The Mammoth Book Of Historical Whodunnits

The third new collection of historical murder and mystery stories A brilliant new collection of thirty stories of mystery and intrigue spread over three thousand years, from Ancient Egypt to spies on the Titanic. Selected by bestselling editor Mike Ashley, the stories include brand new contributions as well as rare reprints, from writers such as Ian Rankin, Lynda Robinson, Sharan Newman, Gail Frazer, Gillian Linscott and Peter Tremayne. Among the characters featured are the Queen of Sheba, Attila the Hun, Hildegarde of Bingen, Geoffrey Chaucer, Henry the Navigator and Benjamin Franklin. And with settings as far-ranging as Botany Bay and ancient Pisa, New Amsterdam and old Edinburgh, ancient Greece and the court of Kublai Khan.

An all-new collection of exciting murder-mysteries with historical settings This new volume of historical murder and mystery contains over 20 specially commissioned stories ranging in period from Ancient Rome to the reign of Good Queen Bess. It features original stories from such masters as Steven Saylor, Peter Tremayne, Philip Gooden, Susanna Gregory, Kate Ellis, Michael Jecks, Edward D. Hoch and Marilyn Todd. · In Steven Saylor’s Roman tale, Poppy and the Poisoned Cake, Gordianus the Finder feels his latest assignment is suspiciously easy to solve. · Edward D. Hoch puts a novel twist on the locked-room mystery by setting it on a “locked ship” — Christopher Columbus’s, in fact! · In Flibbertigibbet Paul Finch unleashes a deranged serial killer on Elizabethan London. · Falstaff ’s successor Sir Johan de Mandeville turns sleuth in Keith Taylor’s Bene?t of Clergy. · Sister Fidelma must solve the mystery of a murdered Celtic monk in Death of an Icon by Peter Tremayne. · A pig provides the key to Michael Jecks’s latest Sir Baldwin mystery.- · Cherith Baldry turns Geoffrey Chaucer into a secret agent in her version of The Pilgrim’s Tale. · Anarchy and murderous intent rule when the Romans leave the British Isles in Richard Butler’s The Last Legion. . . . plus many more tales of dark age murder and mayhem!

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The third new collection of historical murder and mystery stories A brilliant new collection of thirty stories of mystery and intrigue spread over three thousand years, from Ancient Egypt to spies on the Titanic. Selected by bestselling editor Mike Ashley, the stories include brand new contributions as well as rare reprints, from writers such as Ian Rankin, Lynda Robinson, Sharan Newman, Gail Frazer, Gillian Linscott and Peter Tremayne. Among the characters featured are the Queen of Sheba, Attila the Hun, Hildegarde of Bingen, Geoffrey Chaucer, Henry the Navigator and Benjamin Franklin. And with settings as far-ranging as Botany Bay and ancient Pisa, New Amsterdam and old Edinburgh, ancient Greece and the court of Kublai Khan.

Divided into three main sections, "The Ancient World", "The Middle Ages" and "Regency and Gaslight", The Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunnits includes: · The Thief versus Rhampsinitus by Herodotus - probably the earliest detective story ever written. · The Locked Tomb Mystery, set in ancient Egypt, by Elizabeth Peters. · A new story by John Maddox Roberts featuring the young Roman detective Decius Metellus. · Robert van Gulik's ingenious He Came With the Rain featuring Judge Dee, a real-life character who lived inseventh-century China. · A new story by Peter Tremayne, set in seventh-century Ireland and featuring Sister Fidelma. · Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael story The Price of Light. · Paul Harding's The Confession of Brother Athelstan. · A classic locked-room mystery featuring Lillian de la Torre's popular detective Sam Johnson. · A story by Michael Harrison featuring August Dupin, the detective created by Edgar Allan Poe and the inspiration behind Sherlock Holmes. · John Dickson Carr's acclaimed The Gentleman from Paris. ...and many more!

Twenty tales of intrigue, murder and mayhem from this most bloodthirsty and exciting of times. With dramatic settings ranging form the Eternal City of Rome to the most remote outposts of her Empire, here are new tales form the masters of the historical detective story, with classic gems and rare reprints - plus a special introduction, and a new Gordianus the Finder novella from Steven Saylor. A Gladiator Dies Only Once, Steven Saylor: set just before the rebellion of Spartacus, Gordianus is sent to investigate, not a murder but a resurrection. Heads You Lose, Simon Scarrow: someone is beheading soldiers during the siege of Jerusalem, but could the assassin be within the Roman camp? Never Forget, Tom HOlt: having defeated Hannibal, Scipio Africanus has a murder to solve and consults a wily Greek philosopher to help him. The Hostage to Fortune, Michael Jecks: during Caesar's invasion of Britain, the murder of one of the hostages causes a real problem for the guards. The Finger of Aphrodite, Mary Reed and Eric Mayer: with Rome under siege by the Ostrogoths, John the Eunuch is faced with a locked room murder. Edited by Edgar Award winner Mike Ashley

More than thirty acclaimed mystery writers--including Elizabeth Peters, Margaret Frazer, Derek Wilson, Susanna Gregory, Edward D. Hoch, Steven Saylor, Peter Tremayne, and Marilyn Todd--present a baffling assortment of historical mysteries. Original.

Charles Dickens created some of the most memorable characters in English literature. But just what became of the convict that frightened young Pip in Great Expectations? Was he guilty, or framed? And what really did become of Edwin Drood? Was the case ever solved? Mike Ashley presents over 25 vivid new whodunnits from the world of Dickens - recorded for posterity by such writers as Michael Pearce, Amy Myers, Peter Tremayne, Alanna Knight, Kage Baker, and Edward D. Hoch. Many of the stories feature one or more of Dickens's characters, as a sleuth or as the victim of crime; while others are set in Dickens's real life, with him investigating people closely associated with him, such as Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell or Hablot Browne. Interlinking the stories is a narrative that brings alive Dickens's own life and part in the early development of crime sleuthing. The stories include: Miss Havisham's Revenge by Alanna Knight, in which we discover the part Estella Havisham played in the fate of Bentley Drummle; Murder in Murray's Court by David Stuart Davies, in which Oliver Twist has to help the Artful Dodger who has been accused of murder; The Thorn of Anxiety by Keith Miles, in which the mystery of Edwin Drood is at last solved; The Divine Nature by Kate Ellis, in which David Copperfield finds himself investigating the disappearance of Edward Murdstone; The Letter by Joan Lock, in which the skills of Inspector Bucket are once again put to the test in solving a crime that apparently never happened.