The Chronicles of Solar Pons

by August Derleth

This is the sixth and last major collection of the Pontine series. However much the reader may regret bidding goodbye to a cherished friend of more than forty years' constance, the ten tales presented here make for a fine and fitting exit. The range and variety of the puzzle-problems are wide. There is the classic flight-and-pursuit motif of the espionage thriller, *The Adventure of the Orient Express*. The strangeness of *The Adventure of the Benin Bronze* and the grim search in *The Adventure of the Missing Tenants* are matched by the long and tangled web behind *The Adventure of the Red Leech*. Whether enjoyed as pure entertainment, or for the exercise of nimble minds in an attempt to outwit Solar Pons, the reader will find in these pages an additional reward: the easy flow of a prose style that is the hallmark of a superior craftsman.