A nameless old man sits in the corner of a cozy London tea shop, and without leaving his seat, solves baffling crimes reported to him by an admiring lady journalist. Using only methods of pure deduction, the eccentric, self-assured sleuth unravels the mysteries behind a wide range of criminal acts-from gruesome murders ('The Lisson Grove Mystery') and daring thefts ('The Affair at the Novelty Theatre') to brilliant deceptions ('The Liverpool Mystery') and deadly blackmail schemes ('The Murder o