“Brilliant . . . The dean of American comic writers showcases his varied talents mocking the public and private lives of politicians, average citizens and himself.”— The Star-Ledger Calvin Trillin has committed blatant acts of funniness all over the place—in The New Yorker, in one-man off-Broadway shows, in his “deadline poetry” for The Nation, in comic novels, and in what USA Today called “simply the funniest regular column in journalism.” Now Trillin selects the best of his funny stuff and organizes it into topics like high finance (“My long-term investment strategy has been criticized as being entirely too dependent on Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes”) and the literary life (“The average shelf life of a book is somewhere between milk and yogurt”). He addresses the horrors of witnessing a voodoo economics ceremony and the mystery of how his mother managed for thirty years to feed her family nothing but leftovers (“We have a team of anthropologists in there now looking for the original meal”). He even skewers deserving political figures in poetry. In this, the definitive collection of his humor, Calvin Trillin is prescient, insightful, and invariably hilarious. “A literary treasure . . . There is only one Calvin Trillin, and if he didn’t exist we would have to invent him.”— The Washington Times “Funny is to Trillin what drinking is to Uncle Jed in Annie Get Your Gun —it’s what he does ‘natur’lly.’ He’s also a lot more than funny. Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin is the twenty-eighth book he’s published over not far short of a half-century, and their range of subjects is remarkable.”—Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post “Trillin made his reputation over four decades as the author of ‘U.S. Journal’ in the New Yorker [but he] is incapable of resisting the temptation of comedy. The jokes kept on welling up and Mr. Trillin made a parallel reputation as a writer of funny stuff.”— The Economist “Wry, whip-smart, understated, and entertaining.”— The Miami Herald

A puzzling publishing murder attracts the eye of Ellery Queen. Mandarin Press is a premier publishing house for foreign literature, but to those at the top of this enterprise, there is little more beautiful than a rare stamp. As Donald Kirk, publisher and philatelist, prepares his office for a banquet, an unfamiliar man comes to call. No one recognizes him, but Kirk's staff is used to strange characters visiting their boss, so Kirk's secretary asks him to wait in the anteroom. Within an hour the mysterious visitor is dead on the floor, head bashed in with a fireplace poker, and everything in the anteroom has been quite literally turned upside down. The rug is backwards; the furniture is backwards; even the dead man's clothes have been put on front-to-back. As debonair detective Ellery Queen pries into the secrets of Mandarin Press, every clue he finds is topsy-turvy. The great sleuth must tread lightly, for walking backwards is a surefire way to step off a cliff.

"Shadows by the Sea" is a gripping Golden Age mystery by the acclaimed master of suspense, J. Jefferson Farjeon. Set against the moody and atmospheric backdrop of the English coast, the narrative unfolds through a series of eerie occurrences and clandestine encounters that disturb the peace of a seaside community. When a group of disparate characters finds themselves entwined in a web of secrets and unexpected danger, the tension escalates into a classic puzzle of crime and deduction. Farjeon, renowned for his ability to blend humor with genuine thrills, crafts a story where the setting itself-the shifting tides and darkening shores-becomes a character in its own right. As shadows lengthen by the sea, the protagonists must navigate a labyrinth of motives and hidden identities to uncover the truth behind a looming threat. This work stands as a quintessential example of early twentieth-century British crime fiction, showcasing the clever plotting and evocative prose that made Farjeon a favorite of readers and critics alike. Fans of traditional detective stories and atmospheric thrillers will find "Shadows by the Sea" an enduringly suspenseful and entertaining read, representative of the high-water mark of 1920s mystery writing. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Unravel a chilling mystery in Ben Hecht's "The Florentine Dagger," a gripping novel for amateur detectives steeped in historical intrigue. Journey into the depths of the human psyche as this classic work of historical fiction explores the complex intersection of crime and insanity. Hecht, a master storyteller, crafts a tale where the line between sanity and madness blurs, challenging readers to question what they believe. A timeless exploration of psychological suspense, "The Florentine Dagger" delves into the dark corners of the mind. This meticulously prepared print edition offers a new opportunity to experience Hecht's masterful prose. Perfect for fans of classic detective stories and those fascinated by the intricacies of psychological thrillers, this novel remains a compelling and thought-provoking read. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Performance by Kathy Bates Six cassettes, 9 hours INDEMNITY ONLY Meeting an anonymous client late on a sizzling summer night is asking for trouble. But trouble is Chicago private eye V.I. Warshawski's specialty. Her client says he's the prominent banker, John Thayer. Turns out he's not. He says his son's girlfriend, Anita Hill, is missing. Turns out that's not her real name. V.I.'s search turns up someone soon enough -- the real John Thayer's son, and he's dead. Who's V.I.'s client? Why has she been set up and sent out on a wild-goose chase? By the time she's got it figured, things are hotter -- and deadlier -- than Chicago in July. V.I.'s in a desperate race against time. At stake: a young woman's life. BURN MARKS Someone knocking on the door at 3 A.M. is never good news. For V.I. Warshawski, the bad news arrives in the form of her wacky, unwelcome Aunt Elena. The fire that has just burned down a sleazy SRO hotel has brought Elena to V.I.'s doorstep. Uncovering an arsonist -- and the secrets hidden behind Elena's boozy smile - will send V.I. into the seedy world of Chicago's homeless... into the Windy City's backroom deals and bedroom politics, where new schemers and old cronies team up to get V.I. off the case -- by hook, by crook, or by homicide. BLOOD SHOT This time, V.I.'s girlhood pal Caroline needs her services. Caroline wants V.I. to uncover the identity of her father--which Caroline's dying mother angrily refuses to divulge. For V.I., it's a routine missing-persons search that means going back to her old stomping grounds, where she's not so hot to trot. But Caroline calls it quits when her friend, the head of a local recycling projec, is found dead in the polluted waters of a local pond. The trouble is, V.I. won't quit--because the search for Caroline's father has lead her into a toxic mix of corporate chicanery and chemical corruption. Add a dire family secret, and you've got a brew that could prove poisonous--especially to a certain private eye who knows too much.

The adventures of New York Mayor Isaac Sidel as he cleans the Bronx of criminals and protects his friends. The latter include two 12-year-olds, one a poor graffiti artist, the other his rich girlfriend, who have become the target of drug-dealing street gangs. By the author of Little Angel Street.

The Isaac Quartet contains four detective stories from an internationally acclaimed master of the genre. Blue Eyes, the first book in Jerome Charyn’s legendary crime series, introduces Isaac Sidel — the toughest, most incorruptible police inspector in the biz. In Marilyn the Wild, Isaac confronts the hot-headed daughter of the first deputy police commissioner. The Education of Patrick Silver tells the story of a giant shoeless Irishman who becomes just another pawn in the war between Isaac and a gang of Peruvian pimps. And in Secret Isaac, a scar on a prostitute’s cheek sends Isaac on a desperate trip to Ireland in search of relief from the tightening grip on his soul. “Packed with manic energy, peopled with bizarre characters and outrageous situations. [Charyn] sounds like a ... Jewish Philip Marlowe.” — Chicago Sun-Times “These books constitute the highest kind of novelistic art ... absolutely unique among contemporary writers.” — Los Angeles Times

Dame Edna Everage - housewife, megastar, investigative journalist, social anthropologist, children's book illustrator, chanteuse, swami, monstre sacre, polymath, adviser to British royalty, grief counselor, spin doctor, and gifted woman in the world today. The seeds of stardom were planted in Melbourne, Australia when her career as a performing artiste was strictly a cult following. In the 1960's, she did a series of one-woman shows and occasional stage and TV appearances in England with Barry Humphries. She spends her time visiting world leaders and jet-setting between her homes in Malibu, London, Sydney, and Switzerland. Her hobbies are having afternoon tea with Stephen Hwking and doing compassionate photography.

THE SPANISH CAPE MYSTERY is a study in jealousy, revenge and mistaken identity. The setting is a brooding headland called the Spanish Cape. The cast contains the monstrous Captain Kidd, the ill-fated David Cumer and his beautiful niece Rosa, and Rosa's suitors. Into this scene drives Ellery Queen, intent on a holiday. Instead he must solve a baffling kidnap-murder!

"Whip-smart (Louise Penny) amateur sleuth Samantha Clair returns in the newest mystery from Judith Flanders, the New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed author of A Murder of Magpies. Sam Clair figures she ll be a good sport and spend a night out at the theater in support of her upstairs neighbors who have small parts in a play in the West End. Boyfriend (a Scotland Yard detective) and allround good sport Jake Field agrees to tag along to what is apparently an extra bloody play filled with dramatic gory deaths galore. So Sam expects an evening filled with faux fatalities. Until that is the curtain opens to the second act revealing a dummy hanging from the rafters, whos been made up to look suspiciously like Campbell Davison the director of the production. When Sam sees the horrified faces of the actors onstage, she realizes that this is indeed not a dummy, but Davison himself and this death is not part of the show. Now everyone wants to know who killed Campbell Davison? As Sam learns more about the murdered man, she discovers that he wasnt all that well-liked amongst the cast and crew so the suspect list grows. The show must go on but Sam knows a murderer must be apprehended so she sets out to find out what happened and why. New York Times bestselling author Judith Flanders once again brilliantly fuses mystery with humor in the fourth installment of her critically acclaimed Sam Clair series"--

One of the most important original documents about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to be published on the 50th anniversary of the event. The never before published diary of Edward Jay Epstein's investigation into the assassination reveals startling new details. Epstein, one of America's most acclaimed investigative journalists and widely acknowledged as the premier expert on the assassination, while still an undergraduate at Cornell, interviewed the members of the Warren Commission and its staff of investigators, and obtained their key files. He was the only journalist, ever, to have gained this access. His full findings are disclosed here for the first time. In his investigation, Epstein also interviewed the top officials of the CIA, including at length the legendary chief of counter-intelligence James Jesus Angleton. He was the only journalist to interview Yuri Nosenko, the KGB officer who claimed to be Oswald's KGB case officer. Jim Garrison, the New Orleans district attorney, who attempted to reopen the case, confided his methods and sources in Epstein. Epstein was, moreover, the last person to see George De Mohrenschildt, Oswald's mysterious White Russian friend, who he interviewed for hours until the moment when he took his secrets with him in death. The JFK Assassination Diary is the true story at last of the incredible answers Epstein unearthed in pursuit of the greatest crime of the 20th century. Praise for Edward Jay Epstein "A grand figure of modern journalism...Show Epstein a juicy crime and he will show you how it has been subverted by unseen powers for their own agenda, by the inevitable incompetence of investigative authorities and by the media because it likes a simple story line." -Michael Wolff, USA Today "Epstein believes that conspiracies are more common than most journalists credit; for much of his career, he has reveled in the kind of tantalizing clues that could lead somewhere, or nowhere." -Joe Nocera, The New York Times "Epstein is a bulldog researcher." -Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post "A brilliant investigator." - Lou Dobbs Praise For Agency of Fear "Epstein tells all." -John Leonard, New York Times " Part detective story, part farce, part exposé, and part textbook on investigative reporting. It is ingenious, perverse, hilarious, and shocking." -Victor Navasky "Exciting research, impressive thesis." -Norman Mailer Praise For Legend: The Secret World of Lee Harvey Oswald A fascinating, alarming, and enormously significant book on the mystery of Lee Harvey Oswald-- The New York Times Book Review ABOUT THE AUTHOR Edward Jay Epstein is the author of fifteen books. He studied government at Cornell and Harvard and received a Ph.D from Harvard in 1973. His thesis on the search for political truth became a best-selling book, Inquest: The Warren Commission and the Establishment of Truth. His doctoral dissertation on television news was published as News From Nowhere. He is the recipient of numerous foundation grants and awards, including the prestigious Financial Times/Booz Allen & Hamilton Global Business Book Award for both best biography and best business book for Dossier: The Secret History of Armand Hammer. He has written for Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. He lives in New York City.

Introducing Marvel's all-new, never-before-seen heroes of the 1930s! With a new evil washing over an unsuspecting New York City, the Operative, the Aviatrix, the Surgeon, the Revenant and Achilles blast through dangers from blood-soaked mob warehouses to monster-infested mansions, and fight to blow the lid off a conspiracy that could bring the nation itself to its knees! Award-winning historical thriller novelist David Liss (Black Panther: The Man Without Fear) and acclaimed artist Patrick Zircher (Spider-Man Noir) weave an edge-of-your-seat and in-continuity adventure intertwined with America's most scandalous crimes! Before the Invaders...before the Twelve...who were the Mystery Men? COLLECTING: MYSTERY MEN 1-5

The economy has hit the PI business hard, and Leonid McGill is getting job offers only from the criminals he's worked so hard to leave behind. So how can he say no to the beautiful young woman who walks into his office with a stack of cash? She's an artist, she tells him, who's escaped poverty via marriage to a rich collector. A rich collector with two ex-wives whose deaths are shrouded in mystery. She says she fears for her life, and needs Leonid's help. Though Leonid knows better than to believe every word, this isn't a job he can afford to turn away. Meanwhile, Leonid's personal life grows ever more chequered: his favourite stepson, Twill, drops out of school for mysteriously lucrative pursuits; his wife takes a new lover, infuriating the old one and endangering the whole family; and Leonid's girlfriend, Aura, is back but intent on some serious conversations... Is the client at his door who she seems and - if his family's misadventures don't kill him first - will sorting out the woman's crooked tale bring Leonid straight to death's door?

New York Times bestsellers Ed McBain, Walter Mosely, and Donald Westlake each provided a brand-new, never-before-published tale for this unique collection of stories edited by bestselling author and mystery legend Ed McBain. "Merely Hate" by Ed McBain: When a string of Muslim cabdrivers are killed, and the evidence points to another ethnic group, the detectives of the 87th Precinct must hunt down a killer before the city explodes in violence. "Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large: Walking the Line" by Walter Mosley: Felix Orlean is a New York City journalism student who needs a job to cover his rent. An ad in the paper leads him to Archibald Lawless, and a descent into a shadow world where no one and nothing is as it first seems. "Walking Around Money" by Donald E. Westlake: The master of the comic mystery is back with an all-new novella featuring hapless crook John Dortmunder, who gets involved in a crime that supposedly no one will ever know happened. Naturally, when something it too good to be true, it usually is, and Dortmunder is going to get to the bottom of this caper before he's left holding the bag.

An Artie Cohen mystery. A murder in New York's diamond district, a dead Chinese girl with a diamond in her gut, and a fire in a sweat-shop in the city's swarming Chinatown, bring ex-cop Artie out of retirement. He follows a trail from New York to London's Chinatown, and then Hong Kong.

Reggie Nadelson's new Artie Cohen mystery begins when a jogger finds a child's clothes drenched in blood and buried in the half frozen earth near Brighton Beach - the Atlantic coast of Brooklyn. When another child goes missing, all the city's fears and insecurities, still reeling from 9/11, and with barricades and barriers and soldiers with AKs still part of the domestic landscape, are brought to the surface. Drawn into the case and reeled back in by Brooklyn's Russian community, his own people, Artie becomes personally involved-As powerful a presence as Edinburgh for Ian Rankin, here is New York as a city of islands and rivers, of bridges and tunnels, as Artie travels between downtown Manhattan, still traumatized by the loss of the Twin Towers, and Brooklyn's Long Island seafronts: Brighton Beach, all boardwalk, beach and Russians; Coney Island with its wrecked amusement park; Sheepshead Bay with its inlets and fishing boats. A gripping mystery and a love-song to a side of New York we really see, Reggie Nadelson and Artie Cohen are at their wise-cracking best.

A Two-time Edgar Award NomineeHarvey Mapes is a twenty-nine-year-old security guard who spends his nights in a guard shack outside a gated community in Southern California, reading detective novels, watching TVLand reruns, and waiting for his life to finally start . . . which happens when Cyril Parkus, one of the wealthy residents, asks Harvey to follow his beautiful wife. The lowly security guard jumps at the chance to fulfill his private eye fantasies . . .Available only in Mystery 5.

Based on the Sherlock Holmes film: Ellery Queen matches wits with the Baker Street sleuth to unmask Jack the Ripper. Ellery Queen is struggling over his latest book when a friend brings him a mystery. It is a journal, written by a Victorian doctor, of reports on the remarkable adventures of his close friend, a brilliant detective named Sherlock Holmes. Queen's surprise turns to amazement as he turns its pages and discovers the lost story of Sherlock Holmes's greatest case: the pursuit of Jack the Ripper. From the brothels and back alleys of fog-choked Whitechapel to the manor of one of England's greatest families, Holmes and Dr. Watson chase history's most fearsome killer. But it will take the brilliance of Ellery Queen to solve the case once and for all. Based on the Sherlock Holmes film A Study in Terror , this collaboration between two of the world's greatest detectives is one of the most original mystery novels of all time.