With a new Introduction by Dick Collins. The exploits of Sweeney Todd, 'The Demon Barber of Fleet Street', have been recounted many times in plays, films and musicals, but the origins of the character largely were forgotten for many years. The String of Pearls - the original tale of Sweeney Todd, a classic of British horror, was first published as a weekly serial in 1846-7 by Edward Lloyd, the King of the Penny Dreadfuls. One of the earliest detective stories, it became an important source for Bram Stoker's Dracula, but it was after over 150 years of obscurity that it appeared first in book form in the Wordsworth edition published in 2005. The one great mystery that has surrounded the book is who the author was - or was it possibly the work of more than one man? In his new introduction to this fully revised second edition, Dick Collins, by means of detailed research of contemporary records, has established finally the identity of the creator of this legendary figure. So here is the original story of the terrifying owner of that famous London barber-shop, and the secret recipe for Mrs Lovett’s delicious pies... 259 paperback pages.

Featuring the world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes, in his most challenging case. The Baskerville family is haunted by a phantom beast "with blazing eyes and dripping jaws" which roams the mist-enshrouded moors around isolated Baskerville Hall on Dartmoor. Now the hound seems to be stalking young Sir Henry, the new master of the Baskerville estate. Is this fiendish spectre the manifestation of the family curse? Or is Sir Henry the victim of a vile and scheming murderer? Only Sherlock Holmes can solve this devilish affair. 232pp. Paperback.

With an Introduction by John S. Whitley, University of Sussex. After Sherlock Holmes's apparently fatal encounter with the sinister Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls, the great detective reappears, to the delight of the faithful Dr Watson in The Adventure of the Empty House. Reproduced from original copies of The Strand Magazine. 320pp. Paperback.

This novel not only establishes the magic of the Holmes myth but also provides the reader with a dramatic adventure yarn, which ranges from the foggy, gas-lit streets of London to the burning planes of Utah. The second Holmes novel presents the detective with one of his greatest challenges. The theft of the Agra treasure in India forms a catalyst for treachery, deceit and murder. With these two classic novels, you have the brilliant foundation of the Sherlock Holmes canon. Reading pleasure rarely comes any finer. 224pp. Paperback.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes first introduced Arthur Conan Doyle's brilliant detective the readers of The Strand Magazine. In these twenty three tales, collected here in one volume, you have some of the best detective yarns ever penned. In his consulting room at 221B Baker Street, the master sleuth receives a stream of clients all presenting him with baffling and bizarre mysteries to unravel. There is, for example, the man who is frightened for his life because of the arrival of an envelope containing five orange pips; there is the terrified woman who is aware that her life is in danger and cannot explain the whistling sounds she hears in the night; and there is the riddle of the missing butler and the theft of an ancient treasure. In the last story, there is the climatic battle between Holmes and his arch enemy, ?the Napoleon of Crime? Professor Moriarty. Holmes, with trusty Watson by his side, is equal to these and the other challenges in this splendid collection.This edition contains the original illustrations from Strand Magazine drawn by Sidney Paget. Introduction by Dr. Julian Wolfreys. 503pp. Paperback.

This volume completes the canon of the illustrated Sherlock Holmes stories reprinted from The Strand Magazine. It contains the short story series Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes, The Valley of Fear - a sinister novella which appeared in 1914-15 - His Last Bow: The War Service of Sherlock Holmes and the last 12 stories The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes. 400pp. Paperback.

Two bodies are discovered near Gubu, one burning at the base of a tree struck by lightning and, on the banks of the Zambezi, a second killing which threatens to tear Detective Sibanda's life apart. The victims are not connected, as one is a foreign wildlife researcher, and the other a local driver, but Sibanda's intuition tells him the murders are linked. The only clues are a fragment of material found in the brain of one victim, a puncture wound in the thigh of the other, and a diary full of coded names. As Detective Sibanda and Sergeant Ncube investigate further, they find links to an ivory smuggling gang, and in their pursuit of the killer not only have to cope with their temperamental Land Rover, their chief inspector's lack of cooperation, but a rough and remote landscape full of wild and dangerous adventure. An intricate detective yarn told to the gentle music of the bush, and the harsher notes of the poachers' deadly gunfire. 249pp in large glamorous softback.

Detective Alex Cross has lost everything and everyone he has ever cared about. His enemy Thierry Mulch is holding his family hostage. Driven by feelings of hatred and revenge, Mulch is threatening to kill them all, and break Cross forever, but Cross is fighting back. In a race against time he must defeat Mulch and find his wife and children, no matter what it takes. The end-game has begun. 496 thrilling pages, paperback.

Detective Alex Cross is hunting three killers, but is someone hunting him? They are on the rampage in the capital and dead bodies are piling up. Alex is in charge of all three investigations and has never been under more pressure, but with a crisis at home that threatens to tear his family apart, his attention is divided. While Cross tracks the killers, he doesn't notice that someone is tracking him. Can he unravel the cases and find the killers in time, or will he be the next dead body on the list? A thrilling thriller. 505pp, paperback.

Alex Cross's whole world is crashing down around him. He has been hunted, stalked like prey, his predator priming himself for the kill. Cross has devoted his life to protecting others. Now he's unable to protect even those closest to him. As a police detective he has made many enemies, but never like this. Everything he loves is being taken from him and soon he will have nothing and no one left. This is James Patterson at the top of his game. 518pp, paperback.