British Mystery Classics

At the Central Criminal Court, an eager crowd awaits the trial of Victoria Lamartine, an active participant in the Resistance during the war. She is now employed at the Family Hotel in Soho, where Major Eric Thoseby has been found murdered. Thoseby is believed to have fathered Lamartine's child, and the prosecution insist that his death is revenge for his abandonment of Lamartine and her arrest by the Gestapo. A last-minute change in Lamartine's defence counsel grants solicitor Nap Rumbold just eight days to prove her innocence.

Eventually Dona lands in remote Navron, looking for peace of mind in its solitary woods and hidden creeks. She finds the passion her spirit craves in the love of a daring French pirate who is being hunted by all of Cornwall. Together, they embark upon a quest rife with danger and glory, one which bestows upon Dona the ultimate choice: sacrifice her lover to certain death or risk her own life to save him

Suspicious Death is a murder mystery set in the quaint village of Ricketts in Hampshire during the 1920s. Dive into the world of Michael Harlow, an internationally renowned novelist and amateur detective, as he navigates the intricate web of secrets, lies, and hidden motives behind a shocking death. When the popular and wealthy Mrs. Weathers is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, the initial verdict of an accidental fall is quickly cast into doubt. Michael Harlow, called away from his holiday to cover the story for the Daily Courier, teams up with his cousin James Walton to uncover the ...

Hercule Poirot investigates a string of murders that appear to be disconnected on the surface, but Agatha Christie’s Belgian detective sees only tiny detail that link them all together. For some obscure reason that Poirot is determined to uncover, the number four keeps popping up with every killing. Poirot soon learns that there is in fact an international crime gang dubbed “The Big Four,” and he sets off after them. With Hastings once again at his side, Monsieur Poirot travels all over Europe to find them, but the pair always seem to be a step behind this shadowy syndicate.

Five ghost stories and occult tales from the English West Country with a whiff of brimstone and a distinct dash of dry humour. Old Crotchet The year is 1920, and it's Twelfth Night by the old reckoning. Festivities are about to commence at Hinton St Cuthbert Manor when something sinister stirs from its protracted dormancy, awakened, it would seem, by the arrival of two young guests. The old ways, they find, should not be treated lightly. Gwydion’s Dawn Murder, mystery and magic: a satirical journey into the occult. Meet Gwydion Turner, an inept, portentous, psychedelic demon raiser; a ...

His Majesty’s Prison BlackRock is where Evil is sent to die. None of the killers imprisoned on the island prison, 30 miles off the coast of Scotland, will ever leave. When Scottish billionaire, social philanthropist, and prison reformer, Ethan Mackay, is murdered during a VIP visit to the island, it becomes dangerously clear that not all the murderers are behind bars. Cut off from the mainland during a ferocious winter storm, the rest of the VIP tour take refuge in the Governor’s residence and patiently wait for the storm to pass. But what secrets lurk beneath the surface? What ...

A Thrilling Murder Mystery Novel set in the quaint town of Chesterwood, England during the sweltering summer of the 1930s. When Vienna Ludwell invites her friends to her family's grand home for the annual lawn tennis tournament, the stage is set for an unforgettable week. But beneath the veneer of camaraderie and competition, dark secrets and hidden tensions simmer. As the heatwave intensifies, so do the personal dynamics among the guests, culminating in the shocking murder of the beautiful and enigmatic Stella Palfreeman. Dr. Kendrick, a man of hidden depths and a sharp intellect, finds ...

When reclusive artist Gabriel Quinn is gunned down outside a gallery on Oxford High Street, Detective Inspector Bridget Hart investigates the world of contemporary art, where paintings can change hands for millions in the auction room. Bridget is convinced that the last words spoken by the artist - a mysterious code of eight digits and a letter - are key to unraveling the mystery of his death.

Mary Connon froze out her husband, Sam, long ago. She likes the attention of other men—like the fellow members of Sam's rugby club. Naturally, when she's found dead in her sitting room with a hole in her head, Sam is a suspect. If only he hadn't suffered a dizzying scrum injury that's left everything a blur. He isn't sure that he didn't kill her. But Det. Inspector Andrew Dalziel and his partner, Peter Pascoe, are looking outside the unhappy home. Because it seems everyone within spitting distance of the suburban femme fatale wanted Mary dead.

Suicide? Or Murder? is a gripping murder mystery set in the picturesque but deceptive tranquility of rural England during the early 20th century. Freddie Paxton, a man crafted for the serene niche of a golf club nestled within the decaying grandeur of a once-magnificent estate, is thrust into a whirlwind of intrigue and suspicion. When the mangled body of S. Brotherhood is discovered on the golf course, it initially seems like a tragic accident. However, former military intelligence officer Mordaunt Carroll and his astute friend Alexander Greene suspect foul play. As they dig deeper into ...

If Alison Girling, former principal of England's Holm Coultram College, died in an avalanche in Austria, why has her skeleton been unearthed on campus? While no love is lost between conservative detective Andrew Dalziel and the entirety of Liberal Arts, his attention to the grim discovery must be paid. But when he and Peter Pascoe scour the ivory tower for answers, they discover that the shady faculty and creepy student body have more to bury than just one corpse. Try two-and counting.

After Arthur Penfold’s wife reveals she is leaving him to care for her ailing aunt, he sets upon a path of murder and deceit to avoid the social embarrassment of a second marital breakdown. But the purchase of a poetry book triggers a sequence of events that begins to unravel both Arthur and a seemingly open-and-shut murder case.

A short story from the British Library Crime Classic collection The Edinburgh Mystery. Published in 1955, this is a domestic tale which sees a family member commit the ultimate crime when they’ve had enough of their miserly aunt’s frugal ways.

Spirited, beautiful, and thoroughly unconventional, Prudence Pinsent is a remarkable young woman. One fine morning she sets out for Suffolk to join her cousin Lord Wellende for a few days hunting. On the way Prudence encounters Captain Studde of the coastguard who is pursuing a quarry of his own. Studde is on the trail of a drug smuggling ring that connects Wellende Hall with the cloistered world of Cambridge.

Ten years ago, Mary Morstan’s father, an officer in an Indian regiment, vanished. Four years later, elegant pearls began to arrive, six in total, and now she holds an invitation to meet her mysterious anonymous benefactor. As Miss Morstan shares this peculiar tale with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, she urges the detectives to accompany her. Her only clues to her father’s disappearance: a map of a fortress with the names of four strangers and an assertion that she’s been dreadfully wronged.

A mystery novel set in the rural English countryside during the early 20th century. Centered around the enigmatic Stillwell family and their silent steward, the loyal butler Frommer, the story takes an unexpected turn with the return of a long lost family member. The resurgence from the past creates ripples through the tranquil countryside life, revealing deep-rooted secrets and chilling surprises. Set in the early 20th century, the novel paints a vivid picture of historic English aristocracy, family intrigues, and the timeless pursuit of power." The Mystery "Immerse yourself in the ...

Reporting Murder is a gripping English murder mystery set in the bustling streets of 1920s London. Dive into the world of intrigue, deception, and high-stakes journalism. Every Saturday morning, the blue and gold cover of The Owl graced the bookstalls across London. Jamaal Spillner, the sharp-minded editor of this influential weekly, thrived on the chaos of press nights. But his routine is shattered when his right-hand woman, Margaret Stanley, bursts into his office with shocking news: Trey Ford, the Minister of Imperial Finance, has been murdered at his country house. Spillner, sensing an ...

With his longtime girlfriend, Ellie, detective Peter Pascoe is off to Thornton Lacey for an exciting weekend reunion with a few of his college friends. However, upon arrival, he finds no cause for celebration. Instead, there's been a triple homicide, and one of his friends-the chief suspect-is missing.

"The Vanished Actor" is a mystery novel woven with suspenseful turns and intriguing characters, set in the fictional town of Norcaster, England, during the early 20th century. This thriller will transport you to the heart of a quaint British town during a time of budding modernity, yet shadowed by the timeless human inclination towards greed, deceit and mystery. An Unusual Disappearance The story unfolds with the curious absence of the renowned actor, Bassett Robertson - an unusual occurrence that sets in motion a journey into a labyrinth of perplexing clues and enigmatic characters. The ...

When Theodore Terhune’s wealthy client Arthur Harrison is found stabbed and his library ransacked, the police suspect the murderer was looking for a book. Harrison collected rare early printed books called incunabula, but as the provenance of such titles is well documented in the book world it would make little sense to steal one. Terhune is hired by the estate to sell off Harrison’s library, but another armed break-in and a very strange book auction suggest the killer is still searching for something. Soon Terhune himself becomes a target, but what exactly does the murderer want? And ...