HULBERT FOOTNER

Madame Rosika Storey, fearless and intelligent, plays cat-and-mouse with killers, goes undercover to break up criminal gangs, and unravels deadly mysteries. She is accompanied by Bella Brickley, her eager but not quite so fearless assistant. Author Hulbert Footner (1879-1944) brought the excitement of the 1920s and 1930s to Madame Storey’s cosmopolitan adventures, moving away from Edwardian and Victorian flavors of the mystery genre. These eight volumes include the short stories, novellas, and novels of her adventures.

Introduction (by Geoffrey M. Footner), "The Ashcomb Poor Case," "The Scrap of Lace," "The Smoke Bandit," "The Murder at Fernhurst," "In the Round Room."

Introduction (by Geoffrey M. Footner), The Under Dogs, "The Sealed House," "Murder in the Spotlight."

Introduction (by Geoffrey M. Footner), “The Viper,” “The Steerers,” “The Pot of Pansies,” “The Legacy Hounds,” “The Handsome Young Men.”

The Doctor Who Held Hands, "Putting Crime Over."

Easy to Kill, “Which Man’s Eyes,” “The Last Adventure of Madame Storey,” “Miss Deely’s Diamond.”

“The Almost Perfect Murder,” “Murder in Masquerade,” “The Death Notice,” “Taken for a Ride,” “It Never Got into the Papers.”

Dangerous Cargo, “The Cold Trail,” “The Richest Widow.”

“Madame Storey’s Gigolo,” “The Scent of Almonds,” “Pink-Eye,” “The Kidnapping of Madame Storey,” “The Murders in the Hotel Cathay,” “The Casual Murderer,” “The Blind Front.”

Fin Corveth’s friend Nick is robbed, and an emerald locket is stolen. Murder soon follows, and the only clue to motive is a folded piece of blank paper. Dark clouds are gathering and threaten to envelope Nick’s young ward, Mariula. Fin brings in mystery writer Amos Lee Mappin, as it becomes clear that greater events are afoot than simple murder. The Mystery of the Folded Paper was published in 1930.

Jules Gartrey, a prominent banker, is killed in his apartment and the police have Al Yohe in their sights. Crime writer and occasional detective Amos Lee Mappin finds himself corralled into investigating by his staff and Yohe’s young bride. Mappin soon finds that this there are plenty of suspects, but Yohe is still at the top of the list. . . . Who Killed the Husband? was published in 1941.

René Doria disappears just as he is to marry into wealthy society. Amos Lee Mappin is engaged by the hysterical bride-to-be, and soon stumbles into a murder case with puzzling ties to the past. There are plenty of clues and numerous suspects in this wry look at the upper class and America’s infatuation with fame. The Murder That Had Everything! was published in 1939.

Sandra Cassells, a rich widow, has set up a home for ex-convicts, but her good intentions create a boiling cauldron of trouble, as passion, jealousy, and manipulation lead to murder. Amos Lee Mappin has no difficulty finding suspects and motives—and it quickly becomes obvious that no one is outside the scope of his investigation. But can he find the killer before more bodies show up? The House with the Blue Door was published in 1942.

Amos Lee Mappin is visited by the surly and self-centered Major Dunphy, dependent on his beautiful actress granddaughter, Mary Stannard. Mary has disappeared, and the detective soon discovers that she has stood up her wedding party. More than one man was infatuated with Mary, and Mappin finds several threads and multiple clues that must be resolved before he discovers what really happened to Mary Stannard. Orchids to Murder was published in 1945.

Criminologist Lee Mappin and assistant travel to Portugal during WWII to distribute a new secret code for the Allies and to help on the Underground Railroad smuggling freedom-loving Germans out of Nazi Germany. But the Gestapo has spies everywhere, and investigation of a murder close to home is hindered by the Portuguese authorities’ need to remain neutral parties. With new friends, Mappin builds a case against the murderers while helping enemies of der Fuehrer secure passage to liberty. (In this novel, author Hulbert Footner switches from the typical murder mystery to cat-and-mouse thriller, which was more common with his earlier detective, Madame Rosika Storey.) Unneutral Murder was published in 1944.

At least five people wished Gavin Dordress, the playwright, dead the night of his ill-starred party. It was that night Gail Garrett and Bea Townley quarreled openly for the leading role in his new play—which no one had read. The next morning he was found shot to death, a chessman imprinted on his forehead, and nearby a letter of farewell that sounded suspiciously like one of his stage characters speaking. The police called it suicide. But Cynthia Dordress and Lee Mappin called it murder. For weeks suspense rode high. Then a new and amazing clue sped a seemingly hopeless hunt to a thrilling finish. The Death of a Celebrity was published in 1938.

Sheik Ahmed bin Said arrives in the United States with his British bride-to-be and her overbearing mother, amid political machinations between France and Britain as they jostle for control of his country, Shihkar, and plotting by his devious stepbrother. Ahmed asks his old Oxford chum, Luke Imbrie, to travel to Washington DC with him as he performs his political obligations, but chaos ensues when Ahmed (and a million dollars in jewels) disappears from the train. Author and investigator Amos Lee Mappin is called in investigate, following twists and turns as he examines suspects while directing the search for the missing Sheik. The Nation’s Missing Guest was published in 1939.

Crime author Amos Lee Mappin gives a radio interview that catches the ear of a would-be killer, setting up a deadly game of cat and mouse. Will a murder go unnoticed while a psychopath freely walks the streets? Mappin must use all of his wits to piece together a bare handful of clues. Murder will out . . . or will it? Murderer’s Vanity was published in 1940.

Crime author and occasional detective Amos Lee Mappin has entered the war effort as an undercover investigator, trying to infiltrate a spy ring. A shooting doesn’t help matters, and Mappin must scramble to maintain his cover while keeping the police in the dark about his mission. A dangerous new foe enters the fray and friends end up in peril as Mappin is forced to play out the game of cat-and-mouse to an exciting finish. Death of a Saboteur was published in 1943.