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Capital Crimes: London Mysteries
Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder Capital Crimes is an eclectic collection of London-based crime stories, blending the familiar with the unexpected in a way that reflects the personality of the city. Alongside classics by Margery Allingham, Anthony Berkeley and Thomas Burke are excellent and unusual stories by authors who are far less well known. The stories give a flavour of how writers have tackled crime in London over the span of more than half a century. Their contributions range from an early serial-killer thriller set on the London Underground and horrific vignettes to cerebral whodunits. What they have in common is an atmospheric London setting, and enduring value as entertainment. Each story is introduced by the editor, Martin Edwards, who sheds light on the authors' lives and the background to their writing.
416 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2015
142 people are currently reading
1035 people want to read
About the author
Martin Edwards
358 books817 followersMartin Edwards has been described by Richard Osman as ‘a true master of British crime writing.’ He has published twenty-three novels, which include the eight Lake District Mysteries, one of which was shortlisted for the Theakston’s Prize for best crime novel of the year and four books featuring Rachel Savernake, including the Dagger-nominated Gallows Court and Blackstone Fell, while Gallows Court and Sepulchre Street were shortlisted for the eDunnit award for best crime novel of the year. He is also the author of two multi-award-winning histories of crime fiction, The Life of Crime and The Golden Age of Murder. He has received three Daggers from the Crime Writers’ Association and two Edgars from the Mystery Writers of America and has also been nominated three times for Gold Daggers. In addition to the CWA Diamond Dagger (the highest honour in UK crime writing) he has received four other lifetime achievement awards: for his fiction, short fiction, non-fiction, and scholarship. He is consultant to the British Library’s Crime Classics, a former Chair of the CWA, and since 2015 has been President of the Detection Club.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
May 5, 2016
I really enjoy these collections of Golden Age mystery stories. And I'm thankful for Martin Edwards and Poisoned Pen Press for their efforts to keep them before the public eye. They so much deserve to be read by ongoing generations. In our era where so many forms of media seem to deal with mystery primarily through use of violence and emphasis on overt terror, these stories are more subtle. Some undoubtedly will consider these a bit too quiet but I look forward to them. In this collection of about 20, there was only one story that disappointed me.
All of the tales here take place within the city of London. The streets, parks, place names figure prominently in each one and sometimes are part of the character too. A quote I found particularly good is from "The Hands of Mr Ottermole":
He wasn't, this man, a bad man. Indeed, he had many of the
social and amiable qualities, and passed as a respectable man, as
as most successful criminals do. But the thought had come into
his moldering mind that he would like to murder somebody, and
as he held no fear of God or man, he was going to do it, and
would then go home to HIS tea. I don't say that flippantly, but
as a statement of fact. Strange as it may seem to the humane,
murderers must and do sit down to meals after a murder. There
is no reason why they shouldn't, and many reasons why they
should. For one thing, they need to keep their physical and
mental vitality at full beat for the business of covering their
crime. For another, the strain of their effort makes them
hungry, and satisfaction at the accomplishment of a desired
thing brings a feeling of relaxation toward human pleasures.
(loc 2638)
This is from a story Ellery Queen felt was perhaps the finest crime story written.
While I did guess the outcome of a couple of stories, they were still effective. The writing, plot construction and characters make this a worthwhile read for those who enjoy mysteries.
Definitely recommended...and I do hope there will be more collections to come. I'm building a list of Golden Age authors to seek out!
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
All of the tales here take place within the city of London. The streets, parks, place names figure prominently in each one and sometimes are part of the character too. A quote I found particularly good is from "The Hands of Mr Ottermole":
He wasn't, this man, a bad man. Indeed, he had many of the
social and amiable qualities, and passed as a respectable man, as
as most successful criminals do. But the thought had come into
his moldering mind that he would like to murder somebody, and
as he held no fear of God or man, he was going to do it, and
would then go home to HIS tea. I don't say that flippantly, but
as a statement of fact. Strange as it may seem to the humane,
murderers must and do sit down to meals after a murder. There
is no reason why they shouldn't, and many reasons why they
should. For one thing, they need to keep their physical and
mental vitality at full beat for the business of covering their
crime. For another, the strain of their effort makes them
hungry, and satisfaction at the accomplishment of a desired
thing brings a feeling of relaxation toward human pleasures.
(loc 2638)
This is from a story Ellery Queen felt was perhaps the finest crime story written.
While I did guess the outcome of a couple of stories, they were still effective. The writing, plot construction and characters make this a worthwhile read for those who enjoy mysteries.
Definitely recommended...and I do hope there will be more collections to come. I'm building a list of Golden Age authors to seek out!
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
June 17, 2015
The streets of London...
From Sherlock Holmes to Lacey Flint, many of the detectives I have loved over the years have been based in London. And why not? One of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world with a history stretching back for over a millennium, it has always been a contrast of bright lights and dark alleyways, extreme wealth and desperate poverty, and every one of its ancient streets is drenched in the blood of the victims of its horrid past. Visitors love nothing more than to shiver in the London Dungeon, to thrill to the stories of ancient beheadings in the Tower, to make a pilgrimage to those famous rooms in Baker Street. What river has been the escape route for more criminals and the final resting place for more victims than the Thames? Who can think of Whitechapel without their thoughts turning to the eviscerated victims of Jack the Ripper?
So what better venue for a collection of classic crime stories? In this book, Martin Edwards has selected 17 stories from the Golden Age of crime writing, some from names we are still familiar with – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Margery Allingham, Edgar Wallace – but many from authors who have since faded into obscurity. He has arranged them into rough chronological order, allowing us to see the gradual transition from the heyday of the amateur detective to the beginnings of the police procedural with which we're more familiar today. The overall standard of the stories is variable, as in any collection, but I found most of them good or excellent, with only a couple that I felt really hadn't stood the test of time. But even these added something to the collection in showing how trends were just as strong in early crime-writing as they are now. For example, I was underwhelmed by Richard Marsh's The Finchley Puzzle, starring deaf, lip-reading amateur detective Judith Lee, but was intrigued to note that there seemed to be a fashion around that time for detectives with a physical quirk, since a couple of stories later we meet Ernest Bramah's blind detective Max Carradine – not unlike our current obsession with autistic detectives, but happily without the angst (or drunkenness).
The influence of Holmes and Watson is clear in some of the partnerships between brilliant detectives and admiring narrators, (though I suppose I should grudgingly give the credit to Poe's Dupin and his unnamed narrator really). R Austin Freeman's Dr Thorndyke in particular struck me as very Sherlockian, as did the aforementioned Max Carradine.
Many of the stories rely on intricate plots – 'locked room' mysteries, innovative murder methods, unbreakable alibis, etc. But others veer more strongly towards the psychological, using atmosphere to great effect to build suspense, and a couple of them could easily be classed as horror as much as crime. I've already highlighted a couple of the stories as part of my Tuesday 'Tec! slot (on my blog - https://fictionfanblog.wordpress.com/... ) – Edgar Wallace's The Stealer of Marble and John Oxenham's A Mystery of the Underground – but to give you a brief flavour of the collection, here are a few more that stood out for me...
The Case of Lady Sannox by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – this revenge story is definitely more horror than detection, telling the tale of a husband avenging himself against the man who is having an affair with his wife. A truly horrifying ending! And a great way to kick off the collection.
The Tea Leaf by Robert Eustace and Edgar Jepson – two men enter a room in a Turkish Bath, argue loudly, and only one leaves alive. But no murder weapon is found on the survivor or in the room. How was the murder done, and who is the killer? A fine example of a 'locked room' mystery with a unique method of killing.
The Little House by HC Bailey – amateur detective Reggie Fortune is asked to look into the case of a missing kitten, but this soon becomes an extremely chilling look at a case of child cruelty. The writing style is a bit staccato but the story is powerful with a strong sense of anger and justice.
The Silver Mask by Hugh Walpole – the story of the collection for me, and I will definitely be looking for more of Walpole's work. This tells of a middle-aged lady whose loneliness and maternal feelings are played on by an unscrupulous young man. The way Walpole describes the woman's character is very true and touching, and I found the portrayal of the unintended carelessness of her friends and family quite moving. This is another with an atmosphere of terror which mounts all the way through to an ending that is full of dread. Brilliant stuff!
They Don't Wear Labels by EM Delafield – an intriguing story told from the perspective of the landlady of a married couple living in her lodging house. The woman is suffering from 'nerves' and on one evening tells the landlady her husband is trying to murder her. But the husband is so nice to everyone, and seems so kind to his impossible wife – he couldn't possibly be a murderer...could he? Another psychological study this, of how one can never tell by appearances.
All round, an excellent collection that I highly recommend to all crime aficionados, and I'm looking forward to reading Edward's selection in the companion volume, Resorting to Murder: .
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, who publish the Kindle version. The paper version is part of the British Library's Crime Classics series.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
From Sherlock Holmes to Lacey Flint, many of the detectives I have loved over the years have been based in London. And why not? One of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world with a history stretching back for over a millennium, it has always been a contrast of bright lights and dark alleyways, extreme wealth and desperate poverty, and every one of its ancient streets is drenched in the blood of the victims of its horrid past. Visitors love nothing more than to shiver in the London Dungeon, to thrill to the stories of ancient beheadings in the Tower, to make a pilgrimage to those famous rooms in Baker Street. What river has been the escape route for more criminals and the final resting place for more victims than the Thames? Who can think of Whitechapel without their thoughts turning to the eviscerated victims of Jack the Ripper?
So what better venue for a collection of classic crime stories? In this book, Martin Edwards has selected 17 stories from the Golden Age of crime writing, some from names we are still familiar with – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Margery Allingham, Edgar Wallace – but many from authors who have since faded into obscurity. He has arranged them into rough chronological order, allowing us to see the gradual transition from the heyday of the amateur detective to the beginnings of the police procedural with which we're more familiar today. The overall standard of the stories is variable, as in any collection, but I found most of them good or excellent, with only a couple that I felt really hadn't stood the test of time. But even these added something to the collection in showing how trends were just as strong in early crime-writing as they are now. For example, I was underwhelmed by Richard Marsh's The Finchley Puzzle, starring deaf, lip-reading amateur detective Judith Lee, but was intrigued to note that there seemed to be a fashion around that time for detectives with a physical quirk, since a couple of stories later we meet Ernest Bramah's blind detective Max Carradine – not unlike our current obsession with autistic detectives, but happily without the angst (or drunkenness).
The influence of Holmes and Watson is clear in some of the partnerships between brilliant detectives and admiring narrators, (though I suppose I should grudgingly give the credit to Poe's Dupin and his unnamed narrator really). R Austin Freeman's Dr Thorndyke in particular struck me as very Sherlockian, as did the aforementioned Max Carradine.
Many of the stories rely on intricate plots – 'locked room' mysteries, innovative murder methods, unbreakable alibis, etc. But others veer more strongly towards the psychological, using atmosphere to great effect to build suspense, and a couple of them could easily be classed as horror as much as crime. I've already highlighted a couple of the stories as part of my Tuesday 'Tec! slot (on my blog - https://fictionfanblog.wordpress.com/... ) – Edgar Wallace's The Stealer of Marble and John Oxenham's A Mystery of the Underground – but to give you a brief flavour of the collection, here are a few more that stood out for me...
The Case of Lady Sannox by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – this revenge story is definitely more horror than detection, telling the tale of a husband avenging himself against the man who is having an affair with his wife. A truly horrifying ending! And a great way to kick off the collection.
The Tea Leaf by Robert Eustace and Edgar Jepson – two men enter a room in a Turkish Bath, argue loudly, and only one leaves alive. But no murder weapon is found on the survivor or in the room. How was the murder done, and who is the killer? A fine example of a 'locked room' mystery with a unique method of killing.
The Little House by HC Bailey – amateur detective Reggie Fortune is asked to look into the case of a missing kitten, but this soon becomes an extremely chilling look at a case of child cruelty. The writing style is a bit staccato but the story is powerful with a strong sense of anger and justice.
The Silver Mask by Hugh Walpole – the story of the collection for me, and I will definitely be looking for more of Walpole's work. This tells of a middle-aged lady whose loneliness and maternal feelings are played on by an unscrupulous young man. The way Walpole describes the woman's character is very true and touching, and I found the portrayal of the unintended carelessness of her friends and family quite moving. This is another with an atmosphere of terror which mounts all the way through to an ending that is full of dread. Brilliant stuff!
They Don't Wear Labels by EM Delafield – an intriguing story told from the perspective of the landlady of a married couple living in her lodging house. The woman is suffering from 'nerves' and on one evening tells the landlady her husband is trying to murder her. But the husband is so nice to everyone, and seems so kind to his impossible wife – he couldn't possibly be a murderer...could he? Another psychological study this, of how one can never tell by appearances.
All round, an excellent collection that I highly recommend to all crime aficionados, and I'm looking forward to reading Edward's selection in the companion volume, Resorting to Murder: .
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, who publish the Kindle version. The paper version is part of the British Library's Crime Classics series.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
May 26, 2015
In the early decades of the Twentieth Century, London was arguably the greatest city in the world. Sure, New York was nipping at its heels, and Paris could out-do both in terms of culture, but London remained the vibrant capital of a globe-spanning empire. It's no surprise that the London of that era remains a popular setting for novels, from smoke-clouded gaslights to the London Underground to 221B Baker Street. With such a wide body of London-based fiction to choose from, it seems natural that the British Library would build one of its first two original anthologies around London mysteries. As the Golden Age of detection is largely associated with British writers of the 1920s-'30s, it makes sense that the series would focus on the iconic capital, home to many a good mystery. As always, Martin Edwards provides an excellent introduction to the volume, and more informative introductions to each story. As part of the British Library Crime Classics series, it is available now in the UK and will release in North America on June 2nd through Poisoned Pen Press.
Some of the earlier stories are a bit dry, though Edwards' introduction gives them historical (and authorial) context, and Golden Age readers should well be familiar with the time period. Though there are a pair of big names (Conan Doyle and Margery Allingham), many of the authors are not as well-known today, and most are overdue for rediscovery---Edwards has a knack for pulling long-lost authors out of the past's overlooked shelves, and gives each one a stellar introduction. Together, the London of these stories becomes a wonderful and atmospheric element, the perfect cityscape for half a century of classic crimes. No matter what elements of Golden Age Mystery you enjoy most, there's probably something here to interest you: puzzlers, whodunits, some thrillers and suspense tales, some crime-focused stories, and a number of detective tales both straight-laced and sensational.
I'm more familiar with Ernest Bramah from his Kai Lung fantasies of a China that never was, but here he provides a quite serviceable detective tale featuring a blind detective. Despite how gimmicky that sounds, it's well-realized depiction, as the blind man and one of his colleagues meet with one Mr. Poleash, fearing for his life after marital indiscretion; shortly afterwards, Poleash is found dead in his own apartment. R. Austin Freeman's "Magic Casket" is a tale of scientific detection with strong "yellow peril" undertones, as Japanese criminals harass an elderly woman who deals in antiquities for a seemingly worthless carved casket. J.S. Fletcher has a similar use of sensational elements in his "The Magician of Cannon Street," where a hypnotic murderer from a two-year-old crime is tracked down using clever disguises---an intriguing story that kept me reading, if a bit daft with some of its ideas.
Richard Marsh's "The Finchley Puzzle" features female detective Judith Lee, who's honed her lip-reading skills as a teacher for the deaf. As criminals make failed attempts at Lee's life, an elderly couple living alone are found dead in their separate bedrooms, each untouched and uninjured. "The Tea Leaf" by Eustace and Jepson is the obligatory impossible crime, and it's a real humdinger---a man is murdered in a sauna with only one way in and out, right after quarreling with his rival, who pleads innocence; with that kind of set-up, you can expect an ingenious solution.
The first tale, "The Case of Lady Sannox" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of several pieces combining horror and mystery. Doyle's morbid little tale involves an arrogant surgeon called out to help a Turkish merchant whose wife had cut herself on a poisoned scimitar, and ends on the kind of chilling nastiness that makes Victorian-era horror so effective. There's another suspenseful, horror-ish tale in "The Hands of Mr. Ottermole," about a serial killer who's strangling victims to death quite literally under the noses of the local police. Panic grips London as more bodies are found and the authorities come no closer to finding the mysterious killer; the conclusion is a wicked-sharp twist that caught me off guard. John Oxenham's "A Mystery of the Underground" has another serial killer on the lose, slaying victims on the Tube and creating panic in the streets. Oxenham's story is more sensational and less suspenseful, but he writes it rather well in an epistolary style, with journalists reporting the sudden murders and almost bumping into the killer themselves.
Together with Resorting to Murder: Holiday Mysteries, Capital Crimes makes a great case for the British Library Crime Classics' ability to craft original anthologies of vintage stories... though with Martin Edwards at the tiller, this should be expected. The quality and variety of the tales is astounding; Edwards has dug out some excellent stories by now-unknown authors. No matter what type of mystery you prefer, from puzzlers to suspense tales, there will be something here for you---not all may be your cup of tea, but I found the collection to be well-rounded enough that even the stories that normally are not my cup of tea were enjoyable and of high quality. A mystery reader interested in the Golden Age may well profit from these volumes, while a newer reader may find them informative of what authors and what kinds of stories they prefer. Readers more familiar with modern bestsellers may be disappointed by the older prose styles, but I think readers who know what they're getting into will find Capital Crimes an excellent survey of the genre circa the first half of the 20th Century.
Some of the earlier stories are a bit dry, though Edwards' introduction gives them historical (and authorial) context, and Golden Age readers should well be familiar with the time period. Though there are a pair of big names (Conan Doyle and Margery Allingham), many of the authors are not as well-known today, and most are overdue for rediscovery---Edwards has a knack for pulling long-lost authors out of the past's overlooked shelves, and gives each one a stellar introduction. Together, the London of these stories becomes a wonderful and atmospheric element, the perfect cityscape for half a century of classic crimes. No matter what elements of Golden Age Mystery you enjoy most, there's probably something here to interest you: puzzlers, whodunits, some thrillers and suspense tales, some crime-focused stories, and a number of detective tales both straight-laced and sensational.
I'm more familiar with Ernest Bramah from his Kai Lung fantasies of a China that never was, but here he provides a quite serviceable detective tale featuring a blind detective. Despite how gimmicky that sounds, it's well-realized depiction, as the blind man and one of his colleagues meet with one Mr. Poleash, fearing for his life after marital indiscretion; shortly afterwards, Poleash is found dead in his own apartment. R. Austin Freeman's "Magic Casket" is a tale of scientific detection with strong "yellow peril" undertones, as Japanese criminals harass an elderly woman who deals in antiquities for a seemingly worthless carved casket. J.S. Fletcher has a similar use of sensational elements in his "The Magician of Cannon Street," where a hypnotic murderer from a two-year-old crime is tracked down using clever disguises---an intriguing story that kept me reading, if a bit daft with some of its ideas.
Richard Marsh's "The Finchley Puzzle" features female detective Judith Lee, who's honed her lip-reading skills as a teacher for the deaf. As criminals make failed attempts at Lee's life, an elderly couple living alone are found dead in their separate bedrooms, each untouched and uninjured. "The Tea Leaf" by Eustace and Jepson is the obligatory impossible crime, and it's a real humdinger---a man is murdered in a sauna with only one way in and out, right after quarreling with his rival, who pleads innocence; with that kind of set-up, you can expect an ingenious solution.
The first tale, "The Case of Lady Sannox" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of several pieces combining horror and mystery. Doyle's morbid little tale involves an arrogant surgeon called out to help a Turkish merchant whose wife had cut herself on a poisoned scimitar, and ends on the kind of chilling nastiness that makes Victorian-era horror so effective. There's another suspenseful, horror-ish tale in "The Hands of Mr. Ottermole," about a serial killer who's strangling victims to death quite literally under the noses of the local police. Panic grips London as more bodies are found and the authorities come no closer to finding the mysterious killer; the conclusion is a wicked-sharp twist that caught me off guard. John Oxenham's "A Mystery of the Underground" has another serial killer on the lose, slaying victims on the Tube and creating panic in the streets. Oxenham's story is more sensational and less suspenseful, but he writes it rather well in an epistolary style, with journalists reporting the sudden murders and almost bumping into the killer themselves.
Together with Resorting to Murder: Holiday Mysteries, Capital Crimes makes a great case for the British Library Crime Classics' ability to craft original anthologies of vintage stories... though with Martin Edwards at the tiller, this should be expected. The quality and variety of the tales is astounding; Edwards has dug out some excellent stories by now-unknown authors. No matter what type of mystery you prefer, from puzzlers to suspense tales, there will be something here for you---not all may be your cup of tea, but I found the collection to be well-rounded enough that even the stories that normally are not my cup of tea were enjoyable and of high quality. A mystery reader interested in the Golden Age may well profit from these volumes, while a newer reader may find them informative of what authors and what kinds of stories they prefer. Readers more familiar with modern bestsellers may be disappointed by the older prose styles, but I think readers who know what they're getting into will find Capital Crimes an excellent survey of the genre circa the first half of the 20th Century.
June 15, 2024
London Crime Shorts
Review of the Poisoned Pen Press eBook edition (June 2, 2015) of the British Library Crime Classics original (February 25, 2015) collecting 17 short stories published from 1893 to 1946.
[61/17 = 3.6 average rating for the 17 stories, rounded up to 4 for GR]
I usually pick up a British Library Crime Classic (BLCC) as a cozy seasonal read over the Christmas holidays, but when Capital Crimes: London Mysteries was offered as a Kindle Deal of the Day a few weeks ago I snapped it up immediately. The Martin Edwards anthology selections for the BLCC have always been reliable, with excellent variety. This proved to be the case again.
I've found the best way to record information and ratings on short story anthologies is to make immediate notes via GR's status updates which you can see below or at this link if you are reading outside of GR. Highlighted passages are here.
Poster of "London Pride" (1946) by Frank Henry Mason, a portion of which was cropped for the cover of "Capital Crimes." Image sourced from Artists98.
My 4 or 5 star faves (10 stories) are listed below. The other 7 stories were 2 and 3 stars, no 1 stars. I was surprised at the number of stories which had their own separate listing on GR, several of which I link to below. I expect all of these are in the public domain so likely many of them can be found for free online for those who take the trouble to look.
3. The Finchley Puzzle **** by Richard Marsh (1857-1915) does not have a specified publishing date. The lead investigator is a lip-reader named Judith Lee. The case involves a considerable number of chance encounters and lucky breaks but was still quite unique due to the main character.
4. The Magic Casket **** by R. Austin Freeman (1862-1943) was published in the same-titled collection in 1927. Various villains are attempting to steal a tiny metal box which was fashioned by a criminal when they were in prison. The box may hold a secret which only Dr. Thorndyke can uncover.
5. The Holloway Flat Tragedy ***** by Ernest Bramah (1868-1942) was first published in 1927. A suspicious case of attempted murder is brought to the office of enquiry agent Louis Carlyle. Carlyle enlists the aid of his friend, the blind sleuth Max Carrados to solve the case when the next attempt proves successful.
7. The Stealer of Marble**** by Edgar Wallace (1873-1932) was from the collection The Mind of Mr J G Reeder (1925). A woman is arrested due to her acting suspiciously with a suitcase, but the suitcase only contains broken pieces of marble. Reeder uncovers the diabolical use of the marble pieces.
8. The Tea Leaf ***** by Robert Eustace (1869-1943) and Edgar Jensen (1863-1938) first published in 1925. A classic early locked room mystery. A man is stabbed to death in a turkish bath and the last man who argued with him and left the room is the main suspect, except no weapon can be found.
9. The Hands of Mr. Ottermole **** by Thomas Burke (1886-1945) was first published in 1931. A mysterious strangler is randomly selecting victims around London and the police are baffled. A journalist thinks he has solved the mystery. Good twist ending.
10. The Little House **** by H.C. Bailey (1878-1961) from the collection Mr. Fortune, Please (1927). Reginald Fortune, a regular consultant of the authorities, is asked to investigate the case of a missing kitten, which turns out to be a much more diabolical situation.
13. The Avenging Chance**** by Anthony Berkeley (1893-1971) first publication was not listed, but the story was later expanded into the full length novel The Poisoned Chocolates Case (1929) which offered six different solutions to the case.
16. Cheese **** by Ethel Lina White (1876-1944) original publication not identified. A plan is set in motion to capture a murderer when someone offers to be the bait (i.e. the “cheese”) in a trap. The ending is basically given away at the introduction, but there was still suspense and a small twist at the end.
17. You Can’t Hang Twice**** by Anthony Gilbert (1899-1973) original publication in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine November 1946. A potential witness phones lawyer Arthur Crook to say that he can attest to the innocence of Crook’s client in a murder charge. But will the witness make it to Crook’s office with the murderer on his tail?
Trivia and Links
The British Library Crime Classics series are reprints of forgotten titles from the 1860's through to the 1950's. You can see a list at the British Library Crime Classics Shop (for North America they are reprinted by the publisher Poisoned Pen Press). There is also a Goodreads Listopia for the series which you can see here.
Review of the Poisoned Pen Press eBook edition (June 2, 2015) of the British Library Crime Classics original (February 25, 2015) collecting 17 short stories published from 1893 to 1946.
[61/17 = 3.6 average rating for the 17 stories, rounded up to 4 for GR]
I usually pick up a British Library Crime Classic (BLCC) as a cozy seasonal read over the Christmas holidays, but when Capital Crimes: London Mysteries was offered as a Kindle Deal of the Day a few weeks ago I snapped it up immediately. The Martin Edwards anthology selections for the BLCC have always been reliable, with excellent variety. This proved to be the case again.
I've found the best way to record information and ratings on short story anthologies is to make immediate notes via GR's status updates which you can see below or at this link if you are reading outside of GR. Highlighted passages are here.
Poster of "London Pride" (1946) by Frank Henry Mason, a portion of which was cropped for the cover of "Capital Crimes." Image sourced from Artists98.
My 4 or 5 star faves (10 stories) are listed below. The other 7 stories were 2 and 3 stars, no 1 stars. I was surprised at the number of stories which had their own separate listing on GR, several of which I link to below. I expect all of these are in the public domain so likely many of them can be found for free online for those who take the trouble to look.
3. The Finchley Puzzle **** by Richard Marsh (1857-1915) does not have a specified publishing date. The lead investigator is a lip-reader named Judith Lee. The case involves a considerable number of chance encounters and lucky breaks but was still quite unique due to the main character.
4. The Magic Casket **** by R. Austin Freeman (1862-1943) was published in the same-titled collection in 1927. Various villains are attempting to steal a tiny metal box which was fashioned by a criminal when they were in prison. The box may hold a secret which only Dr. Thorndyke can uncover.
5. The Holloway Flat Tragedy ***** by Ernest Bramah (1868-1942) was first published in 1927. A suspicious case of attempted murder is brought to the office of enquiry agent Louis Carlyle. Carlyle enlists the aid of his friend, the blind sleuth Max Carrados to solve the case when the next attempt proves successful.
7. The Stealer of Marble**** by Edgar Wallace (1873-1932) was from the collection The Mind of Mr J G Reeder (1925). A woman is arrested due to her acting suspiciously with a suitcase, but the suitcase only contains broken pieces of marble. Reeder uncovers the diabolical use of the marble pieces.
8. The Tea Leaf ***** by Robert Eustace (1869-1943) and Edgar Jensen (1863-1938) first published in 1925. A classic early locked room mystery. A man is stabbed to death in a turkish bath and the last man who argued with him and left the room is the main suspect, except no weapon can be found.
9. The Hands of Mr. Ottermole **** by Thomas Burke (1886-1945) was first published in 1931. A mysterious strangler is randomly selecting victims around London and the police are baffled. A journalist thinks he has solved the mystery. Good twist ending.
10. The Little House **** by H.C. Bailey (1878-1961) from the collection Mr. Fortune, Please (1927). Reginald Fortune, a regular consultant of the authorities, is asked to investigate the case of a missing kitten, which turns out to be a much more diabolical situation.
13. The Avenging Chance**** by Anthony Berkeley (1893-1971) first publication was not listed, but the story was later expanded into the full length novel The Poisoned Chocolates Case (1929) which offered six different solutions to the case.
16. Cheese **** by Ethel Lina White (1876-1944) original publication not identified. A plan is set in motion to capture a murderer when someone offers to be the bait (i.e. the “cheese”) in a trap. The ending is basically given away at the introduction, but there was still suspense and a small twist at the end.
17. You Can’t Hang Twice**** by Anthony Gilbert (1899-1973) original publication in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine November 1946. A potential witness phones lawyer Arthur Crook to say that he can attest to the innocence of Crook’s client in a murder charge. But will the witness make it to Crook’s office with the murderer on his tail?
Trivia and Links
The British Library Crime Classics series are reprints of forgotten titles from the 1860's through to the 1950's. You can see a list at the British Library Crime Classics Shop (for North America they are reprinted by the publisher Poisoned Pen Press). There is also a Goodreads Listopia for the series which you can see here.
January 4, 2016
An intriguing selection of short London-based mysteries by a variety of writers. Probably the most memorable for me is the opening non-Holmes tale by Arthur Conan Doyle, which is more horror than crime - I wished I hadn't read this one before bedtime, but it was a brilliant story. Also included are a Campion story by Margery Allingham and a Doctor Thorndyke story by R. Austin Freeman and a great story by Anthony Berkeley which was an early version of his novel The Poisoned Chocolates Case, fortunately with a different solution, as I haven't read that one yet! That one was probably my favourite in the book.
There are also many less well-known authors. Some of the writers are noticeably better than others, but I especially enjoyed two contemporaries of Holmes, Ernest Bramah's blind detective Max Carrados (as luck would have it, I've just received a free audiobook with another couple of his stories!) and Richard March's early woman detective Judith Lee, who solves cases through her skill in lipreading as a teacher of deaf pupils. There's also a good introduction by Martin Edwards.
There are also many less well-known authors. Some of the writers are noticeably better than others, but I especially enjoyed two contemporaries of Holmes, Ernest Bramah's blind detective Max Carrados (as luck would have it, I've just received a free audiobook with another couple of his stories!) and Richard March's early woman detective Judith Lee, who solves cases through her skill in lipreading as a teacher of deaf pupils. There's also a good introduction by Martin Edwards.
May 6, 2022
This is an interesting collection of stories set in London. I must admit that I often struggle with short stories, but I thought this was a well-collated collection with a good range of authors, from Arthur Conan Doyle, Anthony Berkeley, Margery Allingham and E.M. Delafield.
For lovers of Golden Age detective fiction, one of the highlights is "The Avenging Chance," by Anthony Berkeley, a short story which later became, "The Poisoned Chocolates Case." The Allingham story, "The Unseen Door," also features Albert Campion, although this is a fairly short, short story.
From killers on the underground, through foggy streets with a story inspired by Jack the Ripper, and some very unsettling crimes indeed, this is a good collection and very atmospheric.
For lovers of Golden Age detective fiction, one of the highlights is "The Avenging Chance," by Anthony Berkeley, a short story which later became, "The Poisoned Chocolates Case." The Allingham story, "The Unseen Door," also features Albert Campion, although this is a fairly short, short story.
From killers on the underground, through foggy streets with a story inspired by Jack the Ripper, and some very unsettling crimes indeed, this is a good collection and very atmospheric.
May 6, 2022
Enjoyed this anthology of London-set mysteries.
As a mystery fan, these collections are a fun way to try out different Golden Age mystery writers, some well known in that group, like Margery Allingham, others, like E. M. Delafield, known more as a humor writer. Here, though, she serves up a chilling story of a deceptively devoted husband, and a seemingly whiny, paranoid, hypochondriac wife, with a gut punch at the end!
There were several standouts for me; the stories are all very different, roughly chronological, starting in the late 1800s to the post-WWII period. As usual with the earlier stories in these anthologies, they tend to be longer, and I find them a bit hackneyed and sometimes, melodramatic or sensational - typical for the period, I think, and suitable for publishing as serials in magazines of the day. But here, in the Victorian era stories, we have a fun outing featuring Judith Lee, one of the earliest female detectives, and the truly creepy and horrific “Case of Lady Sannox” by Arthur Conan Doyle. It seemed familiar - it’s a “short, snappy” story of a horrible crime, as the introduction points out, and one a reader is not likely to forget! But definitely worth a read, as several of these stories were, for me. I have given a quick snapshot of each in my reading progress below my review.
As a mystery fan, these collections are a fun way to try out different Golden Age mystery writers, some well known in that group, like Margery Allingham, others, like E. M. Delafield, known more as a humor writer. Here, though, she serves up a chilling story of a deceptively devoted husband, and a seemingly whiny, paranoid, hypochondriac wife, with a gut punch at the end!
There were several standouts for me; the stories are all very different, roughly chronological, starting in the late 1800s to the post-WWII period. As usual with the earlier stories in these anthologies, they tend to be longer, and I find them a bit hackneyed and sometimes, melodramatic or sensational - typical for the period, I think, and suitable for publishing as serials in magazines of the day. But here, in the Victorian era stories, we have a fun outing featuring Judith Lee, one of the earliest female detectives, and the truly creepy and horrific “Case of Lady Sannox” by Arthur Conan Doyle. It seemed familiar - it’s a “short, snappy” story of a horrible crime, as the introduction points out, and one a reader is not likely to forget! But definitely worth a read, as several of these stories were, for me. I have given a quick snapshot of each in my reading progress below my review.
June 21, 2017
If anyone wants a lesson in how to write a next to perfect crime story, you must read this collection, it's absolutely divine!! The wide range of authors all add their individual magic to their wonderful stories, and Martin Edwards's synopsis about the author and their work at the beginning of each story is such a treat. I would love to dip into this over and over again.
September 21, 2021
Very enjoyable collection of murder mysteries from authors of the Golden Age of Detective fiction.
January 11, 2016
I really enjoyed this, good selection of stories with very short but useful introductions to each about the author that contextualises things. I liked all the stories - although obviously some are worse than others, I found even the worse ones enjoyable enough and interesting often from a stylistic/period writing perspective. Like a few of them were very pulpy but I still found them a lot of fun and it was cool seeing a different style of writing to that I'm used to. The content varies too: some are straight up mysteries, others are more suspense/psychological based stuff. A few stand-outs: The Avenging Chance, The Silver Mask, They Don't Wear Labels (which isn't a mystery story at all but is REALLY chilling, about . I'll also note The Tea Leaf, whose main plot point has unfortunately been used all over the place so you can probably guess it as soon as the murder is described BUT it's cool anyway. Anyway yeah if you have any interest in golden age mystery/crime type stuff I think you'll really enjoy this.
Also just for reference one of the stories "A Mystery of the Underground" is abridged but it just cuts out a lot of the "chase" stuff which isn't as interesting and I didn't really miss it at all
Also just for reference one of the stories "A Mystery of the Underground" is abridged but it just cuts out a lot of the "chase" stuff which isn't as interesting and I didn't really miss it at all
January 7, 2016
A fascinating compendium of short murder mysteries set in London. Mostly by writers now forgotten, but all of them fine stories. Arranged in chronological order, from Victorian times to the end of the Second World War. Part of a series curated by the British Library - I shall be trying some of the others ...
September 1, 2019
3 1/2 stars. I would call all of these mysteries, some of these are more thrillers or even possible horror. But it is a good mixture of writers many will recognize and some who are not as well known.
April 22, 2020
I appreciated Martin Edwards's introduction before each reading. Most of the stories were written 50-80 years ago. It was interesting to see the differences in writing style now and then. If you love classic mysteries, I highly recommend this anthology.
May 5, 2023
I’m not sure why but I was surprised that I liked the stories quite a bit. I wasn’t certain what to expect - though London is an interesting. The variety of the crimes made it quite interesting. Also there are a few written by authors that are really hard to find work by now— at least for at an affordable read.
One point I noticed is: I hadn’t read any of the stories before. I’ve read a lot of short story anthologies and at this point I’ve seen a number of stories again and again. I think the theme/location specific range actually made that happen.
One point I noticed is: I hadn’t read any of the stories before. I’ve read a lot of short story anthologies and at this point I’ve seen a number of stories again and again. I think the theme/location specific range actually made that happen.
December 31, 2025
Halfway through and feel I can't read any more of these stories without a break inbetween! Some are definitely better than others.
January 15, 2016
Review Title: It was a dark and stormy (and short) night
London is both a world metropolis, the financial capital of the world, and a leading light of culture, fashion, and technology. It is also at times and places dark, foreboding, and mysterious, and the setting for many a crime story, both true and fictional. Here is a collection of short crime fiction all set in London and taking advantage of the settings to drive plot and mood.
Editor Martin Edwards has collected stories from what he calls the "golden age" of British crime fiction, roughly 1920 - 1945. He is identified as the Archivist of the Detection Club, which he tells us in his introduction to the collection was originally called the London Detection Club, and many of the stories are written by representatives of the club. One of the benefits of the collection are that apart from a story by Arthur Conan Doyle, most of the writers will be new to all but the most diligent of British mystery fans. Edwards provides a short introduction to each story and its author describing their career and setting the story in its context within the author's career. The British Library Crime Classics series of paperbacks is republishing many of these neglected authors for a new generation of readers.
As with any collection like this, the stories are as varied by subgenre, style, and interest as the number of different authors and readers, with the advantage being that if you don't like a particular story or writer's style it is a short story and you won't encounter that writer again in this collection. Of course, if you like an author, while you only get one of their stories you can use the introduction from Edwards as a guide for further reading.
If you are familiar with London streets and neighborhoods, the settings will come alive. In most of the stories the London setting is more than just a backdrop, but a living character. Some stories reference specific street addresses or Underground stations ("A Mystery of the Underground" is set on the District line from the Temple station moving west), with the West End and riverside areas featuring frequently. Even if you don't know London like a taxi driver's Knowledge, the moods driven by the settings (fog and rain figure in multiple stories) will evoke a feel for the city.
The three stars rating is an average of the strong and not so strong stories here. But the collection serves as a good reminder of how suited crime fiction is to the short story format. Only a few of the 17 stories seem too long, and most move with the urgency and spare language so evocative of crime fiction.
London is both a world metropolis, the financial capital of the world, and a leading light of culture, fashion, and technology. It is also at times and places dark, foreboding, and mysterious, and the setting for many a crime story, both true and fictional. Here is a collection of short crime fiction all set in London and taking advantage of the settings to drive plot and mood.
Editor Martin Edwards has collected stories from what he calls the "golden age" of British crime fiction, roughly 1920 - 1945. He is identified as the Archivist of the Detection Club, which he tells us in his introduction to the collection was originally called the London Detection Club, and many of the stories are written by representatives of the club. One of the benefits of the collection are that apart from a story by Arthur Conan Doyle, most of the writers will be new to all but the most diligent of British mystery fans. Edwards provides a short introduction to each story and its author describing their career and setting the story in its context within the author's career. The British Library Crime Classics series of paperbacks is republishing many of these neglected authors for a new generation of readers.
As with any collection like this, the stories are as varied by subgenre, style, and interest as the number of different authors and readers, with the advantage being that if you don't like a particular story or writer's style it is a short story and you won't encounter that writer again in this collection. Of course, if you like an author, while you only get one of their stories you can use the introduction from Edwards as a guide for further reading.
If you are familiar with London streets and neighborhoods, the settings will come alive. In most of the stories the London setting is more than just a backdrop, but a living character. Some stories reference specific street addresses or Underground stations ("A Mystery of the Underground" is set on the District line from the Temple station moving west), with the West End and riverside areas featuring frequently. Even if you don't know London like a taxi driver's Knowledge, the moods driven by the settings (fog and rain figure in multiple stories) will evoke a feel for the city.
The three stars rating is an average of the strong and not so strong stories here. But the collection serves as a good reminder of how suited crime fiction is to the short story format. Only a few of the 17 stories seem too long, and most move with the urgency and spare language so evocative of crime fiction.
June 7, 2022
I enjoyed the first story (Arthur Conan Doyle) and the last hundred pages with the more well-known golden age authors. But in between there were three hundred pages I didn't particularly like.
March 29, 2020
These books have amazing covers don't they. I've reached for a couple already just based on the artwork which is reminiscent of early Underground posters. So shallow. Anyway, 17 detective/crime stories or vignettes, whatever you want to call them, located in the London of yesteryear, with the fog, the destitution, the cold... Different authors selected by Mr Edwards to provide a variety of perspectives within the early age of crime writing. There is a wide variety, that is true: from the typical if abbreviated whodunit to the twilight horror morsel where logic is better left at the door.
1) The Case of Lady Sannox. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A husband's horrific revenge stretches the limits of believable outcomes. It seems appropriate for the length of the story. Would be great in comic book form. Three stars.
2 )A Mystery of the Underground. John Oxenham. Probably one of the weakest and longest stories of the bunch. A series of inexplicable murders in the London tube sends Scotland Yard into a frenzy. One star and a half.
3) The Finchley Puzzle. Richard Marsh. It has in its favor the novelty of a female deaf sleuth able to lip-read. (There's been a recent TV show based on the same premise). Unfortunately, the crime is so convoluted and bizarre, snakes hidden in flower bouquets and poisoned chocolates notwithstanding, what lady could resist? that it looses interest. Stories where you actually think the sleuth deserves what's coming to her have that effect. Two stars generously.
4) The Magic Casket. R. Austin Freeman. Another story that becomes too complex for its own good. Some pearls are stolen but the imprisoned thief and his outside accomplices are only interested in a worthless little bronze statue. Or is it? In its favor: the use of a sidekick to the main sleuth and the insertion of exotic artifacts that require stepping out from the normal assumptions. Against it: the complexity and the slight racism. Two stars.
5) The Holloway Flat Tragedy. Ernest Bramah. Makes you think . How was it living in a world were people were supposed to be who they said they were? A few stories in the book hinge on this basic problem. A horrific murder is announced by the victim before it happens. Terrible forensics and shoddy treatment of the crime scene ensue. Three stars.
6) The Magician of Cannon Street. J.S. Fletcher. Hypnotism, like Amnesia and Disguise Mastery, are often used and overused in crime stories. This is one example. It is always the premise that gets you going and then...oh, he was dressed as X. Not satisfying enough for the whodunit, whydonit and howdonit crowd. One star.
7) The Stealer of Marble. Edgar Wallace. Skip this one. Another tremendously elaborate crime. Unless you are making bombs, huge bags of ingredients should be kept out of the narrative. One star.
8) The Tea Leaf. Robert Esutace and Edgar Jepson. This one was the first that had me trying to guess. A man gets stabbed in a Turkish Bath with only one way out and one way in. The weapon is nowhere to be found. It was a bit intriguing.
9) The Hands of Mr Ottermole. Thomas Burke. My least favorite. I may have to read it again to figure out why the twist at the end is deemed ingenious. A mass murdered strikes in the streets of London and nobody seems to be able to see him/her. Ok, so someone finds out but there is no why, how, etc...I just don't see it. Seemed pretty daft to me.
10) The little house. H.C. Bailey. Probably my favorite if we skip over the plausibility of the sinister motivation. An apparently banal incident with a kitten leads our nosy detective to suspect much darker goings-on in the neighborhood. I think this made for another great comic book style story even if the deduction was a bit out there.
11) The Silver Mask. Hugh Wallpole. This story falls more in the category of horror. A warning for all generous people out there, it resonates even today. Probably my favorite vignette in the book for its odd plausibility and unnerving crescendo. It is a common thread in many of these stories that the victims rarely think these things happen or could ever happen to them.
12)Wind in the East, Henry Wade. Another one with a master of disguise twist. Not great.
13) The Avenging Chance. This was a pretty good one. It involves yet another men's club rivalry and more chocolates. A man receives a package that he has no use for and it ends up, by chance, in someone elses' hands. Somehow, the unintended disaster becomes something else entirely. I like how this murder is wrapped in formality even though the methods of deduction beg for the reader's patience. As much as it was hard in earlier times to ascertain people's identity's, it was apparently really easy to find out where they shopped.
14) They Don't Wear Labels. E.M. Delafield. Very similar to "The Silver Mask", another horror vignette that leaves the reader uneasy and looking for resolution. A murder is being committed in slow motion in front of everybody's nose. Please make it stop.
15) The Unseen Door. Margery Allingham. This brief story pivots on one surprising twist. Nobody sees the murderer even though there should have been a witness.
16) Cheese. Ethel Lina White. A young lady is used as bait to trap a serial killer. What could go wrong? I really liked the style of the writer and the suspense she creates. She also gives her young victim an agency that many other female characters seem to lack in these stories - with a few exceptions. However, it seems a bit naive as a prescriptive story.
17) You Can't Hang Twice. Anthony Gilbert. Probably the most well rounded whodonit in the whole book if we ignore the fact that the detective basically lets the crime happen just so that he can solve it, or was it just too foggy?. The criminal's zeal in creating a tight alibi becomes his undoing when it turns out he knows more about the crime than he should. The only 4 star story in the book plot-wise
1) The Case of Lady Sannox. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A husband's horrific revenge stretches the limits of believable outcomes. It seems appropriate for the length of the story. Would be great in comic book form. Three stars.
2 )A Mystery of the Underground. John Oxenham. Probably one of the weakest and longest stories of the bunch. A series of inexplicable murders in the London tube sends Scotland Yard into a frenzy. One star and a half.
3) The Finchley Puzzle. Richard Marsh. It has in its favor the novelty of a female deaf sleuth able to lip-read. (There's been a recent TV show based on the same premise). Unfortunately, the crime is so convoluted and bizarre, snakes hidden in flower bouquets and poisoned chocolates notwithstanding, what lady could resist? that it looses interest. Stories where you actually think the sleuth deserves what's coming to her have that effect. Two stars generously.
4) The Magic Casket. R. Austin Freeman. Another story that becomes too complex for its own good. Some pearls are stolen but the imprisoned thief and his outside accomplices are only interested in a worthless little bronze statue. Or is it? In its favor: the use of a sidekick to the main sleuth and the insertion of exotic artifacts that require stepping out from the normal assumptions. Against it: the complexity and the slight racism. Two stars.
5) The Holloway Flat Tragedy. Ernest Bramah. Makes you think . How was it living in a world were people were supposed to be who they said they were? A few stories in the book hinge on this basic problem. A horrific murder is announced by the victim before it happens. Terrible forensics and shoddy treatment of the crime scene ensue. Three stars.
6) The Magician of Cannon Street. J.S. Fletcher. Hypnotism, like Amnesia and Disguise Mastery, are often used and overused in crime stories. This is one example. It is always the premise that gets you going and then...oh, he was dressed as X. Not satisfying enough for the whodunit, whydonit and howdonit crowd. One star.
7) The Stealer of Marble. Edgar Wallace. Skip this one. Another tremendously elaborate crime. Unless you are making bombs, huge bags of ingredients should be kept out of the narrative. One star.
8) The Tea Leaf. Robert Esutace and Edgar Jepson. This one was the first that had me trying to guess. A man gets stabbed in a Turkish Bath with only one way out and one way in. The weapon is nowhere to be found. It was a bit intriguing.
9) The Hands of Mr Ottermole. Thomas Burke. My least favorite. I may have to read it again to figure out why the twist at the end is deemed ingenious. A mass murdered strikes in the streets of London and nobody seems to be able to see him/her. Ok, so someone finds out but there is no why, how, etc...I just don't see it. Seemed pretty daft to me.
10) The little house. H.C. Bailey. Probably my favorite if we skip over the plausibility of the sinister motivation. An apparently banal incident with a kitten leads our nosy detective to suspect much darker goings-on in the neighborhood. I think this made for another great comic book style story even if the deduction was a bit out there.
11) The Silver Mask. Hugh Wallpole. This story falls more in the category of horror. A warning for all generous people out there, it resonates even today. Probably my favorite vignette in the book for its odd plausibility and unnerving crescendo. It is a common thread in many of these stories that the victims rarely think these things happen or could ever happen to them.
12)Wind in the East, Henry Wade. Another one with a master of disguise twist. Not great.
13) The Avenging Chance. This was a pretty good one. It involves yet another men's club rivalry and more chocolates. A man receives a package that he has no use for and it ends up, by chance, in someone elses' hands. Somehow, the unintended disaster becomes something else entirely. I like how this murder is wrapped in formality even though the methods of deduction beg for the reader's patience. As much as it was hard in earlier times to ascertain people's identity's, it was apparently really easy to find out where they shopped.
14) They Don't Wear Labels. E.M. Delafield. Very similar to "The Silver Mask", another horror vignette that leaves the reader uneasy and looking for resolution. A murder is being committed in slow motion in front of everybody's nose. Please make it stop.
15) The Unseen Door. Margery Allingham. This brief story pivots on one surprising twist. Nobody sees the murderer even though there should have been a witness.
16) Cheese. Ethel Lina White. A young lady is used as bait to trap a serial killer. What could go wrong? I really liked the style of the writer and the suspense she creates. She also gives her young victim an agency that many other female characters seem to lack in these stories - with a few exceptions. However, it seems a bit naive as a prescriptive story.
17) You Can't Hang Twice. Anthony Gilbert. Probably the most well rounded whodonit in the whole book if we ignore the fact that the detective basically lets the crime happen just so that he can solve it, or was it just too foggy?. The criminal's zeal in creating a tight alibi becomes his undoing when it turns out he knows more about the crime than he should. The only 4 star story in the book plot-wise
June 17, 2022
Enjoyable selection of short stories, linked by their London setting (although for some this setting is rather incidental and isn’t the main aspect of the story). Martin Edwards has chosen a number of crime stories, mainly from the Golden Age, and added short introductions about each author.
I generally enjoy short stories, and thought that most of these were good examples of the author’s art. Some are traditional mysteries with a detective, hidden clues, and red herrings, while others tend more to the psychological or require the reader to use their own imagination to decide what happened. My favourites were The Case of Lady Sannox, The Stealer of Marble and the chilling The Silver Mask.
I generally enjoy short stories, and thought that most of these were good examples of the author’s art. Some are traditional mysteries with a detective, hidden clues, and red herrings, while others tend more to the psychological or require the reader to use their own imagination to decide what happened. My favourites were The Case of Lady Sannox, The Stealer of Marble and the chilling The Silver Mask.
Currently reading
January 17, 20261. The Case of lady Sannox - 1893 - A.C. Doyle - concerningthe relationship between Lady Sannox and surgeon Douglas Stone.
2. A Mystery of the Underground - J. Oxenham - In 1894 a killer is at large on the underground.
3. The Finchley Puzzle - R. Marsh - why are there several attempts on the life of lip reader Judith Lee.
4. The Magic Casket - R.A. Freeman - Dr Rhorndyke discovers a casket in a church doorway.
5. The Holloway Flat Tregedy - E.Bramah- Carrados's friend p.i. Carlisle has a ew client. He needs to be saved from being murdered.
6. The Magician of Ca non Street - J.S. Fletcher - Tregarthen needs the help of Campenhaye and Killingley concerning an old case of murder
7. The Stealer of Marble - E. Wallace - Why are pieces of marble neded
8. The Tea Leaf - R. Eustace & E. Jepson -
9. The Hands of Mr Ottermole
10. The Little House
11. The Silver Mask
12. Wind in the East
13. The Avenging Chance
14. They Don't Wear Labels
15. The Unseen Door
16. Cheese
17. you Can't Hang Twice
2. A Mystery of the Underground - J. Oxenham - In 1894 a killer is at large on the underground.
3. The Finchley Puzzle - R. Marsh - why are there several attempts on the life of lip reader Judith Lee.
4. The Magic Casket - R.A. Freeman - Dr Rhorndyke discovers a casket in a church doorway.
5. The Holloway Flat Tregedy - E.Bramah- Carrados's friend p.i. Carlisle has a ew client. He needs to be saved from being murdered.
6. The Magician of Ca non Street - J.S. Fletcher - Tregarthen needs the help of Campenhaye and Killingley concerning an old case of murder
7. The Stealer of Marble - E. Wallace - Why are pieces of marble neded
8. The Tea Leaf - R. Eustace & E. Jepson -
9. The Hands of Mr Ottermole
10. The Little House
11. The Silver Mask
12. Wind in the East
13. The Avenging Chance
14. They Don't Wear Labels
15. The Unseen Door
16. Cheese
17. you Can't Hang Twice
March 11, 2023
The British Library's crime series feature stories set in London very consistently - as expected. However, this makes the selection of the ones included within this volume all the more commendable. The selected short stories truly manage to capture the spirit and atmosphere of London.
Favourite entries: "The Case of Lady Sannox" by Arthur Conan Doyle, "A Mystery on the Underground" by John Oxenham, "The Finchley Puzzle" by Richard Marsh, "The Holloway Flat Tragedy" by Ernest Bramah, "The Hands of Mr Ottermole" by Thomas Burke, "The Little House" by H.C. Bailey, "The Silver Mask" by Hugh Warpole and "They Don't Wear Labels" by E.M. Delafield.
Favourite entries: "The Case of Lady Sannox" by Arthur Conan Doyle, "A Mystery on the Underground" by John Oxenham, "The Finchley Puzzle" by Richard Marsh, "The Holloway Flat Tragedy" by Ernest Bramah, "The Hands of Mr Ottermole" by Thomas Burke, "The Little House" by H.C. Bailey, "The Silver Mask" by Hugh Warpole and "They Don't Wear Labels" by E.M. Delafield.
August 18, 2025
Pribably 3.5, because the anthology was a bit uneven - some pieces were excellent, others were meh. Loved the London setting.
September 8, 2025
KU Free Trial | As ever, short story collections are difficult to review, but the real selling point of this one is that I had only previously read a couple of the included stories, and yet it wasn't a 'scraping the bottom of the barrel' collection.
April 23, 2019
A lovely collection of short stories from "the golden age of crime".
June 1, 2022
More misses than hits for me: I just don't think I share Martin Edwards' tastes. It's disappointing that in a book with this title, so few of the stories have the feel of London - just name-dropping a street or area isn't enough, I'm afraid.
The standout story for me is The Case of Lady Sannox by Conan Doyle and even that isn't really a mystery and I foresaw the denoument well ahead of the end... which was deliciously decadent! There's also a taster from Antony Berkeley which was his test run for his more famous The Poisoned Chocolates Case. And one of the few tales that exploits London is about a series of murders on the District Line, though it fizzles out by the end.
Disappointing.
The standout story for me is The Case of Lady Sannox by Conan Doyle and even that isn't really a mystery and I foresaw the denoument well ahead of the end... which was deliciously decadent! There's also a taster from Antony Berkeley which was his test run for his more famous The Poisoned Chocolates Case. And one of the few tales that exploits London is about a series of murders on the District Line, though it fizzles out by the end.
Disappointing.
July 27, 2017
I never seem to be able to get into short stories, they seem to take ages to get through and there are always some that are great but the majority are fillers. This collection didn't buck the trend. A couple of nice twists and one particular tale that was more Conan Doyle than Conan Doyle (and the first story IS a Conan Doyle!).
February 5, 2024
In this collection, the editor seems to be scraping the bottom of the barrel. Not up to the usual standard.
December 22, 2019
This review can also be found on my blog
This collection wasn’t very capital if you excuse the very stupid joke.What choice do you have anyway? First of all, I didn’t feel that many of the stories “reflect the personality of the city” as promised. I understand that not every story can be one where London feels like it’s an additional main character, as it does in some Holmes stories (or as Oxford does in the Morse novels) but most feel like…they didn’t even try. For me only one story (Anthony Gilbert’s/Anne Meredith’s You Can’t Hang Twice) had a real London feel (admittedly mostly thanks to the old reliable London Fog but hey…it worked). A few more referenced enough places in London to also evoke some feeling of the place (Freeman’s The Magic Casket, Oxenham’s The Mystery of the Underground) and a couple were (partly) set in Gentlemen’s Clubs which I guess aren’t technically a purely London phenomenon but certainly feel like it if you’ve read enough mysteries (Berkeley’s The Avenging Chance and Allingham’s The Unseen Door). But the majority of the story have a sentence that informs you that this all happens in London but it never comes up again and you can’t help but think that this story could as well have taken place in Liverpool, Midsummer, Paris or Cleveland. I know it’s not the first time I’ve complained about the BCLC collections not quite living up to the title but e.g. Blood on the Tracks only had some stories that were set on a train but could easily have taken place somewhere else while Capital Crimes only has a few stories that could have only taken place in London.
The other reason it’s not very capital is…that most of the stories aren’t that great. I did enjoy You can’t Hang Twice a lot and not only because it was the only story that felt truly London. It was simply a good mystery with a criminal who in the end falls over his own attempts to construct an alibi.
J.S. Fletcher’s The Magician of Cannon Street is a story that’s more pulp than classic mystery (hypnotising villains that make even Moriarty look harmless) and I do enjoy some pulp but it wasn’t as completely bonkers as some other pulp stories and really: if you do pulp got all-out (the same goes for Edgar Wallace’s The Stealer of Marble: a very pulpy murder method but otherwise somewhat tame). Non-pulpy but still enjoyable is Berkeley’s The Avenging Chance, the basis for his later novel Poisoned Chocolate Case and yes, I do think the short story is better than the novel.
A mystery to me is what was done to The Mystery of the Undergroundno I wasn’t finished with bad jokes. It’s actually a novella that is printed in an abridged version and I don’t understand why it was abridged the way it was. We get a lot of (very dull) newspaper articles and then a paragraph that sums up how the sleuth figures out who did it, how the villain fled on a ship but was followed by the sleuth, how there was a confrontation on the high seas…and then the last page of the story. This didn’t exactly endear me to it even though it’s an early story that features a serial killer which I always find interesting. (Unless it’s The Hands of Mr. Ottermole by Thomas Burke, which is also in this collection and which according to the introduction was described as “The Best Crime Story” by Ellery Queen, a sentiment I can’t share. *sobs* Serial killers don’t work that way).
A few stories were…nice but nothing more. The Magic Casket is another Thorndyke story and even though I usually like him, this story lost itself too much in scientific details and explanations to be really enjoyable. The Holloway Flat Tragedy was at least a pleasant surprise because I’m usually not a fan of Ernest Bramah but this one had none of the things that bothered me about the other stories I know by him (namely extreme racism and Max Carrados making Daredevil’s talents look unimpressive) but this was just a neat (if slightly predictable) mystery (just like The Tea Leaf by Euston and Epson).
Finally, what bothered me that quite a lot of stories in this collection have the bad guy win. And it’s really in the sense of “the villain gets away with it” and not “we’re presented with a person who has completely understandable reasons for murder and doesn’t get caught”. I know that’s much more frequent in short stories than it is in full-length crime novels but it’s not something I ever enjoyed.
All in all this made for a rather disappointing collection.
This collection wasn’t very capital if you excuse the very stupid joke.
The other reason it’s not very capital is…that most of the stories aren’t that great. I did enjoy You can’t Hang Twice a lot and not only because it was the only story that felt truly London. It was simply a good mystery with a criminal who in the end falls over his own attempts to construct an alibi.
J.S. Fletcher’s The Magician of Cannon Street is a story that’s more pulp than classic mystery (hypnotising villains that make even Moriarty look harmless) and I do enjoy some pulp but it wasn’t as completely bonkers as some other pulp stories and really: if you do pulp got all-out (the same goes for Edgar Wallace’s The Stealer of Marble: a very pulpy murder method but otherwise somewhat tame). Non-pulpy but still enjoyable is Berkeley’s The Avenging Chance, the basis for his later novel Poisoned Chocolate Case and yes, I do think the short story is better than the novel.
A mystery to me is what was done to The Mystery of the Underground
A few stories were…nice but nothing more. The Magic Casket is another Thorndyke story and even though I usually like him, this story lost itself too much in scientific details and explanations to be really enjoyable. The Holloway Flat Tragedy was at least a pleasant surprise because I’m usually not a fan of Ernest Bramah but this one had none of the things that bothered me about the other stories I know by him (namely extreme racism and Max Carrados making Daredevil’s talents look unimpressive) but this was just a neat (if slightly predictable) mystery (just like The Tea Leaf by Euston and Epson).
Finally, what bothered me that quite a lot of stories in this collection have the bad guy win. And it’s really in the sense of “the villain gets away with it” and not “we’re presented with a person who has completely understandable reasons for murder and doesn’t get caught”. I know that’s much more frequent in short stories than it is in full-length crime novels but it’s not something I ever enjoyed.
All in all this made for a rather disappointing collection.
June 1, 2022
Like most anthologies, some of the stories here were good and others not so good. I liked the first one, even though the answer to it was given away right from the start. Others I particularly liked were The Magician of Cannon Street, Magic Casket, and Cheese. The weak ones were The Unseen Door, which seemed like it had been dashed off in a tea brake, and the one about the snake, which was very repetitive.
April 1, 2015
I was practically blown away by this compilation of crime short stories with setting in London. It will definitely help you appreciate this collection if you have a high regard for classical crime writing. Each story had it's own particular favorable aspect. Even the story I didn't like as much was only not as well liked because it was so well written that it made me uncomfortable to read it. These are seventeen stories from the 'old school' of crime writing. They are arranged more or less in chronological order of publication and the editor, Martin Edwards, precedes each story with biographical information about each author along with interesting remarks about the stories the author was known for. Here are the titles and authors of each story:
Arthur Conan Doyle, The Case of Lady Sannox (not a Holmes and Watson story)
John Oxenham, A Mystery of the Underground
Richard Marsh, The Finchley Puzzle (Judith Lee, early female sleuth)
R. Austin Freeman, The Magic Casket (featuring Dr. Thorndyke and Jervis)
Ernest Bramah, The Holloway Flat Tragedy (featuring Max Carados a blind detective)
J. S. Fletcher, The Magician of Cannon Street (featuring Campenhaye and Killingley)
Edgar Wallace, The Stealer of Marble
Robert Eustace and Edgar Jepson, The Tea Leaf
Thomas Burke, The Hands of Mr. Ottermole
H. C. Bailey, The Little House (featuring Reggie Fortune)
Hugh Walpole, The Silver Mask
Henry Wade, Wind in the East (featuring Inspector John Poole)
Anthony Berkeley, The Avenging Chance (featuring Roger Sherringham)
E. M. Delafield, They Don't Wear Labels
Margery Allingham, The Unseen Door (featuring Albert Campion)
Ethel Lina White, Cheese
Anthony Gilbert, You Can't Hang Twice
All of the editorial pieces contain interesting items such as pseudonyms and fascinating details of what happened to some of the stories after they were published. It was very interesting to see how many of these stories went on to have films based on them. Readers who seek out a lot of the classic detective fiction will realize that the Anthony Berkeley story, The Avenging Chance, is well known as The Chocolate Poisoning Case as well and even was made into a full length novel by its author.
This collection was a delight for me to read. With the exception of the Berkeley story they were all new to me and having them all based in London proved to be a solid point of contact which held the collection together well. There is even one story that hangs together because of a good, old fashioned London pea soup fog.
I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley.
Arthur Conan Doyle, The Case of Lady Sannox (not a Holmes and Watson story)
John Oxenham, A Mystery of the Underground
Richard Marsh, The Finchley Puzzle (Judith Lee, early female sleuth)
R. Austin Freeman, The Magic Casket (featuring Dr. Thorndyke and Jervis)
Ernest Bramah, The Holloway Flat Tragedy (featuring Max Carados a blind detective)
J. S. Fletcher, The Magician of Cannon Street (featuring Campenhaye and Killingley)
Edgar Wallace, The Stealer of Marble
Robert Eustace and Edgar Jepson, The Tea Leaf
Thomas Burke, The Hands of Mr. Ottermole
H. C. Bailey, The Little House (featuring Reggie Fortune)
Hugh Walpole, The Silver Mask
Henry Wade, Wind in the East (featuring Inspector John Poole)
Anthony Berkeley, The Avenging Chance (featuring Roger Sherringham)
E. M. Delafield, They Don't Wear Labels
Margery Allingham, The Unseen Door (featuring Albert Campion)
Ethel Lina White, Cheese
Anthony Gilbert, You Can't Hang Twice
All of the editorial pieces contain interesting items such as pseudonyms and fascinating details of what happened to some of the stories after they were published. It was very interesting to see how many of these stories went on to have films based on them. Readers who seek out a lot of the classic detective fiction will realize that the Anthony Berkeley story, The Avenging Chance, is well known as The Chocolate Poisoning Case as well and even was made into a full length novel by its author.
This collection was a delight for me to read. With the exception of the Berkeley story they were all new to me and having them all based in London proved to be a solid point of contact which held the collection together well. There is even one story that hangs together because of a good, old fashioned London pea soup fog.
I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley.
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