The Master Detective Trio by William S. Shepard

This is a collection of three books with detective themes: “The Great Detectives: From Vidocq to Sam Spade,” “Coffee Break Mysteries,” and “More Coffee Break Mysteries.”

“The Great Detectives” traces the birth and evolution of the detective story, from its origins in the early nineteenth century with Edgar Allan Poe, then its development by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, to the twentieth century masters of the “cozy” mystery, Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, and the American “hardboiled” school of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. Along the way, we’ll learn more about Sherlock Holmes and Sam Spade!

“Coffee Break Mysteries” is a collection of twenty short mysteries, from shoplifting to murder. Each mystery is set forth for the reader to solve, with clues and several suspects. The reader solves the mystery, then turns to the next page for the solution. It’s just the right pace for something new and different as you enjoy your coffee break! The reader will surely have favorites, perhaps from the selection of Ask Martha mysteries. But don’t tell Ask Martha’s secret – this advice for the lovelorn columnist is really a 6 foot 6 inch former football player named “Crusher” Davis, making ends meet by writing under a pseudonym for the local newspaper!