Trent's Last Case: or The Woman in Black - a classic whodunit (Annotated)

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A “detective mystery story” written in bygone days, with a sophistication today’s “crime novels” lack.

Trent's Last Case by E C Bentley is an example of classic crime fiction first published in 1913 in the United Kingdom.
A true book of value, a classic that continues to live on across the ages. Books from yesteryear have an artistic quality and a permanence often lacking in books from the modern era. You are sure to love this work. A whodunit of the finest type.

A Glimpse Inside

At about eight o’clock in the morning of the following day Mr. Nathaniel Burton Cupples stood on the veranda of the hotel at Marlstone. He was thinking about breakfast. In his case the colloquialism must be taken he really was thinking about breakfast, as he thought about every conscious act of his life when time allowed deliberation. He reflected that on the preceding day the excitement and activity following upon the discovery of the dead man had disorganized his appetite, and led to his taking considerably less nourishment than usual. This morning he was very hungry, having already been up and about for an hour; and he decided to allow himself a third piece of toast and an additional egg; the rest as usual. The remaining deficit must be made up at luncheon, but that could be gone into later.
So much being determined, Mr. Cupples applied himself to the enjoyment of the view for a few minutes before ordering his meal. With a connoisseur’s eye he explored the beauty of the rugged coast, where a great pierced rock rose from a glassy sea, and the ordered loveliness of the vast tilted levels of pasture and tillage and woodland that sloped gently up from the cliffs toward the distant moor. Mr. Cupples delighted in landscape.

Synopsis

Trent's Last Case, or The Woman in Black, as it appeared in the USA, is a whodunit featuring amateur detective Philip Trent. Although the title suggests it's the last in a line of stories featuring said detective, it is actually the first novel in which Philip Trent features.
It has its place in literary history because it is the first significant send-up of the detective fiction genre. To be fair, Mr Trent probably wouldn't qualify as one of the greatest detectives of all time because after expending a lot of time and effort finding and piecing together all of the evidence, he then proceeds to draw all of the wrong conclusions from it.
If you have a few hours you'd like to while away with a fun read, then this book can fit the bill.

"A beautiful reprint" from Wombrook Publishing. We have taken every step possible to ensure the original quality of this book has been maintained to the best standard. This means that the text in this edition is unedited and unchanged from the author’s original publication, preserving its earliest form for your enjoyment. This book is one of the best classic crime novels of all time. Its words are arranged with such literary precision, in a way that is just not seen in detective fiction from today. This title will make a brilliant gift for the classic whodunit literature lover in your life, or a magnificent addition to your current book collection. We are ready to post this book off to you today with all due haste , so that you can indulge in this title without delay.

Trent's Last Case

◆ Original 1913 text
◆ A classic whodunit featuring a hapless detective
◆ 5 x 8 Inches
◆ Matte Cover
◆ White Paper