Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal—and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. A famous nursery rhyme is framed and hung in every room of the mansion:"Ten little boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight. Eight little boys traveling in Devon; One said he'd stay there then there were seven. Seven little boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in half and then there were six. Six little boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five. Five little boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four. Four little boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none."When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme, terror mounts. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale? Only the dead are above suspicion.

    Marlowe's entanglement with the Sternwood family - and an attendant cast of colourful underworld figures - is the background to a story reflecting all the tarnished glitter of the great American Dream. The detective's iconic image burns just as brightly in 'Farewell My Lovely', on the trail of a missing nightclub crooner. And the inimitable Marlowe is able to prove that trouble really is his business in Raymond Chandler's brilliant epitaph, 'The Long Goodbye'.

    Higgins wrote:  "Chandler is fun to read.  He's as bleak as tundra, and his dirtbag characters far outnumber his stellar citizens, but Philip Marlowe is a laconic tour guide through a zoo of truly interesting animals."

    Tecumseh Fox thinks that he is seeing double when financier Ridley Thorpe is shot twice, two gorgeous suspects appear, two very good motives are revealed, and two murder weapons surface.

    Five Sinister Characters. New York: Avon Books Murder Mystery Monthly, 1939. First edition in this form. Octavo. 168 pages. Paperback format.

    His voice clear, expressive and sympathetic as it answered a selection of the queries that crowded his post-bag. 'Just ask a question' was his motto. But even he did not expect Wallace Whatgift to ask for his help in solving the mysterious disappearance of a young woman.

    ‘A murder! Who was it?’ It was the first time in his life that Tubby had been told that he had been murdered. Carl Swanson, recognized as the best ship’s captain in the fishing town of Gilsboro, is about to head out on the unluckiest trip of his career. When he decided to engage with Captain MacTaggert’s ship the Ivanhoe, murder is committed, and Inspector Pollitt and his able lieutenants begin the inexorable process of investigation – and arrest.High Seas Murder was first published in 1939, and has remained out of print until this new edition. It includes an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.‘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

    It never mattered to the shifty broker, until someone demanded a refund at gunpoint. Soon afterward, a dishy dame convinces Larry Storm, Adrian’s rival, to play amateur detective for a hidden cache of priceless stamps. Storm is one step ahead of the tenacious Inspector Luke Bradley, who’s one step behind a cold-blooded killer — and Storm had better start running.…"Cancelled in Red" appeared in "Argosy" magazine, touted as the $10,000 prize winner of the 1939 Dodd Mead Mystery Contest. The novel also grabbed the $1,000 Red Badge Prize Mystery title, and launched the career of “Hugh Pentecost,” the pen name to the prolific Judson P. Philips, author of mysteries.

    Eden, a fashion model, needed only a few weeks with Noel before he broke his engagement and proposed to her instead, but she never went through with the marriage. Years later, Averill has found a new fiancé, and nothing—not Eden, not even murder—will get in her way. Eden goes to Averill’s wedding in hopes of seducing Noel once more. As the two couples circle warily, death intrudes—in the shape of a suspicious airplane crash that kills Averill’s uncle. He is an expert pilot, but no amount of skill can stop the flames that leap from his engine as he crests 15,000 feet. Still, Averill and Eden are determined to say “I do,” no matter how many die on their way to the altar.