A nameless old man sits in the corner of a cozy London tea shop, and without leaving his seat, solves baffling crimes reported to him by an admiring lady journalist. Using only methods of pure deduction, the eccentric, self-assured sleuth unravels the mysteries behind a wide range of criminal acts--from gruesome murders ("The Lisson Grove Mystery") and daring thefts ("The Affair at the Novelty Theatre") to brilliant deceptions ("The Liverpool Mystery") and deadly blackmail schemes ("The Murder of Miss Pebmarsh").

Set in the fog-shrouded streets of London, where gas lamps flicker in the gloom and details of lurid crimes splash across the pages of the daily papers, these ingenious, well-crafted stories by the author of The Scarlet Pimpernel are among the first and great collections of detective fiction. They will delight devotees of Sherlock Holmes and other mystery-loving fans.