Lady Jim of Curzon Street

Faced with bankruptcy and trapped in an unhappy marriage, Lady Jim Kaims has to solve her problems alone. After every decent way fails her, and with no friend to assist, she resorts to committing crimes. Fergus Hume delves into the mind of an extremely clever criminal with humor, understanding and even compassion. This book is a roller coaster ride which would keep you guessing from start to finish. - Summary by Stav Nisser.

35 episodes

The Red Hand

Two London gentlemen ponder the evolution of humankind as they investigate a modern-day murder committed with an ancient tool. - Summary by Wanda White

5 episodes

The Silver Bullet

Dr. Jim Herrick and his friend Robin are on a walking tour in the English countryside when they come across a large house where all the lights in the house are on and all of the doors are open. While trying to find someone at home, they discover the body of Colonel Carr, dead from a gunshot wound. After reporting their discovery to the authorities, Dr. Jim decides he would investigate the murder. Suspects abound as the Colonel was an intensely disliked person. A classic “who done it” written by a well respected British mystery writer will hold the attention of a listener throughout the tale. (Summary by Richard Kilmer)

27 episodes

The Mill Mystery

In the quiet New England village of S--, a young and beloved minister is found dead, ignominiously drowned in a dye vat in a dilapidated mill. Almost immediately, rumors of suicide begin to circulate. But was it suicide? How could a devout man of the cloth come to believe life was hopeless? The young woman to whom he was secretly engaged is adamant that it could not be. When this young woman tragically dies on the same day as her lover, it is left to her roommate Constance Sterling, a young woman without family or prospects, to determine the truth. (Summary by Jacquerie)

22 episodes

In the Mayor's Parlour

“Rotten borough” is a term that goes back to the 18th century, and it used to mean a parliamentary constituency in which a few property owners, or sometimes a single one, could choose the local member of parliament. The three Reform Acts of 1832, 1857 and 1884 brought that system to an end and by the time this book begins, a rotten borough has taken on its more modern meaning of a constituency whos rules allow a handful of people to profit secretly from the borough’s finances. In one such borough a new mayor, victor by a margin of single vote, has been working on a reform program and is found mysteriously murdered in his office -- the Mayor’s Parlour. As it happens, his young nephew is visiting from London, and is determined to find the killer. It’s no easy task, and the final discovery leaves him, as well as many others, surprised.( Nicholas Clifford)

25 episodes

The Willow Walk

As featured in The Best Short Stories of 1918, The Willow Walk is a trenchant tale of an elaborate heist by a dissolute man who gradually loses his mind in the process. The twist ending also should have won Lewis an O. Henry Award. - Summary by Matt Pierard

5 episodes

The Stolen Singer

Agatha Redmond, a popular soprano, is kidnapped in New York City by thugs unknown, shortly after she learns of a hefty inheritance from a friend of her mother's. Coming to her rescue is a wealthy young businessman named James Hambleton, late of Lynn, MA, and this is just the first two chapters. - Summary by Matt Pierard

25 episodes

The Pit Prop Syndicate

Seymour Merriman stops at the side of the road 26 miles outside Bordeaux, an action that will change his life forever. The events that follow lead him into mystery, smuggling, murder and love. Two amateur detectives try to unravel the mystery of changing number plates, and everything else that surrounds the pit prop syndicate, before the case is handed over to Inspector Willis of Scotland Yard. (KHand)

20 episodes

Constance Dunlap

Constance Dunlap is a young woman who in Chapter 1 turns amateur criminal in order to to save her husband from disgrace and imminent arrest. When this sadly doesn't work out exactly as planned, Constance goes on to embrace a new life. More antiheroine than heroine, she uses her wits and new found talents to aid others in avoiding retribution for their crimes always one step ahead of the detective pursuing her. Summary by J. M. Smallheer

22 episodes

The Great Pearl Secret

It is the afternoon before a grand society wedding between Juliet Phayre and the Duke of Claremanagh, when Emmy West drops by to visit the bride and to see the famed Tsarina pearls, only ever to be worn by the Duchess... supposedly. When Juliet admits she has never even seen them, Emmy lets slip she has once, even though the last duchess has been dead many years... were they worn by someone else? And who is Lyda Pavoya? And who is the bridegroom really?

22 episodes

Doors of the Night

New York City, 1922—Murder—half-million dollar robbery—false accusation—secret passage—the underworld—a mystery woman—a masked man—a crooked lawyer—stolen jewels—a forged will. . . “Every hour . . . held a surer promise, not only of desperate peril to himself, but a promise that he would find himself launched in a sea of crime, of shuddering things, of murder, of blood, of sordid viciousness, of hate.” - Summary by Delmar H. Dolbier

26 episodes

Coffee Break Collection 16 - Crime

This is the sixteenth collection of our "coffee break" series, involving public domain works that are between about 3 and 15 minutes in length. These are great for study breaks, commutes, workouts, or any time you'd like to hear a whole story and only have a few minutes to devote to listening. The theme for this collection is "Crime", where crime or criminals are significant. Librivox readers have chosen a combination of social commentaries, newspaper reports of true crimes and criminals, letters, fictional accounts of the life of the criminal and short 'whodunnit' mysteries. - Summary by Lynne Thompson

15 episodes

The Box with the Broken Seals

A convoluted tale of espionage. This entertaining story is set in World War I. It has interesting characters. and I found my sympathies equally divided between the spy and his relentless pursuer. In my opinion, one of Oppenheim’s best. (Summary by Richard Kilmer)

28 episodes

Nancy Brandon's Mystery

Nancy spends the summer with a cousin she hardly knows who has a friend who seems to be a bad influence. Secrets, jealousy and bitterness fill their days until they learn how to believe in themselves and overcome their bitterness when the truth is revealed. (Summary by Sharon Kilmer)

25 episodes

Der Zweikampf

Im späten Mittelalter wird der Adlige Herzog Wilhelm von Breysach heimtückisch durch einen Pfeil ermordet. Die Nachforschungen ergeben, dass der kunstvoll gefertigte Pfeil für den Bruder des Ermordeten, Graf Jakob den Rotbart, geschmiedet worden ist. Sollte er tatsächlich aus Machtgier seinen eigenen Bruder ermordet haben? Graf Jakob leugnet und gibt als Alibi an, dass er in der Mordnacht bei der schönen und unbescholtenen Witwe Frau Wittib Littegarde von Auerstein gewesen sei -- eine Anschuldigung, die jene edle Frau in höchste Bedrängnis bringt... Die Aufklärung dieses Mordfalls in einer Zeit voller Intrigen und politischer Ränke macht den Text Kleists zu einem Vorläufer der Kriminalerzählung. Erst im 20. Jahrhundert setzte ein verstärktes Interesse für diese Erzählung ein, die nach ihrer Entstehung lange Zeit im Schatten von Kleists übrigem Schaffen stand. - Summary by Boris

4 episodes

Witching Hill

The adventures of two young men, which may or may not have to do with the supernatural. - Summary by Nicholas Clifford

8 episodes

The Whispering Man

New friends Drew and Jeffrey are drawn into the investigation of the mysterious death of Dr. Marshall. Romance and intrigue abound and you'll be kept guessing up to the end as to who the murderer could be. ( Kate Follis)

17 episodes

Nelly Channell

Another fascinating book by the author of A Vanished Hand. Rhoda returns home after the death of her employer to find out that her cousin Helen, with whom she was raised, also returned home. Her husband stole 300 pounds and had to run away to Australia and leave her pregnant. Rhoda has to reconcile her shame and learn to cope with the new situation. But nothing is as it seems. More than anything, this book is about breaking stigmas and opening up your mind to understand and love people, despite their faults, usually with the help of God. Perfect for fans of good novels about crimes, stories about childhood, along with lovers of religious fiction. - Summary by Stav Nisser.

18 episodes

Curlie Carson Listens In

It is early in the days of radio, and amateurs are using it more and more, and using it illegally. Enter Curlie Carson, who has the job of tracking down the miscreants. Sounds boring. You wouldn't expect high speed car chases, kidnapping, double dealing, and maybe even murder. ( Tom Penn)

25 episodes

K.

"K" is the initial of the mysterious lodger without a first name who rents a room from Sidney to escape his past. Sidney herself refuses the proposals of Joe in order to become a nurse and do useful work in the outside world. She is determined to work hard and not spend any time at all with the handsome young surgeon who runs the ward. She has no time in her life for romance, or for exploring the mystery of K's background. Or does she? (Summary by Beth Thomas)

30 episodes

The Day Will Come

It is an ideal honeymoon of an ideal couple. But somehow, the wife cannot stop dreaming that her husband would be shot and killed. He dismisses her dreams until they come true. Who commited the murder? How would the wife take it? - Summary by Stav Nisser

36 episodes

The Interrupted Kiss

Clare awakens in the middle of the night with no idea why. Her husband is not in his bed and as she goes in search of him she runs into her cousin Elsie who's heard a terrified shout from Rupert. When Clare returns her husband is burning papers in the grate. Next morning they discover that Uncle John a very shady and disagreeable usurer has been murdered!! Who is the culprit and will the earlier interrupted kiss ever be completed? - Summary by Celine Major

13 episodes

The Black Box

Sanford Quest, the master criminologist of the world, attempts to bring to justice the murderer of Lord Ashleigh's daughter. But he soon discovers that he has just entered a life-and-death struggle with a mysterious master criminal. (Summary by Richard Kilmer)

37 episodes

The Turnpike House

A prolific writer of crime and detective stories Fergus Hume is known for his clever plots. The Turnpike House is another wonderful example of his many intriguing mysteries. EXCERPT: "Suddenly there was the cry of a human being in pain. The light was extinguished, and the mists closed thicker round the ruined building; it might be to hide the sight within the room. Could the walls only have spoken they would have shouted "Murder!" with most miraculous voice. But the age of miracles being past, the walls were dumb, and there was no clamour to greet the horror of this deed done in darkness." - Summary by Celine Major

15 episodes

The Sacred Herb

A rich playboy comes home from travels abroad and is bully-ragged by his eccentric aunt into finding meaning for his life. This he does by helping a school chum save his fiancée from the gallows and the playboy falls head over heels in love with the fiancée. A web of deception and lies is revealed and also a long list of who loves who filled with how much each is willing to accept. The colorful cast includes a south sea captain, a fortuneteller, and a colorful doctor who is an authority on the inhabitants and customs of Easter Island. Then, of course, there is the sacred herb!—Enjoy!! (Summary by Sharon Kilmer)

27 episodes

The Secret Tomb

'In Robore Fortuna'. What could these three words mean? Join Dorothy as she works to figure this out while simultaneously parenting orphaned boys. But beware, she may encounter hidden treasures, betrayal, and death along the way. - Summary by Campbell Schelp.

18 episodes

Historical Mysteries

Edited by Andrew Lang, Historical Mysteries is a collection of infamous unsolved mysteries from various points in history.

14 episodes

The Lost Parchment

Murder and mayhem turn a quiet English village on its head. Complete with twists and turns that will keep you entertained til the very end. Fergus Hume never fails. (Summary by Sharon Kilmer)

21 episodes

The Lake Mystery

When an old miser dies, he leaves behind valuable gold. Naturally, many people want it. But the miser has not made it easy, hiding the gold with cryptic clues. Saxe, the son of a former music student of the miser, leads the charge to find it along with some old friends before time runs out and the money goes to the miser's blood relatives. But when an evil engineer tries to sneak in and find the gold for himself, Saxe and his crew must try to find the gold while evading the engineer. Who will find the gold first?. (Campbell Schelp)

27 episodes

The Four Stragglers

This thrilling novel teems with intrigue and unforgettable characters. It opens during WWI with a few allied soldiers lost at night behind German lines. One of them shoots at another in the darkness. Members of a criminal gang before the war, the men resume their unlawful activities when peacetime returns. The gang’s leader receives a letter that results in his leaving London for a small island off the Florida Keys. He is “as clever a scoundrel and as miserable, inhuman and unscrupulous a one as ever blasphemed the image in which God made him… He is without conscience, ruthless, a fiend who would do honour to hell itself." Frank L. Packard authored many popular novels, several of which were made into movies, including a series in which he originated the idea of a heroic crime fighter with a secret double identity. --Lee Smalley

19 episodes

One Life, One Love

Clara and Robert Hatrell lead an ideal life with their young daughter Daisy in a beautiful old fashioned cottage on the banks of the Thames. When his son Cyril goes away to school their friend and neighbor Ambrose Arden who is a notable scholar offers to tutor Daisy. Some time later Robert carrying a large amount in banknotes is found stabbed to death in a London rooming house supposedly lured there by the mention of someone called Toinette. The murderer is not found and the money trail implicates a Frenchwoman exchanging the notes in Cannes, Nice and Paris. As the story progresses we are taken to Paris where new characters are introduced. Will one of them lead us to the actual villain??? - Summary by Celine Major

24 episodes

The Diamond Pin

Eccentric and wealthy New York widow Ursula Pell loves playing cruel jokes on her guests and particularly on her niece and nephew who are destined to inherit the millions in gems left to her by her late husband. Therefore when she is found brutally murdered in a locked room the morning after a dinner party her niece Iris the most recent victim of Ursula's humiliating pranks is first suspected until all the clues point to her nephew. Where did she stash the gemstones and the much mentioned diamond pin promised Iris. Enter Fleming Stone, famous detective who hopefully can prove the innocence of the nephew, the true value of the diamond pin and discover WHO killed Mrs. Pell. - Summary by Celine Major

18 episodes

The Sign at Six

It started out as a nuisance--odd electrical problems in the Atlas building that cleared themselves up. But then it got worse, the problems becoming more and more peculiar and inexplicable. Scientist Percy Darrow has given himself the task of figuring out the who and the how, and maybe the why, as life turns strange and a little dangerous. - Summary by Tom Penn

24 episodes

The Old Ladies

“Quite a number of years ago there was an old rickety building on the rock above Seatown in Polchester, and it was one of a number in an old grass-grown square known as Pontippy Square. In this house at one time or another lived three old ladies,… It was a windy, creaky, rain-bitten dwelling-place for three old ladies….” (excerpt from the book) During the mid 1920s Walpole produced two of his best-known novels in the macabre vein that he drew on from time to time, exploring the fascination of fear and cruelty. The Old Ladies (1924) is a study of a timid elderly spinster exploited and eventually frightened to death by a predatory widow.

12 episodes

The Sealed Message

A mysterious message on a record is found sealed in a cylinder. A heroine straight out of a fairy-tale is kept secluded by a guardian with questionable motives. Add a murder, a gallant and fearless hero to the rescue and you have all the ingredients necessary to make this a very entertaining little mystery by acclaimed British author Fergus Hume! - Summary by Celine Major

26 episodes

Vicky Van

Carolyn Wells always provides an enjoyable read and this one is probably one of her most intriguing murder mysteries. Vicky Van is a lithe, joyful and vibrant society woman beloved by all. A man named Sommers shows up uninvited at one of her famous parties. He is found murdered shortly after he follows her out of the card room and Vicky Van is seen standing next to him with blood on her dress. She disappears before the police arrive and is considered guilty. In spite of little notes she leaves here and there no one can find her or her maid Julie. Why did she kill a stranger? Why can't the police find her? This one will baffle Fleming Stone more than any other. - Summary by Celine Major

20 episodes

The Heart of a Mystery

The Heart of Mystery by L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace was published in 1901 in six installments in the Windsor Magazine, Vol. 14. The stories relate the adventures of a young Englishman summoned to the deathbed of an old friend in Paris who subsequently finds himself embroiled in a web of danger, espionage and intrigue. - Summary by J. M. Smallheer

12 episodes

Faulkner's Folly

Eric Stannard, wealthy artist and portrait painter of international reputation is found dead in his studio, an etching needle protruding from his chest. The lights had gone out momentarily just before he was found by a footman and a long-time friend. Standing beside the victim is Joyce his wife and his model Natalie both seeming to be struck with terror and shock!! At first glance the suspects seem obvious...but what about the artist's son who is in love with Natalie, the neighbor in love with the wife, a burglar? Will a psychic help find the murderer? Or will it fall upon the great detective Alan Ford to solve this one? - Summary by Celine Major

20 episodes