Bøger i Library of Congress Crime Classics serien

On the evening following the great fog of 1897, four strangers are dining at the exclusive gentleman's club The Grill, while a fifth--Sir Andrew--is just finishing the last few pages of a pulp mystery novel before he hurries back to the House of Commons to advocate on behalf of an unpopular naval spending bill. As Sir Andrew rises to leave, the visiting American diplomat announces to the others at the table that on the previous evening, he stumbled upon the scene of a double murder which has left Scotland Yard detectives baffled. Sir Andrew checks his watch, and excitedly asks the American to quickly relate the details.When the American has finished, Sir Andrew again makes to leave for his appointment until a second man chimes in with what he knows of the murder victims. Sitting back down, Sir Andrew listens raptly as each diner in turn each adds his own bits of background and theories about who could have killed the Russian princess and the young British adventurer (who, as it turns out, is from a well-known and prominent family, and had just returned from a year in Africa the very day he was murdered). Of course, Sir Andrew misses his appointment, but two clever twists will have readers themselves feeling as though they, too, have been wandering in the fog.

This entertaining short story collection features Professor Augustus S.F.X. Van Dusen, nicknamed "The Thinking Machine"-a brilliant but abrasive scientist who proves time and again that any puzzle can be solved by the application of logic.Could you beat the world chess master in one try if you'd never played or studied the game? Or plot and execute a successful escape from an inescapable prison cell? And could you do it at the turn of the twentieth century, without benefit of modern technology? Sound impossible?Never use that word in the presence of The Thinking Machine-it angers him greatly and does not give him a favorable impression of the user. Professor Augustus S.F.X. Van Dusen knows that both feats are indeed possible, having accomplished them himself. But he also applies his superior intellect and deductive reasoning to more official ends-namely helping the police solve "impossible" crimes.With assistance from reporter Hutchinson Hatch, who is only too happy to suggest potential cases and then write about the outcome, The Thinking Machine proves that no puzzle is unsolvable-not corporate espionage, nor a kidnapped baby, nor a pilfered necklace, And certainly not a "perfect murder."

"Astro, the Seer of Secrets, and his lovely assistant Valeska sound more like a magic act than a private detection team. Astro, in fact, hides his powers of observation and reasoning beneath a turban and a cape, pretending to read palms and consult crystals while in fact keenly observing details that most people--police included--miss. Valeska, his beautiful blond protege, assists Astro with his investigations, all the while honing her own skills. Called upon by believers and skeptics both, they adeptly recover what is missing--a rare Shakespeare folio, a missing husband, a kidnapped child--while also solving actual murders. But it is their burgeoning romance, and their mutual zeal to work pro bono where matters of the heart are at stake, that set this crime-solving duo apart"--

"e;This inaugural volume in the Library of Congress Crime Classics series, featuring the first woman sleuth in a series, is a must for genre buffs."e;-Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)From the "e;mother of detective novel"e; and the first book unearthed in exclusive partnership with the Library of Congress, That Affair Next Door follows Miss Amelia Butterworth, an inquisitive single woman in the Victorian Era who becomes involved in a murder investigation after the woman next door turns up dead.Heralded as a perfect vintage murder mystery, That Affair Next Door is:For fans of historical crime mysteries and crime classicsFor readers of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple seriesFor fans of trailblazing women on and off the pageMiss Amelia Butterworth prides herself on being an observer of human nature, especially of the people she sees every day from her usual spot at her front window-that is, until she witnesses the prelude to a ghastly murder. Late at night, two people enter her neighbor's home, but only one leaves. The next morning a young woman is found dead, crushed beyond recognition beneath a cabinet. But her death was no accident-it soon comes to light that she was stabbed by a seemingly innocuous item: a hat pin.Rife with social tension and mistaken identity, the messy case is assigned to veteran Detective Ebenezer Gryce. He expects Miss Butterworth to demurely return home, but she was there at the beginning of this case and she intends to see it through to the end. Miss Butterworth is determined to solve the mystery before the detective, but what begins as a battle of the sexes soon turns into a fight for the ever-elusive truth.Anna Katharine Green is credited as the "e;mother of the detective novel,"e; and the classic That Affair Next Door proves that the intrigue of a well-crafted mystery is timeless.

"An unmissable entry in the esteemed Library of Congress Crime Classics, an exciting new classic mystery series created in exclusive partnership with the Library of Congress to highlight the best of American crime fiction When the body of N'Gana Frimbo, the African conjure-man, is discovered in his consultation room, Perry Dart, one of Harlem's ten Black police detectives, is called in to investigate. Together with Dr Archer, a physician from across the street, Dart is determined to solve the baffling mystery, helped and hindered by Bubber Brown and Jinx Jenkins, local boys keen to clear themselves of suspicion of murder and undertake their own investigations. This groundbreaking mystery is the first ever to feature a Black detective and all Black characters, written by Black author Rudolph Fisher, who was a principal writer of the Harlem Renaissance"--

Average Jones is a brilliant young man of independent means, thanks to the bequest of a wealthy yet jaded uncle. Five years after graduating college, he finds himself bored with travel and his bon vivant lifestyle, and restless for some meaningful hobby to occupy his mind. On the advice of a friend, he decides to set up a business as an "Ad-Visor," warning potential buyers of goods and services of potential scams. Each "ad-vising" case turns into a crime-detecting story showcasing the amateur sleuth's deductive reasoning, a la Sherlock Holmes. At times bizarre, at times humorous, this collection is highly entertaining, featuring stories such as "The B-flat Trombone," "The Man Who Spoke Latin," and "The Million-Dollar Dog."

"This edition ... is based on the first edition in the Library of Congress's collection, originally published in 1951 by Simon and Schuster"--Copyright page.

"The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope was first published by Farrar & Rinehart in 1943. A notation in the Library of Congress's first edition copy states it is a "war edition," meaning the novel's complete text appears at reduced size to comply with paper conservation orders of the War Production Board during World War II"--Title page verso.

"Featuring Professor Craig Kennedy, the 'American Sherlock Holmes'"--Cover.