What's Inside
This anthology gathers short mysteries featuring a rotating cast of investigators ranging from the high-minded to the comically incompetent. The selections move from the gritty streets of Mulberry to the private studies of London, presenting cases of blackmail, missing pages, and masked noblemen. Rather than focusing on a single detective, the work displays a variety of investigative techniques — from microscopic scrutiny of book covers to the exchange of catty, professional correspondence between rival officers. The contents are ordered to highlight both the classic methods of deduction and the messy, often frustrating realities of detective work, where a case might end in a box on the ear rather than a tidy confession.
Works & figures
- Craig Kennedy
University professor who applies scientific methods to criminal investigations. (in “The Black Hand”)
- Matthew Sharpin
An overconfident investigator whose reports draw scathing mockery from peers. (in “The Biter Bit”)
- Violet Strange
A female detective described as a uniquely charming witch-woman. (in “Missing: Page Thirteen”)
- Sherlock Holmes
A London-based detective who consults with masked Bohemian noblemen. (in “A Scandal in Bohemia”)
What it's really about
- Professional rivalry
- Detectives frequently sabotage or mock one another.
- Methodological precision
- Success hinges on measuring and checking physical details.
Why it's memorable
- A detective measuring the thickness of book covers with a microscope.
- An investigator running away after receiving a slap to the cheek.
Where to start
Start with Edgar Allan Poe's opening story to see how the blueprint for modern investigative fiction first established its obsession with minute physical evidence.
For your book club
- How do the professional insults reveal the hierarchy of police work?
- Does the scientific approach to crime actually improve resolution rates?