Gerald Kersh

The Monk of horror, or The Conclave of corpses, by Anonymous The Astrologer's prediction, or The Maniac's fate, by Anonymous The expedition to Hell, by James Hogg Mateo Falcone, by Prosper Merimee [Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar]( by Edgar Allan Poe Le Grande Breteche, by Honore de Balzac The romance of certain old clothes, by Henry James Who knows?, by Guy de Maupassant The body snatcher, by Robert Louis Stevenson The death of Olivier Becaille, by Emile Zola The boarded window, by Ambrose Bierce Lost hearts, by M.R. James The sea-raiders, by H.G. Wells The derelict, by William Hope Hodgson Thurnley Abbey, by Perceval Landon The fourth man, by John Russell In the penal colony, by Franz Kafka The waxwork, by A.M. Burrage Mrs. Amworth, by E.F. Benson The reptile, by Augustus Muir Mr. Meldrum's Mania, by John Metcalfe The beast with five fingers, by William Fryer Harvey Dry September, by William Faulkner Couching at the door, by D.K. Broster The two bottles of relish, by Lord Dunsany The man who liked Dickens, by Evelyn Waugh Taboo, by Geoffrey Household The thought, by L.P. Hartley Comrade death, by Gerald Kersh Leningen versus the ants, by Carl Stephenson The brink of darkness, by Yvor Winters Activity time, by Monica Dickens Earth to Earth, by Robert Graves The dwarf, by Ray Bradbury The Portabello Road, by Muriel Spark No flies on Frank, by John Lennon Sister Coxall's revenge, by Dawn Muscillo Thou shalt not suffer a witch ..., by Dorothy K. Haynes The terrapin, by Patricia Highsmith [Man from the south]( by Roald Dahl Uneasy home-coming, by Will F. Jenkins The Aquarist, by J.N. Allan An interview with M. Chakko, by Vilas Sarang

In London under the fog of war, a 10-year-old Jewish girl is murdered. The police have no clues and little interest, so crusader Asta Thundesley takes up the challenge, sifting through clues and gathering up suspects for a dinner party where... nothing is learned. Detective Turpin goes by the book, and finds himself with a stunning set... of dead ends. Fascinating example of life's perils by author Kersh (Night and the City), who reminds for every winner, there can be a ton of losers. First published 1947.

Sgt Bill Nelson of the Guards is an Everyman – or more accurately, an Every NCO. He is one of what John Thomasen referred to as “the old Breed…regarding the service as home and war as an occupation.” Highly profane, profoundly ignorant of things outside his ken, “shorn of superfluities, living cheaply, surviving economically, and only dying dearly.” Nelson and those of his ilk are the glue that held together the mass of frightened teenagers thrown into the ranks when civilization was bracing itself against the blood and horror that was World War Two. Nelson and those of his ilk are the men who never discussed honor and scorned the idea that is war there is glory. Nelson and those of his ilk are the men about whom Housman wrote his epitaph on an army of mercenaries, “they stood, and earth’s foundations stay – what God abandoned, these defended, and saved the sum of things for pay.” Although their traditions have left their traces in the professional non-commissioned officer corps of the UK, the US, Canada and Australia today, we will not see their like again.

Harry Fabian has a dream to become the top wrestling promoter in London, but he has a problem: he needs money. Not too much -- only one hundred quid -- but it might as well be a million because he needs the money by the end of the week. What's more, it is the height of the 1930s Depression, he lives in London's Soho, he makes money from selling his girlfriend to men, and the police are arresting pimps like him to clean up the streets for the imminent Coronation of George The Sixth. Hunting for victims to blackmail and con out of money, Fabian moves through the clip joints, jazz clubs, wrestling gyms, bottle bars, and all-night cafes of 1930s London, spiraling further and further into the depths of immorality and depravity. And by the time his quest is over, Harry Fabian will have entered the tenth circle of the Inferno, dragging everybody he knows down with him...

The muse / by Anthony Burgess -- The unsafe deposit box / by Gerald Kersh -- Something strange / by Kingsley Amis -- Sold to Satan / by Mark Twain -- The end of the party / by Graham Greene -- The circular ruins / by Jorge Luis Borges -- The shout / by Robert Graves -- The door / by E.B. White -- The machine stops / by E.M. Forster -- The Mark Gable Foundation / by Leo Szilard -- The enormous radio / by John Cheever -- The finest story in the world / by Rudyard Kipling -- The Shoddy Lands / by C.S. Lewis

1936 novel by the author of 'Night and the City'. The story of a woman who tries to get along in the world, meeting along the way a millionaire American, an ageing ballerina, a Russian aristocrat, and a man who enjoys funerals.

A fine showcase for a rare and difficult form of the mystery story; fun to read and made more fun by Penzler's lively introduction. Contains: Unreasonable doubt -- Stanley Ellin A dilemma -- S. Weir Mitchell [Nunc Dimittis]( -- Roald Dahl The lady, or the tiger? -- Frank Stockton The discourager of hesitancy -- Frank Stockton The lady and the tiger -- Jack Moffitt The blind spot -- Barry Perowne The mysterious card -- Cleveland Moffett The mysterious card unveiled -- Cleveland Moffett Karmesin and the meter -- Gerald Kersh One hundred in the dark -- Owen Johnson The whole town's sleeping -- Ray Bradbury At midnight, in the month of June -- Ray Bradbury Thimble, thimble -- O. Henry The Gioconda smile -- Aldous Huxley Tea for two -- Laurie York Erskine The lady and the dragon -- Peter Godfrey A medieval romance -- Mark Twain The moment of decision -- Stanley Ellin.