Detective Short Stories Mysteries

Two novellas and two short stories featuring Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Bill Pronzini's iconic Nameless Detective. Zigzag is an original novella in which a safe and simple accident investigation becomes the unraveling of a twisted murder scheme.

I watched as the policeman took out a notebook and read from an open page. He spoke in a whisper. Inspector Lestrade's face turned ashen. He turned towards me, looking grim.

Seven stories of mystery and adventure from R Austin Freeman; including an audacious theft from London's National Gallery; the sudden self-confidence of a normally timid curate; a very remarkable funeral; a ghostly lawyer's repentance; a lucky find for a rural bricklayer; and two investigations for the celebrated forensic detective Dr. John Thorndyke...

First published in an 1841 edition of Graham's Magazine, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is often cited as the first modern detective story. The first of three stories to center around C. Auguste Dupin, Poe's fictional detective, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" involves Dupin's investigation of two women's murders. Establishing many of the tropes that would later become common to detective fiction, the story begins with an explanation of Dupin's theory of ratiocination, a concept that greatly influenced the creation of detective fiction.

The 13 mysteries in this collection were originally published in The Strand Magazine and Collier's in Great Britain and the United States. Published in 1905, this book was the first Holmes collection since 1893, when Holmes died in a confrontation with his arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty in "The Final Problem". The success of The Hound of the Baskervilles, which was published in 1901-1902 and is set before Holmes's death, created great pressure on Doyle to revive his famous character.

Do you love to read children’s mysteries? If so, you will find The Pleasantville Junior Detective Agency enjoyable. It’s about a 9-year-old boy named Perry Winkle who becomes the neighborhood junior detective. The reader tries to uncover each clue and solve the case. For those that haven’t cracked the case by the end, they can turn to the last page of each chapter and see how Perry solved it.

It will be good news to many devotees of the deductive story - particularly the pastiche of Sherlock Holmes - that Solar Pons is back in a third major collection after a lapse of seven years. In his introduction to this collection, Mr. Smith echoes the sentiments of many readers and listeners when he says, "These pastiches come the closest of any that have been written, consistently, to capturing the true flavor of the Holmesian saga and to making its people and its places and its happenings entirely credible."

Imagine a Holmes without his Boswell or, as is the case with the audiobook you will soon have to your ears, imagine a Holmes without the voice of Watson. Is there a difference? After all, we have learned about the great detective through that of his loyal companion, his dear friend and his Boswell. What might we be missing? Who else could tell of the great detective’s feats? Find out as today's best Sherlock Holmes authors tell stories from the various perspectives of the other cast of colorful characters and experience Holmes like never before as you go beyond Watson.

This third collection of vintage detective stories includes tales by authors like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, R. Austin Freeman, and Emile Gaborioux.

This outstanding collection of short stories showcases all the writing skill that has made Jo Nesbo the undisputed 'king of all crime writers' (Daily Express) and a repeat Sunday Times number-one best-selling author. Filled with dark intrigue, twists and unforgettable characters, this audiobook will have you listening late into the night.

April Fools' Day has arrived and Leger can't help himself from playing tricks. With his new-found reading skills, as basic as they are, he manages fool Ginger's human, John, into believing he is a psychic cat who can predict the winner of dog races. Thinking Leger is the key to untold riches, John takes Leger's signs and signals seriously and plans to gamble with Leger's help. However, a trip to the local pub, and the slot machine there sheds light on the shady dealings of of the pub's owner.

Seven more cases for HC Bailey's eclectic golden age sleuth Mr Reginald Fortune: surgeon, general practitioner, and advisor to Scotland Yard wherever surgery, medicine or kindred sciences can elucidate what is or is not crime. Including: a sudden death at Royal Ascot; a young doctor accused of a diamond theft; a strange country house burglary; an incident at the British Museum leading to a far darker crime; a vanished actress; and a diabolical murder at an orphanage, linked to an apparently accidental death and a near-fatal poisoning.

In this thrilling selection of stories, a young porter is found dead in a coal tub; Colbeck devises a trap to catch a thief; and a burnt train carriage holds a gruesome secret in a small coastal village. As Colbeck and his trusty aide Sergeant Victor Leeming begin to piece together clues and motives for each crime, it becomes clear the pair must stay a step ahead of the culprits to solve the cases. With a new suspect at every turn, can the duo unearth the real villains?

Glasgow's finest feline sleuth, Leger McInnes, returns and this time he tackles his most disturbing case yet! His friend Winter is traumatised and unable to speak following the horrific experience of witnessing a murder. Leger vows to track down the murderer and find closure for Winter. This will not be an easy task for Leger. With Winter unable to help, despite knowing exactly what occurred and his sidekick Ginger incarcerated while she is in season, Leger struggles to piece together the events of the night of the murder. He seeks comfort from Samara, the pretty new Persian housecat who ...

With Billy Johnston arrested for his recent crime, Leger and the clowder assumed he would be behind bars and they could all move on with their lives. However, it was not to be, and after being released he becomes the victim of a revenge attack. Naturally, Nicole is at the top of the list of suspects but Leger knows she is innocent and sets out to find the real attacker in the hope that this will divert everyone's attention away from Nicole. What he finds out however, may bring him face to face with an old enemy he had hoped to never see again. Meanwhile, in need of a distraction from her ...

Two days before Hogmanay, after the Christmas glitter has settled, a mysterious new neighbour is poisoned. Knowing that Amber and this young man could not have met the same fate by coincidence, Leger begins the investigation into what happened, with Lily's help. When that leads him to the newly opened Queen Languoreth pub, he comes face to face and clashes with the new manager. To put his own safety and Annabella's happiness first, he resolves never to go back to the pub, even if this means that another life could be at stake. However, Lily has other ideas.

Leger's family are taking a trip to a tiny Scottish island and he is looking forward to spending the summer with Annabella, Hugh and Bob. But when he discovers he is to stay in Glasgow with Annabella's niece, Carole, while the rest of the family go on their trip he is outraged. Leger hears there has been a murder on the island and knows he has to somehow travel with them and assist in finding the killer. What he didn't count on was meeting a fellow cat sleuth on the island as well as a clowder of unfriendly gossips. The island way of life proves to be very different from Glasgow. Can he ...

The festive season should be a time for generosity and goodwill, but in Glasgow, Leger finds that is not the case. His human companion's attempt to raise funds for a CT scanner for a local hospital has been thwarted by a callous thief who has stolen decorations from her seasonal garden display. Now Leger resolves to mend Annabella's broken heart by finding the thief. With Ginger nursing her newborn kittens, Isabella confusing him with erratic behaviour and Bob more interested in Hugh's discarded slipper than helping solve this mystery, Leger's only clue comes from an unexpected source - a ...

Spring is about to arrive in Glasgow, but it's already been a busy year and Leger needs a break, especially after he cheats death through sheer luck and uses up one of his lives. When he turns to Annabella for sympathy, he finds her cold and distant - a clear signal that something is wrong. After some coaxing she confides that she has been robbed and threatened by her attacker. If she contacts the police, they will kill Leger. Terrified, she retreats into herself and Leger vows to catch the culprit. However, it's not going to be as simple as that. The reappearance of an old friend distracts...

Bryce’s fellow attorney and partner in their firm, Tom Middleton, experience the death of his son who is found out to be a mule for a drug cartel trading arms for drugs. The boy is killed in a violent way, and Middleton finds out that one of the firm’s biggest clients is involved. Middleton confronts the owner and later is accused of his murder. Tom asks Bryce to be a part of his legal team. Bryce begins to investigate the murder. As he investigates, he discovers that lots of other people had the motivation to kill the deceased. Bryce finds out that Mrs. Juarez was more involved than ...