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Giant Book of Great Detective Stories
E.C. BENTLEY The Inoffensive Captain
CHRISTIANNA BRAND The Scapegoat
LESLIE CHARTERIS The Mystery of the Child's Toy
ROY VICKERS The Rubber Trumpet
R. AUSTIN FREEMAN The Moabite Cipher
EMILE GABORIAU The Little Old Man of Batignolles
DULCIE GRAY The Scarlet Butterfly
E. W. HORNUNG Out of Paradise
DOROTHY SAYERS The Cave of Ali Baba
MARGARET COLE Superintendent Wilson's Holiday
EDGAR WALLACE The Treasure Hunt
AGATHA CHRISTIE Sing a Song of Sixpence
H.R.F. KEATING Inspector Ghote and the Miracle Baby
WILLIAM WILKIE COLLINS The Biter Bit
EDMUND CRISPIN We Know You're Busy Writing ...
ARNOLD BENNETT Murder!
G.K. CHESTERTON The Eye of Apollo
MICHAEL INNES A Matter of Goblins
BARONESS ORCZY The Woman in the Big Hat
RAYMOND CHANDLER Goldfish
JUNE THOMSON The Girl with the Red-Gold Hair
L.T. MEADE and ROBERT EUSTACE Mr Bovey's Unexpected Will
FREEMAN WILLS CROFT The Mystery of the Sleeping-Car Express
J.C. SQUIRE The Alibi
GEORGES SIMENON The Evidence of the Altar-Boy
J.S. FLETCHER The Judge Corroborates
CHRISTIANNA BRAND The Scapegoat
LESLIE CHARTERIS The Mystery of the Child's Toy
ROY VICKERS The Rubber Trumpet
R. AUSTIN FREEMAN The Moabite Cipher
EMILE GABORIAU The Little Old Man of Batignolles
DULCIE GRAY The Scarlet Butterfly
E. W. HORNUNG Out of Paradise
DOROTHY SAYERS The Cave of Ali Baba
MARGARET COLE Superintendent Wilson's Holiday
EDGAR WALLACE The Treasure Hunt
AGATHA CHRISTIE Sing a Song of Sixpence
H.R.F. KEATING Inspector Ghote and the Miracle Baby
WILLIAM WILKIE COLLINS The Biter Bit
EDMUND CRISPIN We Know You're Busy Writing ...
ARNOLD BENNETT Murder!
G.K. CHESTERTON The Eye of Apollo
MICHAEL INNES A Matter of Goblins
BARONESS ORCZY The Woman in the Big Hat
RAYMOND CHANDLER Goldfish
JUNE THOMSON The Girl with the Red-Gold Hair
L.T. MEADE and ROBERT EUSTACE Mr Bovey's Unexpected Will
FREEMAN WILLS CROFT The Mystery of the Sleeping-Car Express
J.C. SQUIRE The Alibi
GEORGES SIMENON The Evidence of the Altar-Boy
J.S. FLETCHER The Judge Corroborates
- GenresMystery
Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
16 people want to read
About the author
Herbert van Thal
113 books36 followersHerbert Maurice van Thal (1904-1983), known as Bertie van Thal, was a British bookseller, publisher, agent, biographer, and anthologist.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 8, 2015
Book One: 3.4 stars
Bentley, EC - Phillip Trent 0 the Inoffensive Captain ***
Brand, Christianna - the Scapegoat ****
Charteris, Leslie - the Mystery of the Child's Toy ****
Vickers, Roy - the Rubber Trumpet ****
Freeman, R Austin - Dr Thorndyke Mysteries 0 the Moabite Cipher ***
Gaboriau, Émile - Monsieur Lecoq 0 the Little Old Man of Batignolles **
Gray, Dulcie - the Scarlet Butterfly ****
Hornung, EW - AJ Raffles, the Gentleman Thief 0 Out of Paradise **
Sayers, Dorothy L - Lord Peter Whimsey 0 the Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba ****
Book Two: 3.3 stars
Cole, Margaret - Superintendent Wilson's Holiday ***
Wallace, Edgar - Mr JG Reeder 0 the Treasure Hunt ****
Christie, Agatha - Sing a Song of Sixpence ***
Keating, HRF - Inspector Ghote 0 Inspector Ghote and the Miracle Baby ***
Collins, William Wilkie - the Biter Bit ****
Crispin, Edmund - We Know You're Busy Writing... ***
Bennett, Arnold - Murder! ***
Chesterton, GK - Father Brown 0 the Eye of Apollo ***
Innes, Michael - Sir John Appleby 0 A Matter of Goblins ****
Baroness Orczy - the Woman in the Big Hat ***
Book Three: 2.9
Chandler, Raymond - Goldfish ***
Thomson, June - the Girl with the Red-Gold Hair ***
Meade, LT - Mr Bovey's Unexpected Will **
Croft, Freeman Wills - the Mystery of the Sleeping-Car Express ***
Squire, JC - the Alibi ***
Simenon, Georges - Maigret 0 the Evidence of the Altar-Boy ***
Fletcher, JS - the Judge Corroborates ***
My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.
Bentley, EC - Phillip Trent 0 the Inoffensive Captain ***
Brand, Christianna - the Scapegoat ****
Charteris, Leslie - the Mystery of the Child's Toy ****
Vickers, Roy - the Rubber Trumpet ****
Freeman, R Austin - Dr Thorndyke Mysteries 0 the Moabite Cipher ***
Gaboriau, Émile - Monsieur Lecoq 0 the Little Old Man of Batignolles **
Gray, Dulcie - the Scarlet Butterfly ****
Hornung, EW - AJ Raffles, the Gentleman Thief 0 Out of Paradise **
Sayers, Dorothy L - Lord Peter Whimsey 0 the Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba ****
Book Two: 3.3 stars
Cole, Margaret - Superintendent Wilson's Holiday ***
Wallace, Edgar - Mr JG Reeder 0 the Treasure Hunt ****
Christie, Agatha - Sing a Song of Sixpence ***
Keating, HRF - Inspector Ghote 0 Inspector Ghote and the Miracle Baby ***
Collins, William Wilkie - the Biter Bit ****
Crispin, Edmund - We Know You're Busy Writing... ***
Bennett, Arnold - Murder! ***
Chesterton, GK - Father Brown 0 the Eye of Apollo ***
Innes, Michael - Sir John Appleby 0 A Matter of Goblins ****
Baroness Orczy - the Woman in the Big Hat ***
Book Three: 2.9
Chandler, Raymond - Goldfish ***
Thomson, June - the Girl with the Red-Gold Hair ***
Meade, LT - Mr Bovey's Unexpected Will **
Croft, Freeman Wills - the Mystery of the Sleeping-Car Express ***
Squire, JC - the Alibi ***
Simenon, Georges - Maigret 0 the Evidence of the Altar-Boy ***
Fletcher, JS - the Judge Corroborates ***
My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.
July 15, 2016
I found some of the stories heavy going, and it took me more than a month to finish the book. Crispin's 'We Know You're Writing But...', is a gem. Not strictly speaking a mystery but funny and concise and memorable. Collins' 'The Biter Bit' was an epistolary story which was perfect in the telling.
Some stories were a waste of space. I don't know why Emile Gaboraiu's 'The Little Old Man of Batignolles' was included. At 56 pages it was way too much long and besides I had figured out the murderer by page ten.
As the books was published in the late 1970s, the editors had chosen to include mostly stories from the first three decades of the 20th century. There were very few from the 1940s and 1950s. Not much variety really.
Also the 24 authors featured only five were female. And of the 24 stories none had a female protagonist. A little diversity would have helped.
Some stories were a waste of space. I don't know why Emile Gaboraiu's 'The Little Old Man of Batignolles' was included. At 56 pages it was way too much long and besides I had figured out the murderer by page ten.
As the books was published in the late 1970s, the editors had chosen to include mostly stories from the first three decades of the 20th century. There were very few from the 1940s and 1950s. Not much variety really.
Also the 24 authors featured only five were female. And of the 24 stories none had a female protagonist. A little diversity would have helped.
February 10, 2014
There are some very good stories in this volume but there are also a few not so good ones.
My favourite is the Maigret story " The Evidence of the Altar-Boy " near the end.
I found it quite annoying that none of the publication dates were given. I like to know when they were written. Three stars is possibly slightly mean but it's not worth four in my opinion.
My favourite is the Maigret story " The Evidence of the Altar-Boy " near the end.
I found it quite annoying that none of the publication dates were given. I like to know when they were written. Three stars is possibly slightly mean but it's not worth four in my opinion.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews