Kryminał
Valentine Williams
A hard boiled mystery and suspense thriller set in Ukraine. A rich American magnate Stephen Selmar and his daughter Melissa are lured into Rumania by an arms dealer, the sinister Barm de Bahl "The Fox", as part of a plot to boost the arms industry by fomenting a war between Rumania and Russia. Enter the British Secret Service... "The Fox Prowls" by Valentine Williams is a fine bunch of villains cooking up international deviltry in romantic surroundings; inextinguishable hero; lovely gal; continuous thrills. In it, a bit of mystery with a rundown Bessarabian castle, a hidden treasure, a gang of international crooks, and an officer of the British Intelligence, disguised as a crude chauffeur. Highly recommended for people who like to treat a mystery story as a solvable riddle!
The Framing of Inspector Denvers
Aidan de Brune
Cain, Sydneys most daring thief, has defeated Inspector Denvers; but can he defeat the only man to escape from Sing-Sings death row? The Framing of Inspector Denvers is a story packed with great adventure and the author Aidan de Brune keeps the action moving along swiftly, as he always did, and it highlights de Brunes unmatched skill in setting a pulse-pounding pace. Aidan de Brune was a big name in Australian literature but is forgotten today. He was a prolific author who wrote in a variety of genres. His writing would inevitably have found a home in pulp books and magazines if Australia had any such thing in the 20s and 30s.
Edgar Wallace
When Inspector Tanner is called in to investigate a ruthless murder at Marks Priory, the grand ancestral home of the Lebanon family, he quickly discovers that nothing is quite as it seems. The household is controlled by the family physician, the footmen behave more like guests than servants and the secretary Isla is afraid for her life. Why are these two American toughs employed as footmen? Why is Lady Lebanon so unwilling to answer any questions? What he does know is that the only obviously innocent person is utterly consumed with terror. Here is Inspector Tanners first real clue. As Tanner moves closer to the heart of the mystery he uncovers a shocking and closely guarded secret.
Maurice Leblanc
If you think Maurice Leblancs literary output begins and ends with his series of mysteries featuring criminal mastermind Arsene Lupin, check out this tense thriller set in the years leading up to World War I. The Frontier is a classic war story and is that old idea of the conflict between the old and the new, between fathers and sons, and between the intense convictions of yesterday and tomorrow. The father is a rugged old French patriot who fought in the war with Germany, whose heart is still bitter, and whose hate flames quickly at the thought of Alsace and Lorraine. The son is a professor of history whose studies have taught him how vain are bloodshed and violence. Probing questions of patriotism and nationalism, its a treat for lovers of well-wrought historical fiction.
Hulbert Footner
The historicity of this story captivated everyone. After all, it gives a feeling of a sense of thinking and adventure of that time. A young free fur trader challenges the practices of the North West Company trader who is cheating the Natives of proper prices and enslaving them with debt for goods. Here, not only sinister characters, rebellion and accusations, but also love stories unfold against the backdrop of all this.
The Further Adventures of Romney Pringle
Cliffford Ashdown
Austin Freeman and Dr. John James Pitcairn, a medical office at Halloway Prison, writing under the common pseudonym, Clifford Ashdown. This mystery collection is the first work of Freeman and it is a delightful bundle of adventures features the gentleman criminal Romney Pringle, an engaging crook and literary agent who lives in Furnivals Inn, cycling everywhere no matter what the scam! This series of six stories feature many colourful, bizarre characters from the Chicago Heiress to the Assyrian Rejuvenator.
E. Phillips Oppenheim
Believe it or not, here is an Oppenheim story without a single scene laid in Monte Carlo. And high time, too, for that lode, profitable as it no doubt has been, has shown signs, of petering out. The entire action of this novel takes place in England, and most of the characters, with the exception of a few detectives, belong to the upper classes. Edward Phillips Oppenheim (1866-1946) was an English novelist, in his lifetime a major and successful writer of genre fiction including thrillers. He wrote more than 100 novels between 1887 and 1943. The Gallows of Chance was first published in 1933.
Edgar Wallace
The Gambling Girl, by Edgar Wallace is a book of short story mysteries. Bill and Mary met at a gambling casino and both are imprisoned for reasons that are murky. Bill was a former detective with the American Army at G.H.Q. Marys past was more mysterious. From that day forward however, neither of their lives would ever be the same again. Fast-paced, with good twists and turns, an unusual mystery scheme and a little romance. Its all great fun and Wallace keeps the action moving along swiftly, as he always did. Wonderful entertainment and highly entertaining. If you havent discovered the joys of Wallaces mysteries there is a good place to start. Highly recommended.
S.S. Van Dine
The setting for The Garden Murder Case, the ninth detective novel by S.S. Van Dine, featuring stylish intellectual detective Philo Vance, is a rooftop penthouse. Vance receives a not-so-anonymous phone message that piques his interest in a gathering of Floyd Garden socialites and friends to hear the results of the race in the comfort of his fathers luxurious penthouse.
Edgar Wallace
Inspector Wemburys day turns from bad to worse when a legendary assassin who was supposed dead in Australia returns to England seeking vengeance for the murder of his sister. The detective teams up with Lomond, a police doctor, to try to find The Ringer who is a mysterious, revenge-driven serial killer and master of disguise. When a lawyer receives a bouquet with a note informing him that hell be dead in forty-eight hours, Wembury and his men embark on a frantic quest to uncover the killers identity... An exiting book full of intrigue and mystery, The Gaunt Stranger is a must-read for all fans of thrilling crime fiction. Edgar Wallace provides a thrill of another sort!
The Gay Triangle. The Romance of the First Air Adventurers
William Le Queux
From a derelict shed adjoining a lonely road which stretched for miles across the Norfolk fens, a strange shape slid silently into the night mist. It was a motor-car of an unfamiliar design. The body, of gleaming aluminium, was of unusual width, and was lifted high above the delicate chassis and spidery bicycle wheels that seemed almost too fragile to bear the weight of an engine.
Theodore Dreiser
The hero of the novel is a talented artist Eugene Vitla overcomes a thorny path to his goal of becoming a recognized artist. Experiencing ups and downs, Eugene gives an assessment of the life of a creative person in a capitalist society. Describes the life of the American elite and ordinary workers, whom the hero has to face on the path of life, against the backdrop of difficult family relationships. However, he did not break down after he experienced mental and creative crises.
Fred M. White
The Gentle Buccaneers a gang of four pirates. They were a good company, physically, if not intellectually, although Endellion himself, the leader of the expedition and the owner of the yacht, was a classic scholar and passionate admirer of Marcus Aurelius, whose philosophy he loved to translate. They liked to pose as people who were disfigured in a battle for peace. However, it soon became harder to show up in public. Everyone is starting to pay attention to them.
Mary Cholmondeley
The large, sumptuous room, with its dim oriental rugs and subdued lighting, a fine set of Indian paintings, and two exquisite rose-red lacquered cabinets, had great charm. The main character has just returned from China. Huge packing boxes, stacked one above the other in the hall, were no doubt full of wonderful acquisitions, china, embroideries, carpets. But he didnt seem to want to unpack them.
The Ghost of Down Hill & The Queen of Shebas Belt
Edgar Wallace
Best remembered for penning the screenplay for the classic film King Kong, author Edgar Wallace was an astoundingly popular luminary in the action-adventure genre in the early twentieth century. The Ghost of Down Hill is an entertaining mystery novella, based on the idea that a ghost of a monk haunts a house built on top of former holy ground. This novella has upbeat tone and surprising outcome. The Queen of Shebas Belt features the disappearance of a priceless belt supposedly worn by the Queen of Sheba. Seemingly the theft is not through want of money but an act to set up a rival in love. Wonderful entertainment and highly entertaining. If you havent discovered the joys of Wallaces mysteries there is a good place to start.
E. Phillips Oppenheim
Glenlitten Manor is the home of Andrew, Marquis Glenlitten, and his lovely, tiny, vivacious French wife, Felice. On the night of a small game hunt, the unsavory Baron de Bresset is murdered and the priceless Glenlitten diamond is stolen. Who stole the necklace and killed de Bresset? The subplot around the origins of Felice, who was orphaned in a French chateau at a very young age, form an interesting side story. Suspects include Sir Richard Cotton, the famous London criminal lawyer, Sir Richard Haslam, the African colonial administrator, and Prince Charles de Seuss, the impoverished Russian nobleman. Very formulaic, with some interesting descriptions of English country house life just prior to the Great Depression.