to behave among the less affluent and navigate her way through the affections of many young men vying for her attention. The Younger Sister is the first published completion of Jane Austen's unfinished novel The Watsons.

The eight short stories that comprise South Sea Tales are powerful tales that vividly evoke the early 1900’s colonial South Pacific islands. Tales of hurricanes, missionaries, brotherhood and seafaring are intertwined with enslavement, savagery, and lawless trading to expose the often-barbarous history of the South Pacific islands. You will also gain unsparing insight into the life, culture and relations between natives and Westerners during this period. If you like nautical and sea adventures, if you are interested in the history of the South Pacific islands, and especially if you want to read gripping tales set in the exotic lands, then this book will be perfect for you...

The Black Cat was a monthly literary magazine, publishing original short stories, often about uncanny or fantastical topics. Many writers were largely unknown, but some famous authors also wrote original material for this magazine. This is the eighth issue with the following 5 stories: "For fame, money, or love ?" by Rodrigues Ottolengui : a piano composition reveals the final thoughts of a musician ''A No Account Niggah'', by Leonard M. Prince: a clumsy new recruit proves his worth when it matters...

Galsworthy's classic The Dark Flower is a study of love. Spring is the beginning when all is new and full of hope. However, the woman Lennan has fallen for is out of reach, a forbidden love. Can he overcome the challenges? As he matures, he discovers two different loves: the first is platonic, comfortable, and one that can last a lifetime. The other is crazy, passionate, and dangerous. As he matures, he settles into a somewhat boring and safe marriage, but then excitement and danger re-emerge in the form of a young mistress...

This is a classic horror story, and one of the earliest examples of science fiction. The main characters are Dr. Frankenstein and his creation, the daemon. Shelley called the scientist a "pale student of unhallowed arts" and his creation a "hideous phantasm of a man." This story is not only delightfully frightful, but arguably represents one of the clearest criticisms of science during a time when, like the daemon, it was leaving its own infancy and, like Dr. Frankenstein, testing its ethical boundaries...

Stephen Mitchell is a young man without a place in the world. He hates farming, although he works endless hours on the poor family farm. He isn't qualified for many jobs in town since he's had very little formal schooling. And he is a loner because he’s too self-conscious and awkward to speak to other boys his age, let alone a young lady. But Providence puts Stephen in the middle of a lecture at the Chautauqua camp meeting. For the first time in his life, Stephen is inspired to take one small step toward improving himself. And that single small step soon begets another. - Summary by TriciaG

Nick Carter is a fictional private detective who first appeared in 1886 in dime store novels. Over the years, different authors, all taking the nom de plume Nicholas Carter, have penned stories. Here, the tale begins with the trial of a woman, sure to be convicted and face the gallows. Or is she?

Nick Carter is a fictional private detective who first appeared in 1886 in dime store novels. Over the years, different authors, all taking the nom de plume Nicholas Carter, have penned stories featuring "America's greatest private detective". This tale opens in South America, with a lone man lying in wait in the mountains. He lets a caravan of peasants pass. Ten minutes later, the sound of a horse's hooves signal the arrival of his quarry. Who is the man and why is he trying to shoot his victim?

Nick Carter is a fictional detective who first appeared in 1886 in dime store novels. Over the years, different authors, all taking the nom de plume Nicholas Carter, have penned stories featuring "America's greatest detective". He has his work cut out when a body is discovered in a corridor of the second floor of the Wilton Hotel. He is quickly identified as Gaston Todd. Is his death a result of the ongoing feud with another man over the hand of society belle, Edna Thurlow? Surely it can't be as cut and dried as that? - Summary by Lynne Thompson

Nick Carter is a fictional detective who first appeared in 1886 in dime store novels. Over the years, different authors, all taking the nom de plume Nicholas Carter, have penned stories featuring "America's greatest detective". One evening, a stranger calls on our hero at home, with a tale of the kidnap of the governor's daughter and theft of some important papers; but when he begins to conceal information, Nick refuses to help and becomes suspicious. As Mr. Snell leaves, the detective's sidekick, Patsy, follows.