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By: Earl Derr Biggers (1884-1933)

Book cover Seven Keys to Baldpate

Dime-store novelist William Magee has gone to Baldpate Inn to do a little soul-searching in an attempt to write a serious work. Thinking he will be alone and uninterrupted, Magee arrives at the inn in the dead of winter. But he discovers that there are six other keys to Baldpate Inn, and the holders of those keys enliven his stay with bribery, shootings and plenty of mystery.

By: Fanny Kelly (1845-1904)

Book cover Narrative of My Captivity Among the Sioux Indians

"Narrative of my captivity among the Sioux Indians: with a brief account of General Sully's Indian expedition in 1864, bearing upon events occurring in my captivity" "I was a member of a small company of emigrants, who were attacked by an overwhelming force of hostile Sioux, which resulted in the death of a large proportion of the party, in my own capture, and a horrible captivity of five months' duration. Of my thrilling adventures and experience during this season of terror and privation, I propose...

By: Frank L. Packard (1877-1942)

Book cover Further Adventures of Jimmie Dale

In the previous book of adventures, we met Jimmie Dale, a wealthy playboy by day, who at night put on a disguise and became The Gray Seal, a daredevil entering businesses or homes and cracking safes, always leaving a diamond shaped, gray paper "seal" behind to mark his conquest. He never took anything, but just wanted the thrill of it. This had spun out of control when a mysterious woman, whom Jimmie Dale nicknames The Tocsin, caught him at it and blackmailed him into doing her bidding. On her instigation, he got involved in numerous underworld crimes, righting wrongs and protecting innocent bystanders...

Book cover Jimmie Dale and the Phantom Clue

Jimmie Dale, alias The Gray Seal, alias Smarlinghue, is back in the criminal underworld of New York. He is desperately trying to find the criminal called the Phantom, alias Gentleman Laroque, in order to protect Marie, alias The Tocsin, the love of his life. A fast-paced, adventurous story riddled with aliases, disguises, gunfire and opium dens. Third book about the adventures of Jimmie Dale. The first two are already available at. - Summary by Anna Simon

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: Henry L. Williams

Book cover Joaquin, the Claude Duval of California; or, The Marauder of the Mines: a Romance Founded on Truth

Joaquin Murrieta was a famous Californio bandit, known as the "Robin Hood of El Dorado". Joaquin Murrieta was the son of worthy parents, and nothing in his early youth betokened any traits of the monster which he afterwards became. . . . In the following pages every trace of his blood-stained footsteps is closely followed. Some of the facts are furnished by contemporary witnesses; most of them by official documents. He proceeded from step to step, wading deeper and deeper into crime, until quiet citizens were almost afraid to breathe his name aloud...

By: Richard Doddridge Blackmore (1825-1900)

Book cover Cradock Nowell Vol. 3

Cradock Nowell: a Tale of the New Forest is a three-volume novel by R. D. Blackmore published in 1866. Set in the New Forest and in London, it follows the fortunes of Cradock Nowell who, at the end of Volume 1, is thrown out of his family home and disowned by his father following the suspicious death of Cradock's twin brother Clayton, their father's favorite. In Volume 2, the story picks up with those left behind at Nowelhurst and the question of who is now heir apparent to the Nowell fortune. Meanwhile, Cradock discovers life independent of the Nowell name and fortune is not easy...

By: Roy J. Snell (1878-1959)

Book cover Secret Mark

Student Lucile Tucker works part-time at the library of the large university she attends in Chicago to help pay her tuition. One night, while closing the library for the evening, she glimpses a small child – a girl – in the stacks. Carefully following her, Lucile can’t believe her eyes when the child, unaware that she has been seen, manages to steal a valuable book from the collection and practically disappear from the library right before Lucile’s eyes. This is only the beginning of her search for why this child took this book (and others)...

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: Unknown

Book cover Chronicles of crime and criminals No.1

Published by Beaver Publishing Company, Toronto, and subtitled "Full and authentic account of the murder by Henry Wainwright of his mistress, Harriet Lane, and an extended account of the Whitechapel murders by the infamous Jack the Ripper."

By: A. A. Milne (1882-1956)

The Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne The Red House Mystery

The Red House Mystery is a novel by A. A. Milne about the mysterious death of Robert Ablett inside the house of his brother, Mark Ablett while there was a party taking place. It’s a whodunit novel with a simple story that's skilfully told. Milne is best known for his works about Winnie the Pooh, but before he became famous for telling stories about this teddy bear, he also garnered praise for “The Red House Mystery.” The novel was set during a house party in the mansion home of Mark Ablett known as the “red house...

By: A. E. W. Mason (1865-1948)

Book cover Watchers

A dark tale of adventure, piracy, murder, and revenge set on a rugged Cornish island in the mid-1700s. Told with the literary excellence to be expected from the author of The Four Feathers, the tale begins with a dangerous youth who sat in the stocks, and a girl named Helen, and a gang of men watching a granite house at the edge of the sea. NOTE: Contains some language that would be considered offensive to the modern ear. (Christine Dufour)

By: A.E.W. Mason

At the Villa Rose by A.E.W. Mason At the Villa Rose

Harry Wethermill, the brilliant young scientist, a graduate of Oxford and Munich, has made a fortune from his inventions, and is taking a vacation at Aix-les-Bains. There he meets, and immediately falls in love with, the young and beautiful Celia Harland, who serves as companion to the aging but warm-hearted Madam Dauvray of Paris. All this is observed by Julius Ricardo, a retired financier from the City of London, who spends every August at Aix, expecting there to find a pleasant and peaceful life...

By: Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870)

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers follows the adventures of the young Gascon nobleman, D’Artagnan and his three trusted friends who served as musketeers in the king’s regiment – Athos, Porthos & Aramis. Written by Alexandre Dumas, the book was a bestseller during the time of its publication and it remains so even today. It follows the timeless theme of friendship and bravery. The main protagonist of the story is D’Artagnan who travels to Paris to realize his dreams of becoming one of the musketeers for the king...

Celebrated Crimes by Alexandre Dumas Celebrated Crimes

Dumas's 'Celebrated Crimes' was not written for children. The novelist has spared no language -- has minced no words -- to describe the violent scenes of a violent time.In some instances facts appear distorted out of their true perspective, and in others the author makes unwarranted charges. The careful, mature reader, for whom the books are intended, will recognize, and allow for, this fact.The first volume comprises the annals of the Borgias and the Cenci. The name of the noted and notorious Florentine family has become a synonym for intrigue and violence, and yet the Borgias have not been without stanch defenders in history...

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: Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951)

The Camp of the Dog by Algernon Blackwood The Camp of the Dog

A party of campers on a deserted Baltic island is terrorized by a huge wolf… or is it?

Book cover John Silence

Six stories about Dr. John Silence if you want the shivers to run up your back, this is the right place to be

Book cover Listener and Other Stories

Algernon Blackwood, noted maestro of weird fiction, in his second collection of stories gives us some of his best and most well-known tales of the strange and macabre. From the unsettling haunted house story "The Listener" to the chilling true crime story "Max Hensig: Bacteriologist and Murderer", from the otherworldly tale of reincarnation "The Insanity of Jones" to one of the single most influential and eerie stories in all weird literature "The Willows", this collection shows Blackwood's masterful grasp of tension and atmosphere, further cementing his place among the greats of horror fiction. - Summary by Ben Tucker

By: Alice B. Emerson

Book cover Ruth Fielding of the Red Mill

Brave, adventurous and loyal, recently-orphaned Ruth Fielding is sent to live with her estranged Uncle Jabez at the Red Mill in Cheslow, New York. A new town means making new friends, and the teenage Ruth quickly befriends the children of a wealthy merchant. But as the relationship between her and her uncle becomes strained and she attempts to become friends with a very disagreeable girl, will Ruth's cheery disposition be enough to get her through?This is the first of the Ruth Fielding series, with follows Ruth and her friends from adolescence into early adulthood.

By: Alice Muriel Williamson (1869-1933)

The House by the Lock by Alice Muriel Williamson The House by the Lock

What secrets lay within the walls of the house by the lock? What secrets, if any, are held by the man who owns that mysterious house? A body is found in a backwater creek not far from the house by the lock, but what leads Noel Stanton on a quest to determine who the killer might be is more than merely the disappearance of his American friend Harvey Farnham. He has reason to believe that the wealthy and influential owner of the house, Carson Wildred, might somehow be implicated in the coincidental disappearance and murder...

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: Allan Pinkerton (1819-1884)

The Expressman and the Detective by Allan Pinkerton The Expressman and the Detective

Allan Pinkerton (1819-1884), a Scotsman by birth and a barrel-maker by trade, settled in Chicago in its infancy and founded the Pinkertons, the world's first detective agency. Though events associated with the agency after his death have tarnished the name, Pinkerton himself was one of the original human rights advocates. He was a dear friend to John Brown, an advisor to Abraham Lincoln, and 80 years ahead of his time in hiring female detectives. He was also stubborn, irascible, and an egomaniac...

By: Ambrose Bierce (1842-1913)

Can Such Things Be? by Ambrose Bierce Can Such Things Be?

24 short stories in fairly typical Bierce fashion - ghostly, spooky, to be read (or listened to) in the dark, perhaps with a light crackling fire burning dimly in the background. Stories of ghosts, apparitions, and strange, inexplicable occurrences are prevalent in these tales, some of which occur on or near Civil War fields of battle, some in country cottages, and some within urban areas. Can Such Things Be? implies and relates that anything is possible, at any time.

In the Midst of Life; Tales of Soldiers and Civilians by Ambrose Bierce In the Midst of Life; Tales of Soldiers and Civilians

These stories detail the lives of soldiers and civilians during the American Civil War. This is the 1909 edition. The 1909 edition omits six stories from the original 1891 edition; these six stories are added to this recording (from an undated English edition). The 1891 edition is entitled In The Midst Of Life; Tales Of Soldiers And Civilians. The Wikipedia entry for the book uses the title Tales of Soldiers and Civilians. Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – after December 26, 1913) was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist...

By: Andy Adams

Book cover Hawaiian Sea Hunt Mystery

Adventure series in exotic locations. This adventure is set in the exotic Island of Hawaii and involves the search for a missing sloop and the whereabouts of a valuable mine. Biff Brewster, his father and friends become entangled with ruthless criminals who are also intending to find the sunken boat and discover the map and the mine. They have kidnapped the elderly scientist who holds the key to the discovery. An exciting adventure with lots of action on land and sea.- Summary by Peter Thomlinson

By: Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823)

Book cover The Italian

The love story between a nobleman and a beautiful lady whom he meets in church leads both of them to unexpected places, as many people would not put up with their love. This novel is considered to be one of the best Gothic novels ever written, by one of the first (and best) writers of the genre. How does an “indecent” love story become a Gothic tale? What is the outcome of this love story? If you want to know, read this book.

By: Anna Katharine Green (1846-1935)

The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green The Leavenworth Case

Horatio Leavenworth, an immensely wealthy bachelor, is a retired merchant who enjoys great social position and respect. His two orphan nieces, Mary and Eleanor live with him in a luxurious mansion in New York's upscale Fifth Avenue. One morning, he is found mysteriously dead in his study, shot neatly through the back of his head. His will, written some time earlier, is discovered, in which he has left his entire fortune to one of the nieces, while cutting out the other completely. The building, which had remained locked throughout the night, houses a number of servants besides the two young ladies...

That Affair Next Door by Anna Katharine Green That Affair Next Door

A perplexing mystery novel published in 1897, That Affair Next Door focuses on a mysterious murder that has occurred in a quiet neighborhood, incidentally in the house next door to the home of the curious Miss Butterworth. Consequently, the middle-aged spinster becomes directly involved in the unraveling of the gruesome crime, instigated by her inquisitive and resolute nature. The story sets into motion with the introduction of its protagonist, Miss Amelia Butterworth, an admirable woman in her fifties, who has never experienced the doubtful bliss of marriage, but nevertheless is quite contempt with her respected status in the inner circle of New York society and her comfortable home...

Initials Only by Anna Katharine Green Initials Only

Anna Katharine Green (November 11, 1846 – April 11, 1935) was an American poet and novelist. She was one of the first writers of detective fiction in America and distinguished herself by writing well plotted, legally accurate stories (no doubt assisted by her lawyer father). (Wikipedia)

Missing: Page Thirteen by Anna Katharine Green Missing: Page Thirteen

Violet Strange, a clever petite detective, is called upon to solve the mystery of a page gone missing from an important document. The futures of several people, including an eccentric misanthrope, a chemical scientist, a bride and groom, depend on the quick resolution of this problem. In solving one mystery, she uncovers another which dates back many years.

A Strange Disappearance by Anna Katharine Green A Strange Disappearance

Anna Katharine Green (November 11, 1846 – April 11, 1935) was an American poet and novelist. She was one of the first writers of detective fiction in America and distinguished herself by writing well plotted, legally accurate stories (no doubt assisted by her lawyer father).

The Woman in the Alcove by Anna Katharine Green The Woman in the Alcove

“I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night. I was also the happiest—up to one o’clock. Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse. Why and how, I am about to relate.” Thus begins this mystery told by Anna Katharine Green, one of the first writers of detective fiction in America and renowned for writing well plotted, legally accurate stories.

X Y Z - A Detective Story by Anna Katharine Green X Y Z - A Detective Story

"Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another. But rarely has this been done in a manner more unexpected or with attendant circumstances of greater interest than in the instance I am now about to relate.For some time the penetration of certain Washington officials had been baffled by the clever devices of a gang of counterfeiters who had inundated the western portion of Massachusetts with spurious Treasury notes...

The Millionaire Baby by Anna Katharine Green The Millionaire Baby

A reward of five thousand dollars is offered, by Phil Ocumpaugh, to whoever will give such information as will lead to the recovery, alive or dead, of his six-year-old daughter, Gwendolen, missing since the afternoon of August the 16th, from her home in New York. (Quote from the book)

Three Thousand Dollars by Anna Katharine Green Three Thousand Dollars

This short story by Anna Katharine Green revolves around a plot to steal some goods secured safely within an impenetrable vault within the confines of Mr. Stoughton's business concern. Nobody seems to have any clue as to how the vault can be accessed, and yet access is gained once a day by person or persons unknown, by a means not known to anyone, apparently Mr. Stoughton himself included! Every clerk in the office is suspect, as the devious plot to plunder the vault's contents unfolds. (Introduction by Roger Melin)

The House of the Whispering Pines by Anna Katharine Green The House of the Whispering Pines

The country club house The Whispering Pines was closed for the winter, but only one day after he locked the place personally, the narrator sees smoke come out of the chimney. He decides to investigate and enters the house. Hidden in the dark, he sees the sister of his fiance, the girl he secretly loves, run out of the house with tears in her eyes. Upstairs then, he discovers the dead body of his betrothed... (Introduction by Carolin)

Dark Hollow by Anna Katharine Green Dark Hollow

The small town of Shelby is shaken by a brutal murder. A man by the name of Etheridge was found beaten to death. A local inn-keeper, is convicted and executed for the crime. Many years later, "a woman in purple" shows up at the house of Ostrander, the respected judge who had sentenced the inn-keeper to be executed. This mysterious woman turns out to be the wife of the convicted man, but she does not believe he was guilty. She visits the Judge, to challenge him on his verdict. He listens to her plea, but reaffirms his belief in her husbands guilt...

The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow by Anna Katharine Green The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow

It is the noon hour at a museum in New York City. The date: May 23, 1913. The weekday, attendance is light; the attendees are scattered between two floors. Suddenly a cry rings out from the second floor. Scrambling to Section II, the museum director discovers a teenage girl dead with an arrow through her heart. An older woman hovers over her whispering incoherent phrases in the girl's ear and offering incomprehensible answers to the director's questions. She is the only witness to the crime, or accident, as the case may be...

The Amethyst Box by Anna Katharine Green The Amethyst Box

On the evening before his marriage, Sinclair loses a precious curiosity from his collection: an amethyst box, containing a tiny flask of deadly poison. He suspects that this poison is in the possession of either his betrothed or her cousin, the girl his best friend Worthington loves. Turning to Worthington for help, they try to recover the box before the poison can be administered...

The Bronze Hand by Anna Katharine Green The Bronze Hand

A political society secretly operates in Baltimore. When he tries to help his beautiful neighbor Miss Calhoun recover a stolen ring which might cause great unknown danger, Mr. Abbott is drawn into the midst of the conspiracy. (Introduction by Carolin)

Book cover Circular Study

In this well-plotted, character-driven mystery, Detective Gryce receives a cryptic message calling him to the scene of a “strange” crime. He soon finds that the adjective is correct, for in a quiet brownstone house in a respectable New York City neighborhood, he finds the body of a man brutally stabbed to death, yet lovingly laid out on the floor of his study. The only apparent witnesses are a deaf and dumb butler driven mad by the event, and a caged bird that sings out a vital but puzzling clue...

Book cover Forsaken Inn

Told from the perspective of a Mrs. Truax, the owner of an inn during the time of the American and French Revolutions, "The Forsaken Inn" is a locked-room mystery that keeps readers guessing about what has happened. A young couple stays at the inn for the night, and goes on their way in the morning ... and several years later, the bride's body is found in a secret room of the inn. Yet, many people saw that bride leave with her husband. How can this be? Green tells her tale through Mrs. Truax' diary, and through letters and discussions with other characters who were friends of the young couple. An entertaining and highly recommended read.

Book cover Agatha Webb

A universally beloved woman has been murdered. But who would have the heart to kill Agatha Webb? Would her husband do it for money matters? Or would it be the cook, who died at about the same time? Or would it be the rich and well-connected Mr. Fredrick, who ran away into the woods? This work is also for feminist fiction lovers. As the story starts right after the murder, we see how Miss Page, a servant at a rich house who is the sweetheart of the same Mr. Fredrick, wants to join the investigation- and is constantly prevented from doing so by conservative men.

Book cover Mayor's Wife

Miss Saunders is out for an adventure. One, which is full of secrets, hints, and half-lies. One, which will require all of her wits. She is to be the companion to the Mayor's wife. The Lady is unhappy, and the reason for her grave unhappiness is more serious than you think.

Book cover Filigree Ball

[The Moore House] was standing when Washington was a village. It antedates the Capitol and the White House. Built by a man of wealth, it bears to this day the impress of the large ideas and quiet elegance of colonial times; but the shadow which speedily fell across it made it a marked place even in those early days. While it has always escaped the hackneyed epithet of "haunted," families that have moved in have as quickly moved out, giving as their excuse that no happiness was to be found there and that sleep was impossible under its roof...

Book cover Chief Legatee

"I was married to-day in Grace Church. At the altar my bride--you probably know her name, Miss Georgian Hazen--wore a natural look, and was in all respects, so far as any one could see, a happy woman, satisfied with her choice and pleased with the éclat and elegancies of the occasion. Half-way down the aisle this all changed. I remember the instant perfectly. Her hand was on my arm and I felt it suddenly stiffen. I was not alarmed, but I gave her a quick look and saw that something had happened...

Hand and Ring by Anna Katharine Green Hand and Ring

Widow Clemmens is struck down in her parlor while the town's legal professionals chat outside the courthouse down the street. An investigation is made and two equally plausible suspects are quickly unearthed. But is either guilty? And what role does the mysterious Miss Imogene Dare play in this drama? A classic Green mystery notable particularly for the extended courtroom scenes in the second half of the book.

Book cover Hermit of ---- Street

Delight Hunter spends her days looking out of her window at her handsome but very mysterious and reclusive next door neighbor. She walks straight into a mystery when one day a fire starts in one of the upper rooms of his house and she dashes over to warn him, only to have him lock her in with instructions to let no one else in. Why is he so insistent that no one come in? What secrets are hidden within the walls of this house?

Book cover Staircase at the Heart's Delight

Detective Ebenezer Gryce tells the story of the case with which he begun his career in 1840. Several wealthy men were drowned and washed ashore in New York City, and the first clue leads to a dubious money lender...

By: Anna Maynard Barbour (d. 1941)

That Mainwaring Affair by Anna Maynard Barbour That Mainwaring Affair

As wealthy financier, Hugh Mainwaring dictates his last will and testament to his private secretary, it would be impossible for him to imagine the shocking chain of events that he is about to set into motion. This best-selling mystery novel was first published in 1901 and remains an entertaining mix of detective work, courtroom drama and family intrigue.

At the Time Appointed by Anna Maynard Barbour At the Time Appointed

"Those who remember that excellent detective story, That Mainwaring Affair will expect to find plenty of mystery and exciting incidents in A. Maynard Barbour's latest novel, called At the Time Appointed, and they will realize their expectations.The author has a certain way of forecasting events and making people utter prophetic words, all bound to find their fulfillment somewhere before the last chapter is ended, that is eminently characteristic of one who delights in the knitting and raveling of the intricate plots which are a prime necessity in a detective story...

By: Anne Austin (1895-??)

Murder at Bridge by Anne Austin Murder at Bridge

Set in the affluent town of Hamilton, Austin’s classic presents a whodunit mystery focusing on a crime involving a young woman who has been murdered under mysterious circumstances during a game of Bridge, with no hard evidence pointing to the perpetrator. Accordingly, the townspeople are also affected by the mystery and they refuse to play the dummy in fear of sharing the same fate as the unfortunate victim. A gripping mystery crime novel, Murder at Bridge evokes feelings of suspense, awe, mystery and puts to the test the crime solving capabilities of the audience as they take up the role of detective...

By: Annie Roe Carr

Nan Sherwood at Pine Camp by Annie Roe Carr Nan Sherwood at Pine Camp

A school girl story about two Illinois teens and the adventures they have with family,friends and the chance to go to a boarding school in Michigan in the early 1920's.

By: Anonymous

Book cover Most Extraordinary Trial of William Palmer

John Parsons Cook was a 28 year old bachelor, from a good family but not in robust health. He studied to become a lawyer, but instead of following that career, turned to raising race horses. In November 1855, during a visit to the Shrewsbury races, he was taken violently ill. He was attended by the 80 year old local doctor Dr. Bamford, and Cook's friend and sometimes partner, Dr. Palmer. William Palmer was a physician and surgeon, a widower and father. His appearance instilled confidence and invited trust...

By: Anthony Trollope

The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope The Eustace Diamonds

Lizzie Greystock, a fortune-hunter who ensnares the sickly, dissipated Sir Florian Eustace, is soon left a very wealthy widow and mother. While clever and beautiful, Lizzie has several character flaws; the greatest of these is an almost pathological delight in lying, even when it cannot benefit her. Before he dies, the disillusioned Sir Florian discovers all this, but does not think to change the generous terms of his will. The diamonds of the book’s title are a necklace, a Eustace family heirloom that Sir Florian gave to Lizzie to wear...

By: Arthur B. Reeve

The Film Mystery by Arthur B. Reeve The Film Mystery

The Film Mystery is one of eighteen detective novels by Arthur B. Reeve starring his best known character Professor Craig Kennedy and his trusty sidekick Walter Jameson, a newspaper reporter. The pair bears an unmistakable resemblance to the more famous British master sleuth and his doctor friend. The setting of this mystery is the early days of movie making, and the murder victim is Stella Lamar, “the beautiful idol of the screen, beloved of millions”, who collapses and dies during the filming of a scene for her latest movie.

The Master Mystery by Arthur B. Reeve The Master Mystery

While Harry Houdini didn’t rise to fame as a screen actor, silent film makers of the day sought to capitalize on his fame. The Master Mystery was Houdini’s first such attempt, and it was embraced by the viewing public, leading to other screen roles following. The hero (or superhero) is Quentin Locke, scientist, agent of the U.S. Justice Department, and not surprisingly, an escape artist extraordinaire. The Master Mystery follows agent Locke through many pitfalls, in true serial fashion, as he...

The Exploits Of Elaine by Arthur B. Reeve The Exploits Of Elaine

The Exploits of Elaine It tells the story of a young woman named Elaine who, with the help of a detective, tries to find the man, known only as “The Clutching Hand”, who murdered her father. (Wikipedia)

The Silent Bullet by Arthur B. Reeve The Silent Bullet

The many adventures of Professor Craig Kennedy were chronicled by Arthur B. Reeve (October 15, 1880 - August 9, 1936). Reeve was an American mystery writer who created 82 Craig Kennedy mystery stories. The stories have a very Sherlock Holmes type feel, In fact Kennedy has been referred to as the "American Shelock Holmes". Along with his reporter friend, Walter Jameson, Kennedy solves many crimes and unveils mysteries using science. Each story features a facinating look at life in the early 20th century, and even includes some action along the way.

Book cover Poisoned Pen

The many adventures of Professor Craig Kennedy were chronicled by Arthur B. Reeve (October 15, 1880 - August 9, 1936). Reeve was an American mystery writer who created 82 Craig Kennedy mystery stories. The stories have a very Sherlock Holmes type feel, In fact Kennedy has been referred to as the "American Sherlock Holmes". Along with his reporter friend, Walter Jameson, Kennedy solves many crimes and unveils mysteries using science. This book contains twelve of Professor Kennedy's adventures. The interesting thing about these stories is Kennedy uses newly discovered science from his time period, which we take for granted today...

By: Arthur Griffiths (1838-1908)

The Rome Express by Arthur Griffiths The Rome Express

The passengers in the sleeping car of the Rome Express were just woken and informed that they will reach Paris soon, and a general bustle fills the train. Only one passenger cannot be awoken by the porter, no matter how loudly he knocks on the compartment door. At last, when the door is forced open, the occupant of the compartment is found dead - stabbed to the heart! The murderer must be found among the passengers...

Book cover Passenger from Calais

An army officer, and a mysterious lady with a maid and baby in tow, are the only passengers on the Engadine express from Calais. The lady is afraid that someone is following her. Who is she? And what is her strange package? One suspicious conversation and two private detectives later Colonel Basil Annesley is determined to find out!

Book cover Chronicles of Newgate Vol 2

Good against evil; right versus wrong; the judicial system against the criminal world. The struggle is as old as mankind. Sometimes the lines are blurred as the 'good' punish the 'bad' - the warriors against crime have resorted not only to killing wrong-doers, but additionally subjecting them to "starvation or the withholding of fluid, by drowning, stoning, impaling or by exposing the wretched victims to the stings of insects or snakes." Newgate Prison was one of the most famous - or infamous - prisons in England from the middle ages until the nineteenth century...

Book cover Chronicles of Newgate Vol 1

Good against evil; right versus wrong; the judicial system against the criminal world. The struggle is as old as mankind. Sometimes the lines are blurred as the 'good' punish the 'bad' - the warriors against crime have resorted not only to killing wrong-doers, but additionally subjecting them to "starvation or the withholding of fluid, by drowning, stoning, impaling or by exposing the wretched victims to the stings of insects or snakes." Newgate Prison was one of the most famous - or infamous - prisons in England from the middle ages until the nineteenth century. Griffiths, a prison administrator, takes us inside where we discover "man's inhumanity to man".

By: Arthur J. Rees (1872-1942)

The Shrieking Pit by Arthur J. Rees The Shrieking Pit

The Shrieking Pit is one of Arthur Rees's earlier works, and is a good old fashioned murder mystery story. Grant Colwyn, a private detective, is holidaying in East Anglia when he notices a young man at a nearby table behaving peculiarly. The young man later leaves the hotel without paying his bill, and turns up in a nearby hamlet in the Norfolk marshes where he takes lodgings at the village inn. The next day, another guest at the inn is found dead, and the young man is missing. Can Colwyn sort out the mystery and prove the young man's innocence one way or the the other?

By: Arthur Machen (1863-1947)

Book cover Red Hand

Two London gentlemen ponder the evolution of humankind as they investigate a modern-day murder committed with an ancient tool. - Summary by Wanda White

By: Augusta Groner (1850-1929)

The Case of the Pocket Diary Found in the Snow by Augusta Groner The Case of the Pocket Diary Found in the Snow

The account of some adventures in the professional experience of a member of the Imperial Austrian Police. (from the text)

Book cover Case Of The Registered Letter

A man is found shot dead and the man to whom all evidence points insists he is innocent.

By: Augusta Huiell Seaman (1879-1950)

The Dragon's Secret by Augusta Huiell Seaman The Dragon's Secret

Sixteen year old Leslie Crane has come to the New Jersey shore as a companion to ailing Aunt Marcia, whose doctor has sent her there for a some quiet rest and recuperation. While the beach is lovely in October, Leslie quickly finds herself getting lonely with no one her own age to talk to. Little does she realize that she will not only soon make a new friend, but that they will both end up in the midst of a puzzling mystery centered around the closed up bungalow next door. Augusta Huiell Seaman is the author of over 40 historical fiction and mystery novels for older children most of which are currently out of print. The Dragon’s Secret was originally published in 1921.

The Mystery at Number Six by Augusta Huiell Seaman The Mystery at Number Six

A mysterious girl, a mysterious pool, and a mysterious businessman combine to send two Florida teens to adventureland in this pre-Nancy Drew tale for young people

The Slipper Point Mystery by Augusta Huiell Seaman The Slipper Point Mystery

When fourteen year old Sally Carter decides to share the secret she has discovered on Slipper Point with her new friend Doris Craig, she couldn’t possibly imagine where the solution to this intriguing mystery will lead them! Augusta Huiell Seaman is the author of over 40 historical fiction and mystery novels for older children most of which are currently out of print. The Slipper Point Mystery was originally published in 1919.

The Boarded Up House by Augusta Huiell Seaman The Boarded Up House

What is the secret of the old boarded up house? And what is the answer to the mystery of the long lost letter that is found in it? Best friends Joyce and Cynthia - along with their dog "Goliath", are determined to find out in this pre-Nancy Drew juvenile mystery for girls.Augusta Huiell Seaman was the author of over 40 historical fiction and mystery novels for older children.

Book cover Girl Next Door

Marcia Brett has noticed unusual activity at the ramshackle and seemingly abandoned mansion next door: a mysterious, veiled lady is seen coming and going out the front door, a different woman is glimpsed through a shuttered window, and most mysterious of all, a pretty, blond girl is seen briefly looking forlornly out an upper window! Along with her best friend, Janet McNeil, the two girls are determined to learn the secrets of the old house and befriend the young girl, but once they do, the secrets only increase. The girl has no idea why she is at this house or even who the women she is living with are! Has she been kidnapped? Are they relatives? No one seems to know.

By: Augustus Mayhew (1826-1875)

Book cover Paved With Gold

The expressed goal of this book is to "write a truthful account of the miseries of criminal life" . Thus, this book tells the story of Philip, a child who grew up in the workhouse until running away to navigate the streets of London on his own. "Paved With Gold", or, the Romance and Reality of the London Streets is one of the most vivid books you would ever read. So hold tight and enjoy the ride. - Summary by Stav Nisser

By: B. J. Farjeon (1838-1903)

Book cover House of the White Shadows

Is a defense attorney bound to defend his client, or with his conscience, when he knows that the man he is defending is guilty of the charges against him after the trial has already commenced? And if friends hold a belief that he may have been aware of it before the trial commenced, yet they are endeared to the man and his family as upstanding and of the highest grade? Might it not become cause for blackmail, and therefore potential retribution? "The House of White Shadows" brings these issues to the forefront, while the reader learns of the background of the advocate, his family history, and the house in question...

By: Baroness Emma Orczy (1865-1947)

Book cover Unravelled Knots

Unravelled Knots is the third and final installment of the Old Man in the Corner stories by Baroness Orczy. After a break of several years, Polly returns to the ABC Tea Shop to find the Old Man at his usual table with his glass of milk and bit of string. With a just a little encouragement, he is ready to share more unique solutions to the unsolved mysteries that have baffled both the public and the police. Summary by J. M. Smallheer

By: Baroness Orczy (1865-1947)

The Old Man in the Corner by Baroness Orczy The Old Man in the Corner

Created by Baroness Orczy, author of the famous Scarlet Pimpernel series, The Old Man in the Corner was one of the earliest armchair detectives, popping up with so many others in the wake of the huge popularity of the Sherlock Holmes stories. The Old Man relies mostly upon sensationalistic “penny dreadful” newspaper accounts, with the occasional courtroom visit for extra laughs. He narrates all this information (while tying complicated knots in a piece of string) to a Lady Journalist who frequents the same tea-shop.

Lady Molly of Scotland Yard by Baroness Orczy Lady Molly of Scotland Yard

Lady Molly of Scotland Yard is a collection of short stories about Molly Robertson-Kirk, an early fictional female detective. It was written by Baroness Orczy, who is best known as the creator of The Scarlet Pimpernel, but who also invented two immortal turn-of-the-century detectives in The Old Man in the Corner and Lady Molly of Scotland Yard. First published in 1910, Orczy’s female detective was the precursor of the lay sleuth who relies on brains rather than brawn. The book soon became very popular, with three editions appearing in the first year...

By: Barton Wood Currie

Officer 666 by Barton Wood Currie Officer 666

Bored with his life as a wealthy businessman's only son, Travers Gladwin learns of a plot by a renowned art burglar to rob his house, so rather than thwart the planned burglary, he borrows a police uniform from a friend and decides to confront the robber by posing as an officer. When the burglar arrives at the house, he tries to pass himself off as Travers Gladwin. From there, things only get more complicated, including the arrival of the burglar's girlfriend who believes that her beau is the wealthy man's son. Comical and timely, the book was made into a movie multiple times, each hugely successful.

By: Bertram Mitford (1855-1914)

Book cover Heath Hover Mystery

A stranger appears in the middle of the night at Heath Hover while John Seward Mervyn is tending the modest location in a wooded area near a pond. Legends abound regarding Heath Hover; legends such as one's inability to spend a full night at the Heath on certain nights of the year, and that the place was quite simply.... haunted. These were legends which Mervyn has set out to disprove. He would, however, soon find that these were but a few of the mysteries surrounding this peculiar locale. And what was beyond that cellar door that appeared to open by itself at the right times? A trip to the other side of the world might just hold the answers to the Heath Hover mystery.

By: Burt L. Standish (1866-1945)

Book cover Owen Clancy's Run Of Luck

Owen Clancy befriends a lad he saves from peril. He and his friend foil a nefarious plot. - Summary by Howard Skyman

By: Burton E. Stevenson (1872-1962)

That Affair at Elizabeth by Burton E. Stevenson That Affair at Elizabeth

A detective novel set in turn-of-the-century New York City, in which a young lawyer plays the sleuth. Packed with plot twists (and the ubiquitous romantic complication, of course). (

By: Burton Egbert Stevenson (1872-1962)

Book cover Gloved Hand

Mr. Lester, a private investigator, and his friend Godfrey are caught up in a strange case that takes them to a large estate in the country where at midnight they witness a mysterious "falling star" that appears to burst into a shower of sparks over two white robed figures standing in the air. There is a young lady in a flowing white dress and many more twists and complications before the mystery is solved.

Book cover Holladay Case

Stevenson's introduction of the protagonist Lester (law clerk with New York firm Graham & Royce) finds him occupying a front row seat in the murder trial of Wall Street multi-millionaire Hiram Holladay. Scandalously, suspicion points very solidly on the banker's loving daughter, Frances. Lester proves himself a useful aide to the firm's senior partner, Mr. Royce, in his attempt to prove the lovely Frances innocent.

Book cover Mystery of the Boule Cabinet

Three men are dead. Killed by a very powerful poison. Their deaths seem to be connected to a very old cabinet purchased in France and a notorious French criminal. What is the link? It is up to the lawyer Lester and the newspaperman Godfrey to pool their talents and solve the mystery.

By: Carolyn Wells (1862-1942)

Book cover Gold Bag

The case involves a millionaire murdered in his study, suspicious servants, a beautiful niece, a private secretary and a will. enamored. A Holmes like detective is brought in to solve the mystery.

Book cover Chain of Evidence

The Mystery: ”Mr. Stone," I began, "if three persons spent the night in an apartment so securely locked on the inside that there was no possible means of ingress, and if in the morning it was found that one of those three persons had been murdered at midnight, would you say that the guilt must rest upon either one or both of the other two persons?” The solution - who knows? Listen and enjoy. - Summary by Richard Kilmer

Book cover Technique of the Mystery Story

For one, I have never been one of those who apologize for my frank and never-ending delight in mystery stories. Their mazes have led me unwearied through miles of printed pages, and if only the problem has been worth while, and its pursuit has led along surprising ways, past shuddery thickets and over fearsome bridges, my soul has returned to sober affairs refreshed and content. In a word, here is a remarkable volume which shows us how the wheels go round, not by dogmatic statement, but by an amazing breadth and variety of citation and quotation, showing not only what great mystery writers have thought of their art, but illustrating by apposite examples how they secured their effects...

Book cover Deep Lake Mystery

Imagine, if you will, a murder committed in a sealed room. A room which has been sealed from the inside, that is, with no possible means of exit, excepting a dangerous plunge through a window into a deep, foreboding lake with swirling eddies and rocks abound. Add to that image a wreath of flowers around the head and across the chest of the victim, a crucifix, an orange, a feather scarf tucked in here and there, two crackers, a handkerchief, and a feather duster. And a nail. Oh, and one more item to add to the curious array of arranged paraphenalia - a watch in a water pitcher by the bedside...

Book cover Man Who Fell Through the Earth

A lawyer is leaving his office on the top floor of an office building. He sees the shadows of two men fighting through the clouded glass of an office door followed by a shot from the office across the hall. He goes to investigate. He finds no sign of either victim or assailant despite the fact that no one could have passed him in the hallway without being seen. A murder has been committed, that of the banker. Who is the murderer? A business associate, the banker’s beautiful ward, or a mysterious...

Book cover Mystery of the Sycamore

Instead of prison time, former governor, Samuel Appleby, sentences his former rival, Daniel Wheeler to imprisonment on his homestead with a very strange addendum. He then endeavors to convince Mr. Wheeler to endorse his son’s candidacy for governor with a promise of commuting his sentence. In the meantime, Samuel Appleby is murdered in Wheeler’s home. The discovery of the identity of the murderer has many twists and turns filled with love, devotion, gumshoe dialog, and weird circumstances that will delight the listener in a most unusual way.

Book cover Mystery Girl

Was it murder or suicide? All entrances to the study where the body was found were locked from the inside. The future college president and groom-to-be had no known cause for suicide, yet no clues in either direction appeared to make any sense. Was Anita, the Mystery Girl, who had just arrived in the New England college town, somehow been implicated? Had she any reason to ensure of the demise of the well-liked man? Perhaps some love letters between the two that nobody was to know about? And what of the mark of a ring on the deceased man's forehead? The college town was abuzz, and it seemed everyone had their own ideas of what actually happened. - Summary by Roger Melin

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: Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909)

Book cover Crime, Its Causes and Remedies

Published as the third volume in the Modern Criminal Science Series, Cesare Lombroso, renowned Italian criminologist, collected a wealth of information regarding the incidence, classification, and causes of crime. Crime calendars, the geography of crime, unusual events and circumstances leading to more frequent crime, political motivations and associations of criminal enterprise and an assessment of the real value and effectiveness of prisons and reform programs are all included in this three part volume. - Summary by Leon Harvey

By: Charles C. Bombaugh (1828-1906)

Book cover Stratagems and Conspiracies to Defraud Life Insurance Companies: An Authentic Record of Remarkable Cases

A thorough treatise on different ways people have tried to defraud life insurance companies, with many entertaining examples. The present . . . volume is . . . commended as a trustworthy record to those for whose use and reference it is primarily intended—life insurance companies and agents, medical examiners, insurance lawyers, and medico-legal experts. . . . [It] is not confined to the exposure of the cunning contrivances and artifices of this class of schemers and plotters; it includes picturesque...

By: Charles Dickens

Three Ghost Stories by Charles Dickens Three Ghost Stories

As a gifted writer with a strong interest in supernatural phenomena, Charles Dickens produced a string of ghost stories with enduring charm. Three of them are presented here, of which The Signal Man is one of the best known. Though quite different from his most celebrated realistic and humorous critical novels, these ghost stories, Gothic and grotesque as they are, are of good portrayal, and worth a read/listen. Summary by Vivian Chan

The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens The Mystery of Edwin Drood

The Mystery of Edwin Drood is the final novel by Charles Dickens. It is a mystery indeed; the serial novel was just half completed at the time of Dickens’ death – leading to much speculation how it might have ended.The novel is named after Edwin Drood, one of the characters, but it mostly tells the story of his uncle, a choirmaster named John Jasper, who is in love with his pupil, Rosa Bud. Miss Bud is Drood’s fiancée, and has also caught the eye of the high-spirited and hot-tempered Neville Landless! Landless comes from Ceylon with his twin sister, Helena...

A House to Let by Charles Dickens A House to Let

A House to Let is a novella originally published in 1858 in the Christmas edition of Dickens’ Household Words magazine. Each of the contributors wrote a chapter (stories within a story, and in the case of Adelaide Anne Procter, as a story in verse) and the whole was edited by Dickens. The plot concerns an elderly woman, Sophonisba, who notices signs of life in a supposedly empty dilapidated house (the eponymous “House to Let”) opposite her own, and employs the efforts of an elderly admirer, Jabez Jarber, and her servant, Trottle, to discover what is happening within.

By: Charles Goddard and Paul Dicky

Book cover The Ghost Breaker

The Ghost Breaker is a drama and haunted house horror complete with heroes, villains, and a Princess. The Ghost Breaker was originally a screenplay and would later be made a drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille.


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