Classic crime and mystery fiction
Pan Macmillan Sweet Danger
Book SynopsisA gripping and suspenseful Albert Campion mystery by one of the queens of crime, Margery Allingham. This Macmillan Collector's Library edition of Sweet Danger features an afterword by international bestselling crime writer, Val McDermid.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover.Aristocratic detective Albert Campion is called upon by the British government to establish ownership of the tiny, oil-rich principality of Averna on the Adriatic Coast. The titled but impoverished Fitton family lay claim to it, but the deeds are nowhere to be found. With the help of his loyal chums and sidekick, retired cat burglar Magersfontein Lugg, Campion must pit his wits against a criminal financier and his heavies in order to unearth the truth.
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers Killer Come Back To Me
Book SynopsisCelebrating Ray Bradbury''s centenary, this collection commemorates his finest crime stories tales as strange and wonderful as his signature fantasy.Time travellersdark carnivalsliving automataand detectives? Honouring the 100th birthday of Ray Bradbury, renowned author of Fahrenheit 451, this new, definitive collection of the master''s less well-known crime fiction features classic stories and rare gems, a number of which became episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Ray Bradbury Theater, including the tale Bradbury called one of the best stories in any field that I have ever written'.Is it murder to destroy a robot if it looks and speaks and thinks and feels like a human being? Can a ventriloquist be incriminated by the testimony of his own dummy? Can a time traveller prevent his younger self from killing the woman they both loved? And can the survivor of a pair of Siamese twins investigate his own brother''s murder? No other writer has ever rivalled the imagination and narraTrade Review‘As influenced by George Bernard Shaw and William Shakespeare as he was by Jules Verne and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Bradbury was an expert of the taut tale, the last-sentence twist. And he was more celebrated for short fiction than his longer works.’–Los Angeles Times ‘Ray Bradbury was the 20th-century American short-story writer par excellence.’–Guardian
£9.49
British Library Publishing The Poisoned Chocolates Case
Book SynopsisGraham and Joan Bendix have apparently succeeded in making that eighth wonder of the modern world, a happy marriage. And into the middle of it there drops, like a clap of thunder, a box of chocolates.
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Double Indemnity
Book SynopsisA true crime masterpiece, and highly acclaimed 1940s movie''DOUBLE INDEMNITY is among the finest of all American novels, regardless of genre or style'' LA TIMES''Cain is the master'' Tom WolfeDOUBLE INDEMNITY is the classic tale of an evil woman motivated by greed who corrupts a weak man motivated by lust.Walter Huff is an insurance investigator like any other until the day he meets the beautiful and dangerous Phyllis Nirdlinger and falls under her spell. Together they plot to kill her husband and split the insurance. It''ll be the perfect murder . . .Trade ReviewDOUBLE INDEMNITY is among the finest of all American novels, regardless of genre or style * LA TIMES *Nobody has ever quite pulled it off the way Cain does, not Hemingway and not even Raymond Chandler. Cain is the master -- Tom Wolfe[A] fine idea for a series... They already have a superb noir backlist.. but adding Philip K Dick's Minority Report and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? improves the mix. * SCOTSMAN *
£8.99
HarperCollins Publishers Detectives and Young Adventurers The Complete
Book SynopsisA brand new bumper omnibus gathering together over 50 classic Agatha Christie stories featuring Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, Harley Quin, Parker Pyne and Hercule Poirot, plus her rare Christmas Stories not available in any other volume.This new compendium of over 50 stories is the first time all the stories featuring Agatha Christie's detectives have been collected together. Here you will meet -PARKER PYNE - a consulting detective whose practice is to solve less murderous enigmas and restore happiness to his clients;HARLEY QUIN - a tall, dark, mysterious young man who takes a more surreptitious approach to solving crime;TOMMY AND TUPPENCE BERESFORD - a newly married pair of self-styled Young Adventurers' who are prepared to do anything in the name of justice.And in addition to presenting the complete oeuvre for these detectives, this volume includes as a bonus four rare short stories featuring that grand master of detection, Monsieur HERCULE POIROT, plus Agatha Christie's little-knownTrade Review‘The plots are so good that one marvels … most of them would have made a full length thriller.’ Daily Mirror
£17.99
HarperCollins Publishers Died in the Wool Final Curtain Swing Brother
Book SynopsisCommemorating 75 years since the Empress of Crime’s first book, the fifth volume in a set of omnibus editions presenting the complete run of 32 Inspector Alleyn mysteries.
£15.29
Penguin Books Ltd Sherlock Holmes The Novels penguin Classics
Book SynopsisAll four legendary Sherlock Holmes novels, collected in a unique Graphic Deluxe Edition with an introduction by Michael Dirda Though endlessly reinterpreted, reinvented, and imitated, the Sherlock Holmes stories have never been surpassed. Sporting his signature billowing coat and pipe in hand, the genius investigator Holmes captivates readers with his alluring melancholy and superhuman intuition, while his partner, Dr. Watson, remains ever the perfect foil, a classic Victorian gentleman with brilliant intellect. Collected here are all four Holmes novels—A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and The Valley of Fear—tracing the origins of the pair up through showdowns with their greatest archenemies, including the infamous Professor Moriarty. Set in the seductive shadow world of Victorian London, the stories of Holmes and Watson live on, as immediate and original in our time as in their owTrade ReviewEvery writer owes something to Holmes -- T. S. Eliot[Holmes] is probably the only literary creation since the creations of Dickens which has really passed into the life and language of the people -- G. K. Chesterton
£17.99
HarperCollins Publishers The Listerdale Mystery
Book SynopsisA selection of mysteries, some light-hearted, some romantic, some very deadlyTwelve tantalizing cases the curious disappearance of Lord Listerdale; a newlywed's fear of her ex-fiance; a strange encounter on a train; a domestic murder investigation; a wild man's sudden personality change; a retired inspector's hunt for a murderess; a young woman's impersonation of a duchess; a necklace hidden in a basket of cherries; a mystery writer's arrest for murder; an astonishing marriage proposal; a soprano's hatred for a baritone; the case of the rajah's emerald.All have one thing in common: the skilful hand of Agatha Christie.Trade Review“They are, without exception, the work of an experienced and artful cook.”Times Literary Supplement “The acknowledged Queen of Detective fiction”Observer
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Witness for the Prosecution
Book SynopsisAgatha Christie's classic short story collection, including one of her most enduring and shocking thrillers, The Witness for the Prosecution.1920s London.A murder, brutal and bloodthirsty, has stained the plush carpets of a handsome London townhouse. The victim is the glamorous and enormously rich Emily French. All the evidence points to Leonard Vole, a young chancer to whom the heiress left her vast fortune and who ruthlessly took her life. At least, this is the story that Emily's dedicated housekeeper Janet Mackenzie stands by in court. Leonard however, is adamant that his partner, the enigmatic chorus girl Romaine, can prove his innocence.Trade Review“With the long terrible shadow of the Great War falling across the rackety, feral 1920s, The Witness for the Prosecution is a compelling story of deceit, desire, murder, money and morality, innocence and guilt, heartbreak and most painful and dangerous of all, love. At the centre of this dark and tangled net is the astonishing character of Romaine, a noir heroine for all our times.” Sarah Phelps
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Crooked House
Book SynopsisA wealthy Greek businessman is found dead at his London homeThe Leonides were one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion. That was until the head of the household, Aristide, was murdered with a fatal barbiturate injection.Suspicion naturally falls on the old man's young widow, fifty years his junior. But the murderer has reckoned without the tenacity of Charles Hayward, fiance of the late millionare's granddaughterTrade Review‘Writing Crooked House was pure pleasure and I feel justified in my belief that it is one of my best.’Agatha Christie ‘Her sleight of hand is impeccable.’New Statesman ‘Knock-out!’Saturday Review of Literature
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Inspector French Sir John Magills Last Journey
Book SynopsisFrom the Collins Crime Club archive, the sixth Inspector French novel by Freeman Wills Crofts, once dubbed The King of Detective Story Writers'.A MURDER MYSTERY WITHOUT A CLUEWhen Sir John Magill, the wealthy Irish industrialist, fails to show up at his home town on a well-publicised visit, neither his family nor the Belfast police can explain his disappearance. Foul play is suspected when his bloodstained hat is discovered, and Scotland Yard is called in. With his characteristic genius for reconstruction, Inspector French evolves a gruesome theory about what happened to the elderly man, but his reputation and that of Scotland Yard will depend on finding out who was responsible . . .Trade Review‘Nobody takes more trouble to get every detail absolutely correct. This most workmanlike of sleuths unravels a really satisfying puzzle.’ DAILY MAIL “A detective novel by Mr. Wills Crofts is always an event to those who know … Mr. Crofts is among the few muscular writers of detective fiction. He has never let me down.”HAROLD NICOLSON, DAILY EXPRESS
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Appointment with Death Poirot
Book SynopsisAll wish her deadWho succeeded?Among the towering red cliffs of Petra, like some monstrous swollen Buddha, sat the corpse of Mrs Boynton. A tiny puncture mark on her wrist was the only sign of the fatal injection that had killed her.With only 24 hours available to solve the mystery, Hercule Poirot recalled a chance remark he'd overheard back in Jerusalem: You see, don't you, that she's got to be killed?'Mrs Boynton was, indeed, the most detestable woman he'd ever metTrade Review“Twice as brilliant as Death on the Nile, which was entirely brilliant”Observer
£8.99
Oxford University Press Sherlock Holmes
Book SynopsisThis new selection of 12 of the best Sherlock Holmes stories is designed to give a full sense of their world, taking Holmes's career from its early days to its close. It includes the book-length The Sign of the Four and an introduction and notes by Barry McCrea that give a sense of the different currents running beneath the stories' surface.Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Note on the Text ; Select Bibliography ; A Chronology of Arthur Conan Doyle ; The Sign of the Four ; A Scandal in Bohemia ; The Red-Headed League ; A Case of Identity ; The Man with the Twisted Lip ; The Blue Carbuncle ; The Speckled Band ; The Musgrave Ritual ; The Greek Interpreter ; The Dancing Men ; The Six Napoleons ; His Last Bow ; Explanatory Notes
£9.45
Galileo Publishers Silence After Dinner
Book Synopsis
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers THE PALE HORSE Agatha Christie Ariadne Oliver 5
Book SynopsisA priest's death leads to sinister goings-on in an old country pubTo understand the strange goings on at The Pale Horse Inn, Mark Easterbrook knew he had to begin at the beginning. But where exactly was the beginning?Was it the savage blow to the back of Father Gorman's head? Or was it when the priest's assailant searched him so roughly he tore the clergyman's cassock? Or could it have been the priest's visit, just minutes before, to a woman on her death bed?Or was there a deeper significance to the violent squabble which Mark Easterbrook had himself witnessed earlier?Wherever the beginning lies, Mark and his sidekick, Ginger Corrigan, may soon have cause to wish they'd never found itTrade Review‘Wholesale murder by black magic…highly ingenious, wholly enjoyable.’Evening Standard ‘The acknowledged queen of detective fiction’ Observer
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers Inspector French and the Cheyne Mystery Inspector
Book SynopsisFrom the Collins Crime Club archive, the second Inspector French novel by Freeman Wills Crofts, once dubbed The King of Detective Story Writers'.THE RETURN OF INSPECTOR FRENCHWhen young Maxwell Cheyne discovers that a series of mishaps are the result of unwelcome attention from a dangerous gang of criminals, he teams up with a young woman who is determined to help him outwit them. But when she disappears, he finally decides to go to Scotland Yard for help. Concerned by the developing situation, Inspector Joseph French takes charge of the investigation and applies his trademark methods to track down the kidnappers and thwart their intentions . . .Trade Review“A detective novel by Mr. Wills Crofts is always an event to those who know … Mr. Crofts is among the few muscular writers of detective fiction. He has never let me down.”HAROLD NICOLSON, DAILY EXPRESS
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group The Two Faces of January Virago Modern Classics
Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING VIGGO MORTENSON AND KIRSTEN DUNST By the bestselling author of The Talented Mr Ripley, Carol and Strangers on a Train. ''The original, the best, the gloriously twisted Queen of Suspense'' MARK BILLINGHAM ''The No. 1 greatest crime writer'' THE TIMES ''I''m a huge fan'' SARAH WATERS Two men meet in the picturesque backstreets of Athens. Chester MacFarlane is a conman with multiple false identities, near the end of his rope and on the run with his young wife Colette. Rydal Keener is a young drifter looking for adventure: he finds it in one evening as the law catches up to Chester and Colette, and their fates become fatally entwined.Patricia Highsmith draws us deep into a cross-European game of cat and mouse in this masterpiece of suspense from the bestselling author of The Talented Mr Ripley.Trade ReviewHighsmith is a giant of the genre. The original, the best, the gloriously twisted Queen of Suspense -- Mark BillinghamThere are many attractive parts to this thriller - handsome leads, a meaty Patricia Highsmith plot, Mediterranean sunlight on cream linen suits * Guardian *The No. 1 greatest crime writer * The Times *An offbeat, provocative and absorbing suspense novel * New York Times *With fantastic pace and mounting tension the plot propels you into a nail-biting game of cat-and-mouse -- Val Hennessy * Daily Mail *I'm a huge fan -- Sarah WatersHighsmith's novels are peerlessly disturbing . . . bad dreams that keep us thrashing for the rest of the night * New Yorker *[Highsmith's] characters are irrational, and they leap to life in their very lack of reason . . . Highsmith is the poet of apprehension rather than fear -- Graham GreeneSuspenseful and evocative * Stylist *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Book Synopsis''It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.''Sherlock Holmes, scourge of criminals everywhere, whether they be lurking in London''s foggy backstreets or plotting behind the walls of an idyllic country mansion, and his faithful colleague Dr Watson solve twelve breathtaking and perplexing mysteries.In The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the first collection of the great consulting detective''s cases, we encounter some of his most famous and devilishly difficult problems, including A Scandal in Bohemia, The Speckled Band, The Red-Headed League, The Blue Carbuncle, The Five Orange Pips and The Man with the Twisted Lip.Trade ReviewPerfect bite-size treats ... you'll be hooked inside two pages * Independent *
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers Inc No Shred of Evidence
Book SynopsisIn this absorbing new entry in the acclaimed New York Times bestselling series, Scotland Yard’s Ian Rutledge is caught up in a twisted web of vengeance and murder.On the north coast of Cornwall, an apparent act of mercy is repaid by an arrest for murder.Trade Review"It's that melancholy tone, the legacy of the trenches, that gives Todd's polite rural mystery such uncommon depth." -- Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE "Fans already mourning the end of "Downton Abbey" can easily get their English fix by following Rutledge and Hamish on their rounds." -- Wilmington Star News on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE "Poirot was one name, Holmes was another, and Rutledge deserves to be in that classic pack of crime solvers." -- Suspense Magazine on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE "NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE is the latest in Charles Todd's consistently rewarding historical mysteries about British Detective Inspector Ian Rutledge. Over the course of a dozen and a half books, Todd has brilliantly, gradually revealed the many sides of this complex, melancholy man." -- Seattle Times Book Review "The mother and son team, who write as Charles Todd, deftly capture the atmosphere of post World War I England in this complex mystery which will appeal to fans of British mysteries." -- Iron Mountain Daily News on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE
£11.39
Penguin Books Ltd The Man Who Watched the Trains Go By
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewFierce, bleak and compellingly written . . . with pitiless landscapes of hopeless longing, random cruelty and galloping fate warmed only by the twilit lyricism of doomed desire. These are novels of eye-opening, spine-tingling control and intensity. -- Boyd Tonkin * The Independent *One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories * Guardian *Compelling . . . Simenon shows how close the deranged mind is to the ordinary mind' * Financial Times *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Book SynopsisSir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) started to write as a doctor, whilst waiting for patients to arrive. Sherlock Holmes first appeared in A Study in Scarlet (1887). The Holmes stories soon attracted such a following that Conan Doyle felt the character overshadowed his other work. In The Final Problem (1893) Conan Doyle killed him off, but was obliged by public demand to restore the detective to life.Trade ReviewHolmes [is] still discussed, revered and cherished across the world * Guardian *
£8.54
Soho Press Murder in Pitigliano
Book SynopsisEx-NYPD detective Nico Doyle finds himself unwittingly stepping into the role of a PI to investigate a murder that has torn a young family apart in this rustic mystery set in the beautiful Medieval village of Pitigliano, Italy.One morning at the café, Nico notices Cilia, a seven-year-old girl he has never seen before, playing with OneWag on the floor. He later discovers she has left a note in the dog’s collar—Please help my babbo.With help from Daniele of the local carabinieri, Nico discovers that Cilia’s father, Saverio, has fled town following an unfortunate incident. His business partner was killed at their electronics store, and Saverio is the main suspect. Cilia’s mother, who just moved to Gravigna to get away from Pitigliano’s wagging tongues, asks Nico to find the real killer. Against his better judgment, Nico accepts for Cilia’s sake and soon finds himself tangling with a large cast of suspects and an unhelpful local carabinier as he pursues the truth.
£22.94
Random House USA Inc The Final Deduction
Book SynopsisWhen high-society kidnapping unexpectedly turns to very seamy murder, all concerned turn to the great detective, Nero Wolfe, for the missing piece in the puzzle.A missing typewriter, a mysterious ransom note—and a beautiful corpse. Step into the unassuming Thirty-fifth Street brownstone, and join in the astounding exploits of Nero Wolfe. Marvel at his daily beer consumption, his unsurpassed appetite, the incredible expanse of his yellow silk pajamas. Bear witness to his unwavering, often infuriating addiction to fine foods, good books, beautiful orchids and custom-made chairs. Empathize with his confidential assistant Archie Goodwin, archetypal private eye and man of action, whose primary function is prodding his immense employer into motion. See for yourself why, through a hundred million copies and seventy-two cases, the adventures of America’s largest private detective and his extended family continue to captivate and enthrall readers around the world. Discover Nero Wolfe—the greatest detective of them all. “It is always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore.”—The New York Times Book Review
£13.49
Little, Brown Book Group Strangers on a Train
Book SynopsisFrom the ground-breaking noir fiction writer Patricia Highsmith comes her propulsive, engrossing debut, Strangers on a Train. The inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1951 film.Trade ReviewTo call Patricia Highsmith a thriller writer is true but not the whole truth: her books have stylistic texture, psychological depth, mesmeric readability * Sunday Times *Highsmith is a giant of the genre. The original, the best, the gloriously twisted Queen of Suspense -- Mark BillinghamThe No.1 Greatest Crime Writer . . . A true original in crime fiction and a superb writer * The Times *One closes most of her books with a feeling that the world is more dangerous than one had ever imagined * New York Times Book Review *Her novels, with their mysterious non sequiturs, weird pairings and attractions and moments of stifled comedy, have an unearthly sheen all their own . . . Highsmith was a genuine one-off, and her books will haunt you * Daily Telegraph *I love Highsmith so much . . . What a revelation her writing is -- Gillian FlynnTwo women become entangled in a gothic exit strategy from unhappy marriages * Financial Times *The sphere of suspense for the story of a strange, parasitic attachment and the unbelievable events which follow * Kirkus Reviews *A gem . . . A magnificent suspense * Daily Mail *A tightly-plotted psychological thriller that serves as a masterclass in how it's doneA writer who created a world of her own - a world claustrophobic and irrational which we enter each time with a sense of personal danger -- Graham GreeneA tightly-plotted psychological thriller that serves as a masterclass in how it's done -- S. J. Watson
£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers Cards on the Table
Book SynopsisA dangerous gameA deadly outcomeTrade Review“The finest murder story of her career… Mrs Christie has never been more ingenious”Daily Mail
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Man in the Brown Suit
Book SynopsisA young woman investigates an accidental death at a London tube station, and finds herself of a ship bound for South AfricaPretty, young Anne came to London looking for adventure. In fact, adventure comes looking for her and finds her immediately at Hyde Park Corner tube station. Anne is present on the platform when a thin man, reeking of mothballs, loses his balance and is electocuted on the rails.The Scotland Yard verdict is accidental death. But Anne is not satisfied.After all, who was the man in the brown suit who examined the body? And why did he race off, leaving a cryptic message behind: 17-122 Kilmorden Castle'?Trade Review‘The acknowledged queen of detective fiction the world over’ OBSERVER
£8.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Adventures and the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Book SynopsisA collection of the most famous cases faced by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's peerless creationThis collection of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes includes many of the famous cases - and great strokes of brilliance - that made the legendary detective one of fiction's most popular creations. With his devoted amanuensis Dr Watson, Holmes emerges from his smoke filled room in Baker Street to grapple with the forces of treachery, intrigue and evil in such cases as 'The Speckled Band', in which a terrified woman begs their help in solving the mystery surrounding her sister's death, or 'A Scandal in Bohemia', which portrays a European king blackmailed by his mistress. In 'Silver Blaze' the pair investigate the disappearance of a racehorse and the violent murder of its trainer, while in 'The Final Problem' Holmes at last comes face to face with his nemesis, the diabolical Professor Moriarty - 'the Napoleon of crime'. In his iTable of ContentsThe Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and the Memoirs of Sherlock HolmesIntroductionFurther ReadingChronologyThe Adventures of Sherlock HolmesA Scandal in BohemiaA Case of IdentityThe Red-Headed LeagueThe Boscombe Valley MysteryThe Five Orange PipsThe Man with the Twisted LipThe Blue CarbuncleThe Speckled BandThe Engineer's ThumbThe Noble BachelorThe Beryl CoronetThe Copper BeechesThe Memoirs of Sherlock HolmesSilver BlazeThe Yellow FaceThe Stockbroker's ClerkThe Gloria ScottThe Musgrave RitualThe Reigate SquiresThe Crooked ManThe Resident PatientThe Greek InterpreterThe Naval TreatyThe Final ProblemNotes
£8.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Hound of the Baskervilles Another Adventure
Book SynopsisSir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles gripped readers when it was first serialised and has continued to hold its place in the popular imagination to this day. Could the sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville have been caused by the gigantic ghostly hound that is said to have haunted his family for generations? Arch-rationalist Sherlock Holmes characteristically dismisses the theory as nonsense. And, immersed in another case, he sends Dr Watson to Devon to protect the Baskerville heir and observe the suspects at close hand. With its atmospheric setting on the ancient, wild moorland and its savage apparition, The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of the greatest crime novels ever written. Rationalism is pitted against the supernatural and good against evil as Sherlock Holmes sets out to defeat a foe almost his equal. This edition contains a full chronology of Arthur Conan Doyle's life and works, an introduction by renowned horror scholar Professor Trade Review“The whole Sherlock Holmes saga is a triumphant illustration of art’s supremacy over life.” —Christopher Morley
£8.04
Cornerstone A New Lease Of Death
Book SynopsisRuth Rendell was an exceptional crime writer, and will be remembered as a legend in her own lifetime. Her groundbreaking debut novel, From Doon With Death, was first published in 1964 and introduced the reader to her enduring and popular detective, Inspector Reginald Wexford, who went on to feature in twenty-four of her subsequent novels.With worldwide sales of approximately 20 million copies, Rendell was a regular Sunday Times bestseller. Her sixty bestselling novels include police procedurals, some of which have been successfully adapted for TV, stand-alone psychological mysteries, and a third strand of crime novels under the pseudonym Barbara Vine. Very much abreast of her times, the Wexford books in particular often engaged with social or political issues close to her heart.Rendell won numerous awards, including the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for 1976's best crime novel with A Demon in My View, a Gold Dagger award for Live FlesTrade ReviewOne of the best novelists writing today -- P.D. JamesRuth Rendell has quite simply transformed the genre of crime writing. She displays her peerless skill in blending the mundane, commonplace aspects of life with the potent murky impulses of desire and greed, obsession and fear * Sunday Times *Rendell never fails to come up trumps, and her millions of admirers will eagerly consume this offering as they have all the others * The Irish Times *Ruth Rendell's mesmerising capacity to shock, chill and disturb is unmatched * The Times *A firm grasp of social concerns ensure that her novels are reflective of our own times, as well as hugely absorbing -- Louise Welsh * The Times *
£9.49
British Library Publishing Cyanide in the Sun
Book SynopsisAnother of the series' popular anthologies celebrating forgotten classics and material not printed since its original publication. Perfect bitesize holiday reading for the Classic Crime enthusiast and the casual sleuther alike, featuring mysteries focused on British holidays and abroad.
£10.44
Vinci Books Ltd. Poison at Pemberton Hall
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Vintage Publishing The Brothers Karamazov
Book SynopsisFROM THE AWARD-WINNING TRANSLATORS RICHARD PEVEAR AND LARISSA VOLOKHONSKYDostoevsky''s beautiful writing style and universal themes make this epic 19th century novel unmissable. The Brothers Karamazov is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of erotic rivalry in a series of triangular love affairs involving Karamazov and his three sons - the impulsive and sensual Dmitri; the coldly rational Ivan; and the healthy young novice Alyosha. Through the gripping events of their story, Dostoevsky portrays the social and spiritual strivings in what was both a golden age and a tragic turning point in Russian history.Trade ReviewDostoevsky makes Martin Amis seem as if he was writing 130 years ago and that Dostoevsky is writing now. Read all of Dostoevsky. These books are for now and they matter, because it's up to us to call a halt to our TV producers, politicians, gutless artists, poets and writers: these "teenagers of all ages" who are propelling us towards a consumerist hell of disposability over qualityDonne, Herbert, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, George Eliot, Dostoevsky, Henry James - these are the great psychologists - far greater than Freud or Klein or JungNo reader who knows The Brothers Karamazov should ignore this magnificent translation. And no reader who doesn't should wait any longer to acquaint himself with one of the peaks of modern fiction * USA Today *It returns us to a work we thought we knew - made new again * Washington Post *In this new translation one finally gets the musical whole of Dostoevsky's original * New York Times Book Review *
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers DEATH IN THE CLOUDS Poirot
Book SynopsisA woman is killed by a poisoned dart in the enclosed confines of a commercial passenger planeFrom seat No.9, Hercule Poirot was ideally placed to observe his fellow air passengers. Over to his right sat a pretty young woman, clearly infatuated with the man opposite; ahead, in seat No.13, sat a Countess with a poorly-concealed cocaine habit; across the gangway in seat No.8, a detective writer was being troubled by an aggressive wasp.What Poirot did not yet realize was that behind him, in seat No.2, sat the slumped, lifeless body of a woman.Trade Review“It will be a very acute reader who does not receive a complete surprise at the end.”Times Literary Supplement
£8.99
HarperCollins Publishers Taken At The Flood
Book SynopsisA man returns from the dead, and the body of a mysterious stranger is found in his roomA few weeks after marrying an attractive young widow, Gordon Cloade is tragically killed by a bomb blast in the London blitz. Overnight, the former Mrs Underhay finds herself in sole possession of the Cloade family fortune.Shortly afterwards, Hercule Poirot receives a visit from the dead man's sister-in-law who claims she has been warned by spirits' that Mrs Underhay's first husband is still alive. Poirot has his suspicions when he is asked to find a missing person guided only by the spirit world. Yet what mystifies Poirot most is the woman's true motive for approaching himTrade Review‘One of the best… her gift for blending the cosy with the macabre has seldom been more in evidence than it is here.’Elizabeth Bowen, Tatler ‘Told briskly, vivaciously, and with ever-fertile imagination.’Manchester Evening News ‘One of the better Christies… Don’t miss.’New York Herald Tribune
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Two Bottles of Relish
Book SynopsisLord Dunsany mixes reality with fantasy in this forgotten collection of modern detective stories. Some are macabre, others have a lighter and more amusing touch, but every story stimulates the imagination and reveals the acknowledged master of the short story at his very best.Trade Review‘The book is a treasure-trove – no less than 26 tales of crime and detection, all illumined by Lord Dunsany’s charm and wit, and his individualistic style. The first nine stories record the exploits of Mr Linley, including that undeniable modern classic, “The Two Bottles of Relish”.’ELLERY QUEEN ‘There are my “Poe” pieces and my “Dunsany” pieces – but alas – where are my “Lovecraft” pieces?’H. P. LOVECRAFT ‘“The Two Bottles of Relish” is so horrific – and what a brilliant, brilliant idea. The perfect crime.’OTTO PENZLER
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Inspector French and the Box Office Murders
Book SynopsisFrom the Collins Crime Club archive, the fifth Inspector French novel by Freeman Wills Crofts, once dubbed The King of Detective Story Writers'.THE PUZZLE OF THE PURPLE SICKLEThe suicide of a sales clerk at the box office of a London cinema leaves another girl in fear for her life. Persuaded to seek help from Scotland Yard, Miss Darke confides in Inspector Joseph French about a gambling scam by a mysterious trio of crooks and that she believes her friend was murdered. When the girl fails to turn up the next day, and the police later find her body, French's inquiries reveal that similar girls have also been murdered, all linked by their jobs and by a sinister stranger with a purple scar . . .Trade Review‘Freeman Wills Crofts’ crimes are solved with dogged diligence and attention to detail . . . they seem to have improved with age.’ INDEPENDENT “A detective novel by Mr. Wills Crofts is always an event to those who know … Mr. Crofts is among the few muscular writers of detective fiction. He has never let me down.”HAROLD NICHOLSON, DAILY EXPRESS
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers DESTINATION UNKNOWN
Book SynopsisA young woman with nothing to live for is persuaded to embark on a suicide mission to find a missing scientistWhen a number of leading scientists disappear without trace, concern grows within the international intelligence community. Are they being kidnapped? Blackmailed? Brainwashed?One woman appears to have the key to the mystery. Unfortunately, Olive Betteron now lies in a hospital bed, dying from injuries sustained in a Moroccan plane crash.Meanwhile, in a Casablanca hotel room, Hilary Craven prepares to take her own life. But her suicide attempt is about to be interrupted by a man who will offer her an altogether more thrilling way to dieTrade Review ‘ Nothing should be taken for granted.’Spectator ‘ A first class thriller.’Birmingham Post
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Why Didnt They Ask Evans
Book SynopsisWhen a man plunges down a cliff, two adventurous young friends decide to find his killerWhile playing an erratic round of golf, Bobby Jones slices his ball over the edge of a cliff. His ball is lost, but on the rocks below he finds the crumpled body of a dying man. With his final breath the man opens his eyes and says, Why didn't they ask Evans?'Haunted by these words, Bobby and his vivacious companion, Frankie, set out to solve a mystery that will bring them into mortal dangerTrade Review‘A story that tickles and tantalizes but never exhausts the readers’ patience or ingenuity.’ Times Literary Supplement ‘Agatha Christie is the gateway drug to crime fiction both for readers and for writers.’ Val McDermid
£8.99
HarperCollins Publishers Sparkling Cyanide
Book SynopsisA beautiful heiress is fatally poisoned in a West End restaurantSix people sit down to dinner at a table laid for seven. In front of the empty place is a sprig of rosemary in solemn memory of Rosemary Barton who died at the same table exactly one year previously.No one present on that fateful night would ever forget the woman's face, contorted beyond recognition or what they remembered about her astonishing life.Trade Review“The denoument will probably come as a surprise to nine readers out of ten”New York Times “SPARKLING CYANIDE is the one … which I should take with me to a desert island; for I find in it a seriousness and a psychological insight unparalleled in the author’s other works.’ Times Literary Supplement
£8.99
HarperCollins Publishers Sleeping Murder
Book SynopsisA strange houseA ghost from the pastAs soon as she moves into Hillside, Gwenda knows there's something strange about this house.A sealed room. A hidden door. The apparition of a young woman being strangled.But strangest of all this all seems quite familiar.As her friend Jane Marple investigates, the answer seems to lie in a crime committed nearly twenty years ago.The killer may have gotten away with murder. But Miss Marple is never far behind.Never underestimate Miss MarpleReading a perfectly plotted Agatha Christie is like crunching into a perfect apple: that pure, crisp, absolute satisfaction.'Tana FrenchMiss Marple is spry, shrewd and compassionate.'Sunday TelegraphTrade Review‘Without a doubt, the greatest mystery writer of all time’ – Ragnar Jonasson ‘A hundred years after her first novel, and we are all still standing in her shadow’ – Andrew Taylor ‘She gives us an insight into human nature that few, if any, have surpassed’ – Susan Lewis ‘Dame Agatha has sold more books than all besides Shakespeare and the Bible’ – David Baldacci ‘All crime fiction writers around the globe owe Agatha Christie a massive debt’ – Peter James ‘Reading a perfectly plotted Agatha Christie is like crunching into a perfect apple: that pure, crisp, absolute satisfaction.’ – Tana French
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Miss Marples Final Cases
Book SynopsisNine intriguing talesOne unequalled storytellerAn unknown wounded man in a church. A fatal riding accident. A corpse and a tape measure.Whether in St Mary Mead or further afield, there is always much wickedness lurking below the surface, should, like Jane Marple, you have the eyes to see it.Published posthumously, this collection of tales, seven of them featuring Agatha Christie's much loved Miss Marple, plus two stand-alone stories, is a treasure trove.Never underestimate Miss MarpleShe gives us an insight into human nature that few, if any, have surpassed.'Susan LewisThe acknowledged queen of detective fiction.'ObserverTrade Review‘Without a doubt, the greatest mystery writer of all time’ – Ragnar Jonasson ‘A hundred years after her first novel, and we are all still standing in her shadow’ – Andrew Taylor ‘She gives us an insight into human nature that few, if any, have surpassed’ – Susan Lewis ‘Dame Agatha has sold more books than all besides Shakespeare and the Bible’ – David Baldacci ‘All crime fiction writers around the globe owe Agatha Christie a massive debt’ – Peter James ‘Reading a perfectly plotted Agatha Christie is like crunching into a perfect apple: that pure, crisp, absolute satisfaction.’ – Tana French
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Book SynopsisA country houseA murderA Belgian detectiveAfter the Great War, life can never be the same again.Captain Arthur Hastings is invited to Styles To recuperate from injuries sustained at the Front. It is the last place he expects to encounter murder.Fortunately he knows a former detective, a Belgian refugee, who happens to be staying nearby . . .Here, for the first time, meet Agatha Christie's legendary creation: Hercule PoirotTrade Review‘Almost too ingenious … very clearly and brightly told.’Times Literary Supplement ‘Very well contrived.’Sunday Times ‘Altogether a skilful tale and a talented first book.’Daily News ‘The most ingenious and absorbingly interesting tale of sensations and mystery we have read for a long time.’Bookman ‘Well written, well proportioned, and full of surprises. Lovers of good stories will, without exception, rejoice in this book.’The British Weekly
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers After the Funeral Poirot
Book SynopsisTime to bury the hatchetIn a dead man's sisterThere are certain things that are best left unsaid. Though tragedy had touched the life of the wealthy Richard Abernethie, his sudden death seemed pretty unremarkable for a man of his age. So why would his sister wait until his funeral to say he had been murdered?When she is savagely killed with a hatchet the next day, her extraordinary remark suddenly takes on a chilling significance. In desperation, the family solicitor turns to Hercule Poirot to unravel the mystery . . .Trade Review‘Keeps us guessing – and guessing wrongly – to the very last page.’ Liverpool Post ‘Experienced as I am, the solution took me completely by surprise.’ Frances Iles, Sunday Times Needless to say that this past-master of detection handles it in a fresh and original way. The little Belgian’s solution is both surprising and – after his briliiant exposition at the end – satisfying.’ Daily Telegraph ‘A beautiful precision-tooled job. False clues are laid with effortless skill up to the final revelation. Poirot distinguishes the book by his presence.’ Julian Symons, Manchester Evening News ‘Never has Mrs Christie exerted her incomparable power of deception with more subtlety or to better effect. Superb book.’ Ralph Partridge, New Statesman ‘Poirot at his best. Need I say more?’ Nancy Spain, Daily Express
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Late Monsieur Gallet
Book SynopsisThe second book in the new Penguin Maigret series: Georges Simenon''s devastating tale of misfortune, betrayal and the weakness of family ties, in a new translation by Anthea Bell.Instead of the detail filling itself in and becoming clearer, it seemed to escape him. The face of the man in the ill-fitting coat just misted up so that it hardly looked human. In theory this mental portrait was good enough, but now it was replaced by fleeting images which should have added up to one and the same man but which refused to get themselves into focus.The circumstances of Monsieur Gallet''s death all seem fake: the name the deceased was travelling under and his presumed profession, and more worryingly, his family''s grief. Their haughtiness seems to hide ambiguous feelings about the hapless man. In this haunting story, Maigret discovers the appalling truth and the real crime hidden behind the surface of lies.Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in previous translations as Maigret Stonewalled and The Death of Monsieur Gallet.''Compelling, remorseless, brilliant'' John Gray''One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century'' Guardian ''A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness'' IndependentTrade ReviewPraise for Georges Simenon:“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —The Guardian “These Maigret books are as timeless as Paris itself.” —The Washington Post “Maigret ranks with Holmes and Poirot in the pantheon of fictional detective immortals.” —People “I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov.” —William Faulkner “The greatest of all, the most genuine novelist we have had in literature.” —André Gide “A supreme writer . . . Unforgettable vividness.” —The Independent (London) “Superb . . . The most addictive of writers . . . A unique teller of tales.” —The Observer (London) “Compelling, remorseless, brilliant.” —John Gray “A truly wonderful writer . . . Marvelously readable—lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the world he creates.” —Muriel Spark “A novelist who entered his fictional world as if he were a part of it.”lle —Peter Ackroyd “Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century.” —John Banville"Gem-hard soul-probes . . . not just the world's bestselling detective series, but an imperishable literary legend . . . he exposes secrets and crimes not by forensic wizardry, but by the melded powers of therapist, philosopher and confessor" ― Times (London)"Strangely comforting . . . so many lovely bistros from the Paris of mid-20th C. The corpses are incidental, it's the food that counts." ― Margaret Atwood"One of the greatest writers of the 20th century . . . no other writer can set up a scene as sharply and with such economy as Simenon does . . . the conjuring of a world, a place, a time, a set of characters - above all, an atmosphere." ― Financial Times"Gripping . . . richly rewarding . . . You'll quickly find yourself obsessing about his life as you tackle each mystery in turn."-- Stig Abell ― The Sunday Times (London)
£8.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Dancer at the GaiMoulin
Book SynopsisThe city of Simenon''s youth comes to life in this new translation of this disturbing novel set in Liège, book ten in the new Penguin Maigret series.In the darkness, the main room is as vast as a cathedral. A great empty space. Some warmth is still seeps from the radiators. Delfosse strikes a match. They stop a moment to catch their breath, and work out how far they have still to go. And suddenly the match falls to the ground, as Delfosse gives a sharp cry and rushes back towards the washroom door. In the dark, he loses his way, returns and bumps into Chabot.Maigret observes from a distance as two boys are accused of killing a rich foreigner in Liège. Their loyalty, which binds them together through their adventures, is put to the test, and seemingly irrelevant social differences threaten their friendship and their freedom.Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret at the Gai-Moulin.''Compelling, remorseless, brilliant'' John Gray''One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century'' Guardian ''A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness'' IndependentTrade ReviewPraise for Georges Simenon:“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —The Guardian “These Maigret books are as timeless as Paris itself.” —The Washington Post “Maigret ranks with Holmes and Poirot in the pantheon of fictional detective immortals.” —People “I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov.” —William Faulkner “The greatest of all, the most genuine novelist we have had in literature.” —André Gide “A supreme writer . . . Unforgettable vividness.” —The Independent (London) “Superb . . . The most addictive of writers . . . A unique teller of tales.” —The Observer (London) “Compelling, remorseless, brilliant.” —John Gray “A truly wonderful writer . . . Marvelously readable—lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the world he creates.” —Muriel Spark “A novelist who entered his fictional world as if he were a part of it.”lle —Peter Ackroyd “Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century.” —John Banville"Gem-hard soul-probes . . . not just the world's bestselling detective series, but an imperishable literary legend . . . he exposes secrets and crimes not by forensic wizardry, but by the melded powers of therapist, philosopher and confessor" ― Times (London)"Strangely comforting . . . so many lovely bistros from the Paris of mid-20th C. The corpses are incidental, it's the food that counts." ― Margaret Atwood"One of the greatest writers of the 20th century . . . no other writer can set up a scene as sharply and with such economy as Simenon does . . . the conjuring of a world, a place, a time, a set of characters - above all, an atmosphere." ― Financial Times"Gripping . . . richly rewarding . . . You'll quickly find yourself obsessing about his life as you tackle each mystery in turn."-- Stig Abell ― The Sunday Times (London)
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd The Woman in White Wilkie Collins Penguin
Book SynopsisThe Woman in White famously opens with Walter Hartright's eerie encounter on a moonlit London road. Engaged as a drawing master to the beautiful Laura Fairlie, Walter is drawn into the sinister intrigues of Sir Percival Glyde and his charming friend Count Fosco, who has a taste for white mice, vanilla bonbons and poison. Pursuing questions of identity and insanity along the paths and corridors of English country houses and the madhouse, The Woman in White is the first and most influential of the Victorian genre that combined Gothic horror with psychological realism.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distTrade Review“Collins was a master craftsman, whom many modern mystery-mongers might imitate to their profit.” —Dorothy L. Sayers
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers Clutch of Constables
Book SynopsisA classic Ngaio Marsh novel which features blood-curdling murders in the confines of a riverboat, the Zodiac, cruising through Constable country.'He looks upon the murders that he did in fact perform as tiresome and regrettable necessities,' reflected Chief Superintendent Roderick Alleyn on the international crook known as the Jampot'.But it was Alleyn's wife Troy who knew the Jampot' best: she had shared close quarters with him on the tiny pleasure steamer Zodiac on a cruise along the peaceful rivers of Constable country'. And it was she who knew something was badly wrong even before Alleyn was called in to solve the two murders on boardTrade Review‘Cruising through Constable country, in both senses, with a cargo of strongly varied, cunningly suspect characters… the classic detective story.’The Times ‘A good Marsh… which puts it into the“must”category.’The Sun ‘It’s time to compare Christie to Marsh instead of the other way around.’New York Magazine ‘The finest writer in the English language of the pure, classical puzzle whodunit. Among the crime queens, Ngaio Marsh stands out as an Empress.’The Sun
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers Light Thickens
Book SynopsisThe complete series of Ngaio Marsh reissues concludes with the re-publication of this 20th anniversary edition of this, her final novel.Peregrine Jay, owner of the Dolphin Theatre, is putting on a magnificent production of Macbeth, the play that, superstition says, always brings bad luck.But one night the claymore swings and the dummy's head is more than real: murder behind the scene.Luckily, Chief Superintendent Roderick Alleyn is in the audienceTrade Review‘Faithful to the hallowed conventions of English detection… a fine swansong.’Observer ‘As always she writes most elegantly.’Daily Telegraph ‘Still, quite simply, the greatest exponent of the classical English detective story.’Daily Telegraph
£10.44
