CLASSIC DETECTION BY A GRAND MASTER!! Julian Symons (1912-1994) was one of the greatest mystery writers to emerge after World War II. He was recognized with the Crime Writers Association's highest honor, The Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement and the Mystery Writers of America honored him as a Grand Master. In 1950, for a long-running series of short-short stories for London's Evening Standard newspaper, Symons invented private detective Francis Quarles. After engaging in mysterious activities during the Second World War, Quarles opened an office in Trafalgar Square, from where he investigates puzzles ranging from robbery to murder. The Detections of Francis Quarles contains 21 previously uncollected investigations.

The book is edited John Cooper, co-author of the definitive Detective Fiction: The Collector's Guide. Mrs. Julian Symons has contributed an Afterword.

The Detections of Francis Quarles is the 19th in Crippen & Landru's series of Lost Classics, which preserves traditional mystery which would otherwise be lost in the yellowing pages of newspapers and magazines.