Detection by Gaslight

A collection put together by mystery authority Douglas Greene, this 258-page volume gathers stories from writers as well known as Kipling ("The Return of Imray") and G.K. Chesterton ("The Eye of Apollo"). Also included is A. Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches". Other writers and stories: Robert W. Chambers -- The Purple Emperor R. Austin Freeman -- The Dead Hand Jacques Futrelle -- The Tragedy of the Life Raft E. and H. Heron -- The Story of Baelbrow Headon Hill -- The Divinization of the Zagury Capsules Silas K. Hocking -- A Perverted Genius L.T. Meade & Robert Eustace -- Mr. Bovey's Unexpected Will Arthur Morrison -- The Case of the Lost Foreigner Baroness Orczy -- The York Mystery Catherine L. Pirkis -- The Ghost of Fountain Lane George R. Sims -- The Haverstock Hill Murder The book also contains a two-page introduction by mystery authority Douglas G. Greene, as well as interesting under-one-page biographical notes about each author. Recommended as a nice mind-trip to Victorian times for mystery readers, for a more-than-reasonable price.

Editor Douglas Greene has gathered an eclectic set of Victorian mysteries that is sure to please fans of Victorian literature. Many of these authors are long out of print, and there were several with whom I was completely unfamiliar. There were of course, stories by Doyle, Orczy and Chesterton to represent the more traditional favorites--Chesterton's "The Eye of Apollo" is especially excellent. Several of the other stories were surprisingly deep and well-written, though there were also a few truly dreadfully written stories, that were quite popular in their day, and reading them was fun in a different way. (I'll not give my opinion as to which stories were which, so as not to influence other readers.) Overall, this is an excellent set of Victorian stories, giving a wide range of styles and tastes, with a short biography of the author at the start of the story. For anyone who enjoys Victorian lit, these stories (especially the lesser known gems among them) will make a wonderful read.

Having spent years combing the used bookstores from Maine to Florida for Victorian era detective fiction, I can vouch for the superlative quality of this collection. You would probably have to time-travel in order to find so many intriguing stories all in one place-including a rare gem by R. Austin Freeman which apparently has never been published before in the United States. The editor is Edgar award-winning author Douglas G. Greene, considered by many the foremost authority on classic detective fiction today. The introductory essay alone is worth the price of the book. Thanks again, Dover-and thanks again, Douglas Greene.