The Old Man in the Corner

By Emmuska Orczy

Baroness Emma Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála "Emmuska" Orczy de Orczi (23 September 1865 – 12 November 1947) was a Hungarian-born British novelist, playwright and artist of noble origin. She is most known for her series of novels featuring the Scarlet Pimpernel. This is one of her novels.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Start Classics
• Release date: Apr 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781609777661

Emmuska Orczy

Baroness Orczy (1865–1947) was initially born in Hungary but raised throughout Europe. She was educated in Brussels, London, Paris and Budapest where she studied creative arts. In 1899, Orczy would publish her first novel entitled, The Emperor's Candlesticks. It wasn’t a massive success but led to more writing opportunities including a series of detective stories. A few years later, she wrote and produced a stage play called The Scarlet Pimpernel, which she’d later adapt into a novel. It went on to become her most famous work and is considered a literary masterpiece of the twentieth century.

Reviews for The Old Man in the Corner

[vesper1931 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While lunching at the A.B.C. Shop, an old man sitting in the corner strikes up a conversation with reporter Polly Burton. Over time he narrates twelve mysteries which have confounded the police and offers his solutions.
An enjoyable, varied selection of short stories, each one easily read in fifteen minutes which were first published in 1908.
A NetGalley Book

[bzedan_2 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was under the "Detective" bookshelf on Gutenberg, but it's not quite so. Our lady reporter protagonist makes an odd acquaintance who fills her in on his theories of recent crimes. It's satisfying in that the twist to each one is moderately novel and well-explained. Though I'm all up for question-mark endings, it's nice to get a bunch of stories wrapped in a bow (including a fun surprise bow at the end).