Inspector Hugh Collier

"I want to catch them. To do that we've got to lead them on. Now listen to me." Elbert J. Pakenham of New York City is among just nine survivors of the sinking of the Coptic, not counting his black cat Jehosaphat. The benevolent Mr. Pakenham has made his fellow survivors joint beneficiaries in his will, his nephew having recently passed away. But it seems that someone is unwilling to share the fortune, as the heirs start to die under mysterious circumstances ... Then Mr. Pakenham himself disappears, and Inspector Collier of Scotland Yard suspects dirty work. When a trap is laid that seriously, wounds his best friend at the Yard, Superintendent Trask, Collier is certain his suspicions are correct. Into his net are drawn a charming young woman, Corinna Lacy, and her cousin and trustee, Wilfred Stark; a landed gentleman of dubious reputation, Gilbert Freyne, and his sister-in-law, Gladys; an Italian nobleman of ancient lineage and depleted estate, Count Olivieri; and a Bohemian English artist, Edgar Mallory. But, Collier will need some unexpected feline assistance before the case is solved. One by One They Disappeared was originally published in 1929.

Together they looked down at the inert sprawling figure of a man fantastically dressed in red-and-white-striped pajama trousers, with a red sash belt and a white silk shirt open at the neck. A Christmas gathering of young and old in a great country house in England, a masquerade, and the lights are turned off, for a game of hide and seek. Silence, then a man's cry for "Lights!" The lights come on, revealing Hugh Darrow, blind since the War, standing in the main hall, fresh blood dripping from his hands and covering his white Pierrot costume. He tells the story of having discovered a dead man, stabbed through the heart, lying in a curtained window embrasure next to the one in which he was hiding. The murdered man proves to be Stallard, one of the visitors, and a writer of mystery tales. There follows a thrilling tale in which the life of an innocent man hangs in the balance. A grand and baffling tale for the mystery lover. The Night of Fear was originally published in 1931. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

"If I meet any dragons I'll run away." When Mary Borlase, English governess of the little Countess Nadine, escapes from Russia during the Great War, she brings with her jewels belonging to the ill-fated Romanoffs, including a famous emerald, the Eye of Nero. Mary dies of pneumonia a few days after reaching England, in a room over her brother's antique shop. What has become of the now missing jewels? Has she hidden them somewhere, or entrusted them to someone before her death? Years later a Russian waiter sells a secret twice over, and pays the ultimate price. The search for the emerald has begun. For a man calling himself Mr. Brown, and his gang, it is first an adventure, but becomes a matter of life and death. For Martin Drury, chicken-farming in Sussex it brings the gleam of romance and a chance of knight errantry. And for Inspector Hugh Collier of Scotland Yard, young and ambitious, backing his intuitions against the opinions of his superiors, it is a case full of pitfalls, whose issues might spell promotion-or a fatal mark against his name. The Belfry Murder was originally published in 1933. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

Our story begins with psychic investigator Cosmo Thor meeting Madame Luna, a fortune teller down on her luck. Madame Luna shortly tries to make desperate contact with Thor, but without success. Concerned, Thor consults his friend, Hugh Collier of Scotland Yard, and learns that Madame Luna may be a woman found dead from a fall from a cliff in Devon. But what in the world was Madame Luna doing in Devon, if the dead woman indeed was she? Thor's investigation leads him to Belgrave Manor, a country house of ill-favoured reputation. The house belongs to wealthy London philanthropist Mrs. Maulfrey, the same woman who happens to have taken custody of Madame Luna's young daughter. After a tense visit, Hugh Collier is on hand to pick up the threads in what turns out to be a remarkably sinister case, and one in which Hugh himself will be imperiled before the dénouement. An impressive tale of outré mystery and lurid crime, with a cast of compelling characters, The Belgrave Manor Crime was originally published in 1935. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

"We've managed to head off the Press men so far. But, that won't last. We can't escape publicity, and the reading public enjoys murders." Harriet Hall, living in her isolated cottage outside the village of Larnwood, might not have been everyone's cup of tea, but why did someone feel the need to kill her on the eve of the arrival of her young niece, Amy? Why had the likeable Deene family seemingly been so in thrall to the late Harriet? The innocent in this classic murder mystery have every reason to be grateful for Inspector Collier of Scotland Yard's involvement, given the incompetent behavior of the local Chief Constable. But, as Collier's investigation deepens, the case gets stranger still. Finally, however, the guilty are punished, though readers will have to read through to the book's final, quietly devastating chapter to see just how. The Strange Case of Harriet Hall was originally published in 1936.

"Not another murder!" "You've said it." Kindly Reverend John Clare pays a social call upon the saturnine Simon Killick at his forbidding house, The Grange. Killick is a virtual recluse who relies on three dogs and a parrot for company. Killick is soon found murdered in his home, while in a nearby wood a local schoolboy, Toby, discovers a dying stranger whose last words refer to a "kneeling woman." This kick-starts a complicated case for the local police and it is not long before Scotland Yard, in the form of Inspector Collier, is called in. Yet more murders follow-this time by poisoned chocolates. Are all the deaths connected, and is the "kneeling woman" the link? What might Sir Henry Webber, the new owner of Brock Hall, know about the case, or, for that matter, his snobbish wife Beryl, and their two ghastly sons? Or odd jobs man Tommy Yates, or Florrie Soper, cook at the Hall, who adores Edgar Wallace thrillers and is intent on marrying Tommy. At least Collier has the eager assistance of Toby . . . and his widowed mother Sandra. Has love finally entered the life of Inspector Collier? Let's just say Sandra and, especially, Toby reappear in the next Inspector Collier case, Death in the Dark. The Mystery of the Kneeling Woman was first published in 1936. This new edition includes an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

"The truth can't hurt anyone," she said rather faintly. He did not speak for a minute. Then he said without looking at her. "Not if he's innocent." David Merle, a young circus acrobat, is arrested and convicted of the murder in London of wealthy eccentric Joshua Fallowes. Only his sister, Judy, and their aunt really believe in his innocence, although kindly Ben Levy stands by Judy (with whom he is rather smitten). Things are looking bad for David until his sister gets a note from thirteen-year-old Toby (last seen in The Mystery of the Kneeling Woman). He has discovered some points of interest concerning the case, and this information sends Judy off to Sard Manor, a run-down country mansion complete with a privately-run zoo. She sets to work, sleuthing as an undercover housemaid. Fortunately Judy has a loyal friend in Toby, who comes furnished with a heroic Scotland Yard stepfather-none other than Inspector Collier. She'll need all the help she can get, when the potential antagonists include not only the denizens of the Manor, but the beasts which lurk without. Death in the Dark was first published in 1938. This new edition includes an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

"The man's heart was dicky. It couldn't stand a shock. The question is-what shock?" Roger Frere is delighted to meet the lovely Celia Holland. But Celia is leaving for the South American republic of San Rinaldo, taking a post as governess. When Celia gets accidentally mixed up in a bloody San Rinaldo revolution, she manages to return to England . . . and finds herself plunged into murderous local mysteries. A stranger has been discovered in the forest, having apparently died of sheer fright. Roger, now married, lives at Frere Court, with his bride Nina, plus a grasping stepmother and a theatrical half-brother. Also in the neighbourhood is Major Enderby, a solitary individual, retired after service in India. The Major seems to knowing more than he lets on about strange events in the area. These now include creepy nocturnal prowlings by a creature unknown; the poisoning murder of a housemaid; and an attempt to dispose of Celia Holland using a gift of dates-sprinkled with ground glass. Inspector Collier comes down from Scotland Yard to learn what's going on. He is presented with a truly extraordinary problem, one which should baffle and enthrall the devoted Dalton reader. Death in the Forest was first published in 1939. This new edition includes an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

"I'm worried....This damned black-out. I'm afraid of what may happen in the dark." Artists' model Althea Greville was, in life, known as something of a femme fatale. But, the phrase becomes only too literal. What initially appears to be red paint leads instead to Althea's dead body, murdered in Morosini's renowned school of art. Hugh Collier of Scotland Yard is, called in, but two more murder victims follow, one of them a female student at the school, stabbed to death at a cinema. After many a twist, Collier selects the right piece in the puzzle to identify a murderer operating under cover of England's World War Two blackout. It is a pleasure to accompany Hugh Collier in The Art School Murders as he suavely but relentlessly pursues, and finally brings to justice, a diabolically callous killer. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

"'Tes a queer place seemingly....Full of ghostesses, what with beasts coming down from the church roof and her that walks, hair blowing like smoke in the gale. 'T'esn't a place to be out alone at night." In London, rising young movie director Stephen Latimer learns of a gentrified family in Somerset with an old history of witchcraft and haunting. Scenting an excellent subject for his next film, he visits their ancestral manor. Pleased with his discoveries, Stephen returns to London, planning to spice up the family legend still further for the film. But, he is soon to learn that after his departure Death came to Little Baring. Inspector Hugh Collier of the Yard arrives on the scene, facing a case that concerns not one murder, but two. Whodunit? Someone within the narrow Condamine circle in Little Baring? Or, someone farther afield? And, is witchcraft really dead in Little Baring? The Condamine Case was originally, published in 1947. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.