The Baron “has his little eccentricities, but underneath his odd exterior he is a real man and a good detective. You should make his acquaintance at once if you have not already done so.”—The New York Times
The Feather Cloak Murders
“Shivery silent death, entrancing island atmosphere, odd native lore, and a sweet puzzle. Grand!”—The Saturday Review
The Baron is offered one thousand dollars to escort Mr. Hiroshita, a wealthy Japanese importer, and a valuable jade relic to Hawaii. He naturally accepts, after all, what could go wrong?
It begins with a murder on the Honolulu-bound liner. Carl Kohler, a German living in Hawaii, had been desperate to speak with Hiroshita. Instead of a conversation, Kohler receives a feathered dart…fatally shot into his chest. The Baron discovers that the jade piece is linked to ancient Incan treasures and a mysterious map, for which someone is willing to commit murder.
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The Talking Sparrow Murders
“No true mystery fan can afford to pass this story by. It is one of the best in a season that has brought us more than a few that are really worth while.”—Isaac Anderson, The New York Times
“Help! I am caught!” said the sparrow, who was undoubtedly not a Nazi, unlike many others in 1934 Germany. William Tatson is no Nazi either. He is an American engineer in the country oversee a project in the newly established third German Reich.
Tatson’s string of problems begin when a dazed man stumbles toward him with a claim of a speaking sparrow. The Deutsch Doktor Dolittle soon collapses and dies leaving Tatson subjected to police questioning. The Heidelberg police find Herr “Tat-zohn’s” story of the talking sparrow claim incredible. Their dissatisfaction with Tatson’s answers lead them to demand his continued presence in the country, thus jeopardizing his plan to return to the U.S. for a deadline-dependent job. Naturally, Tatson decides to discover for himself the truth about the murdered man, but the truth winds through a dangerous maze of secrets, Nazi officials, and a mysterious yet beautiful lounge singer.
The Teilhets were very early critics of the Nazi regime, and this book reflects their views. They use a number of phrases in the novel that would become connected to Nazi acts and policies, a coincidence, no doubt, but an eerie one.
“His novel is first-rate in its own class. It has the good writing editors cry for in mysteries nowadays, and enough fast action to suit any one. It also has some really excellent clues. … His novel could well serve as a model of its kind.”—Robert van Gelder, The New York Times
“Grand atmosphere, buckets of plot, wicked Nazi villains, and good love story admirably mixed. Verdict: Kolossal!”—The Saturday Review
The Ticking Terror Murders Winter 2013
