Scandinavian Mystery Classics

When Allan Kragh impulsively follows a beautiful grey-eyed woman onto a train, he doesn't expect to be sharing a compartment with a notorious master criminal - or to be arrested in his place. Still, he doesn't bear a grudge, until he realises that his hotel in London is hosting not only the same fellow-travellers, but the Maharajah of Nasirabad and his fabled jewel collection... Beware of Railway-Journeys will take you from a Paris-bound railway car to a glittering London hotel, in the company of an unassuming hero with a knack for observation. Frank Heller was the pseudonym of Gunnar Serner, who was the first internationally famous Swedish crime writer. The son of a clergyman, to avoid arrest after a financial fraud he left Sweden for the continent. After losing the swindled money in a casino in Monte Carlo, he tried his hand at writing novels with immediate success, and produced forty-three novels, short stories and travelogues before his death in 1947.

When a series of audacious thefts take place in the city of Christiania (current-day Oslo), Detective Asbjørn Krag must deal with a master criminal who has his measure - or does he? From the dark brickyards on the city's outskirts to the bright lights of the Grand Hotel, Krag must use all his skill to turn the tables on the gang and their mysterious leader. Sven Elvestad, who also wrote under the pseudonym Stein Riverton, was one of Norway's greatest crime writers. The New York Times described him as "the Edgar Allan Poe of Scandinavia." A journalist by training, he was the first foreign journalist to interview Adolf Hitler and was famous for stunts such as spending a day in a circus lion's cage. His first novel was published in 1907 and he went on to write nearly a hundred novels, many featuring detective Asbjørn Krag. Only a few of his works have ever been translated into English, despite enjoying widespread success across Europe and being translated into German, Danish, Dutch, Spanish, Swedish, Slovak, Czech, Finnish and Hungarian. Norway's yearly Riverton prize for the best crime novel is named after him. This new edition features an introduction by Mitzi M. Brunsdale, author of the Encyclopedia of Nordic Crime Fiction.

"A vile crime is being planned," he said."And heaven knows, it may even have been executed." When an old schoolfriend whisks private detective Asbjørn Krag away by train to an isolated snow-covered manor house, his curiosity is aroused. John Aakerholm, a wealthy landowner with peculiar tastes, refuses to disclose why he is utterly terrified. Every evening at midnight he retires to bed, locking himself within three different chambers - and access is strictly forbidden. When a shocking murder takes place, Krag must use his sharp wit and skills to uncover the killer before he strikes again.... A brilliantly ingenious story, Through Three Rooms amply displays Elvestad's gift for storytelling and style. Available in English for the very first time, this book will delight fans of vintage crime fiction. This new translation features an introduction by Nils Nordberg, radio drama producer and Norwegian authority on crime fiction. "A brisk, pacey and thoroughly entertaining page-turner by one of crime fiction's unsung heroes...well worth rediscovering." - Tom Mead, author of Death and the Conjuror "An enjoyable example of the traditional murder mystery."- Martin Edwards, novelist and author of The Life of Crime

When a counterfeiting ring rocks London, the trail leads to a curiosity shop and a professor offering a treatment for 'absent-minded gentleman' - but can Detective Kenyon get to the bottom of the clever scheme? Frank Heller was the pseudonym of Gunnar Serner, who was the first internationally famous Swedish crime writer. The son of a clergyman, to avoid arrest after a financial fraud he left Sweden for the continent. After losing the swindled money in a casino in Monte Carlo, he tried his hand at writing novels with immediate success, and produced forty-three novels, short stories and travelogues before his death in 1947.