Two confirmed bachelors, Mr. Pugh and Mr. Tress, are rival collectors between whom pass a series of bizarre and discomfiting objects—including poisoned rings, pipes which seem to come to life, a phonograph record on which a murdered woman seems to speak from the dead, and the severed hand of a 13th-century aristocrat. This volume collects all 7 classic tales in the series, with mystery, humor, and even horror alternately at the forefront!

Spy thriller fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder 'The men who work for you, General', he observed, 'should rid themselves of any fear of death'. Rome, 1934. Martin Fawley leaves the American secret service and is recruited by General Berati, the most feared man in fascist Italy, as a spy. After a brief encounter with a glamorous yet murderous Italian princess, Fawley's mission takes him undercover to Monaco. Suave and worldly, Fawley is quite at home in the casinos and golf courses of Monte Carlo--but he is soon entangled in a game with higher stakes. As the nations of Europe vie for power, Fawley discovers the secret weapon that will determine the outcome of the looming war. This classic thriller--undoubtedly an influence on Ian Fleming's James Bond novels--is now republished for the first time since the 1930s. With its yachts and cocktail parties, its steely hero and brutal assassins, and its cinematic range across the cities of Europe, this is a gripping and sophisticated tale of a spy who saves the world.

Hugo Bettauer, heute beinahe vergessen, war Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts ein ebenso unbequemer wie idealistischer Schriftsteller und Journalist. Er schrieb eine Reihe von Romanen, in denen es ihm gelang, brisante gesellschaftliche Themen in Trivialliteratur zu verpacken und so ein breites Publikum zu erreichen. 1924 gründete Hugo Bettauer die Zeitschrift "Er und Sie", in der er die sozialen Bedingungen und die Unterdrückung von Frauen anprangerte und versuchte, ein Forum für alternative Lebensformen zu schaffen. Schon nach der fünften Nummer wurde die Zeitschrift als sittengefährdend beschlagnahmt.

E. Phillips Oppenheim's "A Millionaire of Yesterday" was first released in 1900. The book follows the story of a young man's struggle for fortune in colonial Africa and his quest for happiness there. Young Scarlett Trent, who is eager to become wealthy in the gold mines of Africa, must struggle with his own sense of good and evil while juggling the difficulties he faces and his desire to succeed. His buddy Monty, a dubious alcoholic with a murky past, accompanies him on his mission. The suspense is maintained throughout the novel, whether they will be successful in achieving their goals or whether Monty's past returns to haunt them both. Despite his best efforts, Trent is obstructed by several opponents who only bring him immense tragedy. The readers will find themselves immersed in the experience of the novel as it leads them towards a happy ending. The Long Arm of Mannister, The Great Impersonation, and The Moving Finger are some of Oppenheim's best known works.

The King's Cross restaurant is nearly empty when a timid London clerk overhears a few muttered words at a neighbouring table - a young woman is to be followed, and dealt with roughly if she proves troublesome. Before he can talk himself out of it, he is on a northbound express, pursuing the men and the girl they mean to harm. The journey ends on the windswept moors of Northumberland, where a tumbledown house sits alone against the sky. An out-of-work navvy has already taken shelter there, and soon a pair of young adventurers join the vigil. But the house is not as empty as it appears. Something beneath it gives a hollow boom, a professor works against his will, and a ruthless schemer will stop at nothing to protect what is buried below. First published in 1928, this thriller of treason, courage, and a secret that must never see daylight is vintage British mystery at its most atmospheric.

Richard Temperley arrives at Euston station early on a fogbound London morning. He takes refuge in a nearby hotel, along with a disagreeable fellow passenger, who had snored his way through the train journey. But within minutes the other man has snored for the last time-he has been shot dead while sleeping in an armchair. Temperley has a brief encounter with a beautiful young woman, but she flees the scene. When the police arrive, Detective Inspector James discovers a token at the crime scene: a small piece of enamelled metal. Its colour was crimson, and it was in the shape of the letter Z. Temperley sets off in pursuit of the mysterious woman from the hotel, and finds himself embroiled in a cross-country chase- by train and taxi - on the tail of a sinister serial killer. This classic novel by the author of the best-selling Mystery in White is a gripping thriller by a neglected master of the genre. J. Jefferson Farjeon (1883-1955) was the author of more than sixty crime and thriller novels that were highly acclaimed in his lifetime. Farjeon is the author of Number Seventeen, a play that was adapted for the big screen by Alfred Hitchcock. His Christmas crime novel, Mystery in White, was republished as a British Library Crime Classic and became a bestseller. Front cover (c) NRM/Pictorial Collection/Science & Society Picture Library