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The Classic Collection of Anthony Berkeley. Illustrated: The Layton Court Mystery, The Wychford Poisoning Case, The at Lovers Cove, The Silk Stocking Murders and others
"The Classic Collection of Anthony Illustrated" presents a curated selection of iconic works by the esteemed British crime fiction writer Anthony Berkeley. This anthology includes illustrated editions of some of Berkeley's most notable mysteries, such as "The Layton Court Mystery," "The Wychford Poisoning Case," "The at Lovers Cove," "The Silk Stocking Murders," and several others.
In "The Layton Court Mystery," readers are drawn into a web of intrigue surrounding a perplexing murder at Layton Court, where the hunt for the truth leads to shocking revelations and unexpected twists.
"The Wychford Poisoning Case" delves into the sinister undercurrents of a seemingly idyllic village as investigators unravel the secrets behind a series of poisonings, testing their wits and resolve against a cunning adversary.
With "The at Lovers Cove," Berkeley transports readers to a coastal retreat marred by scandal and suspicion, where the allure of romance is overshadowed by the shadow of murder.
"The Silk Stocking Murders" offers a gripping tale of murder and mystery set against the backdrop of high society, where the hunt for a cunning killer uncovers dark secrets and hidden motives.
Each story in this collection showcases Berkeley's mastery of the detective genre, combining intricate plots, compelling characters, and unexpected twists to keep readers guessing until the final revelation. Enhanced with illustrations, this edition brings Berkeley's vivid settings and memorable characters to life, providing readers with an immersive and visually captivating reading experience. "The Classic Collection of Anthony Berkeley" is a must-have for fans of classic crime fiction, offering a timeless exploration of mystery and intrigue from one of the genre's most talented authors.
The Layton Court Mystery
The Wychford Poisoning Case
The at Lovers Cove
The Silk Stocking Murders
The Wintringham Mystery (Cicely Disappears)
In "The Layton Court Mystery," readers are drawn into a web of intrigue surrounding a perplexing murder at Layton Court, where the hunt for the truth leads to shocking revelations and unexpected twists.
"The Wychford Poisoning Case" delves into the sinister undercurrents of a seemingly idyllic village as investigators unravel the secrets behind a series of poisonings, testing their wits and resolve against a cunning adversary.
With "The at Lovers Cove," Berkeley transports readers to a coastal retreat marred by scandal and suspicion, where the allure of romance is overshadowed by the shadow of murder.
"The Silk Stocking Murders" offers a gripping tale of murder and mystery set against the backdrop of high society, where the hunt for a cunning killer uncovers dark secrets and hidden motives.
Each story in this collection showcases Berkeley's mastery of the detective genre, combining intricate plots, compelling characters, and unexpected twists to keep readers guessing until the final revelation. Enhanced with illustrations, this edition brings Berkeley's vivid settings and memorable characters to life, providing readers with an immersive and visually captivating reading experience. "The Classic Collection of Anthony Berkeley" is a must-have for fans of classic crime fiction, offering a timeless exploration of mystery and intrigue from one of the genre's most talented authors.
The Layton Court Mystery
The Wychford Poisoning Case
The at Lovers Cove
The Silk Stocking Murders
The Wintringham Mystery (Cicely Disappears)
1257 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 7, 2024
95 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Berkeley
120 books164 followersAnthony Berkeley Cox was an English crime writer. He wrote under several pen-names, including Francis Iles, Anthony Berkeley Cox, and A. Monmouth Platts. One of the founders of The Detection Club
Cox was born in Watford and was educated at Sherborne School and University College London.
He served in the Army in World War I and thereafter worked as a journalist, contributing a series of humourous sketches to the magazine 'Punch'. These were later published collectively (1925) under the Anthony Berkeley pseudonym as 'Jugged Journalism' and the book was followed by a series of minor comic novels such as 'Brenda Entertains' (1925), 'The Family Witch' (1925) and 'The Professor on Paws' (1926).
It was also in 1925 when he published, anonymously to begin with, his first detective novel, 'The Layton Court Mystery', which was apparently written for the amusement of himself and his father, who was a big fan of the mystery genre. Later editions of the book had the author as Anthony Berkeley.
He discovered that the financial rewards were far better for detective fiction so he concentrated his efforts on that genre for the following 14 years, using mainly the Anthony Berkeley pseudonym but also writing four novels and three collections of short stories as Francis Isles and one novel as A Monmouth Platts.
In 1928 he founded the famous Detection Club in London and became its first honorary secretary.
In the mid-1930s he began reviewing novels, both mystery and non-mystery, for 'The Daily Telegraph' under the Francis Isles pseudonym, which he had first used for 'Malice Aforethought' in 1931.
In 1939 he gave up writing detective fiction for no apparent reason although it has been suggested that he came into a large inheritance at the time or that his alleged remark, 'When I find something that pays better than detective stories I shall write that' had some relevance. However, he produced nothing significant after he finished writing with 'Death in the House' (Berkeley) and 'As for the Woman' (Isles) in 1939.
He did, however, continue to review books for such as 'John O'London's Weekly', 'The Sunday Times', 'The Daily Telegraph' and, from the mid-1950s to 1970, 'The Guardian'. In addition he produced 'O England!', a study of social conditions and politics in 1934.
He and his wife lived in an old house in St John's Wood, London, and he had an office in The Strand where he was listed as one of the two directors of A B Cox Ltd, a company whose business was unspecified!
Alfred Hitchcock adapted the Francis Isles' title 'Before the Fact' for his film 'Suspicion' in 1941 and in the same year Cox supplied a script for another film 'Flight from Destiny', which was produced by Warner Brothers.
His most enduring character is Roger Sheringham who featured in 10 Anthony Berkeley novels and two posthumous collections of short stories.
He died on 9 March 1971.
Gerry Wolstenholme
January 2012 (less)
Cox was born in Watford and was educated at Sherborne School and University College London.
He served in the Army in World War I and thereafter worked as a journalist, contributing a series of humourous sketches to the magazine 'Punch'. These were later published collectively (1925) under the Anthony Berkeley pseudonym as 'Jugged Journalism' and the book was followed by a series of minor comic novels such as 'Brenda Entertains' (1925), 'The Family Witch' (1925) and 'The Professor on Paws' (1926).
It was also in 1925 when he published, anonymously to begin with, his first detective novel, 'The Layton Court Mystery', which was apparently written for the amusement of himself and his father, who was a big fan of the mystery genre. Later editions of the book had the author as Anthony Berkeley.
He discovered that the financial rewards were far better for detective fiction so he concentrated his efforts on that genre for the following 14 years, using mainly the Anthony Berkeley pseudonym but also writing four novels and three collections of short stories as Francis Isles and one novel as A Monmouth Platts.
In 1928 he founded the famous Detection Club in London and became its first honorary secretary.
In the mid-1930s he began reviewing novels, both mystery and non-mystery, for 'The Daily Telegraph' under the Francis Isles pseudonym, which he had first used for 'Malice Aforethought' in 1931.
In 1939 he gave up writing detective fiction for no apparent reason although it has been suggested that he came into a large inheritance at the time or that his alleged remark, 'When I find something that pays better than detective stories I shall write that' had some relevance. However, he produced nothing significant after he finished writing with 'Death in the House' (Berkeley) and 'As for the Woman' (Isles) in 1939.
He did, however, continue to review books for such as 'John O'London's Weekly', 'The Sunday Times', 'The Daily Telegraph' and, from the mid-1950s to 1970, 'The Guardian'. In addition he produced 'O England!', a study of social conditions and politics in 1934.
He and his wife lived in an old house in St John's Wood, London, and he had an office in The Strand where he was listed as one of the two directors of A B Cox Ltd, a company whose business was unspecified!
Alfred Hitchcock adapted the Francis Isles' title 'Before the Fact' for his film 'Suspicion' in 1941 and in the same year Cox supplied a script for another film 'Flight from Destiny', which was produced by Warner Brothers.
His most enduring character is Roger Sheringham who featured in 10 Anthony Berkeley novels and two posthumous collections of short stories.
He died on 9 March 1971.
Gerry Wolstenholme
January 2012 (less)
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 16, 2025
An unfortunate choice
I came at these novels hoping to experience a few forgotten gems of a century ago, but found many of them so painfully seeped in misogyny and a main detective figure so unlikable that they were unfinished by me in the end. Why they have otherwise fallen from public memory is obvious, and the plots are nothing like Agatha Christie or other good author of that period produced in complexity.
I came at these novels hoping to experience a few forgotten gems of a century ago, but found many of them so painfully seeped in misogyny and a main detective figure so unlikable that they were unfinished by me in the end. Why they have otherwise fallen from public memory is obvious, and the plots are nothing like Agatha Christie or other good author of that period produced in complexity.
Want to read
August 18, 2024SEPARATE ENTRY FOR ALL IN COLLECTION EXCEPT "THE AT LOVERS COVE". THIS IS A PLACEHOLDER FOR THAT NOVEL, WHICH i CAN'T FIND SEPARATELY.
December 30, 2024
His earlier writings like these are dreadful. Maybe I will get past this someday. Meanwhile, I have better things to do!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews