All three novels are of the genre "Sensation Novel" which is a Victorian ancestor to the detective novel. Crime is at the heart of the novels, but there is no detective hero, and the crime goes alongside the melodrama. Wylder's Hand has a fiendishly convoluted plot, as should all crime fiction in general. The plot is melodramatic, but the characters are complex and sophisticated. The chief villain is selfish and merciless, but without malevolence. The secondary villain is sinister and chilling, even managing to persuade himself that he is honourable whilst committing outrageous crimes. Guy...

All three novels are of the genre "Sensation Novel" which is a Victorian ancestor to the detective novel. Crime is at the heart of the novels, but there is no detective hero, and the crime goes alongside the melodrama. 'Checkmate' involves self-interest, dishonesty, deception, revenge, and murder. From the beginning the reader knows there is something not right about a gentleman with impeccable credentials. Eventually the plot is exposed and revenge is being played out as carefully as a game of chess. 'Willing to Die' was published after the author's death and like his other novels is...

Sheridan Le Fanu's work is distinguished by his able construction, ingenuity of plot, and power in the presentation of the mysterious and supernatural. This volume is a compilation of 54 of his short stories. Prepare to be very disturbed: A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family, A Debt of Honor, An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street, An Adventure of Hardress Fitzgerald, a Royalist Captain, An Authentic Narrative of a Haunted House, Billy Malowney's Taste of Love and Glory, Catherine's Quest, Devereux's Dream, Dickon the Devil, Doctor Feversham's Story, Ghost Stories of...

Sappho: One Hundred Lyrics" contains the beautiful verses of the versatile Classical Greek poet that have been celebrated for centuries for its lyricism and beauty. "Regiment of Women" is the debut novel of Winifred Ashton writing as Clemence Dane. First published in 1917, the novel has gained some notoriety due to its more or less veiled treatment of lesbian relationships inside and outside a school setting. It is said to have inspired Radclyffe Hall to write The Well of Loneliness. "Carmilla" is narrated by a young woman preyed upon by a female vampire named Carmilla, later revealed to be...