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Wilkie Collins
Often considered one of the first mystery novels, The Woman In White follows protagonist Walter Hartright, an art teacher, as he has a mysterious late night encounter on a London street with a lost woman, dressed all in white, who he later finds out had escaped from an asylum. The figure of this woman and the words they exchanged during their meeting come to haunt Walter, even as he accepts a job at Limmeridge House outside of London to instruct heiress Laura Farlie in art. Walter soon recognizes the astonishing resemblance between Laura and The Woman In White, and finds out that the mystery woman also used to live near Limmeridge and has connections to the Farlie family. A tragic, haunting tale about mistaken identities, unbelievable selfishness and cruelty, bust also true love and persevering friendship. A true classic.
Maurice Leblanc
A chance encounter irrevocably alters the course of one mans life, and the tensions between France and Germany boil over... In The Woman of Mystery, Leblanc paints a wonderful tale of WWI in France, twined together with the mystery surrounding the murder of main character Pauls father. Maurice Leblanc became famous for the creation of Arsene Lupin, a gentleman thief and master of disguise. Leblanc was born to a wealthy family, studied law, worked as a police reporter for a time, then found his career as a fiction writer. While LeBlanc wrote much other fiction, it was the Lupin series which made him internationally famous, the French equivalent of Arthur Conan Doyle.
Edgar Wallace
When Ferdie van Wyk was arrested for being found in the barracks of the Larkshire Regiment under suspicious circumstances, he very naturally objected to being marched through the one little street of Simons Town by a military escort.
E. Phillips Oppenheim
A breathtaking tale of intrigue, romance, and revenge from one of the twentieth centurys most prolific and popular authors of suspense. The Wicked Marquis is a story of privilege and the attempt to keep what has been lost. Marquis will go to any length to get enough money to enjoy his title, including forcing one of his daughters to marry an unsuitable candidate with money. Although this novel was published in 1919, its setting and subject is more consistent with a pre-war period. The morality of the Marquis, and his attitude towards other people, is clearly a product of the 19th century. The droit du seigneur is even invoked several times in the story. There is an interesting interplay among the characters regarding the evolution of morals, the rights of women, the effect of rigid moralism, and religious inflexibility.
Edgar Wallace
Edgar Wallace was a prolific author of crime, adventure and humorous stories, whose best known creations include The Four Just Men, Sanders of the River, and J. G. Reeder. Although Wallace wrote many stand alone novels it is, perhaps, for his series based material always popular with readers that he remains best known. The Worst Man in the World is an entertaining tale of mystery and intrigue, this volume constitutes a must-read for lovers of crime fiction. Although these experiences are told in story form, they represent the personal narrative of one who served many terms of penal servitude, and were related to the author, who met with this remarkable convict a few days after his last release from prison.
E. Phillips Oppenheim
The mystery by E. Phillips Oppenheim (1866-1946) starts out in the Sierra Nevada mountains, 500 miles from San Francisco, at a gold mining camp. Bryan came to America from England, chasing a man who may have papers which explain Bryans mysterious origins. Enter heroine, the beautiful orphan Myra Mercier who is arriving to the camp where women are not allowed. Murder and mayhem ensue before the pair escapes to San Francisco. Bryan abandons Myra and travels back to England alone, where he takes up residence in the country, near the home of Lady Helen, the ward of Lord Wessemer. Bryan seeks to improve himself, and his status, in order to win the hand of the beautiful, but cold, Lady Helen. Finally, Myra makes her way to England as a actress, and Bryan decide who to wed.
E. Phillips Oppenheim
E. Phillips Oppenheim (1866-1946) was an internationally renowned author of mystery and espionage thrillers. His novels and short stories have all the elements of blood-racing adventure and intrigue and are precursors of modern-day spy fictions. 1924s The Wrath to Come is one of his novels that are fascinating extrapolations of the political dangers that faced Europe and America in the first half of the twentieth century. This novel is very occasionally mentioned as being the weird book that seems to predict WWII. Written in the lull between the two great wars it postulates a German/Japanese alliance and the main plot revolves around Britain trying to shanghai America into foreign intrigue. The novel is extremely exciting reading and Oppenheim keeps the action moving along swiftly, as he always did.
Fred M. White
A young, ambitious lawyer, Jack Masefield has his own problems and suspicions. He is in love with a beautiful young Clair and is convinced that her guardian, the famous criminologist Spencer Anstruther, is himself a criminal and plays some kind of mysterious game, and that posters on the streets are part of his scheme. This book captures from the start. And each page that you flip reveals new and new secrets.