The Pale Horse

Sample

Michael Kurland

> In 1891, Sherlock Holmes, in a struggle with his archenemy, the Napoleon of crime, Professor James Moriarty, plunged with him over Reichenbach Falls to his inevitable death. All of England - indeed, the entire world - mourned the irreplaceable loss of the greatest detective. And that's where things stood until 1894, when Holmes suddenly reappeared in London, revealing himself to his friend Dr. John Watson, and resumed his activities as a consulting detective. Holmes remained very quiet and mysterious on those nearly three years he was missing, never revealing precisely where he'd been or what he'd done in the "hidden years." >Now, in this anthology of original stories, the truth about those thirty-five months is unveiled and Holmes's adventures described. While some of these stories place Holmes in such familiar locations as New York and San Francisco, others find him high in the Himalayas or above the Arctic Circle. With stories from such writers as Rhys Bowen, Peter Beagle, Carolyn Wheat, Michael Collins, and many others, *Sherlock Holmes: The Hidden Years* is a must-have book for every fan who has ever wondered about the untold adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Sample

Dorothy Sayers

Consists of the following short stories - "The Abominable History of the Man with Copper Fingers": An artist's jealous nature leads to an investigation of his mistress' disappearance. "The Entertaining Episode of the Article in Question": A grammatical mistake in French unmasks a clever criminal. "The Fascinating Problem of Uncle Meleager's Will": The disposal of a dead man's fortune depends on his penchant for cross-word puzzles. "The Fantastic Horror of the Cat in the Bag": A high-speed chase and a lost bag converge with a gruesome discovery. "The Unprincipled Affair of the Practical Joker": A lady pleads for Lord Peter's help in retrieving a valuable necklace, and more importantly, a portrait with an indiscreet inscription. "The Undignified Melodrama of the Bone of Contention": Lord Peter, visiting friends in the country, sees a ghostly carriage, hears rumors of an odd will, and deduces that foul play is afoot. "The Vindictive Story of the Footsteps That Ran": Lord Peter deduces the whereabouts of a cleverly hidden murder weapon. "The Bibulous Business of a Matter of Taste": Lord Peter's famous palate is the deciding factor in acquiring wartime intelligence. "The Learned Adventure of the Dragon's Head": Viscount St. George appears as a boy as Lord Peter uses clues from a rare book to find a treasure. "The Piscatorial Farce of the Stolen Stomach": Involving several Scotsmen, a digestive organ, and a handful of diamonds. "The Unsolved Puzzle of the Man with No Face": Which ends with Wimsey letting a murderer go free, at least partially because he is a good painter. "The Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba": Lord Peter infiltrates a den of ruthless thieves; notable for unusual technology.

Sample

Dick Francis

Kit Fielding, proud heir to tradition and sporting hero to legions of fans, is drawn into a crusade to save his twin sister's marriage from ruinous scandal. His intercession proves more costly than he'd imagined by thrusting him into a deadly contest with a ruthless robber baron, and a violent adversary far too close to home for comfort.

Sample

Sir ArthurConan Doyle

Even Sherlock Holmes, well-accustomed to the bizarre, finds the elements of this case unusual; the scene of the crime, a moated English country house; the wapon, a very American sawed-off shotgun; the bereaved, strangely dry-eyed; and the solution, backward in time and deep in a VALLEY OF FEAR...