Other editions of book The Old Man in the Corner: Original

The man in the corner pushed aside his glass, and leant across the table."Mysteries!" he commented. "There is no such thing as a mystery in connection with any crime, provided intelligence is brought to bear upon its investigation."Very much astonished Polly Burton looked over the top of her newspaper, and fixed a pair of very severe, coldly inquiring brown eyes upon him.She had disapproved of the man from the instant when he shuffled across the shop and sat down opposite to her, at the same marble–topped table which already held her large coffee ), her roll and butter , and plate of tongue (6d.).Now this particular corner, this very same table, that special view of the magnificent marble hall—known as the Norfolk Street branch of the Aërated Bread Company's depôts—were Polly's own corner, table, and view. Here she had partaken of eleven pennyworth of luncheon and one pennyworth of daily information ever since that glorious never–to–be–forgotten day when she was enrolled on the staff of the Evening Observer (we'll call it that, if you please), and became a member of that illustrious and world–famed organization known as the British Press.

A nameless old man sits in the corner of a cozy London tea shop, and without leaving his seat, solves baffling crimes reported to him by an admiring lady journalist. Using only methods of pure deduction, the eccentric, self-assured sleuth unravels the mysteries behind a wide range of criminal acts--from gruesome murders ("The Lisson Grove Mystery") and daring thefts ("The Affair at the Novelty Theatre") to brilliant deceptions ("The Liverpool Mystery") and deadly blackmail schemes ("The Murder of Miss Pebmarsh").Set in the fog-shrouded streets of London, where gas lamps flicker in the gloom and details of lurid crimes splash across the pages of the daily papers, these ingenious, well-crafted stories by the author of The Scarlet Pimpernel are among the first and great collections of detective fiction. They will delight devotees of Sherlock Holmes and other mystery-loving fans.