The Canary Murder Case

S.S. Van Dine

One of the best novels by the little American detective writer Van Dyne, The Canary Killing Case, takes the reader to New York sixty years ago, where amateur detective Filo Vance, a literary relative of Sherlock Holmes, brilliantly uses the deductive method to find the killer of the star Broadway at night nicknamed Canary.

The Canon in Residence

Victor L. Whitechurch

The Reverend John Smith is an ordinary cleric who learns during his vacation that he was promoted to canon at the residence of Frattenbury Cathedral. During his stay at the hotel he meets an Englishman who tells him that the clergy is too divorced from reality. This is an interesting mystery involving a clergyman who defends his faith and moral values in solving a crime.

The Canterville Ghost

Oscar Wilde

A family of flag-flaunting United States acquire an historic English mansion from the thoroughly prim, thoroughly British Lord Canterville. Throw in a murderous, aesthetically-minded ghost with a penchant for high drama and theater, and you have a classic, joy-inducing tale of clashing cultures, progress vs. tradition, and Wildes self-mockery of his own philosophy of decadent aestheticism. Wilde emphasized differences in culture by creating special characters and then pitting the unsophisticated tastes of the patriotic Americans patriotic as their children are named Washington and Virginia against the Brittish esteem of traditions. More telling, given the storys ending and that the events are closely placed within the historical context of conflicting views and several wars, the overall theme of forgiveness reads surprisingly fresh, even in todays time.

The Canterville Ghost - With Audio Level 2 Oxford Bookworms Library

Wilde, Oscar

A level 2 Oxford Bookworms Library graded reader. This version includes an audio book: listen to the story as you read. Retold for Learners of English by John Escott. There has been a ghost in the house for three hundred years, and Lord Canterville's family have had enough of it. So Lord Canterville sells his grand old house to an American family. Mr Hiram B. Otis is happy to buy the house and the ghost - because of course Americans don't believe in ghosts. The Canterville ghost has great plans to frighten the life out of the Otis family. But Americans don't frighten easily - especially not two noisy little boys - and the poor ghost has a few surprises waiting for him.

The Canterville Ghost Level 2 Oxford Bookworms Library

A level 2 Oxford Bookworms Library graded reader. Retold for Learners of English by John Escott There has been a ghost in the house for three hundred years, and Lord Canterville's family have had enough of it. So Lord Canterville sells his grand old house to an American family. Mr Hiram B. Otis is happy to buy the house and the ghost - because of course Americans don't believe in ghosts. The Canterville ghost has great plans to frighten the life out of the Otis family. But Americans don't frighten easily - especially not two noisy little boys - and the poor ghost has a few surprises waiting for him.

The Captives

Hugh Walpole

Strikingly bright characters. Such a well-designed image of moods, places and feelings. Maggie Cardinals father dies very suddenly, leaving her alone, not very upset, since he never showed special love for her. She is strange, misunderstood a captive in a world in which others fit in, but she does not.

The Card - With Audio Level 3 Oxford Bookworms Library

Bennett, Arnold

A level 3 Oxford Bookworms Library graded reader. This version includes an audio book: listen to the story as you read. Retold for Learners of English by Nick Bullard. Every town should have a 'card' - someone who gets talked about, someone who does mad and wonderful things, someone who makes you laugh. Bursley in the Five Towns has a 'card': Edward Henry Machin (Denry for short). Denry begins life in a poor little house where the rent is twenty-three pence a week. But before he's thirty, he's made a lot of money, and had more adventures than you and I have had hot dinners. The town of Bursley never stops talking about him. Whatever will young Denry do next?

The Card Level 3 Oxford Bookworms Library

Bennett, Arnold

A level 3 Oxford Bookworms Library graded readers. Retold for Learners of English by Nick Bullard Every town should have a 'card' - someone who gets talked about, someone who does mad and wonderful things, someone who makes you laugh. Bursley in the Five Towns has a 'card': Edward Henry Machin (Denry for short). Denry begins life in a poor little house where the rent is twenty-three pence a week. But before he's thirty, he's made a lot of money, and had more adventures than you and I have had hot dinners. The town of Bursley never stops talking about him. Whatever will young Denry do next?

The Cardinal Moth. Or The Accused Orchid

Fred M. White

Sir Clement Frobisher collects rare orchids. He has conflicts in the service, which have further consequences. There are plenty of twists and turns, along with a very mysterious murder weapon. It will most definitely keep you guessing!

The Carson Loan Mystery

Aidan de Brune

The Carson Loan Mystery novel is one of mystery by Aidan de Brune, and deals with complications arising out of a loan of a large sum of money, concerned with the unscrupulous activities of several more or less shady characters. The locale of the story is Sydney, and introduces many places familiar to those who have visited that capital. The author knows Sydney, and also knows passing well the procedure in police and detective departments, besides having a passing acquaintance with newspaper staff feuds. The result is a smart novel, brightly written. Highly recommended!

The Carter Girls of Carter House

Emma Speed Sampson

Written for young girls, this is book 4 in The Carter Girls Series by Emma Speed Sampson. Sampson, using the name of her sister Nell Speed, wrote 4 titles in the Molly Brown series after her sisters death in 1913. She also wrote several volumes including the Carter Girls series and the Tucker Twins before she began publishing works under her own name. The Carter Girls of Carter House is a good, clean book full of the antics of a family working together to solve their financial woes in a very creative way. The girls are creative, daring, dramatic, and pure fun! As usual with Sampsons writing, the story is characterized with a contagious work ethic, ambition, cheerfulness, and entrepreneurial endeavors. She shines in the realm of attitudes toward hardship.

The Cartwright Gardens Murder

J.S. Fletcher

As always, the reader has an interesting task: to solve who is the killer. An unknown man returning home in the evening clutches at his throat and dies. He died from poisoning. The police are conducting a full investigation, but no overt suspects arise.

The Case for the Crown

Fred M. White

Fred M. White is famous for mystical, sometimes difficult to understand little stories. One of these stories is "A Case For the Crown". Almost from the very beginning, the author gives us such an intriguing description of events: From the mouth of a tortured person came a strange, terrible whistling cry, a mans cry on the verge of epilepsy. His eyes were full of nameless horror, sweat running down his face. Many questions appear in our story first.

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

H.P. Lovecraft

Despite being a horror story about necromancers, mutated creatures and summoning rituals, The Case of Dexter Ward is at its heart a cautionary tale about knowledge. As the story progresses, the full extent of Charles Dexter Wards madness is slowly revealed until the evil of the past seems ready to burst into the present with horrific consequences. Charles Dexter Ward is the scion of a well established Providence family who begins investigating esoteric matters and discovers that an ancestor, Joseph Curwen, was killed by a terrified town when they discovered his unhallowed necromantic studies. Here Lovecraft used all his talent to freak all his readers with a diabolic scheme filled with a frightful environment full of madness! The main character has discovered through Joseph Curwens manuscripts (An ancient resident involved with macabre subjects) some obscurities of the underworld. The more he gets involved with those things, the more he changes in a queer and sinister way. All the facts about the terrible deeds of Mr. Curwen and Charless insane behavior are described step by step by a third person (Charless doctor, Mr. Willett).

The Case of Oscar Brodski

R. Austin Freeman

A suburban train runs over a man lying on the rails. Passengers at the nearest station recognize the famous gem dealer Oscar Brodsky as the deceased. Was it an accident, suicide or murder? In less than half a day, Dr. Thorndike, known for his scientific method of solving crimes, solves the mystery.

The Case of the Man in the Shroud

Max Brand

In a sinister cabaret the dancing feet of Anthony Hamilton tap out a message of life or death for an uncrowned czar. Anthony Hamilton, head of the U.S. counter-espionage service, flew to Monte Carlo when it was rumored that the Number One secret service agent of Japan, Henri de Graulchier, was planning a coup that would bring on another World War. "The Case of the Man in the Shroud" is a novelette by Max Brand, one of the greatest western authors of all time. The plot is well constructed with well drawn subsidiary characters and provides a number of interesting twists. Great read with Maxs leading off to unexpected places with characters you come to know personally. Max leads the reader to characters bigger than life.