Classic Mystery Short Stories

The Blockade Runners is a classic account of The American civil war conspiracy which centers on the exploits of James Playfair who must stop the Federalist blockade of the harbor of Charleston in South Carolina harbor to deal supplies for cotton and, later in the book, to save the father of a young girl held prisoner by the Confederates. Verne's tale was motivated by reality as various ships were actually lost while acting as Blockade runners in and around Charleston in the early eighteen sixties.

"Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" is a short story by the American writer Herman Melville, first serialized anonymously in two parts in the November and December 1853 issues of Putnam's Magazine, and reprinted with minor textual alterations in his The Piazza Tales in 1856. A Wall Street lawyer hires a new clerk who, after an initial bout of hard work, refuses to make copy and any other task required of him, with the words "I would prefer not to".

Forbidden love in name baronial estate. An evil man dies with an evil smile upon his face believing his evil secret is going with him to the grave. And there it remains until the lovers creep into the crypt shortly after the stroke of midnight. An erie tale certain to creep you out and keep you in suspense.

While capturing anacondas in the jungles of South America, adventurer Wandering Smith spies an orchid hunter fleeing from a troupe of angry natives spewing poisoned arrows. But when this orchid hunter joins the hunting expedition, it becomes clear that he thirsts for something other than rare orchids - he is also collecting the jewels used to adorn shrunken heads.

Three compelling Sherlock Holmes Mysteries in one book narrated by Mark Deakins. Set in the late 19th century, no fictional character is more renowned for his powers of thought and observation than Sherlock Holmes.

Story One: Bumbling Caper on the Swiss Alps. "Watson! Watson!" I shouted in dismay, thinking I was close to the surface. Alas, I could not find my way out of the snow, packed thick and heavy all around me. My legs were pinned in place, and I could scarcely breathe with each passing moment.

Mark Twain is at his irreverent best with this hilarious parody of the 19th-century mystery. The tale begins with the murder of Flint Buckner and a heinous crime against a young woman. A man with special gifts - no less a personage than Sherlock Holmes! - enters the scene to solve the mystery and avenge the lady. He matches wits with an improbable villain, Archy Stillman, while Ham Sandwich and Wells Fargo look on, and almost gets himself lynched in the process.

Frank Pettingell reads pages from David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Martin Chuzzlewit, Great Expectations and The Pickwick Papers.

"Suddenly, from across the hall, came a cry - sharp, uncanny, terrible. I ran out in the direction from which it had come and stood on the threshold of the Drew dining room. A table was set with gleaming silver and white linen, and in its center stood a cake, on which fifty absurd pink candles flickered bravely. There appeared to be no one in the room. On the other side of the table, a French window stood open to the fog, and I went around to investigate. I had taken perhaps a dozen steps when I stopped, appalled...."

When the body of the popular Parisian perfume-shop assistant, Marie Roget, is found floating in the Seine, the whole of Paris is alive with rumours. But despite many clues and the offer of a substantial reward, the French police are unable to solve the mystery. The only solution is to call upon the super-sleuth Dupin.Poe's story, inspired by the unsolved murder of Mary Cecilia Rogers in New York, contains many parallels to that crime and was viewed at the time by many as a convincing solution to the American case.

Giorgio, un giovane facchino, uccide e deruba Antonio, un suo vecchio amico...

The brothers Jehovah and Hades have always been at the top of their game as a high-IQ computer hacker from M.I.T. and an unkillable assassin. When they're contacted by Rick to free a people oppressed by a dictator, both jump at the chance. Once they reach the Philippines, however, they realize that their limited resources and constant attacks sent from an unknown source severely limit their abilities. To make matters worse, the mayor has his own personal army that seems to anticipate their actions.

When a young governess is hired to care for two orphans in a country estate, she soon realises that something is lurking in the grounds of the house. But is it a mere ghost or an altogether more sinister presence at work? The tension of this timeless horror is perfectly captured by stage and screen actress Virginia McKenna.

First published in an 1844 literary annual The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present for 1845, "The Purloined Letter" is the third and final story that features Poe's detective, C. Auguste Dupin. In it, Dupin is approached by the prefect of the police to help with a case that involves a stolen letter containing compromising information.

A bizarre murder has occurred and everything points to a dragon as the culprit. But everything also points to a man as the culprit. In a world where human/dragon relations are verging on violence, this case may just be the spark to set everyone off. Now, it's up to two detectives - one human, one dragon - to solve the case before things turn ugly.

This is a story from the "Great Ghost Stories" collection.

This is an audio-enhanced version (with music and sound effects) of the third of Edgar Allan Poe's early detective stories featuring his classic character C. Auguste Dupin. It is a celebrated tale of intrigue, blackmail, and mystery as only the master could tell it and a forerunner to the creation of the character of Sherlock Holmes. When a member of the royal house has a sensitive document stolen, the police department turns in desperation to C. Auguste Dupin, amateur sleuth and renowned logician.

When a letter of great significance is stolen from the royal palace in Paris, the prefect of police is at great pains to discover its whereabouts. The identity of the thief is known, but try as the detectives will, they are unable to pinpoint the hiding place where the incriminating letter is secreted. When the Prefect approaches Dupin for his advice on the matter, the latter sees the solution immediately. An insight from which he is able to profit handsomely. Poe at his most ingenious!

'The Man in the Fur Coat' is a fast-paced adventure in which a young journalist on the verge of destitution is picked out of the crowd by a well-dressed stranger in a fur coat. The wealthy man has a very strange proposition for the young writer. But first he must perform a bizarre treasure hunt through London collecting clues from mysterious strangers. Eventually he finds the meaning of the whole weird tale...and it is stranger than he could ever have imagined.

Con ánimo de vengarse de una pasada humillación, Montresor busca a Fortunato en plenos carnavales de alguna ciudad italiana (al parecer, Venecia) del siglo XIX. Ambos van disfrazados y gracias a que Fortunato está ebrio, el narrador logra convencerlo de que lo acompañe a la cueva de su palacio, las catacumbas de los Montresor, con el pretexto de probar un nuevo vino amontillado. Anímate a descubrir cómo el vengativo narrador, con una notable maligna inteligencia, humor negro, ironía y sadismo, consuma la más horrible venganza.