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British Mystery Multipack Volume 8: Locked Room Mysteries
The original whodunits were the locked room mysteries, a sub-genre of the detective mystery in which a crime is committed-almost always murder- in a location that no intruder could have entered or left, e.g., a locked room. There have been many ingenious twists on the motif since it first flourished in the late 1890s and early 1900s, as can be seen in the classic collection that makes up British Mystery Multipacks Volume 8 - Locked Room Mysteries: The Big Bow Mystery by Israel Zangwill
Regarded as the first full-length locked room mystery, the novel focuses on a murder that has occurred inside a locked room, with no clear indication as to the weapon used, the perpetrator of the horrendous crime, or a possible escape route.
The Four Just Men by Edgar Wallace
The dead body of a politician is discovered in a room, locked from within and protected from without. The room is empty of all but the murdered man and even upon finding the corpse, it cannot be determined what the man died of.
The Invisible Man and The Wrong Shape by G. K. Chesterton
From Chesterton's first Father Brown collection, The Innocence of Father Brown, comes two whodunits best described as locked-room detective cozy mysteries!
The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle
The fourth and final Sherlock Holmes mystery is one of Doyle's finest. A man is shot with a sawed-off shotgun and disfigured beyond recognition in an impregnable castle, to which the only entrance is sealed. There is a trail of bewildering clues-raincoats, dumbbells, a missing wedding ring-and a gripping backstory of a cult that terrorized a valley in the American West.
The Doomdorf Mystery by Melville Davisson Post
Guest American author Melville Post's best-known character is the mystery-solving, justice dispensing West Virginian backwoodsman, Uncle Abner. The 22 Uncle Abner tales, written between 1911 and 1928, have been called some of "the finest mysteries ever written." The Doomdorf Mystery is one of the best.
Regarded as the first full-length locked room mystery, the novel focuses on a murder that has occurred inside a locked room, with no clear indication as to the weapon used, the perpetrator of the horrendous crime, or a possible escape route.
The Four Just Men by Edgar Wallace
The dead body of a politician is discovered in a room, locked from within and protected from without. The room is empty of all but the murdered man and even upon finding the corpse, it cannot be determined what the man died of.
The Invisible Man and The Wrong Shape by G. K. Chesterton
From Chesterton's first Father Brown collection, The Innocence of Father Brown, comes two whodunits best described as locked-room detective cozy mysteries!
The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle
The fourth and final Sherlock Holmes mystery is one of Doyle's finest. A man is shot with a sawed-off shotgun and disfigured beyond recognition in an impregnable castle, to which the only entrance is sealed. There is a trail of bewildering clues-raincoats, dumbbells, a missing wedding ring-and a gripping backstory of a cult that terrorized a valley in the American West.
The Doomdorf Mystery by Melville Davisson Post
Guest American author Melville Post's best-known character is the mystery-solving, justice dispensing West Virginian backwoodsman, Uncle Abner. The 22 Uncle Abner tales, written between 1911 and 1928, have been called some of "the finest mysteries ever written." The Doomdorf Mystery is one of the best.
- GenresMystery
344 pages, Paperback
First published July 4, 2015
About the author
Israel Zangwill
511 books36 followersIsrael Zangwill was a British novelist, short-story writer and dramatist.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 27, 2019
Great collection of mysteries by famous mystery writers. I had not read Edgar Wallace before but I will certainly look for other writings of his. The last story (The Doomdorf Mystery by Melville Davisson Post) is short but quite a zinger.
July 25, 2015
4.5 out of 5 stars Run and download the ebook version while it is such a great value! I found all the entries written by famous authors of an earlier time quite enjoyable, but I will only review my most favorite and least favorite stories. My favorite was "The Four Just Men" set in London 1905. It will remind you that history repeats itself again and again. It centers on 4 men who find fault with a member of the British government who is sponsoring an alien extradition bill. Your average citizen might write the papers, sign a petition, or protest the bill. Our 4 men are master criminals who inform this Foreign Secretary that they will kill him if his bill isn't withdrawn. The police cannot convince the politician to take this threat seriously. The criminals tell him over and over his terrible fate while proving how easily they can carry out their intent even with the police guarding him. Edgar Wallace shows how little the relationship between Scotland Yard, Fleet Street, and the criminal underground has changed. These 4 criminals are such masters of detailed planning and I actually started to admire them - even though they are dastardly and without remorse. Now to my least favorite in this book. "The Doomdorf Mystery" felt clumsy and slow until the death occurs. Melville Davisson Post (1869 - 1930) gives us characters that are cartoonish, rather than people you wish to know. Even with this short story's faults, it is still a classic locked room mystery with an ending that is worth a read. Enjoy!
May 27, 2016
you can't beat the price for this enjoyable collection of British mysteries each centered around a body discovered in an inaccessible room. A great introduction to a group of writers who were popular in their day and, other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, unfamiliar to many of us now.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews