Erle Stanley Gardner — creator of Perry Mason — was the bestselling author of detective fiction of all time. Many of his best early short novels originally appeared in the famous Black Mask magazine alongside Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Gardner’s most enduring hero was Ed Jenkins, also known as “the Phantom Crook.” So enduring was he that when the author considered discontinuing the exploits of this intrepid man, his fans overwhelmingly succeeded in ensuring his longevity. Working beyond the law, pursued by police and criminals, Jenkins’ undesired notoriety made him a prize target for blackmail, coercion and imprisonment. But those who tried to force his hand never knew the man he could be when his back was to the wall, fighting. This first ever collection of Ed Jenkins short novels represents the most thrilling adventures of Erle Stanley Gardner’s contribution to the hard-boiled detective genre

Erle Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason and the world’s bestselling mystery writer, wrote for the leading magazines such as Argosy and Black Mask alongside Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Following the success of Dead Mens Letters featuring the exploits of Gardner s most enduring pre-Perry Mason hero Ed Jenkins — also known as “The Phantom Crook” — this collection continues with the intrepid man caring less for the letter of the law than for what he doggedly believes to be right. But to achieve his ends, Jenkins is forced to confront police and criminals while avoiding the pitfalls of blackmail, coercion and incarceration. In The Blonde in Lower Six, a full length novel, and three other short novels contained in this volume, Ed Jenkins still remains his own man to those who try to force his hand. The pre-Perry Mason Erle Stanley Gardner was one of the most popular authors of his day and the accounts of Ed Jenkins were among his very best early work. The Ed Jenkins sagas, collected in one volume for the first time, represent the author s most thrilling adventures in the hard-boiled genre

Ed Jenkins, dodging a murder rap, finds time to help another crook who is trying to go straight

Ed Jenkins invades the slimy web of crime to get loose an innocent victim