Ten novelettes of murder and mystery from the pulp writer and author of The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. Raised above his father’s Toronto bookstore, Vincent Starrett grew to love books, especially mysteries like those of Arthur Conan Doyle. Over the course of his career, Starrett was a reporter, critic, and novelist. He also wrote mystery stories for pulp magazines, creating his fair share of unique characters, brought to life in this collection of thrilling mystery novelettes . . . In “The Blue Door,” two young men, searching for one last drink after a Saturday night of partying, find themselves in a predicament the likes of which only well-known mystery writer Bartlett Honeywell can solve. In “Too Many Sleuths,” bibliophile bookseller and amateur sleuth G. Washington Troxell investigates the case of a murdered spinster with the help of his friend, crime reporter Frederick Dellabough. In “The Woman in Black,” veteran journalist Volney Kingston can usually figure out any conundrum life throws his way, but when a mysterious woman clad all in black begins following him around, he must turn to famed Chicago private investigator Jimmy Lavender. Other featured stories include “The Fingernail Clue,” “The Wrong Stairway,” “The Street of Idols,” “A Volume of Poe,” “The Skylark,” “The Ace of Clubs,” and “Out There in the Dark.”
