A PI and his sidekick tackle a case of murder and mayhem at a Florida lumber mill in this Golden Age mystery by the author of The Iron Spiders.Arnold Drenner had been warned not to take his boat through Florida's coastal waterways at night—especially alone. However, the businessman was never any good at heeding advice, and the trait appears to have brought about his demise. When an employee of Drenner's lumber mill discovers his boss's boat run aground, Drenner's onboard—dead.When Connie Drenner arrives on the scene, she's advised to sell her father's struggling mill. But she soon receives a frightening warning: it seems someone doesn't want her around either.Desperate for help, Connie calls on a family friend. Now, private detective Miles Standish Rice and his majordomo, George, must root out the source of the trouble. And they better be quick—before Connie is made to follow in her father's footsteps . . ....

In the early days of WWII, a blind detective follows unseen clues to solve a murder and undermine a German spy plot.Meet Captain Duncan Maclain. Blinded during his service in the first World War, Maclain made up for his lack of vision by sharpening his other senses, achieving a mastery of the subtle unseen clues often missed by those who see only with their eyes. Aided by his dogs Schnucke and Driest, the Captain puts the intelligence-gathering techniques he learned in the Army to work, making a name for himself as New York City's most sought-after private detective. Now it's 1940, there's a second World War breaking out, and Maclain is pulled into a case unlike any he's investigated before. The murder of an actor in his Greenwich Village apartment would cause a stir no matter the circumstances but, when the actor happens to possess secret government plans, and when those plans go missing along with the young woman with whom he was last seen,...

What seems like an unfortunate fall turns out to be far more disturbing, as a blind detective discovers, in this mystery from the author of The Last Express.Following the loss of his sight in World War I, ex–intelligence officer Capt. Duncan Maclain honed his other senses and became one of the most successful and well-known private investigators in New York City . . .Wealthy businessman Dryden Winslow spent over twenty years self-exiled in Australia, but he's recently returned to the United States. He's staying at Doncaster House, a luxury hotel in Manhattan, where he's rented out six suites for himself and his estranged family. Given Winslow's weakened heart has him on the verge of death, the hotel staff are on high alert, knowing he could drop at any moment. Of course, no one expects him to drop from his balcony . . .Captain Maclain is playing chess with the hotel manager when a startled housekeeper reports her account of Winslow's...

When a notorious gambler pays the ultimate price, a PI is called in to investigate, in this Golden Age mystery by the author of The Iron Spiders.At Miami's Sunset Bridge Club, Edward Fowler has quite the reputation for playing fast and loose with money—and women—until he's found seated at the poker table with an unusual knife in his back. Even more peculiar is the playing card discovered on the table: an eleven of diamonds.Miles Standish Rice has a reputation too, but it's for his knack for solving bizarre cases. That's why Miami's chief of police wants the private detective's help on this one—as does wealthy entrepreneur Bruce Farraday. Scraps of a torn check signed by Farraday's son were found in Fowler's hotel room, and the businessman is willing to pay top dollar to clear his offspring of any ties to foul play.So with an inquisitive mind—and an expensive appetite—Rice pledges to solve this strange puzzle of...

A puzzling murder has a blind detective investigating the New York City subway in this Golden Age mystery series opener.Following the loss of his sight in World War I, ex–intelligence officer Capt. Duncan Maclain honed his other senses and became one of the most successful and well-known private investigators in the Big Apple. Kind and sympathetic, he's eager to help anyone who visits his office.Evelyn Zarinka's at the end of her rope, and at her fiancé's suggestion, she goes to see his friend Maclain for help. For the past three months, Evelyn has noticed a startling change in her brother Paul, assistant district attorney for New York City's Homicide Division. First it was the strange phone calls; then he bought a gun and started drinking heavily. And it's only gotten worse. After speaking with Evelyn, Maclain is certain Paul's in trouble.But the detective is too late to help him. Paul's car explodes, killing the assistant DA. The only...

A post–World War II widow is uncertain she can trust her new husband in this psychological suspense novel by the author of the Duncan Maclain Mysteries.Something's wrong with Natalie Sherrett. For Natalie, every day is an internal struggle, wrestling with grief over the loss of her first husband, Bob, who was killed in the war—and now terror, as she's come to fear her new husband, Trev, is trying to kill her.As she walks a fine line between reality and delusion, will Natalie be able to rescue herself from her crippling insanity and walk once again in the light? Or will she topple over the edge and take everyone with her into the darkness?"[An] excursion into paranoia with overtones of allegory." —Oakland TribuneBaynard Kendrick was a founding member of the Mystery Writers of America, the holder of the organization's first membership card, and a winner of its Grand Master Award.

A doctor in 1965 Miami is embroiled in international intrigue in this thrilling adventure from the author of the Duncan Maclain Mysteries.In 1960, Dr. Antonio Carrillo fled Havana for freedom in Miami. Now, five years later, Tony works as a resident internist at the local VA hospital, and one hot summer day, he receives a phone call from a young woman who needs his help. A yacht pulling into Miami's harbor has rescued an ill man from the water. When Tony sees the patient, he's shocked to discover it's his father-in-law.Ernesto Garcia ran the vicious secret police under Batista and went on to become a commander in Castro's Rebel Army. He wasn't a man to be trifled with . . . so what was he doing floating around in the ocean? As Tony investigates, he discovers that Milagros, the wife he thought died in Cuba, is alive. Rescuing her now means returning to his homeland and putting his life on the line. But the good doctor has a few surprises of his own up his...

A bizarre death on an isolated Florida island requires a unique detective in this Golden Age mystery by the author of the Duncan Maclain series.Young electrical engineer Donald Buchanan is excited to be working again—and to spend his winter in Florida instead of New York. Instead of waiting tables, he'll be running a small power plant on Broken Heart Key, a private island owned by eccentric billionaire Aaron Tuckerton. Never mind his boss's strange warning about people wanting him dead . . .But trouble quickly follows Don to paradise when a servant mysteriously jumps to her death in what she should've known were barracuda-infested waters. Then a mysterious necklace known as "the Iron Spider" is discovered in her room. Don believes there needs to be an inquest, but Aaron phones for a special investigator instead.The next morning, Don is greeted by Miles Standish Rice. With his schoolboy attitude and voracious appetite, "Stan" may not seem like...