Trent's Last Case: A Mystery

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Description

The all-too-human detective Philip Trent, foil to his contemporary Sherlock Holmes, takes on a murder case in this classic of the whodunit genre.
When an American millionaire is found dead on his estate in the English countryside, Philip Trent is sent by a London newspaper to investigate the mystifying case. What caused the victim to rise in the middle of the night and leave the house without dressing and without his false teeth Who did he meet and why Filled with odd twists and turns, the case is further complicated by its unwitting, all-too-human detective, Trent, who constantly draws the wrong conclusions from found evidenceand falls in love with one of the primary suspects.
Written in reaction to the artificiality of the infallible Holmesian detective character, Trents Last Case stands the test of time as one of the first major satires of the detective fiction genre, and as the first truly modern mystery. Brilliantly conceived and charmingly written, this 1913 classic continues to thrill, amuse, and satisfy a legacy of mystery fans with its labyrinth-like plot of clues, misdirection, and self-awareness. E. C. Bentleys masterpiece remains as fresh and imaginative today as it was when it was first published.
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Reviews

"One of the ... best detective stories ever written." --Agatha Christie "One of the few genuine classics of detective fiction." --The New York Times "Ranges from a vividly colored rhetoric to a delicate and ironical literary fancy... a tale of unusual brilliance and charm ... It is the one detective story of the present century which I am certain will go down to posterity as a classic...A masterpiece." --Dorothy L. Sayers "The finest detective story of modern times." --G. K. Chesterton "Considered by many to be the ranking detective story of modern times." --Saturday Review "A treat to be read and reread ... an unqualified masterwork of mystery fiction." --Atlantic Monthly

Author Bio

E. C. Bentley (1875--1956) was an English novelist, journalist, and humorist. Trent's Last Case (1913) was written in response to G. K. Chesterton's novel The Man Who Was Thursday, which had been dedicated to Bentley. It was followed by a sequel, Trent's Own Case, and a collection of short stories, Trent Intervenes, featuring the fallible detective. Trent's Last Case has been adapted to three Hollywood films and the stage.