Sorted on book title (not in series order)
Meet Octavius Rixton, a young Victorian gentleman who leads a double life as Octavius Fanks, detective. When a man is found dead of a morphine overdose in the village of Jarlchester, the jury decide upon a verdict of suicide. But Fanks isn't so sure. As he investigates he becomes...Read more
Fergus Hume's sensational novel The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is Australia's original blockbuster and international best-selling crime novel.
First published in 1886, it was an overnight sensation, selling hundreds of thousands of copies around the world and being translated into...Read more
This is hardly a new book, being originally self-published in 1886, but it is a really important book in the history of crime fiction. Firstly, it was the best selling crime novel of the nineteenth century - outstripping both Arthur Conan Doyle and Wilkie Collins. It actually pre-dates...Read more
When Sir Piers Lametry is found murdered in the library of Landy Court, all the evidence points towards an opportunistic attempt to steal the family heirloom, the precious 'Sacred Ring'. But things are not so simple as they first appear. Burglar-turned-detective, Mr. Drage, soon discovers...Read more
One summer evening, Rupert Hendle, Squire of the English village of Barship, is visited by the Vicar, the Reverend Leigh. The clergyman has some terrible news to impart - during his researches into local history, he has uncovered an old will that disinherits the present Squire in favour of...Read more
Matrimony, money ...and murder! Aaron Norman, the miserable-looking bookseller with but a single, melancholy eye, lay stone-cold upon the floor -- with his mouth tightly closed beneath what seemed to be a glittering jewel.
As the housekeeper bent down in fascinated horror, she...Read more
"Fergus Hume delights in the complex. On the part of the reader it requires a great deal of attention to follow the peculiar actions of his characters. There always are detectives more or less clever who figure in this author's romances. The master rascal never is wanting. Mr. Richard Pratt...Read more
Barrister Ned Shepworth faces the most difficult trial of his career when he is forced to defend his own fiancee, Mona Chent, from an accusation of murdering her uncle in cold blood. A second murder clears Mona from suspicion - but makes Ned himself the prime suspect! Luckily for Ned, his...Read more
Humph Never heard of them, said Jennings, lighting his cigarette, "but it is strange you should talk of coining. I and several other fellows are looking for a set of coiners now. There are a lot of false coins circulating, and they are marvellously made. If I can only lay my hands on the...Read more
Lucian Denzil was a briefless barrister, who so far departed from the traditions of his brethren of the long robe as not to dwell within the purlieus of the Temple. For certain private reasons, not unconnected with economy, he occupied rooms in Geneva Square, Pimlico; and, for the purposes...Read more
Dr. Jim Herrick and his friend Robin are on a walking tour in the English countryside when they come across a large house where all the lights in the house are on and all of the doors are open. While trying to find someone at home, they discover the body of Colonel Carr, dead from a gunshot...Read more
Arthur Vernon, member of the Athenian club and member of “society,” has a secret. His father has died and left him destitute, so he has begun a private investigation agency under the name “Nemo.” It would be disastrous if this were known among his associates at the club, and especially if...Read more
The story revolves around a mysterious third volume of a book that holds significant importance to the plot. The narrative typically involves a complex web of intrigue, secrets, and suspense, centering on the discovery and implications of this elusive volume.
The protagonist,...Read more
A murder in the quiet English village of Chippingholt is only the first in a series of trials that will shape the lives of Brenda Scarse and her lover Harold Burton. Who is the mysterious stranger, so closely resembling Brenda's father, who was seen near the scene of the crime? And why does...Read more
Gilbert Tresham is at a low ebb. Alone in the world, with his hopes of becoming a professional author dashed by countless refusals, he accepts a post as tutor at The Priory - the grand country seat of the Harley family, which is said to be haunted by the ghost of a former Prior. But when he...Read more
"A Woman's Burden: A Novel" by Fergus Hume is a work of fiction likely written in the late 19th century. The novel opens with a dramatic scene on Waterloo Bridge, where various characters are thrust into a dark and gritty narrative marked by themes of poverty, desperation, and crime. The...Read more
On a snowy December night, shortly after Christmas, the inhabitants of Chadston village are gathered in the Hall to enjoy a display of animated pictures. All, that is, except Alice Marvel, who is startled by an unexpected visitor - her old friend the dwarf Evan Berrow, who has come to renew...Read more
