Some Adventures of Mr. Surelock Keys

A disputed water bill and chalk figures on a stable wall give Surelock Keys opportunities to display his extraordinary confidence. Herbert Beeman's comic detective stories follow Keys and his companion Whenson in their rooms on Butcher Street, where visitors interrupt meals with urgent problems. The opening case concerns a bullet that has passed through a car window, prompting an explanation built on an absurd calculation.

These short parodies draw their humour from grand declarations, wordplay and the distance between Keys's reputation and his methods. Joseph Bloggs suspects the local council of plotting against him, while country squire Humphrey Drake fears that a puzzling sign foretells danger. Familiar detective conventions appear alongside the place names Kerrisdale and Eburne. The collection offers readers of mystery fiction a playful look at impressive deductions, anxious clients and the companion who faithfully records the detective's remarks.