From the Collins Crime Club archive, the third standalone novel by Freeman Wills Crofts, dubbed `The King of Detective Story Writers'. Seymour Merriman's holiday in France comes to an abrupt halt when his motorcycle starts leaking petrol. Following a lorry to find fuel, he discovers that it belongs to an English company making timber pit-props for coal mines back home. His suspicions of illegal activity are aroused when he sees the exact same lorry with a different number plate - and confirmed later with the shocking discovery of a body. What began as amateur detective work ends up as a job for Inspector Willis of Scotland Yard, a job requiring tenacity, ingenuity and guile . . . Freeman Wills Crofts' transition from civil engineer on the Irish railways to world-renowned master of the detective mystery began with The Cask when he was fully 40 years old; but it was his third novel, the baffling The Pit-Prop Syndicate, that was singled out by his editors in 1930 as the first for inclusion in Collins' prestigious new series of reprints `for crime connoisseurs'. This Detective Club classic is introduced by John Curran, author of The Hooded Gunman, and includes the bonus of an exclusive short story by Crofts, `Danger in Shroude Valley'.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Freeman Wills Crofts (1879-1957), the son of an army doctor who died before he was born, was raised in Northern Ireland and became a civil engineer on the Irish railways. His first book, The Cask, was published in the summer of 1920, immediately establishing him as a new master of detective fiction. Dubbed `The King of Detective Story Writers', he was continually praised for his flawless plotting, with Raymond Chandler describing him as `the soundest builder of them all'. Crofts was a founder member of the Detection Club and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1939.
`Undeniably the greatest of detective story writers.' - Outlook `This early story by Freeman Wills Crofts has lost nothing in the passage of time: indeed, it seems almost better than ever . . . One of the classics of modern crime fiction.' - New York Times
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 6.37
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Shipping:
US$ 3.99
Within U.S.A.
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Fine. Seller Inventory # GOR010573324
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR009377049
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, United Kingdom
Condition: Good. ePub edition. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 39550440-20
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, United Kingdom
Condition: Good. ePub edition. Ships from the UK. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 18496221-20
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Books Puddle, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 26375607690
Quantity: 4 available
Seller: Majestic Books, Hounslow, United Kingdom
Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 370470485
Quantity: 4 available
Seller: dsmbooks, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Hardcover. Condition: Like New. Like New. book. Seller Inventory # D7F5-8-M-0008190550-5
Quantity: 1 available