The Man who Solved Mysteries

by William Brittain

This is Crippen & Landru's second collection by William Brittain. The first (The Man Who Read Mysteries) included all of the "Man Who Read...." stories and a few stories about the logical and deductive science teacher, Mr. Strang. Our second collection (of a planned three volumes) contains the rest of the Mr. Strang stories, all 25 of them. The collection has an introduction by Josh Pachter (as did the first collection) and an afterword by one of the Brittain children. William Brittain continues to be one of our best-selling and fan favorite authors.

Genres: Mystery

316 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2022

Reviews

[Macel Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't get enough of Mr. Strang! Breathlessly awaiting the last anthology.

[Federico Kereki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable stories -- all the Mr Strang's stories that didn't fit in THE MAN WHO READ MYSTERIES.

[Jeff Hobbs]

Read so far:

Mr. Strang finds the answers
*Mr. Strang sees a play
*Mr. Strang pulls a switch
Mr. Strang takes a hand
Mr. Strang lifts a glass
Mr. Strang finds an angle
Mr. Strang hunts a bear
Mr. Strang checks a record
*Mr. Strang finds a car
*Mr. Strang examines a legend
*Mr. Strang invents a strange new device
Mr. Strang follows through
*Mr. Strang discovers a bug
Mr. Strang under arrest
Mr. Strang and the cat lady
*Mr. Strang picks up the pieces
*Mr. Strang battles a deadline
*Mr. Strang accepts a challenge
*Mr. Strang buys a big H
Mr. Strang unlocks a door
*Mr. Strang grasps at straws
*Mr. Strang and the lost ship
*Mr. Strang takes a partner
Mr. Strang studies exhibit A
*Mr. Strang and the purloined memo

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is a delicious feast for lovers of mystery. Leonard Strang— the gnomelike, much hassled teacher with a mind that's sharper and straighter than a razor— absolutely shines in these tales. Most importantly, belying presumption that such mysteries are bound to be cozy or trivial, William Brittain compels our protagonist to deal with a lot of social evils in these cases. Even in such cases where we are faced with puzzles— literary or otherwise, Brittain follows the concept of 'fair play' scrupulously— which challenges and stimulates the reader.
Josh Pachter has done a superb job in terms of editorial ministrations.
I would be eagerly waiting for the 'Rest of Brittain' collection. In the meanwhile, this book is highly recommended.

[SJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed matching wits with this most intelligent of problem solvers. I figured out the solution to just a few of the many short mysteries ahead of their endings. I have not heard of this author or their stories before. They are well plotted puzzles set within a small city high school of the mid 60’s to early 80’s. Mr. Strang was a unique character and I liked how he was written. I enjoyed the Introduction and Afterword.

[Alberto Avanzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una bella raccolta con protagonista Strang, insegnante di un liceo della provincia americana e dotato di grande capacità logica, una specie di sintesi fra Ellery Queen e il capitano Jules Leopold di Hoch, dove la logica stringente delle brevi storie gialle non impedisce di riflettere su numerosi temi sociali, legati prevalentemente a scuola e adolescenza, ma non solo. Hu apprezzato in particolare Strang and the Cat Lady e Mr Strang Buys a Big H

[Lu Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories are great but because of the method used to go from a paper copy to a digital one many words are oddly spelled such as "teach-er" in the middle of a line. Often a sentence will stop in the middle of a line and begin again in the next line down.

I feel certain that the paper copy reads more smoothly than the digital edition. That being said, any book of William Brittain's short stories about Mr. Strang will get 5 stars from me.

[ShanDizzy]

Some of these mysteries involve the antics gone wrong of high school students and it’s left to the science teacher Mr.Strang to assist Detective Roberts of Aldershot PD to solve them. Other mysteries are more serious involving family issues, like child abuse.

[Vallery Feldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Highly recommended.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it! I hope for a third instalment! This is a must read!