British Library Crime Classics“… and what a motive! Murder to save one’s artistic soul… who’d believe that?”Behind the stage lights and word-perfect soliloquies, sinister secrets are lurking in the wings. The mysteries in this collection reveal the dark side to theatre and performing arts: a world of backstage dealings, where unscrupulous actors risk everything to land a starring role, costumed figures lead to mistaken identities, and on-stage deaths begin to look a little too convincing. . .Mysteries abound when a player’s fate hangs on a single performance, and opening night may very well be their last.contentsThe Affair at the Novelty Theatre • Baroness OrczyThe Affair at the Semiramis Hotel • A. E. W. MasonThe Dancing Girl • Anthony WynneIn View of the Audience • Marguerite SteenBlood Sacrifice • Dorothy L. SayersThe Wrong Make-Up • Brandon FlemingThe Case of the Ventriloquist’s Doll • Ernest DudleyThe Blind Spot • Barry PerowneI Can Find My Way Out • Ngaio MarshThe Lady Who Laughed • Roy VickersThe Thirteenth Knife • Bernard J. FarmerDrink for an Actor • John ApplebyCredit to William Shakespeare • Julian SymonsAfter the Event • Christianna Brand

British Library Crime Classics Today, translated crime fiction is in vogue – but this was not always the case. A century before Scandi noir, writers across Europe and beyond were publishing detective stories of high quality. Often these did not appear in English and they have been known only by a small number of experts. This is the first ever collection of classic crime in translation from the golden age of the genre in the 20th century. Many of these stories are exceptionally rare, and several have been translated for the first time to appear in this volume.Foreign BodiesContents‘A Sensible Course of Action’ translation reproduced by permission of David Higham Associates on behalf of Michael Meyer.‘Strange Tracks’ reproduced courtesy of Locked Room International.‘Footprints in the Snow’ reproduced courtesy of Locked Room International.‘The Return of Lord Kingwood’ translation © 2017 Josh Pachter.‘The Spider’ translation © 2015 by John Pugmire and Ho-Ling Wong. Reproduced courtesy of Locked Room International, first published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.‘The Venom of the Tarantula’ reproduced by courtesy of Penguin India and Locked Room International.‘The Cold Night’s Clearing’ translation by Ho-Ling Wong. Reproduced courtesy of Locked Room International, first published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.‘The Mystery of the Green Room’ translation © 2011 by John Pugmire. Reproduced courtesy of Locked Room International, first published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.‘Kippers’ © Estate of John Flanders. Translation © 2017 Josh Pachter.‘The Lipstick and the Teacup’ © 1957 A.W. Bruna Publishers, Amsterdam. Translation © 2017 Josh Pachter.‘The Puzzle of the Broken Watch’ translation by permission of Donald A. Yates.

Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible CrimesBritish Library Crime ClassicsMystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of MurderImpossible crime stories have been relished by puzzle-lovers ever since the invention of detective fiction. Fiendishly intricate cases were particularly well suited to the cerebral type of detective story that became so popular during the 'golden age of murder' between the two world wars. But the tradition goes back to the days of Edgar Allan Poe and Wilkie Collins, and impossible crime stories have been written by such luminaries as Arthur Conan Doyle, G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers and Margery Allingham. This anthology celebrates their work, alongside long-hidden gems by less familiar writers. Together these stories demonstrate the range and high accomplishment of the classic British impossible crime story over more than half a century.ContentsIntroductionTHE LOST SPECIALArthur Conan DoyleTHE THING INVISIBLEWilliam Hope HodgsonTHE CASE OF THE TRAGEDIES IN THE GREEK ROOMSax RohmerTHE ALUMINIUM DAGGERR. Austin FreemanTHE MIRACLE OF MOON CRESCENTG.K. ChestertonTHE INVISIBLE WEAPONNicholas OldeTHE DIARY OF DEATHMarten CumberlandTHE BROADCAST MURDERGrenville RobbinsTHE MUSIC-ROOMSapperDEATH AT 8.30Christopher St. John SpriggTOO CLEVER BY HALFG.D.H. and Margaret ColeLOCKED INE. Charles VivianTHE HAUNTED POLICEMANDorothy L. SayersTHE SANDS OF THYMEMichael InnesBEWARE OF THE TRAINSEdmund CrispinTHE VILLA MARIE CELESTEMargery Allingham

British Library Crime ClassicsForensic dentistry; precise examination of ballistics; an expertise in apiology to identify the exact bee which killed the victim? The detective’s role may be simple; solve the case and catch the culprit, but when the crime is fiendishly well-executed the application of the scientific method may be the only answer. The detectives in this collection are masters of scientific deduction, employing principles of chemistry, the latest technological innovations and an irresistable logical brilliance in their pursuit of justice. With stories by early masters in the field such as Arthur Conan Doyle and L. T. Meade alongside fine-tuned mysteries from the likes of Edmund Crispin and Dorothy L. Sayers, The Measure of Malice collects tales of rational thinking to prove the power of the brain over villainous deeds.IntroductionThe Boscombe Valley Mystery Arthur Conan DoyleThe Horror of Studley Grange L. T. Meade and Clifford HalifaxThe Tragedy of a Third Smoker C. J. Cutcliffe HyneThe Man Who Disappeared L. T. Meade and Robert EustaceThe Cyprian Bees Anthony WynneThe English Filter C. E. Bechhofer RobertsThe Contents of a Mare’s Nest R. Austin FreemanAfter Death the Doctor J. J. ConningtonThe Broken Toad H. C. BaileyIn the Teeth of the Evidence Dorothy L. SayersThe Case of the Chemist in the Cupboard Ernest DudleyThe Purple Line John RhodeBlood Sport Edmund CrispinThe New Cement Freeman Wills Crofts

Severn House is proud to be publishing a collection of new stories from the glittering talent of the members of the Crime Writers’ Association: contentsHey Jude – Frances BrodyDeadline – N.J. CooperThe Death of Spiders – Bernie CrosthwaiteMoments Musicaux – Judith CutlerA Liberating Affair – Carol Anne DavisA Glimpse of Hell – Martin EdwardsThe Confessions of Edward Prime – Kate EllisTell it to the Bees – Jane FinnisPacified – Christopher FowlerThe Franklin’s Second Tale – Paul FreemanSecond Chance – John HarveyAll Yesterday’s Parties – Paul JohnstonParty of Two – Ragnar JónassonReader, I Buried Them – Peter LoveseyThe Last Guilty Party – Phil LoveseyWhat’s the Time, Mr Wolf? – Christine PoulsonThe Wide Open Sky – Kate RhodesSkeleton Crew – Chris SimmsFlatmate Wanted: Smokers Welcome – C.L. TaylorDirector’s Cut – Aline TempletonLike Father, Like Son – Ricki ThomasGiving Something Back – L.C. TylerThe Art of Old Age – Yvonne Eve WalusThe Man in the Next Bed – Laura Wilson

British Library Crime ClassicsContentsIntroductionThe Loss of Sammy Crockett—Arthur MorrisonThe Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter—Arthur Conan DoyleThe Double Problem—F. A. M. WebsterFisherman’s Luck—J. Jefferson FarjeonThe Football Photograph—H. C. BaileyThe Red Golf Ball—Gerald VernerThe Boat Race Murder—David WinserThe Swimming Gala—Gladys MitchellThe Case of the Man in the Squared Circle—Ernest DudleyI, Said the Sparrow—Leo BruceFour to One—Bar One—Henry WadeDeath at the Wicket—Bernard NewmanThe Wimbledon Mystery—Julian SymonsThe Drop Shot—Michael GilbertDangerous Sport—Celia FremlinAlso Edited by Martin Edwards