Based on a terrifying real-life incident, this tale of seduction, insanity, and murder is one of America's earliest novels. It unfolds in rural Pennsylvania of the 1760s, where a religious fanatic massacres several members of his family. Part thriller and part psychological drama, it explores the corruption of law and order within a small community. The American Gothic style of author Charles Brockden Brown combines intellectual and superna ...
There's a corpse in the bathtub, wearing nothing but a pair of pince-nez spectacles. Enter Lord Peter Wimsey, the original gentleman sleuth. Urged to investigate by his mother, the Dowager Duchess of Denver, Lord Peter quickly ascertains that the sudden disappearance of a well-known financier is in some way connected to the body in the bathroom. But discovering exactly which way they're related leads the amateur detective on a merry ch ...
Poltergeists and banshees, spirit-filled houses, and deathbed scenes pervaded by specters fill this enchanting treasury of tales based on supernatural phenomenon. Compiled from Ireland’s abundant reserve of ghost stories, this richly varied collection of legendary and ancestral phantoms, uncanny forewarnings of death, and a host of other unearthly experiences relies on the memories of ordinary Irish folk scattered throughout the isle.T ...
In «The Final Problem,» the tale that preceded this collection, the world's most famous detective had a seemingly fatal encounter with his nemesis, Professor Moriarty. When Sherlock Holmes's devoted fans refused to allow Arthur Conan Doyle to kill their beloved sleuth, the author complied with more stories. This compilation features all thirteen tales, which originally appeared in The Strand Magazine. Holmes returns in «The Adventure o ...
The lights of the Paris Opera House dim and a lovely singer holds the audience spellbound with her enchanting voice. Two men are rivals for her love: one of them the beloved friend of her childhood — and the other the terrifying «opera ghost» who haunts the theater and wields a strange power over the performer.This thrilling novel and its many adaptations have beguiled the imaginations of countless audiences throughout the twentieth ce ...
Boasting some of Sherlock Holmes's finest adventures, this classic 1894 collection was originally written in serial form. Eleven of the most popular tales of the immortal sleuth include «Silver Blaze,» concerning the «curious incident of the dog in the night-time»; «The Greek Interpreter,» starring Holmes's even more formidable brother, Mycroft; and «The Final Problem,» the detective's notorious confrontation with arch-criminal Mo ...
Revered as one of the greatest writers in the English language, Charles Dickens is celebrated for his masterful storytelling, comic genius, and remarkably memorable characters. His early novels, such as The Pickwick Papers and The Adventures of Oliver Twist, were originally published in monthly installments, capturing a growing audience that quickly spread from England to America. Two centuries later, his popularity endures as readers revel in t ...
In 1950, experts at Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine voted on the best detective stories ever written, and the result was this dazzling dozen. Two of the choices—Edgar Allan Poe's «The Purloined Letter» and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's «The Red-Headed League»—were regarded by their authors as their finest short stories. The remaining tales offer similarly high levels of excitement and mystery. Featured stories include G. K ...
Frank Ford is a survivor of 10 long years at the Metropole Bar, where he's babysitter and alcohol dealer to Zenith City's derelict class: the misfits, the losers, the crazies, the old fading lushes, and, of course, the budding young alcoholics unaware or indifferent to what lies ahead.<br> <br>We first see Frank in the aftermath of his little brother's funeral. Ray was an addict and a constant irritant. Forgot ...
