Modest and unassuming, Beck attributes his success to luck and common sense, insisting that the solution to most mysteries can be gained by the application of a 'rule of thumb'. But his clients know better and Beck is consulted eagerly by all members of society, whether the case is one of murder, blackmail or even the treasonous theft of state secrets. In these twelve ingenious detective stories, originally collected in book form in 1898, the barrister Matthias McDonnell Bodkin introduced readers to a sleuth to rival Sherlock Holmes himself - one whose exploits are sure to delight all fans of classic crime fiction.