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Puzzles of the Parish
Short Tales of Ministers, Murder and Mystery
Series: British Library Crime Classics
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Check link for latest rating. ( 40 ratings, 8 reviews)
Brief Description
I think that it is desirable to discuss the affair – here, in the room in which the Bishop’s body was found. A pernicious parson outwits the thieves of a priceless chalice from the parish treasury. A beloved vicar contemplates a perfect crime when a blackmailer...
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See moreA new selection of stories focusing on the popular intersection of the cloth and criminal behaviour, including rare short stories from the Library’s newspaper collections returning to print for the first time.
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Description
I think that it is desirable to discuss the affair – here, in the room in which the Bishop’s body was found.
A pernicious parson outwits the thieves of a priceless chalice from the parish treasury. A beloved vicar contemplates a perfect crime when a blackmailer comes knocking. Poisoned pen letters lead to a fall from grace for a rector’s wife, and a suspicious fall from the second storey for the rector.
Gathered here in this new collection are some of the greatest mystery tales in which the tendrils of crime steal into the churchyard, featuring clergymen and nuns as victims, amateur sleuths, and villainous perpetrators of the devil’s work. Replete with a fascinating introduction and notes from one of the guiding lights of crime fiction, Martin Edwards, this anthology delivers cosy brainteasers and fiendishly-fashioned stories with a sting in the tail, from a congregation of writers including Joyce Porter, H. C. Bailey, Cyril Hare, and Edmund Crispin.
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Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780712369404
Publisher: British Library Publishing
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 10 June 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: British Library Publishing
Illustration: Illustrations
Contributors:
- Introduction by Martin Edwards
- Edited by Martin Edwards
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Weight: 300g
Pages: 288
About the Author
Martin Edwards is series consultant for British Library Crime Classics. He is a CWA Diamond Dagger Award-winning crime writer and president of the Detection Club. He has researched and explored the history of the crime and mystery genre in titles such as The Golden Age of Murder, The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books – published by the British Library – and The Life of Crime.
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