Crime Story Collection

 
Contents 
 
page 
Introduction v
Three Is a Lucky Number
Margery Allingham
 

1
Full Circle
Sue
 
Grafton
 
9
How's Your Mother?
Simon Brett
 
21
At the Old Swimming Hole
Sara Paretsky
 
32
Slowly, Slowly in the Wind
Patricia Highsmith
 
42
Woodrow Wilson s Tie
Patricia Highsmith
 
54
The Absence of Emily
Jack Ritchie
 
65
The Inside Story
Colin Dexter
 
74
Activities
93

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Introduction 
This collection contains eight murder stories written by some of
the finest British and American mystery writers of the twentieth 
century. Many, like Colin Dexter and Patricia Highsmith, are best 
known for their full-length works while others, like Jack Ritchie, 
specialize in the short story In some of these stories, like Sara 
Paretsky’s ‘At the Old Swimming Hole’, we follow the action
through the eyes of the person who is trying to solve the crime.
Other stories are told from the point of view of the criminal; as
readers of Patricia Highsmith’s ‘Woodrow Wilson’s Tie’, we share
the murderer’s thoughts as well as his actions. 
English mystery writer Margery Allingham (1904-66) was
born in London. She followed other members of her family into
a life of writing, producing her first mystery story in 1927. She
also wrote about social history. In ‘Three Is a Lucky Number’ we 
meet Ronald Torbay, who is making careful preparations for his
third murder. But will he succeed? 
Born in Kentucky in 1940, Sue Grafton, who now lives in 
California, has won many prizes for her crime stories. Kinsey 
Millhone, a strong, intelligent female private detective with a
good sense of humour, is the main character in her books and
short stories. ‘Full Circle’ takes place in the imaginary town of
Santa Teresa in California. It seems that there has been a terrible
car accident. But was it really an accident? 
British crime writer Simon Brett was born in 1945. After
studying at Oxford University, he worked as a producer for BBC
radio and London Weekend Television. He has written a number
of radio and TV plays in addition to his books and short stories. 
Humphrey Partridge, the main character in ‘How’s Your 
Mother?’, lives alone with his sick mother. But nobody ever sees 
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her, and when the house burns down she cannot be found.
Where has she gone? 
Sara Paretsky, born in Iowa in 1947, did a variety of jobs after 
leaving university before becoming a full-time writer. She has
won many prizes for her crime writing and is particularly well
known for her stories about V. I. Warshawski, a female private 
detective. In ‘At the Old Swimming Hole’, a woman is shot. V. I. 
follows the clues, but who is actually following who? 
Patricia Highsmith (1921-95), who also wrote under the name
Claire Morgan, was from Texas, although she lived in Europe for 
much of her later life. Her first book, 
Strangers on a Train 
(1950), 
was very successful and was made into a film by Alfred
Hitchcock. She too won many writing prizes and two of her
stories are included in this collection. ‘Slowly, Slowly in the
Wind’ tells the story of an argument between neighbours that
gets out of control. In ‘Woodrow Wilson’s Tie’ a young delivery
boy visits the waxworks and has a strange idea, but who will
believe him? 
American short story writer John George Reitci (1922-83)
wrote under the name of Jack Ritchie. He was educated in 
Wisconsin, served in the United States Army, and wrote his best 
stories in the 1960s and 1970s. These stories have been reprinted 
many times in collections. A number of unusual detectives appear
in his mystery stories; often they are not very good at detective
work, and