Showing results by author "J. S. Fletcher" in All Categories

A young landscape painter, finds himself stranded by a fierce snowstorm near the Scottish Border and seeks refuge at the ancient, isolated house. He is taken in by the graceful young mistress, and her eccentric, ascetic guardian, an antiquary and collector. He quickly falls in love. He realizes that his host is at the center of a profound and potentially dangerous mystery tied to this single object, The Copper Box, compelling him to stay and investigate.

Someone killed Susan Wheeler by breaking her neck, hid her body in a country lane and made off with the content of her purse–a vulgar enough crime, on the surface. By what is a masterpiece of actual and deductive sleuthing, two young men prove that it was motivated by long-dead scandals and smothered hatreds, pin the crime on a proper person among a number of suspects, and finally run their quarry to earth in the network of streets that border on the London docks. One of the most beautifully knit and exciting novels by J.S. Fletcher.

Forty breathtaking short stories of gripping adventures, secrets and strange conspiracies. 'The Dust That Was Barren' by P. C. Wren. 'The Deserter' by Stacy Aumonier. 'The Lighthouse on Shivering Sand' by J. S. Fletcher. 'The Secret of the Smoked Spectacles' by William Le Queux. 'The 39 Steps' by John Buchan. 'Three Pennyworth of Luck' by Basil Murray. 'The Secret of Dr. Vaux’s Intrigue' by William Le Queux. 'A Thread of Scarlet' by J. J. Bell. 'How I Became a Secret Agent' by Dr. A. K. Graves.

In the whole history of the English people there is no period so absolutely heroic, so full of enthralling interest, as that in which the might of England made itself apparent by land and sea—the period which saw good Queen Bess mistress of English hearts and Englishmen and sovereign of the great beginnings which came to such a magnificent fruition under Victoria. That was indeed a golden time—an age of great venture and enterprise—a period wherein men’s hearts were set on personal valor and bravery—the day of great deeds and of courage most marvelous.

A brilliant anthology of weird and fantastic stories about islands and sea monsters. 'The Sea-Raiders' by H. G. Wells. 'Alone on a Wide Wide Sea' by J. S. Fletcher. 'Dagon' by H. P. Lovecraft. 'A Tropical Horror' by William Hope Hodgson. 'No Ships Pass' by Eleanor Smith. 'Aepyornis Island' by H. G. Wells. 'The Vengeance of La Maraye' by J. S. Fletcher. 'Absolute Evil' by Julian Hawthorne. 'The Shadows' by Henry S. Whitehead. 'The Lighthouse on Shivering Sand' by J. S. Fletcher. 'Over the Border' by Morgan Robertson. 'Treasure Trove' by Neil Munro.

The main characters are Dr. Mark Ransford, his two wards, Mary and Dick Bewery, and one Dr. Pemberton Bryce - an assistant to Dr. Ransford. Bryce makes unwelcome advances to Mary Bewery and Ransford, after having warned him against these advances, dismisses Bryce. Bryce sets out to make Mary his own while suspecting Ransford and implicate him in the murders. A surprising twist toward the end of the story.

After Dr. Charles Essenheim vanishes following a large cash withdrawal and the purchase of a rare book, his secretary and nephew uncover a calculated plot involving a second high-value book purchase and a mysterious woman. The discovery of Essenheim’s body on a remote Yorkshire moor shifts the search into a formal murder investigation that centers on an eccentric seller of the book, and a shadowy accomplice. Through methodical detective work by Scotland Yard, the team eventually apprehends a prime suspect, his associate, and a dancer, recovering both stolen volumes.

This story, originally published as Black Money in 1922, by Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863-1935), is a fast-paced thriller full of surprising twists and turns. Hetherwick, a young lawyer, becomes a witness to murder riding the train late one night. Of the two men who entered his train compartment, one drops dead, for no apparent reason, as the train pulls into Charing Cross station.

Richard Viner is basically an average young man on the street who, more or less accidentally, finds a dead body in a dimly lit alley while he’s taking his usual nightly stroll. He calls police and when they arrive they figure it’s likely a robbery gone wrong because the dead man’s valuables are missing. However, a prime suspect is arrested trying to pawn some jewelry belonging to the victim. He happens to be an old school-mate of Viner. Viner discovers the old chum is down and out and needs the money, so he decides to investigate and try get his pal vindicated.

A gripping collection of weird and fantastical stories of supernatural and unbelievable happenings. "Pomegranate Seed" by Edith Wharton; "The Tiger" by Hugh Walpole; "When I Was Dead" by Vincent O'Sullivan; "The Fire" by Charles John Cutcliffe Hyne; "Satan's Circus" by Eleanor Smith; "The Coffin Merchant" by Richard Middleton; and more tall stories....

A brilliant collection of some of the finest old sea stories ever written. 'The Overcrowded Iceberg' by Morley Roberts, 'The Substitute' by W. W. Jacobs, 'Reparation' by J. D. Beresford, 'The Paradise Coal-Boat' by Charles John Cutcliffe Hyne, 'The Registered Packet' by J. S. Fletcher, 'Treasure Trove' by Neil Munro, 'The Vengeance of La Maraye' by J. S. Fletcher, 'The Sea-Raiders' by H. G. Wells, 'No Ships Pass' by Eleanor Smith....

A ghoulish collection of loathsome and macabre tales full of astounding skill and diabolical cleverness. 'The Coffin Merchant' by Richard Middleton, 'The Everlasting Club' by Arthur Gray, 'The Vampire' by Jan Neruda, 'The Lighthouse on Shivering Sand' by J. S. Fletcher, 'The Story of the Spaniards' by E. & H. Heron, 'Over an Absinthe Bottle' by W. C. Morrow, 'The Anticipator' by Morley Roberts, 'The Snow' by Hugh Walpole, 'The Conjurer' by Richard Middleton....

'The Malachite Jar' is a detective story. An eminent magistrate, an antiquarian book and antique collector, has been found dead. The post mortem indicates that he was poisoned. But who could possibly have a motive for the murder? Various members of the community come forward with information, each of which points to a different solution to the puzzle...but which is correct?

A classic English murder mystery story, set in the legal center of London, draws the reluctant attention of a journalist as he makes his way home after a long night on the job. But his newshound instincts kick in. Who is the elderly man? What was he doing at the law chambers in the middle of the night? Why had someone seen fit to strike him on the back of the head?

Dive into this riveting classic mystery where a covert midnight rendezvous results in the startling discovery of the first dead body. Unravel the enigma where nothing is as it seems.

When wealthy industrialist and land owner John Mallathorpe passes away in an unfortunate accident without a known will, his estate falls into the hands of his wife and children. They live a lavish lifestyle until a humble bookseller uncovers Mallathorpes hidden will inside a book from the estate. The will reveals a shocking truth - the entire estate, save for a small sum for the family, has been left to the city authorities. The bookseller, seeking legal advice, dies unexpectedly in a solicitors office. A keen-eyed clerk spots an opportunity to exploit this newfound knowledge for personal gain...

A fast-paced and varied collection of captivating short stories ranging from action thrillers to poignant tear-jerkers to the downright weird, including: "Jerry Bundler" by W. W. Jacobs, "The Umbrella Mender" by Beatrice Harraden, "Green Ink" by J. S. Fletcher, "Why Herbert Killed His Mother" by Winifred Holtby, "The Red Mark" by Israel Zangwill, "The White Kid Glove" by J. S. Fletcher, "Sophy Mason Comes Back" by E. M. Delafield, plus many more.

When a famous actor goes missing, the search leads playwright Richard Copplestone to the seaside town of Scarhaven. Every clue seems to bring about more questions as the intrigue goes much deeper than anyone suspects. Copplestone uncovers layer after layer of dark secrets, many of them involving the attractive Audrey Greyle and her family. If Copplestone does not discover the truth soon, he risks endangering the lives of the friends he has made in Scarhaven, including Audrey.

It seems very unreal but the author is not only top-notch with his plot handling but he never strays from the bounds of reason. It isn’t easy to fool someone like detective sergeant Blick of Scotland Yard, but he does it. Blick is called in by an archeologist named Mr. Fransenmery to help solve the killing of Guy Markenmore, who had been away from the area for seven years and had returned because of the expected death of his father.

'Mr. Leggatt Leaves His Card' tells the story of a robbery. The famous and invaluable Hislip Chalice is stolen from the safe of the parish church at Meddersley, and the Reverend Francis Leggatt, Vicar of Meddersley, sets quickly out to solve the mystery before the ecclesiastical authorities get wind of it.