We all love a good crime story. An anthology of short crime stories, written by the finest of craftsman of their age, is always a welcome treat. The short story is often viewed as an inferior relation to the Novel. But it is an art in itself. To take a story and distil its essence into fewer pages while keeping character and plot rounded and driven is not an easy task. Many try and many fail. In this series we have a selection of short stories from many of our most accomplished writers written at the beginnings of Detective fiction. Our stories include these classics: The Adventure of the Dying Detective by Arthur Conan Doyle, The Secret Garden by GK Chesterton, Gentlemen and Players by E W Hornung, The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe, The Death Of Halpin Frayser by Ambrose Bierce, The Man With The Cough by Mrs Molesworth, The Man With The Pale Eyes by Guy de Maupassant, On Duty With Inspector Field by Charles Dickens, The Stolen Cigar Case by Bret Harte, A Scandal In Bohemia by Arthur Conan Doyle