Anthony Gilbert

Murder by Experts

Death at the Door

Norwaish, Casimer

Murder Cheats the Bride

A grotesque murder and a mysterious woman lead to the most difficult choice of his life. Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club Andrew Fane is faced with five years in prison for fraud, and a penniless future. When he appeals for help from his uncle his pleas go unanswered, but on visiting him Fane is welcomed by a mysterious and heavily veiled woman. When he finds his uncle's body, murdered in horrible and grotesque circumstances, she suddenly disappears leaving Fane faced with the dilemma of telling the police or covering his tracks . . .

The Case Against Andrew Fane

The victims were predictable - the murderer was not... Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club Sour, selfish and worth several millions, Mrs French was just the kind of woman you'd expect to be murdered. And so, in due course, she was. Mrs Hoggett was the next to die - another murder predicted by all who, unfortunately, knew her well. Since there was no shortage of suspects, it was small wonder the killer eluded the law. And then a lovely young woman came forth with a story of bigamy and blackmail so bizarre it had to be true. All that was needed for proof was yet another corpse... 'Clever' New York Herald Tribune

Death Takes a Wife

The Woman in Red

In the darkness of World War Two, a murderer strikes... Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club 'No author is more skilled at making a good story seem brilliant' Sunday Express 'He stood very still for a moment. He said he had a sixth sense that warned him of danger. The fact that more murderous attempts had been made on his life did not affect his belief in his instinct. He said that in his profession a man had to harden himself to take risks. That was what his clients paid him for, "and," he would add, "they pay damn well." ' Death in the Blackout takes place in the heart of World War II and opens as a bomb drops uncomfortably close to detective Arthur Crook's London flat, setting off a mysterious chain of events.

Death in the Blackout

A movie star whose fame is on the decline - but did he take his own life or did someone else have an axe to grind? Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club Eight years ago René Tessier was at the height of his fame. Now the once-celebrated film star frequents less reputable Parisian cafés. That is until young producer Julian Lane plans to star Tessier in his latest production with the promise of millions. Tessier is headed to London. But the washed-up old man spends less than 24 hours in a dingy Soho hotel before he is found dead. Was it suicide or murder? And who could have wanted Tessier dead?

Courtier to Death

Lucy Beatrice Malleson

Death Lifts the Latch

An actress, a politician - and a murder by poison where no one is above suspicion. Classic crime fiction from one of the greats of the era. Marjorie Hyde, a gifted but unsuccessful actress, is happily married. Like many members of her profession she is temperamental, and though not that beautiful has that Titian colouring that is supposed to make men mad. Her husband, Christopher, is insanely jealous, and after learning that she is frequently in the company of Philip Clare, a barrister and Parliamentary candidate, Christopher threatens to instigate divorce proceedings that would ruin his rival's career. The same night, he drinks his usual glass of after-dinner port and dies from hyosin poisoning. And in the unravelling of the mystery surrounding his death, nobody is free from suspicion.

The Man Who Wasn't There

DEATH KNOCKS THREE TIMES

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder At a soirée like this, anyone can be the life—or death—of the party. The British Secret Service, working to uncover a large-scale blackmail ring and catch its mysterious mastermind 'The Spider', find themselves at the country residence Feltham Abbey where a fancy-dress ball is in full swing. In the tumult of revelry, Sir Ralph Feltham is found dead. Not the atmosphere bewildered guest Tony was expecting, he sets out make sense of the night's activities and the motives of the other guests. Among them is Hilary, an independently minded socialite still in her costume of vivid silk pyjamas and accompanying teddy bear. This classic country house mystery contrasts the splendours and frivolities of the English upper classes with the sombre over-hang of the First World War and the irresistible complications of deadly familial relationships. Includes an introduction by Martin Edwards and featuring the short stories 'Horseshoes for Luck' and 'The Cockroach and the Tortoise'

Death in Fancy Dress

A rich, curmudgeonly old husband, a beautiful young wife, a mysterious voice from the past - and murder... Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club When murder hits the sleepy town of Hinton St Luke tongues start wagging. It's what you might call a cosy domestic murder: a beautiful young wife; her much-older husband dying at just the right moment; a jealous nurse; a mysterious voice from the past and a set of anonymous letters. But which one will lead directly to the killer's front door?

Lift up the Lid

When an accident begins to look like murder... Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club On a quiet country station, Detective Arthur Crook, waiting for the train to London, witnessed a near-fatal accident. Despite the arm of her companion, Miss Imogen Garland slipped and almost fell under the train. No harm was done, and Arthur Crook might not have thought anything more about it had not a newspaper item a few weeks later caught his eye. Miss Garland had once again been involved in an accident, this time fatal. Only it was not Miss Garland who had died . . .

Tenant for the Tomb

Assisted suicide - or murder...? Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club Even Hatty Savage had to admit, at the inquest, that it had been foolish of her, when Richard Sheridan had threatened suicide, to hand him her sleeping tablets. So when a girl who had apparently been trying to blackmail her also came to an abrupt end, it was scarcely surprising that Hatty found herself in custody. Fortunately, she'd had the sense to marry local solicitor Philip Cobb, and, the moment Hatty is locked up he rushes to enlist the help of Detective Arthur Crook. When he becomes the prime suspect, it's a decision Cobb could live to regret ... 'No author is more skilled at making a good story seem brilliant' Sunday Express

She Shall Die

He tried to help a woman in need - but she's the prime suspect in her husband's murder... Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club Con Gardiner had no family; his work and his one-room flat filled most of his solitary existence, until one evening a strange girl in the street asked him to lend her a pound. Con was attracted to Caro Graves, and puzzled too; he couldn't see what would become of this girl who had just left her husband after a bitter quarrel, and who had nowhere to go. But he was soon to have more to worry about: Caro's husband was dead . . . and Caro was the main suspect. 'Anthony Gilbert's novels show the unsensational type of detective story at its best' Daily Telegraph

Snake in the Grass

In a small English town, family conflict can be murder... Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club When spinster Emily Foss, who ran the haberdashery, is found bludgeoned to death, the silver pencil that had surely been in her purse that night is found in brash young Lennie Hunter's possession, and it is he who is to be hanged for the crime. To clear his name, Hunter's fiancée brings in Detective Arthur Crook. Soon Crook discovers Emily was not on good terms with her nephew, his wife, or many others in the small English town where she lived. Faced with a maze of hidden motives, Crook must contrive against the clock to trap the real murderer. 'No author is more skilled at making a good story seem brilliant' Sunday Express

Death Against the Clock

Forget The Girl on the Train - meet the woman who watches from her window, and finds herself caught up in murder... Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club 'Watching, fascinated and horrified, he saw thin fingers creep around the edge of the black curtain. Someone from inside was tugging to loosen it . . .' Miss Janet Martin, a 74-year-old spinster, enjoys her daily habit of watching passers-by from her window. When she strikes up a friendship with one of them - the golden-haired Pamela - she has no inkling that the innocence of her fading years is about to be turned upside down. The little old lady becomes inextricably involved in the child's fate, and when she calls in private eye Arthur Crook to help, a plot of abduction, fraud and murder unfolds . . .

The Spinster's Secret

In the 'ads - wanted' section, no one said anything about murder... Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club 'No author is more skilled at making a good story seem brilliant' Sunday Express Middle-aged spinsters of independent means shouldn't answer matrimonial adverts. Agatha Forbes realised this when she saw what her brand new husband kept in his woodshed and screamed in mortal terror. By then her husband's tender caresses had slowly turned into a stranglehold. But, unbeknown to her, the moment that a doctor would scrawl his signature on her death certificate was creeping nearer with each passing day.

Anthony Gilbert

About

Books

Join the club