Master tales of mystery, Volume 1 (of 3)

"Master tales of mystery, Volume 1 (of 3)" by Francis J. Reynolds is a collection of mystery short stories written in the early 20th century. The anthology gathers “problem” tales by prominent writers, showcasing crimes, puzzles, and eerie situations resolved through suspenseful detection. It opens with a tense tavern mystery featuring a clear-eyed deputy sheriff, a skeptical coroner, a distraught young woman, and a slippery innkeeper.

The opening of the collection presents a short introduction praising modern “mystery/problem” fiction, then launches into the first tale, Room No. 3. A young woman, Miss Demarest, insists her mother lodged at a rural tavern before being found dead in nearby woods, while the landlord denies it; a search seems to prove him right until the deputy, Hammersmith, grows suspicious. He spends the night in the disputed back room, survives an arson fire and a locked-door trap, rescues a maid from the roof under gunfire, and peels back wallpaper to reveal a hidden layer matching the daughter’s description. At daybreak, with the landlords missing, the maid—shaken and jealous—admits the room was secretly repapered, and the clerk begins to confess a housewide scheme of theft, confirming that Miss Demarest had indeed brought her mother to the tavern. (This is an automatically generated summary.)