The old man in the corner

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 ("e;The Lisson Grove Mystery"e;) and daring thefts ("e;The Affair at the Novelty Theatre"e;) to brilliant deceptions ("e;The Liverpool Mystery"e;) and deadly blackmail schemes ("e;The Murder of Miss Pebmarsh"e;). 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.