A nameless old man solves perplexing crimes that are reported to him by an enthusiastic female journalist while sitting in the corner of a cosy London tea cafe. The eccentric, self-assured sleuth solves a variety of crimes, from horrifying murders and daring thefts to cunning deceptions and lethal blackmail schemes, by using solely tactics of pure deduction. These brilliant, well-written stories by the author of The Scarlet Pimpernel are among the first and greatest collections of detective fiction. They are set in the fog-shrouded alleys of London, where gas lamps flicker in the darkness and descriptions of gruesome crimes splash across the pages of the daily newspapers.
