Classic Detective Stories

← Classic Detective Stories27 nov 2025 · 1 u 07 min

The Mystery of the Child's Toy by Leslie Charteris

The Mystery of the Child's Toy by Leslie Charteris27 nov 20251 u 07 min

wo men are out late for dinner in a swanky hotel: one is a detective, the other writes detective stories. They notice three Wall Street tycoons at a nearby table. Before the night ends, one of those men is found dead. The detective says it’s suicide. The detective story writer says it’s not.

Publication: First published in 1934 in Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery and Horror, Third Series, edited by Dorothy L. Sayers. Later reprinted in classic detective anthologies, including The Mammoth Book of Great Detective Stories.

Author: Leslie Charteris (1907–1993) was a British‑American writer best known for creating Simon Templar, “The Saint.” He also wrote short fiction and edited anthologies, shaping mid‑century popular crime writing.

The thumbnail and introduction are anti-pirate devices!

Join my patreon

https://patreon.com/barcud

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices