The creator of the irrepressible barrister-sleuth, Rumpole of the Old Bailey, presents a superb collection of classic tales of mystery and suspense. With stories by such authors as P.D. James and Charles Dickens, Conan Doyle and Raymond Chandler, Edgar Allan Poe and John Mortimer himself, this anthology explores new dimensions in crime writing.

Contents:

• The Snatching of Bookie Bob (1931) by Damon Runyon
• Ginger and the Kingsmarkham Chalk Circle (1979) by Ruth Rendell
• The Adventure of the Copper Beeches (1892) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Biter Bit (“Who Is the Thief?”, 1858) by William Wilkie Collins
• The Purloined Letter (1845) by Edgar Allan Poe
• Murder! (1927) by Arnold Bennett
• The King in Yellow (1938) by Raymond Chandler
• The Absence of Mr Glass (1912) by G.K. Chesterton
• The Heroine (1945) by Patricia Highsmith
• Hunted Down (1859) by Charles Dickens
• Rumpole and the Tap End (1988) by John Mortimer
• The Woman in the Big Hat by Baroness Orczy
• Inspector Ghote and the Miracle Baby by H.R.F. Keating
• The Evidence of the Altar-Boy (1947) by Georges Simenon
• A Very Commonplace Murder (1967) by P.D. James