Mike Ashley - Mammoth Book of Perfect Crimes and Impossible Mysteries

MIKE ASHLEY is an author and editor of over eighty books, including many Mammoth titles. He worked for over thirty years in local government but is now a full-time writer and researcher specializing in ancient history, historical fiction and fantasy, crime and science fiction. He lives in Kent with his wife and over 20,000 books.

Also available

The Mammoth Book of 20th Century Science Fiction

The Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica 5

The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 17

The Mammoth Book of Best New Science Fiction 19

The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens

The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends

The Mammoth Book of Fighter Pilots

The Mammoth Book of the Funniest Cartoons of All Time

The Mammoth Book of Great Detective Stories

The Mammoth Book of Great Inventions

The Mammoth Book of Hearts of Oak

The Mammoth Book of Heroes

The Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunnits

The Mammoth Book of How It Happened

The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: America

The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: Ancient Egypt

The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: Ancient Rome

The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: Battles

The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: In Britain

The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: Everest

The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: Naval Battles

The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: World War I

The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: World War II

The Mammoth Book of International Erotica

The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper

The Mammoth Book of Jokes

The Mammoth Book of Maneaters

The Mammoth Book of Mountain Disasters

The Mammoth Book of Native Americans

The Mammoth Book of New Terror

The Mammoth Book of New Jules Verne Adventures

The Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories

The Mammoth Book of Prophecies

The Mammoth Book of Pulp Action

The Mammoth Book of Roaring Twenties Whodunnits

The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunnits

The Mammoth Book of SAS & Special Forces

The Mammoth Book of Seriously Comic Fantasy

The Mammoth Book of Sex, Drugs & Rock n Roll

The Mammoth Book of Sorcerers Tales

The Mammoth Book of Space Exploration and Disasters

The Mammoth Book of Special Forces

The Mammoth Book of Shipwrecks & Sea Disasters

The Mammoth Book of Sword and Honour

The Mammoth Book of The Edge

The Mammoth Book of Travel in Dangerous Places

The Mammoth Book of True War Stories

The Mammoth Book of UFOs

The Mammoth Book of Vampires

The Mammoth Book of War Correspondents

The Mammoth Book of Women Who Kill

The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrial Encounters

The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Modern Crime Fiction

The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Unsolved Mysteries

London Constable & Robinson Ltd
3 The Lanchesters
162 Fulham Palace Road
London W6 9ER
www.constablerobinson.com

First published in the UK by Robinson,
an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd 2006

Collection and editorial material copyright Mike Ashley 2006

All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in
Publication Data is available from the British Library.

ISBN-13: 978-1-84529-337-6
ISBN-10: 1-84529-337-1
eISBN: 978-1-78033-359-5

Printed and bound in the EU

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

E very effort has been made to trace holders of copyright. In the event of any inadvertent infringement, please contact the editor via the publisher. I would like to thank Douglas G. Greene, Steve Lewis and John Herrington for their help in tracing authors or their estates.

The Impossible Footprint 1974 by William Brittain. First published in Alfred Hitchcocks Mystery Magazine , November 1974. Reprinted by permission of the author.

The X Street Murders 1962 by Joseph Commings. First published in Mystery Digest , March/April 1962. Reprinted by permission of the Diocese of St Petersburg, Florida, on behalf of the authors estate.

Duel of Shadows 1934 by Vincent Cornier. First published in Pearsons Magazine , April 1934. Reprinted by permission of the authors estate.

The 45 Steps 2006 by Peter Crowther. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author and the authors agent, John Jarrold.

The Flung-Back Lid 1979 by Peter Godfrey. First published in John Creaseys Crime Collection 1979 , edited by Herbert Harris (London: Gollancz, 1979). Reprinted by permission of the authors estate.

Murder in Monkeyland 2006 by Lois Gresh and Robert Weinberg. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the authors.

A Shower of Daggers 1997 by Edward D. Hoch. First published in Ellery Queens Mystery Magazine , June 1997. The Problem of the Black Cloister 2004 by Edward D. Hoch. First published in Ellery Queens Mystery Magazine , December 2004. Both reprinted by permission of the author.

Eternally Yours 1985 by H. Edward Hunsburger. First published in Alfred Hitchcocks Mystery Magazine , September 1985. Reprinted by permission of the author.

The Episode of the Nail and the Requiem 1935 by C. Daly King. First published in Mystery , March 1935. Reprinted by permission of the authors estate.

The Birdman of Tonypandy 2006 by Bernard Knight. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

On the Rocks 2004 by J. A. Konrath. First published in Ellery Queens Mystery Magazine , July 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

The Impossible Murder of Dr Satanus 1965 by William Krohn. First published in Ellery Queens Mystery Magazine , April 1965. Reprinted by permission of the author.

The Red Ring by William Le Queux, first published in The Grand Magazine , January 1910. Copyright expired in 1978.

Wingless Pegasus 1996 by Gillian Linscott. First published in Ellery Queens Mystery Magazine , August 1996. Reprinted by permission of the author.

Three Blind Rats 2006 by Laird Long. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

Slaughterhouse 1979 by Barry Longyear. First published in Alfred Hitchcocks Mystery Magazine , July 1979. Reprinted by permission of the author.

Bennings School for Boys 2006 by Richard A. Lupoff. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

Observable Justice 2006 by Will Murray. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

Contrary to the Evidence 1935 by Douglas Newton. First published in Pearsons Magazine , January 1936. Reprinted by permission of the authors estate.

No Killer Has Wings 1960 by Arthur Porges. First published in Alfred Hitchcocks Mystery Magazine , January 1961. Reprinted by permission of the author.

Death and the Rope Trick 1954 by John Basye Price. First published in London Mystery Magazine #21, 1954. Unable to trace the authors estate.

Proof of Guilt 1973 by Bill Pronzini. First published in Ellery Queens Mystery Magazine , December 1973. Reprinted by permission of the author.