The Old Man in the Corner - Hardcover
The Old Man in the Corner (1908) introduces one of the mystery genre's first armchair detectives, and he's a peculiar case himself. He comes out of his corner on page one to intrude on a young woman journalist, Miss Burton of the Evening Observer, at her table in a tea shop. "There is no such thing as a mystery," the Old Man insists, no matter what people read in the penny press. To prove it, he sets about solving a number of crimes the police couldn't. His deductions are based mostly on accounts in the news. The book's inventive premise is the work of the Hungarian Baroness Emmuska Orczy, best-known for her creation of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Her masked hero saved aristocrats, and she gives the Old Man a touch of the upper crust as well. He claims to be "only an amateur," but his disdain for the police is like the king to the commoner. He has a rich man's -- or crazy man's -- eccentricities. He admires a clever crook, and his nervous fingers tie elaborate knots in a piece of string while he mulls the clues. "Now, follow my reasoning point by point . . ." he challenges Miss Burton, and off he goes to out-smart the sharpest criminals in London -- all without leaving the table.
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From the Publisher:
"Among the first and greatest armchair detectives...Fun to listen to."
About the Author:
Baroness Emma Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála "Emmuska" Orczy de Orci (1865 - 1947), commonly known as Baroness Orczy, was a Hungarian-born British novelist, playwright and artist of noble origin. She is most known for her series of novels featuring the Scarlet Pimpernel, the alter ego of Sir Percy Blakeney, a wealthy English fop who transforms into a formidable swordsman and a quick-thinking escape artist, representing the original "hero with a secret identity".
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherAegypan
- Publication date2008
- ISBN 10 1606647326
- ISBN 13 9781606647325
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages186
- Rating
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