There was motive enough for the murder of Fred Dunstable, but when Inspector `Jimmy' Waghorn is sent down to the little village of Cradwell to investigate his death, he finds it difficult to be satisfied with any of the solutions offered by the local police. Whose was the half-smoked cigarette found near the body? Why did Kenneth Neasden want £100 so desperately? It is not until further violence has been done that the answers to these and many other questions are found. An ingeniously contrived plot and a gripping climax.

The Golden Age Mystery Anthology: 40 Timeless Detective Stories is a richly illustrated collection that celebrates the brilliance, elegance, and enduring appeal of classic crime fiction. Bringing together forty masterfully crafted tales, this volume showcases the finest works of the genre's most iconic authors, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, John Dickson Carr, Ngaio Marsh, Christianna Brand, and others Featuring memorable stories such as The Man Who Knew, Where Do We Go from Here?, The Mystery Man of Soho, The Yellow Sphere, Vex Not His Ghost, Boots, and A Piece of Cake, this anthology invites readers into a world of , , . From quiet English villages to shadowy city streets, each story presents a carefully constructed puzzle, where logic, observation, and wit are the keys to uncovering the truth. The collection reflects the defining qualities of the Golden Age of detective fiction: fair play, intricate plotting, and unforgettable detectives. Enhanced with illustrations, this volume offers both longtime fans and new readers an immersive journey into a timeless literary tradition. Elegant, suspenseful, and intellectually engaging, it stands as a tribute to the artistry and enduring charm of classic detective storytelling. Contents: Agatha Christie - The Wife of the Kenite - The Man who Knew Margery Allingham - Room to Let - The Mystery Man of Soho Dorothy L. Sayers - The Locked Room - The House of the Poplars - Where Do We Go from Here? Edmund Crispin - The Hours of Darkness Georgette Heyer - Linckes' Great Case John Rhode - The Elusive Bullet - Sixpennyworth - The Yellow Sphere - Death Travels First E. C. R. Lorac - Chance is a Great Thing - Two White Mice Under a Riding Whip Anthony Berkeley - The Man With the Twisted Thumb - Benefit of the Doubt - Hot Steel S. S. Van Dine - The Almost Perfect Murder Case - Scandal of the Louvre - The Atonement H. C. Bailey - Victoria Pumphrey - The Thistle Down - A Good Place A. A. Milne - Bread Upon the Waters Arthur Upfield - The Fool and the Perfect Murder Freeman Wills Crofts - Dark Waters John Dickson Carr - Grand Guignol - The Riddle of the Cabin - Vex Not His Ghost Ngaio Marsh - Boots Anthony Gilbert - Thieves Fall In - The Whole Truth Christianna Brand - Shadowed Sunlight - A Piece of Cake J. Jefferson Farjeon - Riddle of an Umbrella George Bellairs - The Commotion at San Giovanni Victor L. Whitechurch - The Mystery of the Corridor Express E. C. Bentley - Exactly As It Happened Patricia Highsmith - We Are Sorry, Too

''Murder at Monk's Barn'' (1931) by Cecil Waye (John Rhode/Miles Burton) is a classic Golden Age mystery featuring detectives Christopher and Vivienne Perrins. They investigate the shooting of businessman Gilbert Wynter, killed through locked curtains in his home, tackling a baffling "impossible" scenario, a second poisoning, and a limited suspect pool. Gilbert Wynter is shot through thick, drawn curtains while shaving in his home, Monk's Barn Local police suspect a former servant, but Austin Wynter (the victim's brother) hires private investigators Christopher and Vivienne Perrins. The killer managed to shoot the victim from a locked garden with no apparent exit, creating a "locked-room" style mystery. Vivienne Perrins is portrayed as the intelligent, driving force behind the partnership, which collaborates with police inspector Philpott. The story includes a second murder via poisoned chocolate, domestic tensions, and a budding romance for Vivienne. This novel is the first in the "Perrins, Private Investigators" series by Cecil Waye (John Rhode) and is known for its clever puzzle.

''The Figure of Eight'' (1931) by Cecil Waye (John Rhode/Miles Burton) is a 1930s thriller featuring private investigator Christopher Perrin. It focuses on international intrigue, starting with the mysterious, non-violent death of a woman on a London bus, which leads to a plot involving murdered diplomats, stolen documents, and a sinister secret society. A woman, later identified as Lola Martinaes, is found in an unshakeable, fatal sleep on a bus. Christopher Perrin, a private investigator (similar in style to Sherlock Holmes), investigates the murder of a diplomat and uncovers a wider conspiracy. More of a thriller than a traditional "whodunit," it features rapid action, exotic poisons, and a plot that moves from a murder mystery to espionage.

The Detective Stories Library is a rich and engaging collection of classic mysteries by some of the greatest writers of the genre. This illustrated volume brings together brilliant tales of crime, deduction, and suspense, featuring works by masters of the Golden Age of detective fiction such as Dorothy L. Sayers, John Dickson Carr, Ngaio Marsh, John Rhode, and Christianna Brand. Among the highlights are intriguing stories such as The House of the Poplars, Grand Guignol, Boots, The Yellow Sphere, and Shadowed Sunlight, along with many other captivating mysteries. These stories showcase the defining features of classic detective fiction: intricate plots, clever clues, unexpected twists, and memorable investigators who rely on logic and observation to uncover the truth. From locked-room puzzles to psychological suspense, the collection offers a wide range of styles and approaches to crime storytelling. Perfect for both longtime fans and new readers, The Detective Stories Library provides an immersive journey into the world of classic mystery, where every detail matters and every story invites the reader to solve the puzzle alongside the detective. Contents: o Dorothy L. Sayers - The House of the Poplars o John Dickson Carr - Grand Guignol o Ngaio Marsh - Boots o E. C. R. Lorac - Two White Mice Under a Riding Whip o John Rhode - The Yellow Sphere o Anthony Berkeley - Hot Steel o Anthony Gilbert - Thieves Fall In o Christianna Brand - Shadowed Sunlight o J. Jefferson Farjeon - Riddle of an Umbrella o Lynn Brock - Some Little Things o Cyril Hare - The Murder at Warbeck Hall o Christopher Bush - The Hampstead Murder o Joseph Commings - The Scarecrow Murders o Christopher St. John Sprigg - The Case of the Unlucky Airman o Alice Campbell - Signals o Stuart Palmer - The Riddle of the Black Spade o Josephine Bell - A Torch at the Window o G. D. H. & M. Cole - A Present from the Empire o William A. R. Collins - The `Eat More Fruit' Murder o Nicholas Blake - Mr Prendergast and the Orange o Ethel Lina White - And the Answer Was... - Passengers o H. C. Bailey - The Only Husband o Gladys Mitchell - The Case of Bella Garsington o Richard Keverne - The Post-Chaise Murder o Herbert Adams - Too Easy

"The Hanging Woman" (1931) is a classic mystery novel by John Rhode (Miles Burton) featuring his recurring detective, Dr. Lancelot Priestley. It centers on an investigation into a suspicious death at a supposedly haunted house.

"Men Die at Cyprus Lodge" (1943) by John Rhode (Miles Burton) is a classic Golden Age mystery featuring Dr. Priestley investigating a series of murders at a reputedly haunted house in the English village of Troutwich. The plot centers on a "haunted" house where victims are killed by poison (aconitine) via a booby-trap.

Death Travels First is a detective story by John Rhode, a writer known for his logical and carefully constructed mysteries. The story takes place during a train journey where several passengers share the same compartment. At first everything seems ordinary, but soon a mysterious and disturbing event occurs that turns the journey into a puzzling investigation. When a passenger suddenly dies under suspicious circumstances, the people on the train become potential witnesses and suspects. The limited space of the railway carriage creates a tense atmosphere, because the crime must have been committed by someone nearby. As the investigation begins, small details and hidden clues slowly reveal that the death was not an accident. The story develops through careful reasoning and observation. Each character may have a motive or something to hide, which makes the mystery more complicated. Gradually the truth is uncovered, and the clever explanation shows how the crime was committed. Death Travels First is a classic example of British detective fiction, combining suspense, logic, and an unexpected but convincing solution.

"The Links in the Chain" (1948) is a detective novel by John Rhode (Miles Burton), featuring his recurring character Lancelot Priestley, focusing on the intellectual, deductive puzzle typical of Golden Age mysteries. We begin with the death of Mrs. Fransham in her London service flat, who dies after consuming a meal that is later found to be poisoned with digitalis. Scotland Yard initially suspects her husband, Charles Fransham, who was away at the time of her death. With the assistance of Dr. Priestley, the investigating officer (often Superintendent Hanslet or Jimmy Waghorn in this series) is able to prove the death was a long-premeditated murder.

''Delayed Payment'' by John Rhode (Miles Burton) is a 1950s mystery novel featuring Dr. Priestley, who helps investigators solve a complex "double puzzle" through his insightful, logical deduction. The story revolves around uncovering clues to a murder, with a focus on "how" the crime was committed rather than just "who". It is described as a, sometimes, less traditional puzzle plot for Rhode, as the culprit does not appear until late in the book. The story involves Waghorn and a local constable uncovering evidence, culminating in a startling conclusion characteristic of the genre.

Murder at the Motor Show first published in 1935 (published in the U.K. as Mystery at Olympia). A dense crowd surrounded the new Comet car that was fully expected to be the sensation of the great Motor Show at Olympia. Suddenly one of the eager spectators, an elderly man, lurched forward and collapsed in what appeared to be a dead faint on the ground. But Nigel Pershore was dead, and it was his death that provided the real sensation of the show. A post-mortem examination revealed no visible wound, no serious organic disorder, no evidence of poison. Doctors and detectives were equally baffled. Every chapter unfolds a new aspect of an apparently insoluble puzzle. Then a fortunate discovery opens the way for Dr. Priestley's unrivaled deductions and a solution of the mystery that brings to a close a brilliant story.

Nigel Ebbfleet, an author who after many years of effort has finally produced a successful book, settles down to live in a country cottage brought by the royalties of his hit work. However, his rural peace is shattered when he is killed in an explosion while chopping wood. Superintendent Jimmy Waghorn of Scotland Yard's investigation established that Ebbfleet was well-liked and no obvious motive is clear. But with a second murder and its accompanying alibis, and a rather gruesome and sensationalistic third murder, the plot thickens. With some assistance from Priestley, Waghorn is eventually able to solve the mystery.

After a man is found gassed to death in a Cornish coastal resort, Superintendent Jimmy Waghorn takes up the case with the long-distance assistance of his mentor Doctor Priestley in London. Priestley is able to cast doubt on the police's view that the dead man's young housekeeper, now missing, is responsible for the crime.

In the market town of Patham, Doctor Greenwood takes his annual August holiday with his wife and hires a locum to take over the practice while he is away. But his replacement Stephen Thornhill goes missing after just a few days, and when a body is discovered Scotland Yard are called in to investigate with the assistance of Priestley.

After the inquest that the death of Major Walter Bedworthy was an accident due to drowning, his friend summons in Priestley due to his belief that it was in fact murder. This proves to be the case when the dead man's brother is also found drowned a few days later. Assisted by Superintendent Hanslet and Inspector Waghorn of Scotland Yard, Priestley sets out to unmask the cunning killer.

The wealthy Henry Watlington mysteriously disappears after an evening out, after his chauffeur is too drunk to drive him home, and shortly afterwards his body is found hidden in an AA Phone box by the side of the road. Jimmy Waghorn is assigned to the case and with clues from Priestley is able to crack the mystery.

The true motive for the murder is introduced very late on, so as to conceal the identity of the killer. Gangland elements in the plot. The method of murder is very clever and there are a few genuine suspects.

The discovery of a seemingly unidentifiable corpse in a shabby block of offices off the Gray's Inn Road in central London inexplicably proves to be linked to the assassination of a member of parliament with secret communist ties on an express train heading northwards.

This is an account of the curious murder case in which the sixteen-year-old Constance Kent was the central figure. In a little village in Somerset a small boy was murdered in mysterious circumstances, and suspicion centred on many persons, one after another. Jonathan Whicher, one of the greatest of Scotland Yard detectives, was sent down to unravel the mystery. From the most slender clues he built up a case against Constance Kent, a sister of the victim, and she was arrested. The proceedings were ultimately stayed owing to the agitation from the Public and the Press, and Whicher's career was ruined. Years later the girl confessed to the crime.

The novel takes place in rural Kent during the  hop-picking season. A  burglary  takes place and the complex circumstances surrounding it led to Sergeant Wragge of the local force calling in  Scotland Yard. It is only through the deductions of Priestley, however, that it is realised that his is a case of murder.

In The Mysterious Suspect, wealthy industrialist Peter Horningtoft is found dead in his study after apparently drinking poison from a bottle sent to him as a rheumatism treatment. Jimmy Waghorn is called in and blunders through the case initially until assisted by Dr Priestley. A second murder, disguised as a suicide, re-ignites the investigation.

At the  London service flat where she lives with her husband, dies after eating a meal which later analysis shows was infused with  digitalis.  Scotland Yard  at first suspect her husband, who had been called away by a  telephone call  of murdering her. However, with the assistance of Priestley, the investigating officer is able to prove this is a long-premeditated crime by someone else.

Mr. Wedgwood was puzzled. It was odd, he thought, as he looked from his bedroom window, that someone should leave a large closed car in the middle of his front yard, but what confused him even more was the shimmering brilliance it seemed to assume as the sun rose higher. Suddenly the unpleasant truth burst upon him with a shock. It was not a car at all. It was a hearse! Jimmy Waghorn first followed the grisly trail from the abandoned hearse to the "thing" in the tar boiler, and as luck would have it, on that same day Inspector Hanslet finally stumbled on a really substantial clue to the Patton jewel robbery. But only after Dr. Priestley made his seemingly enigmatic suggestion did it occur to either one that the two crimes could possibly be related. Author John Rhode with his usual ingenuity and scrupulous care has worked two apparently diverse crimes into a fascinating pattern of mystery and intrigue.

In Death of a Bridegroom, Inspector Jimmy Waghorn investigates the death of a man found hanging in his workshop on the morning of his wedding day. Initially, the death is believed a suicide, but doubts begin to arise and Dr. Priestley is brought in to assist the police in solving the murder mystery.

No two men could have been more opposite in every way than Wilfred and Clarence Cheriton. Wilfred, forever immersed in some engineering experiment, had little use for people and business activities, whereas Clarence was a sociable man with a gift for selling the products of the Cheriton Engineering Works, of which he and his cousins were partners. If only the two cousins could have made allowances for their differences, it was a partnership which should have worked well. But they couldn't, and the sudden death of Wilfred led Inspector James Waghorn of New Scotland Yard to make some very searching inquiries into the affairs of the Cheriton family. Once again, 'Jimmy' Waghorn is helped in his investigations by the enigmatic advice of Dr. Priestley, while Sergeant King's encyclopedic knowledge of the underworld plays its part in the solving of a particularly ingenious crime.

A businessman dies in an elevator in such a way that it seems as though no one could have committed the murder. A seemingly impossible murder in a private elevator draws two sleuths to the case. Inspector Hornbeam and Dr. Horatio Glass are at odds from the beginning, each dismissive of the other's theories, thus creating an atmosphere as much of competition as cooperation.

The crumbling Farningcote Priory has been the home of the Glapthorne family for generations. In the grounds stand a  tower, built as a  folly  during the eighteenth century which seems to have a strange, almost mystical power over the family. When Caleb Clapthorne is killed in what at first appears to be a  shooting  accident, it soon proves to be murder. Yet  Inspector Waghorn, in the area on the trail of a gang of thieves but called in to assist, fails to find any obvious motive. In the end he turns to Priestley to track down the vital clues.

When Pauline Clobury is found murdered in the dark and the rain near the gate of Prior's Farm, suspicion centers on her young husband whom she plans to divorce. But when a new development occurs at the greenhouse of the same estate, both Superintendent James Waghorn, of New Scotland Yard's CID, and his friend, the veteran Dr. Priestley, decide to visit the scene. What they discover in the formal gardens leads the way to a strange theory of the events and an entirely new twist to the investigation. As usual, the plot of this Rhode story is daringly conceived and logically developed, and the story ends with a complete justification of that grand old man of detection, the venerable Dr. Lancelot Priestley.

The story revolves around the mysterious murder of Mr. James Tovey, a well-known greengrocer, followed by another death in the same area. The narrative introduces various characters, including Mr. Tovey's daughter Ivy, and the herbalist Mr. Elmer Ludgrove, who may play significant roles in the unfolding mystery. At the start of the novel, the setting is introduced through the dreary and neglected Praed Street, which serves as a backdrop for the unfolding drama. Mr. Tovey is depicted as a hardworking fruit merchant who enjoys a quiet life with his family until his daughter Ivy's friendship with young Ted Copperdock raises concerns. When Tovey is called to St. Martha's Hospital to identify an accident victim, he tragically becomes a victim himself, found murdered under mysterious circumstances. The narrative quickly draws the reader into the investigation, exploring the interconnections between the characters and the motivations behind the crimes, hinting that the bustling street hides darker secrets waiting to be uncovered.

Book cover comes from the original 1953 dust jacket edition. Here Waghorn, newly returned from his honeymoon and sufficiently disinclined to be away from home, is faced with the task of investigating the death of Henry Bailey, found dead at Waterloo station on the arrival of the Southampton boat-train. It soon becomes obvious that Bailey was travelling incognito and before long his identity is established as Sir Hesper Bassenthwaite, wealthy businessman. Why the distinguished Sir Hesper should be travelling in disguise and how he became the victim of a poisonous injection of ricin become the puzzles Waghorn must solve.

A passenger in a private compartment on the  boat train  from  Southampton  to  London Waterloo  is found dead with a  needle  puncture in is back. He had travelled on  Guernsey  on a  channel  steamer  but investigating officers are hard-pressed to find either a motive or an opportunity for the killing.

At his residence in  Beckenham  in  Kent  on the outskirts of  London, Sir Andrew Wiggenhall the chairman of the  board of directors  of a large firm of  ironmongers  is killed by an explosion that largely wrecks the house. Investigating officer  Superintendent  Hanslet is not convinced his death was an accident, particularly when another member of the firm's board is found dead. With the help of Priestley he sets out to solve the mysterious incidents that have left the remaining members of the board.