Fulton Oursler was one of the great editors of his time, ruling over the Macfadden publishing empire for two decades. He created the first true-crime magazine, True Detective Mysteries, and off-beat titles like Brain Power, Ghost Stories and True Strange Stories. He achieved national fame in the '30s as the editor of Liberty. But stage magic was his first love, and, in his heart, he remained a conjurer in a black cape and top hat. In this collection of early fiction, Oursler's bewitching imagination takes flight in tales of magic, murder and mesmerizing mystery. Apparitions, half-wits, secret panels, devious deceptions, lunatic asylums, warring magicians, criminal masterminds-it's all here. Also featured is an in-depth exploration of the amazing career of Fulton Oursler.

Stories from the Edgar Award–winning author of the famous locked-room mystery, Death of a Top Hat, “a cornerstone of detective fiction” (The New York Times). The Great Merlini waits impatiently at the door of the Hotel Astor. Inspector Church is late for his meeting with the famed magician, with whom he consults when homicide cases venture outside the realm of the possible. A ventriloquist has attempted suicide in the wake of his wife’s mysterious strangulation. Among the suspects are a snake charmer, a nine-foot giant, a tattooed man, and a gaggle of crap players—and this is one of Merlini’s simple cases. He will pick out the killer, with no more effort than he might a rabbit in a top hat. In these twelve short stories, all originally published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, cofounder of Mystery Writers of America and Special Edgar Award winner Clayton Rawson’s greatest detective confronts puzzles that would leave a lesser magician’s head spinning. From vanishing blackmailers to murderous mediums, no cosmic crime can baffle the Great Merlini.

When Ellery Queen goes out of town, his nephew takes on a cosmic case For weeks, Gulliver Queen has looked forward to going on vacation with his uncle Ellery, the world-famous author and sleuth. But on the eve of their departure, Ellery is called away on government business. Gully is heartbroken—until Ellery deputizes him as his assistant, tasking him with taking down information from anyone who comes by looking to hire the great detective. There is only one rule: No solving mysteries! But Ellery hasn’t been gone an hour when Gully gets a case he cannot resist. The client is Fisty Jones, a rough-and-tumble citizen of the New York docks who claims to have seen something impossible: a one-eyed, black-skinned monster direct from outer space. Gully quickly finds himself sucked into the baffling tangle of tattooed bruisers, cheerful magicians, and questionable characters who call the waterfront their home. Ellery Queen is one of the world’s finest detectives, but his adventures are nothing compared to the Ellery Queen Jr. Mystery Stories. Join Queen’s nephew, Gully, on adventures filled with danger, suspense, and thrills. The Mystery of the Merry Magician is the tenth book in the Ellery Queen Jr. Mystery Stories, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

When New Orleans Detective John O'Meara's twenty-nine-year-old sister, Payton, goes missing in Las Vegas, the thirty-eight-year-old cop who's not shy about using lethal force catches a red-eye flight to Sin City, hoping to follow his sister's trail before it goes cold. Instead, he uncovers a murder ring that extends from a VIP booth in a gentlemen's club on the Strip all the way to the mayor's office. O'Meara, a maverick in the NOPD known for his sick (as opposed to sixth) sense, has earned a reputation for unearthing spooky criminals. But he outdoes himself in Vegas where he stumbles upon a magician from Transylvania whose onstage persona as a vampire turns out to be more than just an act. The situation heats up when O'Meara falls for the magician's former assistant, a bewitching siren with a thirst for not just blood but redemption. The ensuing struggle between passion and principle leaves behind a string of dead bodies. O'Meara is forced to face his own inner demons as he searches for Payton. He doesn't know if he'll find her dead or alive.

"When the Night Foxes boldly break into the Fourth Precinct's Evidence Building, it causes quite the stir. The break-in is daring enough, but their method shreds the magical wards and protections on the building like confetti paper. As a Magical Examiner, Henri Davenforth is of course immediately called in. Quite to his astonishment, Captain Gregson has him work the case like a detective. Even more astounding, he assigns Henri a partner. The Shinigami Detective. The woman is famous for killing the most destructive rogue witch of the century. Henri is just baffled. What is he supposed to do with a partner? Hopefully killing one witch makes Jamie Edwards enough of an expert on magic to be helpful, as the thieves aren't content to just break into one building. They in fact seem to have an agenda, as with each theft, they take magical objects. It's all mounting to a dangerously powerful magical construct capable of toppling the wards on any building. And no one has any idea what the thieves' true target is."--Back cover.

The search for a coded book of secrets leads to dramatic repercussions... In Paul Doherty's The Magician's Death, Hugh Corbett's must decipher a book of secrets and keep in check rivalries, passions and brutal murders. Perfect for fans of Ellis Peters and Susanna Gregory. The monk and scholar Roger Bacon claimed to have seen many marvels of nature and science and concealed these in a book written in an unbreakable code. Sir Hugh Corbett has been instructed to organise agents in Paris to steal this Book of Secrets. They do so but pay a violent price and the French King Philip IV now wishes a meeting between the scholars of England and France to discuss breaking the code. Edward I has no choice but to allow the meeting to take place at Corfe Castle, which becomes a place of murder and mayhem. Young women from the castle are being slain whilst horrific things are witnessed in the nearby forest. The situation becomes more serious when two of the French scholars die in sinister circumstances. Corbett and Ranulf-atte-Newgate have to thread this maze of malevolent murder whilst trying to decipher the great secrets of one of England's most outstanding scholars. What readers are saying about The Magician's Death: 'Doherty's novel is written with a great flow, action and description and creates a vivid picture of the time and people' 'This is one of the best books so far...exciting and unputdownable' 'Murder, intrigue, treachery, a little romance, and lots of action combine to give the reader an excellent read'