Includes bibliographical references (p. 185-191) and index.

The old man in the corner (1901-1905) by Emma Orczy -- The club of queer trades (1905) by G.K. Chesterton -- The secret agent (1907) by Joseph Conrad -- The man who was Thursday (1908) by G.K. Chesterton -- The Charing Cross mystery (1923) by J.S. Fletcher -- Strong poison (1930) by Dorothy Sayers -- Hangover Square (1942) by Patrick Hamilton -- The Ministry of Fear (1943) by Graham Greene -- Murder by matchlight (1945) by E.C.R. Lorac -- Bodies in a bookshop (1946) by R.T. Campbell -- More work for the undertaker (1949) by Margery Allingham -- The tiger in the smoke (1952) by Margery Allingham -- Tether's end (1958) by Margery Allingham -- The Port of London murders (1958) by Josephine Bell -- At Bertram's Hotel (1965) by Agatha Christie -- The glass cage (1966) by Colin Wilson -- Inspector Ghote hunts the peacock (1968) by H.R.F. Keating -- Black out (1995) by John Lawton -- The blotting book (1908) by E.F. Benson -- Death walks in Eastrepps (1931) by Francis Beeding -- The saltmarsh murders (1932) by Gladys Mitchell -- Have his carcass (1932) by Dorothy Sayers -- The boomerang clue (1933) by Agatha Christie -- A shilling for candles (1936) by Josephine Tey -- Brighton rock (1938) by Graham Greene -- N or M ? (1941) by Agatha Christie -- Murder in retrospect (1941) by Agatha Christie -- The West Pier (1951) by Patrick Hamilton -- The singing sands (1953) by Josephine Tey -- Unnatural causes (1967) by P.D. James -- Mad hatter's holiday (1973) by Peter Lovesey -- The pier (1986) by Raynor Heppenstall -- Devices and desires (1990) by P. D. James.