Designed to appeal to the book lover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautifully bound pocket-sized gift editions of much loved classic titles. Bound in real cloth, printed on high quality paper, and featuring ribbon markers and gilt edges, Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

Christmas is not always the season of goodwill. As this hugely entertaining collection shows, it can also be the season of mysterious deaths, hidden poison bottles and blunt instruments...

The stories in Classic Christmas Crime Stories have been selected and introduced by writer David Stuart Davies.

This collection of ten stories from the golden age of British crime writing features festive whodunits by Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh. There are unexplained deaths by all manner of suspect means from famous writers such as Baroness Orczy and Marjorie Bowen, and dastardly Christmas crimes to be solved from esteemed crime writers such as Robert Barnard, Nicholas Olde and H. R. F. Keating. Each story is brilliantly plotted - some deliciously tense, others laced with humor - and each is bound to thoroughly entertain.

Designed to appeal to the book lover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautifully bound pocket-sized gift editions of much loved classic titles. Bound in real cloth, printed on high quality paper, and featuring ribbon markers and gilt edges, Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

A spine-chilling anthology that celebrates the thrilling pleasure and rich literary legacy of horror writing.

From the sinister imagination of Edgar Allan Poe to the supernatural suspense of H. G. Wells, this collection explores a range of eerie experiences; there are hauntings, monsters and plenty of often inexplicable and always terrifying dramas.

The classic masters of the genre are here; in Algernon Blackwood's deeply unnerving 'The Occupant in the Room' a hotel room hides a terrifying secret. In Guy de Maupassant's 'Vendetta', a mother is bent on terrible revenge and in 'The Treasure of Abbot Thomas' M. R. James turns a treasure hunt into a nightmare.

Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are holidaying on the English coast when they discover a corpse on the beach... which then disappears. They can get little help from the nearby village, populated by strange and unfriendly characters. Then the corpse suddenly reappears in their cottage and they are attacked by persons unknown. Watson comes to, and discovers that months have passed, and Holmes is not the man he remembers. What has happened to his friend? Does it have something to do with a dead devil worshipper, whose children happen to live in the cursed village?

Selected and Introduced by David Stuart Davies.

Short Stories from the Nineteenth Century is a wonderful collection of classic stories specially selected and introduced by David Stuart Davies. These are tales from the golden age of the great storytellers presenting evocative snapshots from that bygone era while at the same time providing engaging entertainment and stimulation for the modern reader.

All emotions are catered for in the offerings by Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, H.G.Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, Mrs Gaskell, O Henry, Anthony Trollope, Thomas Hardy, Wilkie Collins, Guy de Maupassant, Anton Chekhov, Charlotte Perkins Gillman and Charles Lamb. Through their words the rich pageant of yesterday springs to vibrant life. Each story has its own introduction and there is a set of informative notes. This volume is ideal reading for the student as well as those who relish a good tale well told.

A Rupert Wilde Golden Age Murder Mystery.

It is the 1920s and Ambrose De Lacy is the doyen of mystery writers and founder of The Murder Club, an exclusive social club for successful authors of crime fiction. He receives death threats by post and so consults private detective Rupert Wilde and his Indian assistant Kishen Chabra to get to the bottom of this sinister matter. However, the case proves to be more complex than it first appears. Wilde discovers that the killer is on a vengeful mission to eliminate various members of the club. And what is the dark secret from the past that De Lacy is harbouring? Wilde's investigations place him in personal danger before leading him and Kishen to the mysterious isolated cottage on the south coast where horror awaits. However, there are more clues to follow before Wilde is able to unmask the murderer.

Introducing Rupert Wilde, the smart and sophisticated new sleuth in the first of his Golden Age mysteries.

Having survived the First World War and been decorated for his efforts, Rupert Wilde is now back in civvy street wondering what to do with his life. On a whim he accepts his Aunt Julia's invitation to a Christmas house party at Pelham House in the wilds of rural Norfolk. He takes with him his newly appointed assistant Kishen, a young Oxford educated Indian whom he met when he rescued him from a violent mugging. Little did Wilde know that there would be murder, intrigue and mutilated bodies awaiting him behind the ancient walls of Pelham House. Wilde and Kishen turn detective to get to the bottom of these puzzling and ghastly festive felonies.

...there is one... one secret, one personal secret that begs to be released, to be revealed at last - before it is too late.

This latest drama from award-winning author, editor, and playwright DAVID STUART DAVIES is a dark, fascinating character study of Sherlock Holmes's older brother. Brooding over past sins and unfinished business at the end of his years, Mycroft Holmes reveals his life's story in an astonishing, controversial monologue, which acts as a companion piece to Davies' earlier play, the long-running Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act.

Forests of the Night introduces the intrepid John Hawke, an exciting new detective operating in London during the Blitz.

When World War II breaks out in London, young policeman John Hawke enlists in the army. His dreams of fighting for his country, however, are cut short after he loses an eye in rifle training. Invalided out of the army and offered a desk job with the police, John sets up as a private investigator in London instead, hoping for excitement and danger.

In the autumn of 1940, John is engaged to investigate the mysterious death of a young woman. What is the connection between her brutal murder and the fading film actor Gordon Moore? Johnny also becomes involved in the plight of a runaway boy who may have witnessed something terrible.

Told with wit and humor, while evoking an atmospheric picture of the home front during the dark days of the Second World War, Forests of the Night is an impressive U.S. debut for David Stuart Davies.

A visit from the distraught Ronald Temple sets SHERLOCK HOLMES and Dr Watson on the hunt for a kidnapped child. With no ransom note and a sinister connection to the highest echelons of Victorian society, it becomes clear that it is no ordinary kidnapping, and soon the companions' lives are in danger. What is the child's true heritage? And what is the connection with the Whitechapel murders of a decade before?

A brand-new Sherlock Holmes mystery from acclaimed Sherlockian author David Stuart Davies, featuring the sinister Dr Caligari

Sherlock Holmes has just uncovered the truth about the theft of a priceless ruby. The wealthy Lady Damury staged the theft and tried to frame her husband - but just as Holmes reveals the truth, Lady Damury is found murdered. Holmes deduces that this is no crime of passion, but the work of a ruthless killer with no connection to the jewel. With reports of a man in a strange, trance-like state, Holmes finds himself entangled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the sinister Dr Caligari...

The sixth novel in the Detective Johnny (One Eye) Hawke series.

Two laser-sharp detectives, two thought-provoking cases and two skilful plots.

Featuring private investigator Johnny (One Eye) Hawke, and his one-time colleague in the police force Detective David Llewellyn. Llewellyn is investigating the chilling crimes of a top psychiatrist and his scheming patient who the doctor believes has knuckled under his authority. In the meantime, Hawke is on the case of a mysterious suicide in Edgware Road... soon discovered as not your average suicide.

The guts and insight of the two investigators bring both cases to a head - though you won't even begin to see how until you have turned the last pages.

'Johnny Hawke breathes new life into the traditional British mystery. He's a hero with a heart.' Val McDermid 1950.

England.

In the midst of the growing Cold War, Detective Johnny 'One Eye' Hawke is approached by Frances Clements, to help locate her missing husband. A seemingly ordinary case, nothing can prepare Hawke for the mystery that unravels. Clements is not who his wife thought he was, and Hawke's new client is found dead a day later.

Hawke sets out on a dangerous investigation, alongside Mrs Clements' sister, who came to support Frances after her husband's disappearance. They soon discover that this mystery is bigger than a missing person.

Clements was living a secret life and now appears to be on the run with something in his possession that threatens the peace and stability of Britain. Johnny has to track down this shadowy figure before he disappears but there are others who desire to reach Clements first.

As the case unfolds, so does the web of lies in which Hawke becomes entangled. But who can be trusted? Who is telling the truth?

Both a murder mystery and spy thriller, Spiral of Lies is full of unexpected twists and gripping set pieces.

Author David Stuart Davies is also a film historian and expert on Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. He is a member of the national committee of the Crime Writers' Association and has edited Red Herrings, their monthly publication, since 1999.

Praise for David Stuart Davies:

'Dark but very compelling. David Stuart Davies knows how to write and how to twist the knife inside the reader's mind.' Peter James '

A neatly crafted crime novel offering an unusual perspective on London, by turns dark and poignant.' Andrew Taylor

'A strong story immaculately told. What a rare pleasure it is to discover a book that you can truly call a thriller. Wartime London is beautifully evoked in a plot as crafty as the black market.' Peter Lovesey

'Wartime London makes a great setting for crime fiction and Davies uses it shrewdly. Johnny Hawke is a keeper.' Booklist

'The Darkness Rising is fast, creepy, gruesome, working up from shock to shock till the last line.' Kim Newman

One year after the death of her husband, Kate Barlow is desperate to move on.

She can still feel Michael permeating her reality, calling out to her from the other side.

He is a voice on the wind, or perhaps the phantom presence of a man who does not wish to stay dead. Her memories of him threaten her relationship with David, a writer who wishes to help her overcome her guilt and the strange lingering desire for her husband.

But Michael haunts more than just his beloved wife. Their son, Timothy, has a connection to his father that binds them together in both life and death. Robert Moore, a friend of Michael's and a co-worker of David's, experiences night terrors of a grotesque corpse rising from the dead to exact vengeance upon those who wronged him.

Then a medium shows up at Kate's door, bearing a message from beyond the grave. Michael will not rest until he has her - and she is given the chance to speak to him one last time.

As Kate struggles to escape her past, the spirit of Michael grows more determined to possess her future. His dark passion for her, the love of his life and death, is all consuming. He will stop at nothing to return and fulfil the promise he made: that he would never let her go - that he would come back for her.

Author David Stuart Davies is also a film historian and expert on Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. He is a member of the national committee of the Crime Writers' Association and has edited Red Herrings, their monthly publication, since 1999. His other titles include the Johnny Hawke thriller Spiral of Lies.

Praise for David Stuart Davies:

'Dark but very compelling. David Stuart Davies knows how to write and how to twist the knife inside the reader's mind.' Peter James

'A neatly crafted crime novel offering an unusual perspective on London, by turns dark and poignant.' Andrew Taylor

'A strong story immaculately told. What a rare pleasure it is to discover a book that you can truly call a thriller. Wartime London is beautifully evoked in a plot as crafty as the black market.' Peter Lovesey

'Wartime London makes a great setting for crime fiction and Davies uses it shrewdly. Johnny Hawke is a keeper.' Booklist

'Thrills, delights, and scares in equal measure - and with witty and elegant style.' Matthew Booth