The English country house is an iconic setting for some of the greatest British crime fiction. This new collection gathers together stories written over a span of about 65 years, during which British society, and life in country houses, was transformed out of all recognition. It includes fascinating and unfamiliar twists on the classic closed circle plot, in which the assorted guests at a country house party become suspects when a crime is committed. In the more sinister tales featured here, a gloomy mansion set in lonely grounds offers an eerie backdrop for dark deeds.

Many distinguished writers are represented in this collection, including such great names of the genre as Anthony Berkeley, Nicholas Blake and G.K. Chesterton. Martin Edwards has also unearthed hidden gems and forgotten masterpieces: among them are a fine send-up of the country house murder; a suspenseful tale by the unaccountably neglected Ethel Lina White; and a story by the little-known Scottish writer J.J. Bell.

The Copper Beeches / Arthur Conan Doyle --
The problem of Dead Wood Hall / Dick Donovan --
Gentlemen and players / E.W. Hornung --
The well / W.W. Jacobs --
The white pillars murder / G.K. Chesterton --
The secret of Dunstan's Tower / Ernest Bramah --
The manor house mystery / J.S. Fletcher --
The message on the sun-dial / J.J. Bell --
The horror at Staveley Grange / Sapper --
The mystery of Horne's Copse / Anthony Berkeley --
The perfect plan / James Hilton --
The same to us / Margery Allingham --
The murder at the towers / E.V. Knox --
An unlocked window / Ethel Lina White --
The long shot / Nicholas Blake --
Weekend at Wapentake / Michael Gilbert