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Mystery Novels

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By: Richard Marsh (1857-1915)

Book cover Goddess: A Demon

After a night of drinking and gambling, John Ferguson has a terrifying dream of his neighbor being violently torn to shreds by an unknown attacker. When he wakes up, he sees a strange and bloodied woman climbing through his window, suffering from amnesia. These strange occurrences are brought to a chilling climax when, the next day, Ferguson learns that his dream came true, and his neighbor was indeed brutally murdered during the night! With suspicion mounting against the mysterious woman, Ferguson sets out to uncover her true identity and find the vicious killer in the process...

By: Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951)

Book cover Willow Walk

As featured in The Best Short Stories of 1918, The Willow Walk is a trenchant tale of an elaborate heist by a dissolute man who gradually loses his mind in the process. The twist ending also should have won Lewis an O. Henry Award. - Summary by Matt Pierard

By: Alice Muriel Williamson (1869-1933)

Book cover Great Pearl Secret

It is the afternoon before a grand society wedding between Juliet Phayre and the Duke of Claremanagh, when Emmy West drops by to visit the bride and to see the famed Tsarina pearls, only ever to be worn by the Duchess... supposedly. When Juliet admits she has never even seen them, Emmy lets slip she has once, even though the last duchess has been dead many years... were they worn by someone else? And who is Lyda Pavoya? And who is the bridegroom really?

By: Melville Davisson Post (1869-1930)

Book cover Selected Uncle Abner Mysteries

Fourteen mysteries from the pages of the Saturday Evening Post, the Metropolitan, Red Book, and Pictorial Review magazines featuring Uncle Abner, who solves crimes in the pre-Civil War West Virginia hill country. His weapons are keen observation, logic, and a fundamentalist’s belief in the victory of good over evil. Post’s historical mysteries have been favorably compared to those of his fellow American Edgar Alan Poe. - Summary by Winston Tharp

By: Lilian C. Garis (1873-1954)

Book cover Nancy Brandon's Mystery

Nancy spends the summer with a cousin she hardly knows who has a friend who seems to be a bad influence. Secrets, jealousy and bitterness fill their days until they learn how to believe in themselves and overcome their bitterness when the truth is revealed.

By: Henry Kitchell Webster (1875-1932)

Book cover Whispering Man

New friends Drew and Jeffrey are drawn into the investigation of the mysterious death of Dr. Marshall. Romance and intrigue abound and you'll be kept guessing up to the end as to who the murderer could be.

By: Sarah Doudney (1841-1926)

Book cover Nelly Channell

Another fascinating book by the author of A Vanished Hand. Rhoda returns home after the death of her employer to find out that her cousin Helen, with whom she was raised, also returned home. Her husband stole 300 pounds and had to run away to Australia and leave her pregnant. Rhoda has to reconcile her shame and learn to cope with the new situation. But nothing is as it seems. More than anything, this book is about breaking stigmas and opening up your mind to understand and love people, despite their faults, usually with the help of God. Perfect for fans of good novels about crimes, stories about childhood, along with lovers of religious fiction. - Summary by Stav Nisser.

By: Roy J. Snell (1878-1959)

Book cover Curlie Carson Listens In

It is early in the days of radio, and amateurs are using it more and more, and using it illegally. Enter Curlie Carson, who has the job of tracking down the miscreants. Sounds boring. You wouldn't expect high speed car chases, kidnapping, double dealing, and maybe even murder.

By: Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1835-1915)

Book cover Day Will Come

It is an ideal honeymoon of an ideal couple. But somehow, the wife cannot stop dreaming that her husband would be shot and killed. He dismisses her dreams until they come true. Who commited the murder? How would the wife take it? - Summary by Stav Nisser

By: Edwin H. Porter

Book cover Fall River Tragedy

The story of how Lizzie Borden supposedly murdered her parents has passed into American folklore, partly thanks to the albeit inaccurate playground rhyme, "Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother 40 whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41." Here we have the 'true' story, as reported by the local police reporter who attended the trial and lived only streets away from the Borden home with his young wife. After the trial, Porter 'disappeared' and it was widely speculated he had either been murdered or bribed to disappear in order to suppress the book...

By: Richard Marsh (1857-1915)

Book cover Interrupted Kiss

Clare awakens in the middle of the night with no idea why. Her husband is not in his bed and as she goes in search of him she runs into her cousin Elsie who's heard a terrified shout from Rupert. When Clare returns her husband is burning papers in the grate. Next morning they discover that Uncle John a very shady and disagreeable usurer has been murdered!! Who is the culprit and will the earlier interrupted kiss ever be completed? - Summary by Celine Major

By: Edward Keble Chatterton (1878-1944)

Book cover Romance of Piracy

The Library of Romance is a series of books concerning the romance of scientific facts, be it biology, chemistry, history, or politics. This volume is one of history, concerning an account of the known facts of piracy, starting with the Vikings, and arching in history and geography toward an account of piracy in Chinese waters at around the time of publication of this volume . - Summary by Carolin

By: Fergus Hume (1859-1932)

Book cover Clock Struck One

Fergus Hume was a prolific writer of Victorian murder mysteries and The Clock Struck One is another great example of his inventive plots. Julian Edermont living in near seclusion for the last 20 years fearful of an unknown assailant is beaten to death in his study following an argument with his ward's fiance Dr. Allen Scott. The secret revealed to Allen during this argument is such that he breaks off his engagement to Dora refusing to reveal the cause. Since those around her seem unwilling to share what they know it is up to Dora to discover the truth and unmask the murderer of her guardian. - Summary by Celine Major

Book cover Turnpike House

A prolific writer of crime and detective stories Fergus Hume is known for his clever plots. The Turnpike House is another wonderful example of his many intriguing mysteries. EXCERPT: "Suddenly there was the cry of a human being in pain. The light was extinguished, and the mists closed thicker round the ruined building; it might be to hide the sight within the room. Could the walls only have spoken they would have shouted "Murder!" with most miraculous voice. But the age of miracles being past, the walls were dumb, and there was no clamour to greet the horror of this deed done in darkness." - Summary by Celine Major

Book cover Sacred Herb

A rich playboy comes home from travels abroad and is bully-ragged by his eccentric aunt into finding meaning for his life. This he does by helping a school chum save his fiancée from the gallows and the playboy falls head over heels in love with the fiancée. A web of deception and lies is revealed and also a long list of who loves who filled with how much each is willing to accept. The colorful cast includes a south sea captain, a fortuneteller, and a colorful doctor who is an authority on the inhabitants and customs of Easter Island. Then, of course, there is the sacred herb!—Enjoy!!

By: Maurice Leblanc (1864-1941)

Book cover Secret Tomb

'In Robore Fortuna'. What could these three words mean? Join Dorothy as she works to figure this out while simultaneously parenting orphaned boys. But beware, she may encounter hidden treasures, betrayal, and death along the way. - Summary by Campbell Schelp.

By: Thomas Furlong (1844-1918)

Book cover Fifty Years a Detective: 35 Real Detective Stories

Hitherto unpublished facts connected with some of Mr. Furlong's greatest cases—Other interesting incidents of his long and strenuous career which really began on September 14, 1862, when he was detailed from his company, for special service. - Summary from the Preface

By: J. S. Fletcher (1863-1935)

Book cover Markenmore Mystery

After seven years of silence, Guy Markenmore returns to his family home at Markenmore Court. Knowing his father Sir Anthony to be close to death, he is anxious to reassure his younger siblings that he will not make any claim to the family money even if he can't help inheriting the old man's title. Sir Anthony dies later that evening, but the question of the inheritance becomes academic when Guy is murdered whilst crossing the downs. It is now up to detective Blick to track down the person responsible for Sir Anthony’s death. - summary by Sharon Kilmer

By: Fergus Hume (1859-1932)

Book cover Lost Parchment

Murder and mayhem turn a quiet English village on its head. Complete with twists and turns that will keep you entertained til the very end. Fergus Hume never fails.

By: Marvin Dana (1867-1926)

Book cover Lake Mystery

When an old miser dies, he leaves behind valuable gold. Naturally, many people want it. But the miser has not made it easy, hiding the gold with cryptic clues. Saxe, the son of a former music student of the miser, leads the charge to find it along with some old friends before time runs out and the money goes to the miser's blood relatives. But when an evil engineer tries to sneak in and find the gold for himself, Saxe and his crew must try to find the gold while evading the engineer. Who will find the gold first?.

By: Frank L. Packard (1877-1942)

Book cover Four Stragglers

This thrilling novel teems with intrigue and unforgettable characters. It opens during WWI with a few allied soldiers lost at night behind German lines. One of them shoots at another in the darkness. Members of a criminal gang before the war, the men resume their unlawful activities when peacetime returns. The gang’s leader receives a letter that results in his leaving London for a small island off the Florida Keys. He is “as clever a scoundrel and as miserable, inhuman and unscrupulous a one as ever blasphemed the image in which God made him… He is without conscience, ruthless, a fiend who would do honour to hell itself...

By: Edmund Dene Morel (1873-1924)

Book cover Red Rubber: The Story of the Rubber Slave Trade on the Congo

Morel explains the history and formation of the Congo Free State, owned by King Leopold II. However, Morel, a humanitarian, focuses on the atrocities commited in the Congo through the enslavement of the native population, leading to the deaths of as much as 50 percent of the population. Writing in the early 20th century, he argues Britain can and should stop these horrific human rights violations. - Summary by Elsie Selwyn

By: Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1835-1915)

Book cover One Life, One Love

Clara and Robert Hatrell lead an ideal life with their young daughter Daisy in a beautiful old fashioned cottage on the banks of the Thames. When his son Cyril goes away to school their friend and neighbor Ambrose Arden who is a notable scholar offers to tutor Daisy. Some time later Robert carrying a large amount in banknotes is found stabbed to death in a London rooming house supposedly lured there by the mention of someone called Toinette. The murderer is not found and the money trail implicates a Frenchwoman exchanging the notes in Cannes, Nice and Paris...

By: George MacGregor

Book cover History of Burke and Hare, And of the Resurrectionist Times

From the preface: ".....of all the criminal events that have occurred in Scotland, few have excited so deep, widespread, and lasting an interest as those which took place during what have been called the Resurrectionist Times, and notably, the dreadful series of murders perpetrated in the name of anatomical science by Burke and Hare. In the preparation of this work the Author has had a double purpose before him. He has sought not only to record faithfully the lives and crimes of Burke and Hare, and...

By: J. W. Buel (1849-1920)

Book cover Border Bandits

''An authentic and thrilling history of the noted outlaws Jesse and Frank James and their bands of highwaymen.compiled from reliable sources and containing the latest facts in regard to these desperate freebooters.'' The James brothers emerged from the Confederate guerrillas to become notorious outlaws of the American west rising to legendary status. J.W. Buel chronicles their path of robbery and murder across the West in short vignettes. - Summary by Larry Wilson

By: Hugh Walpole (1884-1941)

Book cover Old Ladies

“Quite a number of years ago there was an old rickety building on the rock above Seatown in Polchester, and it was one of a number in an old grass-grown square known as Pontippy Square. In this house at one time or another lived three old ladies,… It was a windy, creaky, rain-bitten dwelling-place for three old ladies….” During the mid 1920s Walpole produced two of his best-known novels in the macabre vein that he drew on from time to time, exploring the fascination of fear and cruelty. The Old Ladies is a study of a timid elderly spinster exploited and eventually frightened to death by a predatory widow.

By: Fergus Hume (1859-1932)

Book cover Sealed Message

A mysterious message on a record is found sealed in a cylinder. A heroine straight out of a fairy-tale is kept secluded by a guardian with questionable motives. Add a murder, a gallant and fearless hero to the rescue and you have all the ingredients necessary to make this a very entertaining little mystery by acclaimed British author Fergus Hume! - Summary by Celine Major

By: John R. Carling (1880?-1920?)

Book cover Weird Picture

Frank Willard is studying in Germany when he receives a letter summoning him home for Christmas and for his brother George's wedding. His bride is to be Daphne, the love of Frank's life, leaving Frank conflicted. He decides to attend, but what has happened to George? - Summary by Lynne Thompson

By: Robert Eustace (1854-1943)

Book cover Heart of a Mystery

The Heart of Mystery by L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace was published in 1901 in six installments in the Windsor Magazine, Vol. 14. The stories relate the adventures of a young Englishman summoned to the deathbed of an old friend in Paris who subsequently finds himself embroiled in a web of danger, espionage and intrigue. - Summary by J. M. Smallheer

By: Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870)

Book cover Marie Antoinette Romances, Vol 2: The Mesmerist's Victim

This 2nd volume of the Marie Antoinette Romances continues the intrigues of "Balsamo, The Magician" and adds to them the schemes of philosophers and the stirrings of revolution. Balsamo carries on his occult tactics to weaponize the state secrets that he gained in the previous volume. A serious romance and illness takes root in the court of King Louis XV, convincing one of the leading philosophic minds of the era, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, that “the breath of heaven will blast an age and a monarchy.” - Summary by jvanstan

By: Carolyn Wells (1862-1942)

Book cover Faulkner's Folly

Eric Stannard, wealthy artist and portrait painter of international reputation is found dead in his studio, an etching needle protruding from his chest. The lights had gone out momentarily just before he was found by a footman and a long-time friend. Standing beside the victim is Joyce his wife and his model Natalie both seeming to be struck with terror and shock!! At first glance the suspects seem obvious...but what about the artist's son who is in love with Natalie, the neighbor in love with the wife, a burglar? Will a psychic help find the murderer? Or will it fall upon the great detective Alan Ford to solve this one? - Summary by Celine Major

By: Sax Rohmer (1883-1959)

Book cover Dope

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


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