H. Ashbrook Livres

Three complete novels in one!One Drop of Blood by Anne AustinMurder Unleashed by Dorothy BennettThe Murder of Cecily Thane by H. AshbrookWhile the best known writers of American detective fiction in the 1930's were men such as Dashiell Hammett, Rex Stout, and S. S. Van Dine, there were also many American womenwriting in the genre during that period. This collection includes mystery novels by three of them.Although there are differences in style and treatment between them, they all are written with a distinctly American voice that sets them apart from their British counterparts. They are edgier and darker than the “cozy mysteries” that were so representative of British mysteries of the time.While not particularly well known today, each of these three authors was a talented writer in her own right, making American Women of Mystery a compelling and fascinating read.

A Spike Tracy Mystery Spike's involvement came about by chance. Phillip (Spike) Tracy, something of a playboy, was being lectured at by his brother the D.A. who had just bailed him out of jail again, when news of the murder came in. With nothing better to do, Spike had decided to tag along as his brother investigates only to discover that he has both a taste and a talent for amateur sleuthing. Spike had vaguely known the victim, the well-off wife of a jewelry seller, who, after a night dancing with a paid escort, is found dead in her boudoir. The question is not so much who killed Cecily Thane as will Spike be able to solve the case before his knack for flippant comments so annoys his brother that he is barred from the case?