In “The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez”, a young man working as the assistant to a Professor has been murdered. While it appears that anyone could have entered the house and committed the murder, a clue in the form of a pair of gold glasses is found near the body. Working on the assumption that the killer wore the glasses as well as several other clues, Holmes comes to the chilling realization that the murderer is still in the house.
In “The Adventure of the Norwood Builder”, a young lawyer asks Holmes to clear him of the charge murdering a rich man soon after preparing the man’s will. Inspector Lestrade is convinced of the young attorney’s guilt and believes he has finally bested Holmes, but by the use of forensic science and a bogus house fire, Holmes is able to exonerate the young lawyer while proving he was set-up.
In “The Adventure of the Second Stain”, Watson and Holmes are engaged by the Prime Minister and the European Secretary to help recover a sensitive stolen political document. Tracking the document to a recently murdered spy, Holmes realizes that the European Secretary’s wife actually has the letter. The questions immediately pile up in this tale of international intrigue, blackmail and double-dealing.
In “The Adventure of the Six Napoleons”, someone is destroying small busts of Napoleon Bonaparte. At first merely a nuisance, vandalism quickly turns to murder after one of the statue owners finds a dead man on his doorstep beside a smashed statue. Reasoning his way back to the source of the statues, Holmes determines that there is more to this case than just antipathy towards the great French leader. Can Holmes and Watson solve the mystery before the bust buster strikes again?
In “The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist”, a young woman explains to Holmes that an unknown man has been following her by bicycle on her weekly trips from the house where she works to the railroad station. Having met two friends of her recently-deceased uncle, one of the men, Carruthers, hires her as a governess and later proposes to her. The young woman being already engaged, declines. The other man, Woodley, disturbs her with rude behavior and romantic advances. Holmes connects the clues and...
In “The Adventure of the Three Students”, Holmes and Watson, on a research trip in a university town, are approached by a professor. The professor believes someone has entered his office and seen, and perhaps copied, the examination papers he is to administer the next day. Holmes begins by narrowing down the suspects to three students who live nearby. After studying several innocuous pieces of evidence, he believes he has identified the culprit. All that remains is to elicit the confession.
Adventure Tales showcases the best authors from the classic pulp magazines of the early to mid 20th Century. This volume highlights the work of Hugh B. Cave as the Featured Author, with two rare, previously unreprinted stories, plus fiction contributions by J. Allan Dunn, H. Bedford Jones, Harold Lamb, Vincent Starrett, H. de Vere Stacpoole, Saki (H.H. Munro), Johnston McCulley, Captain A.E. Dingle, Charles C. Young, John Kendrick Bangs, and F. Marion Crawford. Interview with Hugh B. Cave.
Adventure Tales salutes classic Weird Tales authors, including Robert E. Howard, Seabury Quinn, E. Hoffmann Price, John D. Swain, Edwin Baird, and many more!