Jacques Futrelle was among the many famous passengers who boarded the R.M.S. Titanic on April 10, 1912. one of the most celebrated American mystery writers of his time, Futrelle was the creator of an ingenious detective known as the "Thinking Machine" — and was an inspiration to the legendary Agatha Christie. He was also one of over 1,500 people who did not survive the sinking of the Titanic. Were Futrelle's crime-solving talents engaged in an onboard investigation? This intriguing question has now sparked one of the greatest mysteries of the Titanic. Our story begins with two deaths that may have occurred before the great ship went down. Two murders that became the mystery writer's final challenge...

The date is May 3, 1937. The legendary Hindenburg has just left Frankfurt on its final, fateful voyage across the Atlantic. And passenger Leslie Charteris has a terrible sense of foreboding. . . The author of a world-famous mystery series featuring a benevolent sleuth called the Saint, Charteris was puzzled by the overzealous security at check-in—and disturbed to find the Hindenburg under Nazi control. But when an undercover Gestapo agent disappears the next day, it becomes clear to Charteris that his apprehension was not unwarranted. Asked to investigate, Charteris soon uncovers his fellow passengers' most dangerous secrets. But a number of disturbing events occur during the doomed dirigible's final hours—and only Charteris will know what really sparked the explosion that made the Hindenburg go down in flames...

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor took the United States by surprise. But what if someone saw it coming? Many believe that a war with Japan is imminent—and unavoidable—but world-famous author Edgar Rice Burroughs is too busy basking in the Hawaiian sun to pay the rumors much mind. That is, until he finds Pearl Harada—a popular Japanese-American singer—murdered on the beach... Soon the island is buzzing with speculation. Was one of Pearl's many ex-boyfriends involved in her murder? Could it have been a race-related attack? Burroughs believes she died because she knew too much. But before he can figure out who silenced Oahu's sultriest songstress, bombs decimate Pearl Harbor—and leave the entire country shuddering in their wake. . .

On May 7, 1915, the luxury liner Lusitania was struck by a German torpedo. On board was an under-cover journalist using the pen name S.S. Van Dine. And hours before the tragic sinking changed the course of history, there was a mystery-of treason, sabotage, and murder.

By day, she’s Mrs. Mallowan, hospital pharmacist. By night, she’s Agatha Christie, queen of crime. Doing her part for the war effort, Agatha dispenses medicine in shell-shocked London. But the world’s most renowned mystery writer is troubled. Compared to the horrors of World War II, her detective novels seem trivial and quaint. When a Jack the Ripper–style murderer strikes, Agatha lobbies her friend, forensics expert Sir Bernard Spilsbury, to take her to the crime scenes. But the killings are far more gruesome than any that her fictional detectives have ever solved. Can a crime writer also be a crime fighter? Joining forces with London’s top investigators, Agatha risks her life to stop the monstrous serial killer. With this ripped-from-the-headlines mystery, author Max Allan Collins presents a blood-stained valentine to the most celebrated author of detective fiction.

New York City, October 1938. The shadow of war in Europe falls ominously across the face of America. Yet, it is another Shadow—the mystery man of the radio airwaves voiced by Orson Welles—who captures the imagination of listeners across the nation, offering hope in these troubled times in the form of vengeful justice. Pulp scribe Walter Gibson, The Shadow's creator, has arrived in New York to assist Welles on a film project. Welles is currently immersed in this week's Mercury Theater on the Air broadcast of The War of the Worlds. Scripted as a series of mock news bulletins reporting a Martian invasion, the radio play was supposed to be a harmless Halloween trick. But Welles never imagined his stunt would create a panic among listeners who turned in late and believed the attack was real. And he never imagined being suspected of murder. Did Welles murder his mistress on the night of the broadcast? Only the creator of The Shadow knows...