Here, in this special double edition, the arrogant, gourmandizing, sedentary sleuth and his trusty man-about-town, Archie Goodwin, solve two of their most bizarre cases. Some Buried CaesarA prize bull destined for the barbecue is found pawing the corpse of a late restaurateur. Wolfe is certain that Hickory Caesar Grindon, the soon-to-be-beefsteak bull, isn't the murderer. But who among a veritable stampede of suspects--including a young woman who's caught Archie's eye--turned the tables on Hickory's would-be butcher? It's a crime that wins a blue ribbon for sheer audacity--and Nero Wolfe is the one detective audacious enough to solve it. The Golden SpidersA twelve-year-old boy shows up at Wolfe's brownstone with an incredible story. Soon the great detective finds himself hired for the grand sum of $4.30 and faced with the question of why the last two people to hire him were murdered. To keep it from becoming three, Wolfe must discover the unlikely connection between a gray Cadillac, a mysterious woman, and a pair of earrings shaped like spiders dipped in gold.

    But Tolefree is uneasy. What are Hudson's motives? Is his writer-persona a facade for espionage - or something even more nefarious? When a chance telephone call links Hudson's visit with the murder of a scientist during a country house party Tolefree's worst suspicions seem confirmed. But what is the secret of Old Hallerden? Originally published in 1936, this is a vintage murder mystery from the golden age of crime fiction.

    Both of her parents died there, and she and her brother spent their youth exploring its rambling hallways and seaside grounds. They love the old house, but Marcia’s sister-in-law has never taken to it. Juliette loathes the sea, and soon comes to loathe her husband, as well. After they divorce, Juliette pays a final visit to Sunset, demanding alimony. She is there for a few tense days before she disappears. It takes them a week to find her body.The peace at Sunset has been shattered, and Marcia must work quickly to keep her beloved childhood home from being forever spoiled. Somewhere in the creaky old mansion, a murderer lurks. Will Marcia be accused of the crime? Or will she be the next victim?

    The verdict was suicide brought on by a fit of insanity, but his sister Isabel has never believed it. Now the day approaches when Claude’s son Ronnie will come of age and take possession of Carlice Abbey. Preparations for the birthday party are underway, but it will not be a festive occasion: Ronnie, who has imbibed Marxist ideas at Oxford, intends to throw his aunt and stepmother out of the house and sign the entire estate over to the Communist Party for use as a propaganda centre. As tensions rise and the big day arrives, a strange series of events will unfold, revealing the scandalous truth behind Claude’s death and resulting in an unexpected fate for Carlice Abbey and its occupants.C.H.B. Kitchin (1895-1967) was both a best-selling crime writer and a critically acclaimed author of literary fiction. In Birthday Party (1938), he combined the two, resulting in a novel that is both a fascinating examination of a changing English society on the eve of the Second World War and a suspenseful psychological mystery full of surprising twists and turns. This first-ever republication of the novel includes a reproduction of the original jacket art and a new introduction by Adrian Wright.“[A] first-class psychological study . . . the character drawing, although a little cruel, is admirably done and the writing is consistently excellent.” – Times Literary Supplement“It is original, it is strangely exciting, and the logic of its plan is repeated in the behaviour of its characters.” – L. P. Hartley“It is really a detective story in which the clues, instead of being actual, are psychological. The reader is made to feel all the tension and curiosity which a good crime novel inspires, and he is not disappointed.” – The Tablet

    It was like a morgue. Captain Eric Macrae is down on his luck, living in a cheap London boarding house and on his wits. When chance puts a string of valuable pearls his way, he can’t resist stealing them. But the pursuit of easy money is derailed first by Peggy, a neighbourhood girl who begins to suspect Macrae is up to no good. And then a well-known fence winds up dead … enter Chief Inspector Thompson of Scotland Yard.Tune to a Corpse was first published in 1938, and has remained out of print until this new edition. It includes an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.‘London underworld life is described with colour and realism. The steps in the weakling killer’s descent to Avernus are thrillingly traced.” Saturday Review of Literature‘I have the highest opinion of Peter Drax’s murder stories … The secret of Peter Drax’s success is his ability to make the circumstances as plausible as the characters are real’ Sunday Times

    Did the valet really murder his master, or did the mysterious foreigner send poisoned sweets to Viscount Raeburn? Whose handwriting is on the label and who put arsenic in the peppermints? Is the beautiful Countess conspiring with her lover or is the secret of the Malinsays hidden in the past?