Description
“A detective of fiction who has regrettably been forgotten, and whose exploits still make good, fruity reading. . . . We know you will enjoy [them] as much as we did.” —Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
Never overlook the trifling and seemingly immaterial . . .
“The Bureau of Abnormal Litigation is called upon as a last resort in peculiar cases. In many instances we refuse to accept a retainer because of the absence of any unique ingredient in the case,” stated Ezra Stackpole Butterworth, eccentric lead council and Bureau founder.
“I’m not a detective. But if there were any cause for action, I would set to work to make out a case.”
“The Bureau of Abnormal Litigation isn’t insane. We take unusual methods, yet methods that are simple. We appeal to the common sense of a court by eschewing tiresome technicalities, and we make use of trivial matters that from their very seeming lack of importance are styled abnormal!”
Discover how such mundane items as an apple pie, an artist’s canvas or a smoking cigar turn the tide to prove a man innocent in such thrilling works as “Retained For the Defense,” “The Death Cup,” “The Testimony of the Dead Man” and the novel “The Crimson Tracks.”
Assembled for the first time are the complete investigations of Ezra Stackpole Butterworth and The Bureau of Abnormal Litigation, comprising eleven short stories and two novel-length works.
With an introduction by Jeremiah Healy, award-nominated author of the John Cuddy mystery series and the Mairead O’Clare legal thriller series.
CONTENTS
- Introduction by Jeremiah Healy
- The Bureau of Abnormal Litigation
- The Baked Apple Alibi
- As Prescribed by the Talmud
- Hiram Tanker’s Third Personality
- The Search for the Musical Heir
- Retained For the Defense
- The Death Cup
- Iramel Thacker, Claimant
- According to the Evidence
- The Testimony of the Dead Man
- Circumstantial Evidence
- The Crimson Tracks
- The Chelsea Vase
First book publication.
Trade paperback / 292 pages
Cover design by Tom Roberts.
REVIEWS
A Five Star review on Amazon.
“The tales are redolent of the atmosphere—social and attitudinal—of the early 20th century . . . and easily engage the reader.” Doug Green, publisher, Crippen & Landru.
