The Sussex Downs Murder

The Beckoning Lady

Margery Allingham · 256 pages

Old William Faraday is dead, apparently of natural causes. Another man is dead too, and it was certainly murder. Mr Campion and his family are back in Pontisbright, along with Magersfontein Lugg and DCI Charles Luke. Danger is hardly unknown in this idyllic Suffolk village, but it is a less romantic peril than on Mr Campion's first visit, more than twenty years ago. Mr Campion's friends Minnie and

The Case of the Constant Suicides

John Dickson Carr · 192 pages

Scotland at the outbreak of the Second World War: a series of mysterious deaths, a motley crew of characters, some heavy-handed humour concerning a particularly potent blend of Scotch whisky and a pair of squabbling academics. Not one, but two "locked room" puzzles solved by series detective Dr. Gideon Fell.

Trent's Last Case

E.C. Bentley · 182 pages

Trent investigates the death of an industrialist. He solves the case three times, each time getting closer to the truth.

The Moving Finger

Agatha Christie · 224 pages

The placid village of Lymstock seems the perfect place for Jerry Burton to recuperate from his accident under the care of his sister, Joanna. But soon a series of vicious poison-pen letters destroys the village's quiet charm, eventually causing one recipient to commit suicide. The vicar, the doctor, the servants—all are on the verge of accusing one another when help arrives from an unexpected quar

Light Thickens

Ngaio Marsh · 251 pages

"Is this a dagger which I see before me..." Four murders. Three witches. A fiendish lady. A homicidal husband. A ghost. No wonder "Macbeth "is considered such bad luck by theatre people that they won't mention its name out loud. But the new London production of "the Scottish play" promises to be a smash until gruesome pranks begin plaguing rehearsals. And when the last act ends in real-life trage

The Case of the Glamorous Ghost

Erle Stanley Gardner · 230 pages

Cat of Many Tails

Ellery Queen · 283 pages

The silent rush of footsteps, the muffled shriek, the ever-tightening noose of exotic silk -- the mark of the Cat. The Cat had claimed number nine. The Cat had nine kills, but Ellery Queen found number ten alive and offered the victim temptingly to the killer. The trap was baited, and Ellery and the police poised for the strike that had to come. But the strangler struck elsewhere--and Queen's hear

Cover Her Face

P.D. James · 254 pages

When a sly and sensuous young woman who had used her body and her brains to climb the social ladder is murdered by someone who had clearly decided that the wages of sin should be death, it falls to Inspector Adam Dalgliesh to find out who the killer is.

The Case Is Closed

Patricia Wentworth · 312 pages

When a new clue arises in a long-closed murder inquiry, Miss Silver fights to free an innocent man. Marion Grey is growing used to the idea that her husband will never leave prison. After the horrors of a very public trial she is almost able to find relief in her resignation. But when new evidence suggests her husband may be innocent after all, she hires a professional—Miss Silver—to clear his

The Secret of Father Brown

G.K. Chesterton · 180 pages

Father Brown, an unassuming and shabbily dressed priest, possesses an incredible ability to solve crimes and murders. Here he reveals the secret of his success. He discovers the culprit by imagining himself to be inside the mind of the criminal. This fourth collection of Father Brown stories contains the magnificent ‘The Chief Mourner of Marne’- a fascinating story with unexpected twists – about a

The Emperor's Pearl: A Judge Dee Mystery

Robert van Gulik · 184 pages

It all begins on the night of the Poo-yang dragonboat races in 699 A.D.: a drummer in the leading boat collapses, and the body of a beautiful young woman turns up in a deserted country mansion. There, Judge Dee—tribunal magistrate, inquisitor, and public avenger—steps in to investigate the murders and return order to the Tang Dynasty. In The Emperor’s Pearl, the judge discovers that these two

A Shilling for Candles

Josephine Tey · 208 pages

A woman's body is found on the English seacoast, and twisted in her hair is an article screaming murder. For Inspector Alan Grant, the case becomes a nightmare, as too many clues and too many motives arise.

The Adventure Of The Three Students

Arthur Conan Doyle

A Ghost In The Machine

Caroline Graham · 496 pages

Every man should have a hobby. It keeps them out of mischief and from under their wives' feet. A nice bit of DIY, gardening, bowls or snooker, mysterious activities in the potting shed - fine. But killing machines, Dennis Brinkley's hobby - something else. Not what you'd call a nice hobby at all.

The Chinese Parrot

Earl Derr Biggers · 316 pages

This is a mystery story set in the South California desert. Charlie Chan, the Chinese detective from Honolulu, is entrusted with the safe delivery of a string of pearls to a millionaire's isolated desert ranch. Suspecting all is not well at the ranch, he disguises himself as a servant to investigate the mystery. Other characters include the jeweler's son who accompanies Charlie, a pretty location-

A New Lease of Death

Ruth Rendell · 214 pages

The second book to feature the classic crime-solving detective, Chief Inspector Wexford. Some cases are impossible to bury. It's impossible to forget the violent bludgeoning to death of an elderly lady in her home. Even more so when it's your first murder case. Wexford believed he'd solved Mrs Primero's murder fifteen years ago. It was no real mystery. Everyone knew Painter, her odd-job m

Duplicate Death

Georgette Heyer · 275 pages

**Inspectors Hannasyde & Hemingway #8** London is the scene for a card party given by a social-climbing hostess. Suddenly, the seemingly civilized game of Duplicate Bridge is interrupted by a double murder, both victims murdered by the same sinister method, strangled with picture wire. The crimes seem identical, but were they carried out by the same hand? And, what was the connection between th

Too Many Women

Rex Stout · 192 pages

Detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin solve a series of crimes at a large corporation called Naylor-Kerr, which employs not only a large number of attractive, gossipy women, but also an apparent murderer. Archie takes an undercover job at Naylor-Kerr but quickly his cover is blown and his romantic life entangled.

Unnatural Death

Dorothy L. Sayers · 285 pages

Unnatural Death, published in 1927, is the third novel written by Dorothy L. Sayers featuring her aristocratic detective Lord Peter Wimsey. The story begins with a conversation in a restaurant between Wimsey, his friend Detective Inspector Charles Parker, and a doctor who tells them about a situation he was involved in: an elderly lady, suffering from a slow-acting cancer, died suddenly and unexpe

Maigret in Montmartre

Georges Simenon · 146 pages

Love Lies Bleeding

Edmund Crispin · 271 pages

From Agora Books: " Castrevenford school is preparing for Speech Day and English professor and amateur sleuth Gervase Fen is called upon to present the prizes. However, the night before the big day, strange events take place that leave two members of staff dead. The Headmaster turns to Professor Fen to investigate the murders. While disentangling the facts of the case, Mr Fen is forced to deal

Murder at the Rocks

Jill Paterson · 269 pages

A Lesson In Dying

Ann Cleeves · 184 pages

Who hung the headmaster in the playground on the night of the school Halloween Party? Almost everyone in Heppleburn either hated or feared the viper-tongued Harold Medburn. Inspector Ramsay is convinced it was the headmaster’s enigmatic wife but Jack Robson, school governor and caretaker, is determined to prove her innocence. With the help of his restless daughter Patty, Jack digs into the s

Case Closed, Vol. 12

Gosho Aoyama · 208 pages