The first twelve cases for M. McDonnell Bodkin's insightful but self-deprecating detective Paul Beck, a man who claims no more genius than "a little common sense," and says of himself that "I just go by the rule of thumb, and muddle and puzzle out my cases as best I can." Including tales of card-sharping, deception, and theft; of treachery in the British Cabinet, and a plot to undermine the nation's silver currency; and of ingenious and cold-blooded murder.