Best of
Mystery

1930

Nancy Drew: #1-6 [Box Set]


Carolyn Keene - 1930
    Nancy spends her time solving mysteries, some of which she stumbles upon and some of which begin as cases of her father's. Nancy is often assisted in solving mysteries by her two closest friends, Bess Marvin and George Fayne, and also occasionally by her boyfriend, Ned Nickerson. Ned is a college student at Emerson College.

The Continental Op


Dashiell Hammett - 1930
    The Continental Op was his great first contribution to the genre and these seven stories, which first appeared in the magazine Black Mask, are the best examples of Hammett's early writing, in which his formidable literary and moral imagination is already operating at full strength. The Continental Op is the dispassionate fat man working for the Continental Detective Agency, modelled on the Pinkerton Agency, whose only interest is in doing his job in a world of violence, passion, desperate action and great excitement.The tenth clew.--The golden horseshoe.--The house in Turk Street.--The girl with the silver eyes.--The whosis kid.--The main death.--The farewell murder.

Murder at the Vicarage


Agatha Christie - 1930
    And one which was to come back and haunt the clergyman just a few hours later – when the colonel was found shot dead in the clergyman’s study. But as Miss Marple soon discovers, the whole village seems to have had a motive to kill Colonel Protheroe.Librarian's note: this entry is for the novel "Murder at the Vicarage." Collections and other Miss Marple stories are located elsewhere on Goodreads. The series includes 12 novels and 20 short stories. Entries for the short stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: "a Miss Marple Short Story."

The Documents in the Case


Dorothy L. Sayers - 1930
    His body contained enough death-dealing muscarine to kill 30 people. Why would an expert on fungi feast on a large quantity of this particularly poisonous species. A clue to the brilliant murderer, who had baffled the best minds in London, was hidden in a series of letters and documents that no one seemed to care about, except the dead man's son.

The Secret of the Old Clock


Carolyn Keene - 1930
    To the surprise of many, the Topham family will inherit wealthy Josiah Crowley's fortune, instead of deserving relatives and friends who were promised inheritances. Nancy determines that a clue to a second will might be found in an old clock Mr. Crowley had owned and she seeks to find the timepiece. Her search not only tests her keen mind, but also leads her into a thrilling adventure.

Three Great Lord Peter Novels: Strong Poison; Murder Must Advertise; The Nine Tailors


Dorothy L. Sayers - 1930
    Wimsey proposes before clearing her name. 2 Murder Must Advertise 1933 - Victor Dean fell downstairs at his workplace Pym Publicity, and died from a broken neck and/ or cracked skull with small bruise, his favorite scarab stone charm fallen out of his pocket beside the body. Wimsey goes undercover as new copywriter Death Bredon. 3 The Nine Tailors 1934 - Mutilated face and hands hinder identification of corpse somehow killed by nine bells of St Paul's church. Wimsey visits the rector Venable for a performance of bell ringing and stays to investigate.

Crime at Keeper's Cottage


Thomas Cobb - 1930
    When the poet is arrested, his friend Amelia is convinced of his innocence and engages the solicitor Errol Martin to investigate the crime. But when news emerges that the dead girl was pregnant, it becomes clear that a tragic scandal has been taking place under the surface of Edgmore's quiet facade...

The Body in the Road


Moray Dalton - 1930
    Her body is found buried in her friend’s garden. Has Linda strangled her in a fit of jealousy? Or has the sanatorium’s sinister foreign doctor drawn her into his macabre experiments?The police seize the few clues and Linda Merle is accused of murder. Bit by bit they build up the circumstantial evidence while the ingenious private detective Hermann Glide works in the background. By methods of intuition and a daring lack of scruple, Glide solves the mystery of the crime—a crime of passion and tragically warped mentality.

The Companion - a Miss Marple Short Story


Agatha Christie - 1930
    Lloyd recalls some strange events for the Tuesday Night Club (in reality, it's successor group!). First there was a tragedy which occurred when he was practicing in the Canary Islands - a death by drowning which he had witnessed, and years later, a suicide in a small English village which mimicked the earlier event. He asks the members, "Was anything criminal involved?"Librarian's note: this entry relates to the short story, "The Companion." Collections and the other stories by the author are located elsewhere on Goodreads. The Miss Marple series includes twelve novels and 20 short stories. Entries for the short stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: "a Miss Marple Short Story."

The First Saint Omnibus: An Anthology of Saintly Adventures (The Saint series)


Leslie Charteris - 1930
    Scotland Yard)The Death Penalty (from The Saint and Mr. Teal)The Simon Templar Foundation (from The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal)The Unfortunate Financier (from The Saint Intervenes)The Sleepless Knight (from The Saint Intervenes)The High Fence (from The Ace of Knaves)The Affair of Hogsbotham (from Follow the Saint)The Last Word by Leslie Charteris