Ramble House, in a fit of perverse nostalgia, decided to bring back three action-packed novels by James Corbett all at once, and MURDER BEGETS MURDER is the mystery of the group. The other two are aeroplane thrillers. Corbett has a dodgy reputation among the old writers and with that in mind, Bay Area curmudgeon and historian Howard Pearlstein introduces the book with a plea for understanding. But read for yourself. This was the author's 43rd (and last book), published in 1951.

A rhyming tale about what happens when a family decides to take every word to heart—and the hilarious consequences that follow. Should children learn to drive cars? Are volcanoes bubbling with fondu? And do rhinos make good pets? Mikayla and Drew loved to read and learn new things…but when a new stack of books gives way to facts unlike anything they had ever heard of before, chaos ensues! Soon the children are swimming with alligators, eating candies like vitamins, and getting blasted by their neighbor. Which leads them to wonder . . . If it’s in a book, is it actually true? From...