Death of an Editor by Vernon Loder (Oreon £10.95, 249pp)

For this intriguing mystery, set in the 1930s, Inspector Brews is called to the stately home of Sir James Sitheby, proprietor of a string of newspapers whose leading editor has been found dead.

In his hand is the torn corner of sheaf of documents thought to be vital to national security.

An unassuming detective, Brews is patronised by the mixed bunch of toadies eager to find favour with Sir James or to discover secrets that could be turned to profitable account. But when a dogged investigation begins to show results, fear takes hold of the likely suspects. A second murder piles on the pressure.

A welcome rediscovery from the Golden Age, Loder keeps us guessing to the last page.

Raffles, Gentleman Thief by E. W. Hornung (Penguin Classics £10.99, 320pp)

As a writer of crime fiction, Hornung found no advantage in being related by marriage to the great Arthur Conan Doyle.

The creator of Sherlock Holmes, the consummate upholder of justice, was appalled by the nefarious antics of Raffles.

Yet Raffles found favour with readers eager to share the adventures of a lovable rogue and his sidekick, Bunny Manders.

It helped that in his assaults on the idle rich, depriving them of their most valued possessions, he focused on villains and chancers, scarcely deserving our sympathy.

Gathering the best of the Raffles short stories risks an overkill of outrageous plots. But Hornung spins a good yarn and there is fun to be had in contrasting the escapades of Raffles with those of Holmes and Watson. As Raffles, a first-class cricketer, might have said, ‘May the best side win.’

Anything for a Quiet Life by Michael Gilbert (House of Stratus £8.99, 230pp)

In the search for the ideal holiday read, I can find no better pick than this collection of stories centred on the life of a country solicitor. Sound dull? Not a bit of it. The cases that come the way of Jonas Pickett are packed with human interest with lots of surprises along the way.

Pickett is a reluctant hero. After a busy career in the City, he was hoping for gentler pace. No such luck. His legal tussles start with preparing a will for someone who does not exist, at least not under his real name – a confusion that leads to a brush with terrorism.

Other cases, ranging from the rights to buried treasure to the chaos caused by an annual fair, are equally gripping. Himself a solicitor, Gilbert stands out as a superb storyteller. It comes as a surprise that television has not caught on.