Showing results by narrator "Cathy Dobson" in All Categories

W. W. Jacobs was an English writer, famous for his humorous short stories, particularly those relating the preposterous adventures and misadventures of sailors on leave. The collection Short Cruises contains some of W. W. Jacobs' most popular characters, including the night watchman at the docks in Wapping who relates the stories of his friends Ginger Dick, Sam Small and Peter Russet.

John Davys Beresford (1873-1947) was an English writer, now remembered for his early science fiction and short stories in the horror story and ghost story genres. 'Powers of the Air' is a strange and evocative tale of superstition, supernatural forces and suspense. When the 'black time' comes, it is not safe to go out on the cliffs...but a young outsider from the town is determined to prove that the Powers do not exist.

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (1842-circa 1914) was an American author, journalist, short story writer and satirist who disappeared in 1913 under mysterious circumstances and was never seen again. 'A Tough Tussle' is a weird and horrible ghost story about a soldier in the Civil War who finds himself stationed on sentry duty, alone in a wood at night, next to the corpse of an enemy soldier. While he waits and watches, the body appears to change position....

The House-Surgeon is a strange tale about a haunted house. Not that there is an actual ghost in evidence. Indeed, nobody has ever died in the house since it was originally built. But a strange all-pervading depression haunts the place intermittently which overwhelms its occupants. When the current owner of the house tells the strange tale of the house to a fellow passenger, Mr. Perseus, on a trans-Atlantic steamer, he invites him down to the house to experience the horrible phenomenon himself.

William Fryer Harvey (1885-1937) was an English writer of short stories, most notably in the mystery and horror genres, in which many of his works are recognized as masterpieces of the genre. The Tool is a creepy tale about a young curate on a walking holiday who discovers the body of a murdered sailor on the moors above a remote village. He walks on to the village with the intention of reporting his grisly discovery, but as the constable is away for the night he checks into the local inn until he can report the murder.

Morley Roberts (1857-1942) was an adventurer who worked on railways, cattle, and sheep ranches all over Africa and the Americas and still found time to write a large number of very varied novels and stories with a zest that only real-life experience can give. The Overcrowded Iceberg is the story of the argumentative crew of a fog-bound ship in the northern Atlantic, which eventually strikes an iceberg and sinks.

"The Paradise Coal-Boat" is the story of Ezra Pollard, skipper of a coal boat working between Tyneside and the South Coast. The cost-conscious shipowner, Gedge, makes it very clear to Ezra that he is to sail his route at top speed and in the event of any collision to bring home no survivors from other ships who could make claims for damages against the firm. But Ezra is haunted for years by an incident where he accidentally mows down a fishing smack and drowns its crew.

A fast-paced and varied collection of captivating short stories ranging from action thrillers to poignant tear-jerkers to the downright weird, including: "Jerry Bundler" by W. W. Jacobs, "The Umbrella Mender" by Beatrice Harraden, "Green Ink" by J. S. Fletcher, "Why Herbert Killed His Mother" by Winifred Holtby, "The Red Mark" by Israel Zangwill, "The White Kid Glove" by J. S. Fletcher, "Sophy Mason Comes Back" by E. M. Delafield, plus many more.

Reparation is a strange short story. Angus, a young engineer returning to England from Cape Town, is offered a first class passage by an ailing acquaintance on the pretext that he needs a secretary during the voyage. Once they set sail it becomes clear that there is in fact no secretarial work to be done and he is puzzled as to why he has been taken on. One evening he is called to his employer's cabin. The old man is dying.

The Child in the Garden is the story of an independent young woman with a passion for archeology who enjoys travelling to sites of antiquity in pusuit of her research. Meanwhile her fiancé, a highly traditional curate, is unhappy at her level of freedom and independence. When he finally travels out to Greece and catches up with her in a remote village, she breaks off their engagement. Soon after this she experiences a terrifying, but at the same time thrilling adventure.

Morley Roberts (1857-1942) was an adventurer who worked on railways, cattle, and sheep ranches all over Africa and the Americas and still found time to write a large number of very varied novels and stories with a zest that only real-life experience can give. The Mad Hatter is a fast paced and gripping adventure story about a magazine editor who is pursued across London by a murderous psycopath who is determined to kill him in revenge for rejecting a short story of his about his escape from the asylum.

A Patch on the Quilt is a short story about an actor who is pursued by a strange woman at the theatre with a very odd request. She has attended every performance of his play since it started, skipping meals to afford the tickets. She now wants him to come with her to a house in Kensington after his performance...which she says is part of her 'plan'. But who is this person and what could she possibly want from him?

The Desert Islander is the story of a deserter from the French Foreign Legion who seeks help from an Englishman living in a remote part of southern China during the Chinese war. Two facts quickly become apparent about our legionnaire. First, that he has a narcissistic personality disorder which leaves him devoid of empathy and in desperate need to attention and adulation. Second that he is suffering from a gangrenous leg.

Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Irons Folsom Fox (1862-1935) was an American writer best known for her rich and varied short stories. 'Towers of Fame' is an unlikely love story. The indifferent, cold, calculating and wholly ambitious judge, Eric Hall, is the last person any of the assembled company could imagine ever having a love affair. And yet an old friend of his tells a romantic story that perplexes and fascinates everybody.

Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1875-1932) was an English writer of 957 short stories and over 170 novels. He is widely recognized as one of the most prolific writers of his age. 'White Stockings' is a compelling and cleverly constructed story about a vengeful jilted lover with a gambling addiction, a racing tout, a gullible lover, a hairdresser and a wily old racehorse owner...most of whom are hell-bent on double-crossing each other.

Neil Munro (1863-1930) was a Scottish journalist, newspaper editor, author and literary critic who is now mainly known for his humorous short stories. The Student Lodger is the humorous tale of a Scottish couple who take on an English divinity student as a lodger. The trainee minister turns out rather livelier than his landlords had hoped....

Arthur George Morrison (1863-1945) was an English writer and journalist known for his realistic novels and stories about working-class life in London's East End. This collection contains a selection of Morrison's best work, including 'Dobbs' Parrot', 'The House of Haddock', 'The Thing in the Upper Room', 'His Tale of Bricks', and 'A Lucifo Match'.

William Fryer Harvey (1885-1937) was an English writer of short stories, most notably in the mystery and horror genres, in which many of his works are recognized as masterpieces of the genre. The Ankardine Pew is one of W. F. Harvey's most famous works. It is a curious tale of a house haunted by the tortured soul of a previous owner who had once committed a most dreadful and unusual atrocity.

The elderly spinster, Miss Cornelius appears to be the cause of a range of strange supernatural phenomena which are troubling the house where she is temporarily lodging. But when Andrew Saxon, a local schoolmaster, accuses her of being behind the mysterious haunting she turns on him with a terrifying curse. Following this the focus of the strange and terrifying phenomena mysteriously shifts to the Saxon household...and worse still, it seems as though the awful powers have transferred from Miss Cornelius to Saxon's beloved wife, Molly.

Arthur Jermyn is the story of a baronet with an interest in anthropology who sets out to solve the mystery of what his great, great, great grandfather discovered in the Congo many years earlier. The family stories were very peculiar and the old ancestor had gone mad and been locked up in an asylum...but when on an expedition to the Congo Arthur Jermyn finally met someone claiming to be able to solve the mystery, he anticipated great things.