Classic crime and mystery fiction
British Library Publishing A Surprise for Christmas
Book SynopsisTwo dead bodies and a Christmas stocking weaponised. A Postman murdered delivering cards on Christmas morning. A Christmas tree growing over a forgotten homicide. Martin Edwards compiles an anthology filled with tales of seasonal suspense where the snow runs red, perfect to be shared between super-sleuths by the fire on a cold winter's night.
£9.49
British Library Publishing Death in Fancy Dress
Book SynopsisThis classic country house mystery, first published in 1933, contrasts the splendours and frivolities of the English upper classes with the sombre overhang of the First World War and the irresistible complications of deadly familial relationships.
£8.54
British Library Publishing The Man Who Didnt Fly
Book SynopsisFour men were due to fly to Dublin. When disaster struck and the plane went down over the Irish sea, only three of them were on board. With the identities of the flyers scattered to the winds, the police turn to the patchy account of the Wade family, whose memory of their past few days must hold the key to this elusive and tense mystery.
£8.54
British Library Publishing Checkmate to Murder
Book SynopsisOn a foggy night in London, a party has gathered in an artist’s studio during the wartime blackout. When the brutal murder of the miser next door is discovered by his infantryman nephew, it’s not long before Inspector Macdonald of Scotland Yard is at the scene, untangling alibis from the studio party and with the fate of the soldier in his hands.
£9.49
British Library Publishing The Lost Gallows
Book SynopsisAn early gem from one of the great writers of the classic crime genre, in which Inspector Bencolin must tread the streets of a foggy London in search of a fictional bogeyman, Jack Ketch, who appears to be on a murder spree.
£8.54
British Library Publishing The Progress of a Crime
Book SynopsisThe murder, a brutal stabbing, definitely took place on Guy Fawkes' night. It was definitely by the bonfire on the village green. There were definitely a number of witnesses. And yet, was it definitely clear to anybody exactly what they had seen? In the writhing, violent shadows, it seems as if the truth may have gone up in smoke.
£8.54
British Library Publishing The Corpse in the Waxworks
Book SynopsisFirst published in 1932 at the height of crime fiction's Golden Age, this macabre and atmospheric dives into the murky underground of Parisian society presents an intelligent puzzle delivered at a stunning pace. This new edition also includes 'The Murder in Number Four', a rare Inspector Bencolin short story.
£8.54
British Library Publishing The Widow of Bath
Book SynopsisFirst published in 1952, The Widow of Bath offers intricate puzzles, international intrigue and a richly evoked portrait of post-war Britain, all delivered with Bennett's signature brand of witty and elegant prose.
£9.49
British Library Publishing Murders a Swine
Book SynopsisA witty and lighthearted mystery full of intriguing period detail, this rare gem of Golden Age crime returns to print for the first time since its publication in 1943.
£8.54
British Library Publishing TwoWay Murder
Book SynopsisWritten in the last years of the author’s life, this previously unpublished novel is a tribute to Lorac’s enduring skill for constructing an ingenious puzzle, replete with memorable characters and gripping detective work. This edition also includes an introduction by the CWA Diamond Dagger Award-winning author Martin Edwards.
£8.54
British Library Publishing These Names Make Clues
Book SynopsisAmidst the confusion of too many fake names, clues, ciphers and convoluted alibis, Macdonald and his allies in the CID must unravel a truly tangled case in this metafictional masterpiece, which returns to print for the first time since its publication in 1937.
£9.49
British Library Publishing Murder After Christmas
Book SynopsisFirst published in 1944, Murder After Christmas is a lively riot of murder, mince pies and misdirection, cleverly twisting the tropes of Golden Age detective fiction to create a pacey, light-hearted package admirably suited for the holiday season.
£8.54
British Library Publishing Murder in the Basement
Book SynopsisA novel pairing dark humour and intelligent detection work, this 1932 ‘whowasdunin?’ mystery is an example of a celebrated Golden Age author’s most inventive work.
£9.49
British Library Publishing Death on the Down Beat
Book SynopsisFirst published in 1941, this new edition returns Farr’s only crime novel to print to receive its long-deserved encore.
£9.49
British Library Publishing Twice Round the Clock
Book SynopsisRewinding twelve hours, the events of the afternoon and evening unfold, revealing a multitude of clues and motives from a closed cast of suspects until the narrative reaches 4am again – then races on to its riveting conclusion at 4pm as the reader is led twice round the clock.
£9.49
British Library Publishing The Ghost Slayers
Book SynopsisWith tales featuring the most prominent psychic detectives such as William Hope Hodgson's Carnacki, the Ghost Finder and Algernon Blackwood's Dr. Silence, this new collection also includes rare and never-before-reprinted cases investigated by the likes of Flaxman Low, Cosmo Thor, Aylmer Vance and Mesmer Milann.
£15.02
British Library Publishing The Mysterious Mr. Badman
Book SynopsisFirst published in a limited run in 1934, this exceedingly rare bibliomystery is long overdue its return.
£9.49
British Library Publishing The Theft of the Iron Dogs
Book SynopsisFirst published in 1946 and set in the fell country of Lunesdale over the course of a rainy September, The Theft of the Iron Dogs is the very picture of a cosy crime mystery and showcases Lorac's masterful attention to detail and deep affection for both Lunesdale and its residents.
£9.49
British Library Publishing Jumping Jenny
Book SynopsisTightly paced and cleverly defying the conventions of the classic detective story, this 1933 novel remains a milestone of the inverted mystery subgenre.
£8.99
British Library Publishing Death of Mr Dodsley
Book SynopsisMr. Richard Dodsley, owner of a fine second-hand bookshop on Charing Cross Road, has been found murdered in the cold hours of the morning. Shot in his own office, few clues remain besides three cigarette ends, two spent matches and a few books on the shelves which have been rearranged.
£9.49
British Library Publishing Someone from the Past
Book SynopsisAs the real killer uses the situation to their advantage, Bennett crafts a tense and nuanced story through flashbacks to Sarah's life and loves in this Gold-Dagger-award-winning, Hitchcockian story of deceit and murder.
£9.49
British Library Publishing Post After PostMortem
Book SynopsisDespite some suspicions from the family, the verdict at the inquest is suicide - but when Ruth's brother Richard receives a letter from the deceased which was delayed in the post, he enlists the help of CID Robert Macdonald to investigate what could only be an ingeniously planned murder.
£9.49
British Library Publishing The Seat of the Scornful
Book SynopsisWith a number of strange items making up the physical evidence Dr Gideon Fell, himself an old friend of Ireton's, is summoned to help with the deceptively simple - yet increasingly complex - investigation.
£9.49
British Library Publishing The Black Spectacles
Book SynopsisAlso known by its US title The Problem of the Green Capsule, this classic novel is widely regarded as one of John Dickson Carr’s masterpieces and remains among the greatest impossible crime mysteries of all time.
£9.49
British Library Publishing Big Ben Strikes Eleven
Book SynopsisFirst published in 1934, this novel is now extremely rare, and is long overdue its rediscovery.
£9.49
British Library Publishing The Edinburgh Mystery
Book SynopsisThis new collection presents seventeen classic stories, spanning a period from the 1880s to the 1970s, by a host of Scottish authors alongside writers from south of the border inspired by the history and majesty of the storied country.
£10.44
British Library Publishing Crook o Lune
Book SynopsisRenowned for its authentic characters and settings based partly on the author’s own experiences of life in the Lune valley, E.C.R. Lorac’s classic rural mystery returns to print for the first time since 1953.
£9.49
British Library Publishing Death of Jezebel
Book SynopsisFirst published in Britain in 1949, Brand’s exuberant novel is still regarded as one of the great masterpieces of the classic mystery genre for its fiendishly constructed puzzle, memorable setting, dumbfounding acts of misdirection and thrilling denouement.
£9.49
British Library Publishing Impact of Evidence
Book SynopsisPuzzling and atmospheric, this exceedingly rare mystery from one of the masters of crime fiction’s Golden Age returns to print for the first time since its publication in 1954.
£9.49
British Library Publishing A Telegram from Le Touquet
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£9.49
British Library Publishing London Particular
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£9.49
British Library Publishing The Odd Flamingo
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£10.44
British Library Publishing Scandalize My Name
Book SynopsisA forgotten book revived for the Crime Classics series for a new readership to enjoy. Described by Martin Edwards as similar in tone and style to early P. D. James fiction.
£9.49
British Library Publishing Metropolitan Mysteries
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£10.44
British Library Publishing Cat and Mouse
Book SynopsisGirls Together magazine agony-aunt 'Mrs Friendly-wise', aka Katinka Jones, finds herself at a loose end in Swansea, and decides to pay a surprise visit to one of the magazine's regular correspondents, 'Amista'. But reaching the address a strange house perched atop a mountain which matches all of the descriptions in the letters nobody has even heard of 'Amista'. As Katinka begins to fall for the dashing master of the house, Carleon, more weird mysteries emerge and the plucky Detective Inspector Chucky joins the search for the truth in this self-consciously lurid mystery-melodrama; a rollicking cavalcade of Brand's signature twists and turns.
£9.49
British Library Publishing Mystery in White
£13.49
British Library Publishing Death in Ambush
£10.44
British Library Publishing Thirteen Guests
Book SynopsisLord Aveling hosts a hunting party at his country house, when events take a sinister turn. A painting is mutilated, a dog stabbed, and a man strangled. Death strikes more than one of the house guests and its up to Detective Inspector Kendall's to uncover this murder mystery.
£8.54
British Library Publishing The Incredible Crime
Book SynopsisAnother in the Crime Classics series.
£9.49
British Library Publishing The Secret of High Eldersham
Book SynopsisWhen the new landlord is stabbed to death in his pub, and Scotland Yard are called to the scene, it seems that the veil dividing High Eldersham from the outside world is about to be lifted.
£8.54
British Library Publishing The Z Murders
Book SynopsisRichard Temperley sets off in pursuit of a mysterious woman and finds himself embroiled in a cross-country chase - by train and taxi - on the tail of a sinister serial killer.
£8.54
British Library Publishing Murder of a Lady
Book SynopsisDuchlan Castle is a gloomy, forbidding place in the Scottish Highlands. Late one night the body of Mary Gregor, is found in the castle, stabbed to death in her bedroom - but the room is locked from within and the windows are barred. The only clue to the culprit is a silver fish's scale, left on the floor next to Mary's body.
£9.49
British Library Publishing The Notting Hill Mystery
Book SynopsisThe Notting Hill Mystery has been widely described as the first detective novel. The story is told by the insurance investigator Ralph Henderson, who is building a case against the sinister Baron R___, suspected of murdering his wife in order to claim her life insurance.
£8.54
British Library Publishing The Santa Klaus Murder
Book SynopsisAunt Mildred declared that no good could come of the Melbury family Christmas gatherings at their country residence Flaxmere. So when Sir Osmond Melbury, the family patriarch, is discovered - by a guest dressed as Santa Klaus - with a bullet in his head on Christmas Day, the festivities are plunged into chaos.
£8.54
British Library Publishing Death on the Riviera
Book SynopsisThis classic crime novel from 1952 evokes all the sunlit glamour of life on the Riviera, and combines deft plotting with a dash of humour
£8.54
British Library Publishing Sergeant Cluff Stands Firm
Book SynopsisAmy Snowden, in middle age, has long since settled into a lonely life in the Yorkshire town of Gunnarshaw, until - to her neighbours' surprise - she suddenly marries a much younger man. Months later, Amy is found dead - apparently by her own hand - and her husband, Wright, has disappeared.
£7.59
British Library Publishing The Methods of Sergeant Cluff
Book SynopsisAn attractive young woman is found dead with a handbag of more money than she would've earned in wages. Sergeant Cluff is bought in to gradually find out the truth about the murder.
£7.59
British Library Publishing The 12.30 from Croydon
Book SynopsisThe body of a wealthy retired manufacturer, is found dead in his seat on the 12.30 flight from Croydon to Paris. Rather less orthodox is the ensuing flashback seen from the criminal's perspective. An unconventional yet gripping story of intrigue, betrayal, obsession, justification and self-delusion.
£9.49
