Those of us who are voracious readers can never get our fill. There is always some intriguing new mystery or riveting new thriller to devour, and an endless stream of new releases to add to our reading wish lists.
But sometimes you just crave a classic. These are the books that created the scaffolding for the genres we know and love—and they are just darn good.
Every month, we’re bringing you a selection of free ebooks to read that are perfect for all you timeless sleuths out there—lovers of all things mysterious and thrilling.
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Short stories of sophistication and psychological suspense, including an O. Henry Award winner.
In the wake of the First World War, a young woman watches the sky for a pilot who didn’t come home. A wealthy bachelor becomes increasingly obsessed with a beautiful stranger at a Manhattan restaurant. A nervous wife awaits a fateful phone call on a stormy November night.
These stories and five more showcase the literary skill of Frances Noyes Hart, author of The Crooked Lane and The Bellamy Trial, and one of the great literary talents of the early twentieth century.
Black Cypress
Pat and Jean Abbott are in lovely Laguna Beach, invited to visit some distant relatives at the Black Cypress estate. But the invitation is more professional than personal, since Pat is a PI and family member Enid Ponsonby appears to be targeted by a killer.
Whether her disagreeable personality has anything to do with it remains to be seen—but in the meanwhile, the Abbotts will have to untangle multiple mysteries involving a knife thrower, a dead New Orleans gangster, and a tidal wave of potential suspects . . .
“Skilled and sometimes scary.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
The Orator
"One of the most popular writers of the early twentieth century" (Mystery Scene) is back in print with a dozen classic detective stories. Edgar Wallace presents the thrilling cases of Chief Inspector Oliver Rater, ironically nicknamed "The Orator" for his silent intensity.
From breakneck heists to clever culprits, these action-packed tales—including "The Mind-Readers" and "The Couper Buckle"—are proof of the literary genius whose novels sold over fifty million copies.
Helen Vardon's Confession
A daughter's desperate bargain quickly descends into a fight for her life. After overhearing a shocking argument about a missing trust fund, Helen Vardon agrees to marry a man she despises to keep her father out of jail.
When the marriage ends in suspicion of murder, the bizarre and complex case falls to Dr. John Thorndyke, the pioneering forensic expert known for cracking the strangest of quandaries.
