These stories are where Chandler honed his art and developed his uniquely vivid underworld, peopled with good cops and bad cops, informers and extortionists, lethally predatory blondes and redheads, and crime, sex, gambling, and alcohol in abundance. In addition to his classic hard-boiled stories–in which his signature atmosphere of depravity and violence swirls around the cool, intuitive loners whose type culminated in the famous detective Philip Marlowe–Chandler also turned his hand to fantasy and even a gothic romance.This rich treasury of twenty-five stories shows Chandler developing the terse, laconic, understated style that would serve him so well in his later masterpieces, and immerses the reader in the richly realized fictional universe that has become an enduring part of our literary landscape.

    She had been sitting quietly in a crowded Athens cafe writing to her friend Elizabeth in England, "Nothing ever happens to me..."Then, without warning, a stranger approached, thrust a set of car keys at her and pointed to a huge black touring car parked at the curb. "The car for Delphi, mademoiselle... A matter of life and death," he whispered and disappeared.From that moment Camilla's life suddenly begins to take off when she sets out on a mysterious car journey to Delphi in the company of a charming but quietly determined Englishman named Simon Lester. Simon told Camilla he had come to the ancient Greek ruins to "appease the shade” of his brother Michael, killed some fourteen years earlier on Parnassus. From a curious letter Michael had written, Simon believed his brother had stumbled upon something of great importance hidden in the craggy reaches of the mountainside. And then Simon and Camilla learned that they were not alone in their search...The ride was Camilla's first mistake... or perhaps she had unintentionally invoked the gods. She finds herself in the midst of an exciting, intriguing, yet dangerous adventure. An extraordinary train of events turned on a nightmare of intrigue and terror beyond her wildest daydreams.

    Among them, The Story of Hermione, in which the eponymous character grows rich from the all too convenient deaths of several relatives, has been called one of the most chilling short stories ever written. Sister Bessie describes vividly the agonies of a blackmail victim and the desperate crimes he commits in the hope of freeing himself from his tormentor. Miss Burnside's Dilemma describes the predicament of a person who uncovers a piece of unscrupulous, but entirely legal chicanery by someone she had previously admired. A Life for a Life explores the possibility of atonement for one's earthly sins after death.

    This collection contains all 25 of his short stories, including classics such as The Curtain and The King in Yellow, as well as all seven of his novels, including The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye.  Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.

    All clues seem to point toward a secret message which could bring the boys' new friend Skeets Fenton into his proper inheritance, and unmask the villains as well!

    In 1932, at age forty-four, Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Great Depression. His first short story, “Blackmailers Don’t Shoot,” was published in 1933 in Black Mask, a popular pulp magazine. His first novel, The Big Sleep, was published in 1939. Some of Chandler’s novels are considered important literary works, and several are often considered masterpieces, including: Farewell, My Lovely (1940) and The Long Goodbye (1953), both included in this volume. All told, 13 stories and one essay on the art of mystery writing are included in this volume.Included are:SMART-ALECK KILL (1934)NEVADA GAS (1935)SPANISH BLOOD (1935)GUNS AT CYRANO’S (1936)NOON STREET NEMESIS (1936)THE KING IN YELLOW (1938)THE BIG SLEEP (1939)PEARLS ARE A NUISANCE (1939)FAREWELL, MY LOVELY (1940)THE HIGH WINDOW (1942)THE LADY IN THE LAKE (1943)THE LONG GOODBYE (1953)PLAYBACK (1958)THE SIMPLE ART OF MURDER (1944)If you enjoy this ebook, don't forget to search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see more of the 190+ volumes in this series, covering adventure, historical fiction, mysteries, westerns, ghost stories, science fiction -- and much, much more!

    Attending the Metropolitana Choir’s concert was intended to make him a supportive partner… not the head of a murder investigation. But when the conductor drops dead during the performance, Hudson winds up with a shocking list of suspects – including his girlfriend.Unable to keep his professional and personal lives separate, Hudson finds himself embroiled in the peculiar hatreds and spiteful grudges that dominate the Metro’s managing committee. Desperate to ensure his girlfriend’s innocence, Hudson must work quickly to bring the murderer to light before it’s too late.This melodic murder mystery, brimming with charm and wit, was first published in 1959 and was Margaret Newman’s first novel.

    While spending her first summer away from home, nine-year old Laurie loses her favorite doll but then finds another, with surprising results.

    But there are mysterious doings in the marshland nearby, especially on top of Crossbone Hill.

    The light-hearted story of their life together and of the men they meet is suddenly interrupted by the death of Mr. Flower, their meek little landlord. When Denny realizes she may have an important clue to the murderer’s identity, her life is also in danger . . .

    

    But Paul Saracen merely cursed the climate and went about his business and remained oblivious to the fact that the floodwater, draining out of Fern Valley, was taking with it his established way of life. It was not only the climate that affected the pleasant village of Fern Valley: it was a brutal murder which, coinciding with a number of unexpected arrivals in the neighborhood, made Paul question his conviction that the lovely Miss Dane could have had no connection with the shocking event.