Anthony Gilbert – författare

This classic country house mystery, first published in 1933, contrasts the splendours and frivolities of the English upper classes with the sombre overhang of the First World War and the irresistible complications of deadly familial relationships.

'Powerful and impressive ...there is a fine inevitability in the plot structure which gives it true tragic quality' - Dorothy L. SayersAdrian Gray was born in May 1862 and met his death through violence, at the hands of one of his own children, at Christmas, 1931. Thus begins a classic crime novel published in 1933, a riveting portrait of the psychology of a murderer. Each December, Adrian Gray invites his extended family to stay at his lonely house, Kings Poplars. None of Gray's six surviving children is fond of him; several have cause to wish him dead. The family gathers on Christmas Eve - and by the following morning, their wish has been granted. This fascinating and unusual novel tells the story of what happened that dark Christmas night; and what the murderer did next.

Lawyer-detective Arthur Crook always believes his clients are innocent... despite the evidence to the contrary.Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubA famous art collector's car discovered at the bottom of a cliff after he was supposed to have taken a young woman to the railway station, so naturally the police expect to find his body there, too. But it turns up weeks later, in a locked room in his country house, and he's been stabbed to death...

A man is accused of murdering his wife - and all the evidence points to his guilt.Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club'No author is more skilled at making a good story seem brilliant' Sunday ExpressIt was a dark night, clammy with fog; an evil night when anything could happen. That was the night it all began - when the net of cruel circumstance began to close in around Jack Barton The body of his beautiful, murdered wife had rotted away in a trunk in the dark cellar where he had hidden it. It was useless to say hiding the body was all he had done. It was pointless to insist he was innocent of her death. Who would believe him?

The most unlikely person is plunged into danger - but the police don't believe her. After all, she's not the kind of woman these things happen to... not murder, surely...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection 'No author is more skilled at making a good story seem brilliant' Sunday ExpressLaura Verity is an elderly lady with not much money and no past - not someone things happen to. But suddenly her life is plunged into danger, and without lawyer-sleuth Arthur Crook's timely interference, she might have lost it altogether.One thing she will never lose, though, is her head: the police don't believe her - she proves them wrong. The wine might be poisoned - she'll keep it for Crook to test. Does that car belong to the murderer? She'll just get in and see where he takes her. Together, brave Miss Verity and Arthur Crook uncover the truth about a murder.

In the 'ads - wanted' section, no one said anything about murder...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club'No author is more skilled at making a good story seem brilliant' Sunday ExpressMiddle-aged spinsters of independent means shouldn't answer matrimonial adverts. Agatha Forbes realised this when she saw what her brand new husband kept in his woodshed and screamed in mortal terror.By then her husband's tender caresses had slowly turned into a stranglehold. But, unbeknown to her, the moment that a doctor would scrawl his signature on her death certificate was creeping nearer with each passing day.

In the darkness of World War Two, a murderer strikes... Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club'No author is more skilled at making a good story seem brilliant' Sunday Express'He stood very still for a moment. He said he had a sixth sense that warned him of danger. The fact that more murderous attempts had been made on his life did not affect his belief in his instinct. He said that in his profession a man had to harden himself to take risks. That was what his clients paid him for, "and," he would add, "they pay damn well." 'Death in the Blackout takes place in the heart of World War II and opens as a bomb drops uncomfortably close to detective Arthur Crook's London flat, setting off a mysterious chain of events.

How do you catch a killer when the murder goes unnoticed?Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubThe victim was certainly deserving of death, but not the hard, cruel death he found. No one deserved that . . .At first, the killer goes unsuspected. Someone else would pay the price for the crime - an innocent woman would pay and the murderer was willing to arrange other, more 'accidental' deaths to ensure it . . . until solicitor-detective Arthur Crook steps in. In one of his most baffling cases, Crook only has two guiding principles: his client is always innocent and, come hell or high water, he always gets his man.

Murder, politics and Nazi sympathisers - Arthur Crook has his detection skills pushed to the limit., with a most unlikely conspirator...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club'The lobby of the House of Commons was very full on the momentous afternoon that Miss Sarah Bennett, a composed and amused spinster, torn from her happy obscurity by an energetic and enterprising Minister of Labour, came from the Temporary Pass Office, up the stairs, through a corridor lined with effigies of the great . . .'Arthur Crook, and valiant conspirator Miss Sarah Bennett, secretary to Allen Wilkinson Stout MP, adventure through murders, Nazi incitement and parliamentary happenings to save a wing commander arrested for murder.

Blackmail leads to murder - but which of the blackmailer's victims is guilty of such a brutal crime?Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubJames Chigwell is a blackmailer, a human spider who fattens on the blood of other men - on their misfortunes and on their mistakes. But retribution comes to Chigwell when one of his victims at last rebels against his maliciousness and bludgeons him to death.But who among Chigwell's final victims has the courage of despair to slay his tormentor?The Scarlet Button is at once grim and entertaining and, of course, features the celebrated detective Arthur Crook.

A young woman has a new position - but will she listen to the voice warning her not to cross the threshold of that sinister house...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubNora Deane, a young nurse, has been instructed to report to 12 Askew Avenue, Charlbury, to look after a new patient. As she steps from the station into an impenetrable blanket of fog, she is glad to accept the escort of a mysterious young man to the address. Once alone in the darkness, she presses the bell and waits. She shivers. She wants to be inside, out of the dangers of the dark. Yet some inner voice persistently warns her not to cross the threshold of that sinister house . . .

Some men are born to be murderedClassic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubLewis Bishop was born to be murdered - the perfect victim, a man whom many had every reason to hate and fear. When he is suddenly shot dead one night he leaves behind him only unpleasant memories, a flood of relief, and a pretty puzzle for the police - and a case for the irrepressible detective Arthur Crook . . .

A rich, curmudgeonly old husband, a beautiful young wife, a mysterious voice from the past - and murder...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubWhen murder hits the sleepy town of Hinton St Luke tongues start wagging. It's what you might call a cosy domestic murder: a beautiful young wife; her much-older husband dying at just the right moment; a jealous nurse; a mysterious voice from the past and a set of anonymous letters.But which one will lead directly to the killer's front door?

A chilling day of murder in the midst of post-World War II austerityClassic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubIn the spring of 1946, the redoubtable Lady Bate arrives at The Downs, built by the eccentric Colonel Anstruther years before. The aftermath of war has forced the colonel's daughter to take in paying guests, but only Lady Bate knows the secret of Mrs Anstruther's past life and the mystery behind her hermit-like existence. When Lady Bate is found dead, a chance remark puts detective Arthur Crook on the right track, which he follows - at risk to his life.

Forget The Girl on the Train - meet the woman who watches from her window, and finds herself caught up in murder...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club'Watching, fascinated and horrified, he saw thin fingers creep around the edge of the black curtain. Someone from inside was tugging to loosen it . . .'Miss Janet Martin, a 74-year-old spinster, enjoys her daily habit of watching passers-by from her window. When she strikes up a friendship with one of them - the golden-haired Pamela - she has no inkling that the innocence of her fading years is about to be turned upside down.The little old lady becomes inextricably involved in the child's fate, and when she calls in private eye Arthur Crook to help, a plot of abduction, fraud and murder unfolds . . .

A seemingly-innocent advert; a missing widow. And it's the detective who's in the most danger...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubDetective Arthur Crook is browsing the newspaper on the morning of 14 April 1947, when an advertisement jumps out at him. 'Rest and Refreshment: to a lady seeking the above and able to pay for it, is offered a unique opportunity for complete seclusion in a delightful country house'Disastrously, Mrs Emily Watson has read the same ad, and soon Crook becomes embroiled in the disappearance of a rich widow preyed upon by her unscrupulous nephew. And, for once, the super sleuth almost comes a cropper . . . 'The ebullient Crook at his boisterous best' Country Life

After years of caring for her often impossible mother, Alice is finally free. But an unexpected legacy gives her more than she bargained for...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubWhen Alice Hunter's mother dies, after grimly clinging on for eighty-odd years, it is enough for genteel Alice just to be free. But she soon becomes lonely, having few points of contact with the people in the cheap boarding houses which are all she can afford. Then comes news of a legacy, and Alice's soul rises as she travels to the family's lawyers in Bath.Her new life is not what she expects, however, and she is lost in a fog of human misunderstanding, hatred and deceit. A nice cup of tea, stirred by detective Arthur Crook, is what she will need to put things right . . .

Henry's vocation is being a husband. First he woos. Then he weds. Then he kills... Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubWhen he falls in love with orphan Sarah, Henry takes her to a lonely cottage and her initial happiness at being with him soon gives way to some uncomfortable suspicions. But will anyone reach the isolated spot before Henry deems her a little too inquisitive for her own good?

If you ever need my help, I'll be there. But by the time he arrived, she had already disappeared...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubArthur Crook and Miss Pinnegar meet by accident and take to each other on sight, parting with mutual appreciation and an invitation by the detective to call on him professionally should she ever need help - unlikely as that may be.But when Miss Pinnegar receives a visit, it threatens to shake her life to the very foundations. She sends Crook an SOS and he comes at the double, but by then Miss Pinnegar has already disappeared . . .

He knows their darkest secrets - but they are even more ruthless than him, with murder in mind...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubTeddy Lane has sunk into the sordid depths of blackmail and thinks he is on to a good thing. He knows the dark secrets of four people who have everything to lose if they are exposed - a young actress, a criminal lawyer, a scientist, and an elderly woman with a doctor son. What he hasn't bargained for is that two people are more ruthless than him. And they will not let him get away with it, even if it means murder - his murder.

He tried to help a woman in need - but she's the prime suspect in her husband's murder...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubCon Gardiner had no family; his work and his one-room flat filled most of his solitary existence, until one evening a strange girl in the street asked him to lend her a pound. Con was attracted to Caro Graves, and puzzled too; he couldn't see what would become of this girl who had just left her husband after a bitter quarrel, and who had nowhere to go. But he was soon to have more to worry about: Caro's husband was dead . . . and Caro was the main suspect. 'Anthony Gilbert's novels show the unsensational type of detective story at its best' Daily Telegraph

Beautiful, amoral and ruthless - but was she a killer?Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubRuth Garside was framed for three killings. But was she really guilty? As a girl, Ruth was accused of a dreadful crime; as a wife she was suspected of her husband's death; as a widow she was accused of her employer's murder. ­­'I can prove her innocence,' cried Thomas Fogg KC. 'I can prove my own innocence,' said Ruth. 'She's my client so she can't be guilty, and by heck, I'll prove it if it means the skies falling,' declared Arthur Crook. Well - does he? And­ is he justified?

The first time he saw her she stole his heart. The second time she was dead.Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubWhen Detective Arthur Crook first saw Stella Foster he knew she was marked for trouble. Stella was irresistible to men, a woman who loved laughter and pleasure - a woman, in fact, after Mr Crook's heart. The next time he saw her, Stella was dead. To find her killer, London's genial detective pursues his unorthodox way through a maze of tangled and conflicting clues to solve a clever and brutal crime of passion.'Unquestionably a most intelligent author. Gifts of ingenuity style and character drawing' Sunday Times

She lost her memory - now her life is at risk.Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubWhen lawyer-detective Arthur Crook bumped into a woman called Barbara on the parade at Beachampton it became apparent she had no idea who she was. She had been closely involved in the sudden deaths of two rich old ladies but something had instinctively prevented her from going to the police.Now Barbara finds herself under grave suspicion and fighting for her life. But will Arthur Crook be able to untangle the mystery?'No author is more skilled at making a good story seem brilliant' Sunday Express

In a small English town, family conflict can be murder...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubWhen spinster Emily Foss, who ran the haberdashery, is found bludgeoned to death, the silver pencil that had surely been in her purse that night is found in brash young Lennie Hunter's possession, and it is he who is to be hanged for the crime.To clear his name, Hunter's fiancée brings in Detective Arthur Crook. Soon Crook discovers Emily was not on good terms with her nephew, his wife, or many others in the small English town where she lived. Faced with a maze of hidden motives, Crook must contrive against the clock to trap the real murderer.'No author is more skilled at making a good story seem brilliant' Sunday Express

An ordinary couple - but wherever they go, death follows...Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubMr Cobb is the third elderly invalid to die conveniently, if unexpectedly, in the house of Fred and Bessie Meadows. Yet who could suspect this responsible, honest couple? Nothing is too much trouble, yet wherever they go, death goes too. But their third crime involves them with Arthur Crook, and that's when their luck turns.Fans of the lawyer-sleuth know that his arrival on the scene brings action, and that every sort of cunning will be employed to ensure the innocent are kept safe and the guilty ... trapped.'No author is more skilled at making a good story seem brilliant' Sunday Express