AMERICAN MYSTERY CLASSICS OTTO PENZLER PRESENTS
AMERICAN MYSTERY CLASSICS
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Charlotte Armstrong, The Chocolate Cobweb. When Amanda Garth was born, a mix-up caused the hospital to briefly hand her over to the prestigious Garrison family instead of to her birth parents. The error was quickly fixed, Amanda was never told, and the secret was forgotten for twenty-three years … until her aunt revealed it in casual conversation. But what if the initial switch never actually occurred? Introduction by A. J. Finn.
Charlotte Armstrong, The Unsuspected. First published in 1946, this suspenseful novel opens with a young woman who has ostensibly hanged herself, leaving a suicide note. Her friend doesn’t believe it and begins an investigation that puts her own life in jeopardy. It was filmed in 1947 by Warner Brothers, starring Claude Rains and Joan Caulfield. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Anthony Boucher, The Case of the Baker Street Irregulars. When a studio announces a new hard-boiled Sherlock Holmes film, the Baker Street Irregulars begin a campaign to discredit it. Attempting to mollify them, the producers invite members to the set, where threats are received, each referring to one of the original Holmes tales, followed by murder. Fortunately, the amateur sleuths use Holmesian lessons to solve the crime. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Anthony Boucher, Rocket to the Morgue. Hilary Foulkes has made so many enemies that it is difficult to speculate who was responsible for stabbing him nearly to death in a room with only one door through which no one was seen entering or leaving. This classic locked room mystery is populated by such thinly disguised science fiction legends as Robert Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and John W. Campbell. Introduction by F. Paul Wilson.
Fredric Brown, The Fabulous Clipjoint. Brown’s outstanding mystery won an Edgar as the best first novel of the year (1947). When Wallace Hunter is found dead in an alley after a long night of drinking, the police don’t really care. But his teenage son Ed and his uncle Am, the carnival worker, are convinced that some things don’t add up and the crime isn’t what it seems to be. Introduction by Lawrence Block.
John Dickson Carr, The Crooked Hinge. Selected by a group of mystery experts as one of the 15 best impossible crime novels ever written, this is one of Gideon Fell’s greatest challenges. Estranged from his family for 25 years, Sir John Farnleigh returns to England from America to claim his inheritance but another person turns up claiming that he can prove he is the real Sir John. Inevitably, one of them is murdered. Introduction by Charles Todd.
John Dickson Carr, The Eight of Swords. When Gideon Fell arrives at a crime scene, it appears to be straightforward enough. A man has been shot to death in an unlocked room and the likely perpetrator was a recent visitor. But Fell discovers inconsistencies and his investigations are complicated by an apparent poltergeist, some American gangsters, and two meddling amateur sleuths. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
John Dickson Carr, The Mad Hatter Mystery. A prankster has been stealing top hats all around London. Gideon Fell suspects that the same person may be responsible for the theft of a manuscript of a long-lost story by Edgar Allan Poe. The hats reappear in unexpected but conspicuous places but, when one is found on the head of a corpse by the Tower of London, it is evident that the thefts are more than pranks. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
John Dickson Carr, The Plague Court Murders. When murder occurs in a locked hut on Plague Court, an estate haunted by the ghost of a hangman’s assistant who died a victim of the black death, Sir Henry Merrivale seeks a logical solution to a ghostly crime. A spiritual medium employed to rid the house of his spirit is found stabbed to death in a locked stone hut on the grounds, surrounded by an untouched circle of mud. Introduction by Michael Dirda.
John Dickson Carr, The Red Widow Murders. In a “haunted” mansion, the room known as the Red Widow’s Chamber proves lethal to all who spend the night. Eight people investigate and the one who draws the ace of spades must sleep in it. The room is locked from the inside and watched all night by the others. When the door is unlocked, the victim has been poisoned. Enter Sir Henry Merrivale to solve the crime. Introduction by Tom Mead.
Frances Crane, The Turquoise Shop. In an arty little New Mexico town, Mona Brandon has arrived from the East and becomes the subject of gossip about her money, her influence, and the corpse in the nearby desert who may be her husband. Pat Holly, who runs the local gift shop, is as interested as anyone in the goings on—but even more in Pat Abbott, the detective investigating the possible murder. Introduction by Anne Hillerman.
Todd Downing, Vultures in the Sky. There is no end to the series of terrifying events that befall a luxury train bound for Mexico. First, a man dies when the train passes through a dark tunnel, then it comes to an abrupt stop in the middle of the desert. More deaths occur when night falls and the passengers panic when they realize they are trapped with a murderer on the loose. Introduction by James Sallis.
Mignon G. Eberhart, Murder by an Aristocrat. Nurse Keate is called to help a man who has been “accidentally” shot in the shoulder. When he is murdered while convalescing, it is clear that there was no accident. Although a killer is loose in the mansion, the family seems more concerned that news of the murder will leave their circle. The New Yorker wrote than “Eberhart can weave an almost flawless mystery.” Introduction by Nancy Pickard.
Erle Stanley Gardner, The Case of the Baited Hook. Perry Mason gets a phone call in the middle of the night and his potential client says it’s urgent, that he has two one-thousand-dollar bills that he will give him as a retainer, with an additional ten-thousand whenever he is called on to represent him. When Mason takes the case, it is not for the caller but for a beautiful woman whose identity is hidden behind a mask. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Erle Stanley Gardner, The Case of the Borrowed Brunette. A mysterious man named Mr. Hines has advertised a job for a woman who has to fulfill very specific physical requirements. Eva Martell, pretty but struggling in her career as a model, takes the job but her aunt smells a rat and hires Perry Mason to investigate. Her fears are realized when Hines turns up in the apartment with a bullet hole in his head. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Erle Stanley Gardner, The Case of the Careless Kitten. Helen Kendal receives a mysterious phone call from her vanished uncle Franklin, long presumed dead, who urges her to contact Perry Mason. Soon, she finds herself the main suspect in the murder of an unfamiliar man. Her kitten has just survived a poisoning attempt—as has her aunt Matilda. What is the connection between Franklin’s return and the murder attempts? Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Erle Stanley Gardner, The Case of the Rolling Bones. One of Gardner’s most successful Perry Mason novels opens with a clear case of blackmail, though the person being blackmailed claims he isn’t. It is not long before the police are searching for someone wanted for killing the same man in two different states—thirty-three years apart. The confounding puzzle of what happened to the dead man’s toes is a challenge. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Erle Stanley Gardner, The Case of the Shoplifter’s Shoe. Most cases for Perry Mason involve murder but here he is hired because a young woman fears her aunt is a kleptomaniac. Sarah may not have been precisely the best guardian for a collection of valuable diamonds and, sure enough, they go missing. When the jeweler is found shot dead, Sarah is spotted leaving the murder scene with a bundle of gems stuffed in her purse. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Erle Stanley Gardner, The Bigger They Come. Gardner’s first novel using the pseudonym A.A. Fair starts off a series featuring the large and loud Bertha Cool and her employee, the small and meek Donald Lam. Given the job of delivering divorce papers to an evident crook, Lam can’t find him—but neither can the police. The Los Angeles Times called this book: “Breathlessly dramatic … an original.” Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Frances Noyes Hart, The Bellamy Trial. Inspired by the real-life Hall-Mills case, the most sensational trial of its day, this is the story of Stephen Bellamy and Susan Ives, accused of murdering Bellamy’s wife Madeleine. Eight days of dynamic testimony, some true, some not, make headlines for an enthralled public. Rex Stout called this historic courtroom thriller one of the ten best mysteries of all time. Introduction by Hank Phillippi Ryan.
H.F. Heard, A Taste for Honey. The elderly Mr. Mycroft quietly keeps bees in Sussex, where he is approached by the reclusive and somewhat misanthropic Mr. Silchester, whose honey supplier was found dead, stung to death by her bees. Mycroft, who shares many traits with Sherlock Holmes, sets out to find the vicious killer. Rex Stout described it as “sinister … a tale well and truly told.” Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Dolores Hitchens, The Alarm of the Black Cat. Detective fiction aficionado Rachel Murdock has a peculiar meeting with a little girl and a dead toad, sparking her curiosity about a love triangle that has sparked anger. When the girl’s great grandmother is found dead, Rachel and her cat Samantha work with a friend in the Los Angeles Police Department to get to the bottom of things. Introduction by David Handler.
Dolores Hitchens, The Cat Saw Murder. Miss Rachel Murdock, the highly intelligent 70-year-old amateur sleuth, is not entirely heartbroken when her slovenly, unattractive, bridge-cheating niece is murdered. Miss Rachel is happy to help the socially maladroit and somewhat bumbling Detective Lieutenant Stephen Mayhew, retaining her composure when a second brutal murder occurs. Introduction by Joyce Carol Oates.
Dorothy B. Hughes, Dread Journey. A big-shot Hollywood producer has worked on his magnum opus for years, hiring and firing one beautiful starlet after another. But Kitten Agnew’s contract won’t allow her to be fired, so she fears she might be terminated more permanently. Together with the producer on a train journey from Hollywood to Chicago, Kitten becomes more terrified with each passing mile. Introduction by Sarah Weinman.
Dorothy B. Hughes, Ride the Pink Horse. When Sailor met Willis Douglass, he was just a poor kid who Douglass groomed to work as a confidential secretary. As the senator became increasingly corrupt, he knew he could count on Sailor to clean up his messes. No longer a senator, Douglass flees Chicago for Santa Fe, leaving behind a murder rap and Sailor as the prime suspect. Seeking vengeance, Sailor follows. Introduction by Sara Paretsky.
Dorothy B. Hughes, The So Blue Marble. Set in the glamorous world of New York high society, this novel became a suspense classic as twins from Europe try to steal a rare and beautiful gem owned by an aristocrat whose sister is an even more menacing presence. The New Yorker called it “Extraordinary … [Hughes’] brilliant descriptive powers make and unmake reality.” Introduction by Otto Penzler.
W. Bolingbroke Johnson, The Widening Stain. After a cocktail party, the attractive Lucie Coindreau, a “black-eyed, black-haired Frenchwoman” visits the rare books wing of the library and apparently takes a head-first fall from an upper gallery. Dismissed as a horrible accident, it seems dubious when Professor Hyett is strangled while reading a priceless 12th-century manuscript, which has gone missing. Introduction by Nicholas A. Basbanes
Baynard Kendrick, Blind Man’s Bluff. Blinded in World War II, Duncan Maclain forms a successful private detective agency, aided by his two dogs. Here, he is called on to solve the case of a blind man who plummets from the top of an eight-story building, apparently with no one present except his dead-drunk son. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Baynard Kendrick, The Odor of Violets. Duncan Maclain, a blind former intelligence officer, is asked to investigate the murder of an actor in his Greenwich Village apartment. This would cause a stir at any time but, when the actor possesses secret government plans that then go missing, it’s enough to interest the local police as well as the American government and Maclain, who suspects a German spy plot. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
C. Daly King, Obelists at Sea. On a cruise ship traveling from New York to Paris, the lights of the smoking room briefly go out, a gunshot crashes through the night, and a man is dead. Two detectives are on board but so are four psychiatrists who believe their professional knowledge can solve the case by understanding the psyche of the killer—each with a different theory. Introduction by Martin Edwards.
Jonathan Latimer, Headed for a Hearse. Featuring Bill Crane, the booze-soaked Chicago private detective, this humorous hard-boiled novel was filmed as The Westland Case in 1937 starring Preston Foster. Robert Westland has been framed for the grisly murder of his wife in a room with doors and windows locked from the inside. As the day of his execution nears, he relies on Crane to find the real murderer. Introduction by Max Allan Collins
Lange Lewis, The Birthday Murder. Victoria is a successful novelist and screenwriter and her husband is a movie director so their marriage seems almost too good to be true. Then, on her birthday, her happy new life comes crashing down when her husband is murdered using a method of poisoning that was described in one of her books. She quickly becomes the leading suspect. Introduction by Randal S. Brandt.
Frances and Richard Lockridge, Death on the Aisle. In one of the most beloved books to feature Mr. and Mrs. North, the body of a wealthy backer of a play is found dead in a seat of the 45th Street Theater. Pam is thrilled to engage in her favorite pastime—playing amateur sleuth—much to the annoyance of Jerry, her publisher husband. The Norths inspired a stage play, a film, and long-running radio and TV series. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
John P. Marquand, Your Turn, Mr. Moto. The first novel about Mr. Moto, originally titled No Hero, is the story of a World War I hero pilot who finds himself jobless during the Depression. In Tokyo for a big opportunity that falls apart, he meets a Japanese agent and his Russian colleague and the pilot suddenly finds himself caught in a web of intrigue. Peter Lorre played Mr. Moto in a series of popular films. Introduction by Lawrence Block.
Stuart Palmer, The Penguin Pool Murder. The first adventure of schoolteacher and dedicated amateur sleuth Hildegarde Withers occurs at the New York Aquarium when she and her young students notice a corpse in one of the tanks. It was published in 1931 and filmed the next year, starring Edna May Oliver as the American Miss Marple—though much funnier than her English counterpart. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Stuart Palmer, The Puzzle of the Happy Hooligan. New York City schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers cannot resist “assisting” homicide detective Oliver Piper. In this novel, she is on vacation in Hollywood and on the set of a movie about Lizzie Borden when the screenwriter is found dead. Six comic films about Withers appeared in the 1930s, most successfully starring Edna May Oliver. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Otto Penzler, ed., Golden Age Bibliomysteries.Stories of murder, theft, and suspense occur with alarming regularity in the unlikely world of books and bibliophiles, including bookshops, libraries, and private rare book collections, written by such giants of the mystery genre as Ellery Queen, Cornell Woolrich, Lawrence G. Blochman, Vincent Starrett, and Anthony Boucher. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Otto Penzler, ed., Golden Age Detective Stories. The history of American mystery fiction has its pantheon of authors who have influenced and entertained readers for nearly a century, reaching its peak during the Golden Age, and this collection pays homage to the work of the most acclaimed: Cornell Woolrich, Erle Stanley Gardner, Craig Rice, Ellery Queen, Dorothy B. Hughes, Mary Roberts Rinehart, and more. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Otto Penzler, ed., Golden Age Locked Room Mysteries. The so-called impossible crime category reached its zenith during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, and this volume includes the greatest of the great authors who mastered the form: John Dickson Carr, Ellery Queen, C. Daly King, Clayton Rawson, and Erle Stanley Gardner. Like great magicians, these literary conjurors will baffle and delight readers. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Ellery Queen, The Adventures of Ellery Queen. These stories are the earliest short works to feature Queen as a detective and are among the best of the author’s fair-play mysteries. So many of the elements that comprise the gestalt of Queen may be found in these tales: alternate solutions, the dying clue, a bizarre crime, and the author’s ability to find fresh variations of works by other authors. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Ellery Queen, The American Gun Mystery. A rodeo comes to New York City at the Colosseum. The headliner is Buck Horne, the once popular film cowboy who opens the show leading a charge of forty whooping cowboys until they pull out their guns and fire into the air. Buck falls to the ground, shot dead. The police instantly lock the doors to search everyone but the offending weapon has completely vanished. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Ellery Queen, The Chinese Orange Mystery. The offices of publisher Donald Kirk have seen strange events but nothing like this. A strange man is found dead with two long spears alongside his back. And, though no one was seen entering or leaving the room, everything has been turned backwards or upside down: pictures face the wall, the victim’s clothes are worn backwards, the rug upside down. Why in the world? Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Ellery Queen, The Dutch Shoe Mystery. Millionaire philanthropist Abagail Doorn falls into a coma and she is rushed to the hospital she funds for an emergency operation by one of the leading surgeons on the East Coast. When she is wheeled into the operating theater, the sheet covering her body is pulled back to reveal her garroted corpse—the first of a series of murders Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Ellery Queen, The Egyptian Cross Mystery. A small-town schoolteacher is found dead, headed, and tied to a T-shaped cross on December 25th, inspiring such sensational headlines as “Crucifixion on Christmas Day.” Amateur sleuth Ellery Queen is so intrigued he travels to Virginia but fails to solve the crime. Then a similar murder takes place on New York’s Long Island—and then another. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Ellery Queen, The Siamese Twin Mystery. When Ellery and his father encounter a raging forest fire on a mountain, their only hope is to drive up to an isolated hillside manor owned by a secretive surgeon and his strange guests. While playing solitaire in the middle of the night, the doctor is shot. The only clue is a torn playing card. Suspects include a society beauty, a valet, and conjoined twins. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Ellery Queen, The Spanish Cape Mystery. Amateur detective Ellery Queen arrives in the resort town of Spanish Cape soon after a young woman and her uncle are abducted by a gun-toting, one-eyed giant. The next day, the woman’s somewhat dicey boyfriend is found murdered—totally naked under a black fedora and opera cloak. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Patrick Quentin, A Puzzle for Fools. Broadway producer Peter Duluth takes to the bottle when his wife dies but enters a sanitarium to dry out. Malevolent events plague the hospital, including when Peter hears his own voice intone, “There will be murder.” And there is. He investigates, aided by a young woman who is also a patient. This is the first of nine mysteries featuring Peter and Iris Duluth. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Clayton Rawson, Death from a Top Hat. When the New York City Police Department is baffled by an apparently impossible crime, they call on The Great Merlini, a retired stage magician who now runs a Times Square magic shop. In his first case, two occultists have been murdered in a room locked from the inside, their bodies positioned to form a pentagram. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Craig Rice, Eight Faces at Three. Gin-soaked John J. Malone, defender of the guilty, is notorious for getting his culpable clients off. It’s the innocent ones who are problems. Like Holly Inglehart, accused of piercing the black heart of her well-heeled aunt Alexandria with a lovely Florentine paper cutter. No one who knew the old battle-ax liked her, but Holly’s prints were found on the murder weapon. Introduction by Lisa Lutz.
Craig Rice, Home Sweet Homicide. Known as the Dorothy Parker of mystery fiction for her memorable wit, Craig Rice was the first detective writer to appear on the cover of Time magazine. This comic mystery features two kids who are trying to find a husband for their widowed mother while she’s engaged in sleuthing. Filmed with the same title in 1946 with Peggy Ann Garner and Randolph Scott. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Mary Roberts Rinehart, The Album. Crescent Place is a quiet enclave of wealthy people in which nothing ever happens—until a bedridden old woman is attacked by an intruder with an ax. The New York Times stated: “All Mary Roberts Rinehart mystery stories are good, but this one is better.” Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Mary Roberts Rinehart, The Haunted Lady. The arsenic in her sugar bowl was wealthy widow Eliza Fairbanks’ first clue that somebody wanted her dead. Nightly visits of bats, birds, and rats, obviously aimed at scaring the dowager to death, was the second. Eliza calls the police, who send nurse Hilda Adams, the amateur sleuth they refer to as “Miss Pinkerton,” to work undercover to discover the culprit. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Mary Roberts Rinehart, Miss Pinkerton. Hilda Adams is a nurse, not a detective, but she is observant and smart and so it is common for Inspector Patton to call on her for help. Her success results in his calling her “Miss Pinkerton.” The New Republic wrote: “From thousands of hearts and homes the cry will go up: Thank God for Mary Roberts Rinehart.” Introduction by Carolyn Hart.
Mary Roberts Rinehart, The Red Lamp. Professor William Porter refuses to believe that the seaside manor he’s just inherited is haunted but he has to convince his wife to move in. However, he soon sees evidence of the occult phenomena of which the townspeople speak. Whether it is a spirit or a human being, Porter accepts that there is a connection to the rash of murders that have terrorized the countryside. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Mary Roberts Rinehart, The Wall. For two decades, Mary Roberts Rinehart was the second-best-selling author in America (only Sinclair Lewis outsold her) and was beloved for her tales of suspense. In a magnificent mansion, the ex-wife of one of the owners turns up making demands and is found dead the next day. And there are more dark secrets lying behind the walls of the estate. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Joel Townsley Rogers, The Red Right Hand. This extraordinary whodunnit that is as puzzling as it is terrifying was identified by crime fiction scholar Jack Adrian as “one of the dozen or so finest mystery novels of the 20th century.” A deranged killer sends a doctor on a quest for the truth—deep into the recesses of his own mind—when he and his bride-to-be elope but pick up a terrifying sharp-toothed hitch-hiker. Introduction by Joe R. Lansdale.
Roger Scarlett, Cat’s Paw. The family of the wealthy old bachelor Martin Greenough cares far more about his money than they do about him. For his birthday, he invites all his potential heirs to his mansion to tell them what they hope to hear. Before he can disburse funds, however, he is murdered, and the Boston Police Department’s big problem is that there are too many suspects. Introduction by Curtis Evans
Vincent Starrett, Dead Man Inside. 1930s Chicago is a tough town but some crimes are more bizarre than others. Customers arrive at a haberdasher to find a corpse in the window and a sign on the door: Dead Man Inside! I am Dead. The store will not open today. This is just one of a series of odd murders that terrorizes the city. Reluctant detective Walter Ghost leaps into action to learn what is behind the plague. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
Vincent Starrett, The Great Hotel Murder. Theater critic and amateur sleuth Riley Blackwood investigates a murder in a Chicago hotel where the dead man had changed rooms with a stranger who had registered under a fake name. The New York Times described it as “an ingenious plot with enough complications to keep the reader guessing.” Introduction by Lyndsay Faye.
Vincent Starrett, Murder on ‘B’ Deck. Walter Ghost, a psychologist, scientist, explorer, and former intelligence officer, is on a cruise ship and his friend novelist Dunsten Mollock, a Nigel Bruce-like Watson whose role is to offer occasional comic relief, accommodates when he fails to leave the ship before it takes off. Although they make mistakes along the way, the amateur sleuths solve the shipboard murders. Introduction by Ray Betzner.
Phoebe Atwood Taylor, The Cape Cod Mystery. Vacationers have flocked to Cape Cod to avoid the heat wave that hit the Northeast and find their holiday unpleasant when the area is flooded with police trying to find the murderer of a muckraking journalist who took a cottage for the season. Finding a solution falls to Asey Mayo, “the Cape Cod Sherlock,” known for his worldly wisdom, folksy humor, and common sense. Introduction by Otto Penzler.
S. S. Van Dine, The Benson Murder Case. The first of 12 novels to feature Philo Vance, the most popular and influential detective character of the early part of the 20th century. When wealthy stockbroker Alvin Benson is found shot to death in a locked room in his mansion, the police are baffled until the erudite flaneur and art collector arrives on the scene. Paramount filmed it in 1930 with William Powell as Vance. Introduction by Ragnar Jónasson.
Cornell Woolrich, The Bride Wore Black. The first suspense novel by one of the greatest of all noir authors opens with a bride and her new husband walking out of the church. A car speeds by, shots ring out, and he falls dead at her feet. Determined to avenge his death, she tracks down everyone in the car, concluding with a shocking surprise. It was filmed by Francois Truffaut in 1968, starring Jeanne Moreau. Introduction by Eddie Muller.
Cornell Woolrich, Deadline at Dawn. Quinn is overcome with guilt about having robbed a stranger’s home. He meets Bricky, a dime-a-dance girl, and they fall for each other. When they return to the crime scene, they discover a dead body. Knowing Quinn will be accused of the crime, they race to find the true killer before he’s arrested. A 1946 film starring Susan Hayward was loosely based on the plot. Introduction by David Gordon.
Cornell Woolrich, Waltz into Darkness. A New Orleans businessman successfully courts a woman through the mail but he is shocked to find when she arrives that she is not the plain brunette whose picture he’d received but a radiant blond beauty. She soon absconds with his fortune. Wracked with disappointment and loneliness, he vows to track her down. When he finds her, the real nightmare begins. Introduction by Wallace Stroby.