A CASEBOOK OF CRIME: Thrilling Adventures of Suspense from the Golden Age of Mystery – Volume Two

The Secret of the Left-Sided Cipher

Two ghastly murders, the theft of the infamous Utopia Fortune Diamond, and a secret-coded message believed earmarked for a mysterious underworld criminal band known as the Comrades of the Red Thumb, have Scotland Yard up against a nippy bit of work requiring the assistance of London detective Henry von Stray and his able collaborator in the detection of crime Professor John Dilpate. In “The Secret of the Left-Sided Cipher” von Stray and Dilpate find themselves in a high-stakes battle of wits against an ingenious criminal mastermind who just might prove to be their most diabolical adversary yet.

Von Stray and the 290

A simple errand to deliver a sealed letter dating back to the United States Civil War has von Stray and Dilpate looking forward to a relaxing journey to Liverpool until they learn the truth about their mission. The letter was written by a Confederate sea captain whose terrors on the high seas was underwritten by a Liverpool cotton merchant with high-ranking government contacts reaching all the way to the House of Commons. In “Von Stray and the 290,” the 1864 Civil War sea battle between the U.S.S. Kearsarge and the C.S.S. Alabama off the coast of France wages on as murder, political scandal, secret societies, Confederate espionage on English soil, and intriguing folklore about a lost treasure all resurface at the feet of von Stray and Dilpate more than half a century after the historic sea battle. Based on actual events, von Stray proves how a page of history can be worth more than a volume of logic when it comes to closing in on a deranged killer.

The Singular Case of the Bandaged Bobby

When a pair of heartless con artists disguised as London police constables swindle an innocent widow who fled Belgium during the Great War, celebrated detective Henry von Stray and his trusted companion, Professor John Dilpate, find themselves in a race against time to outfox the scoundrels and rescue the poor widow from financial ruin. In the case that led to von Stray becoming recognized as one of the world’s foremost criminologists of his day, “The Singular Case of the Bandaged Bobby” exhibits the famous detective’s supreme ability to outfox some of the most cunning members of the criminal fraternity through psycho-analytic detection and ultimately beat them at their own game.

. . .

“…shimmering with cleverness and whimsey.”  

~ The Washington Post

“[A]stonishing setting and fine feeling—tasteful beyond belief.” 

~ Chicago Tribune

“Humorous, erudite, a good puzzle and a good read. When you turn the last page, you’ll feel as though your ancestors were born in Boston.” 

~ Mary Higgins Clark

“A delicious mystery that combines the best of The Proper Bostonians with the best of Parker’s Spenser stories.”

~ Robin Moore, NY Times #1 bestselling author

of The French Connection