The first three stories about John Stanton include the following:

The Case of the Modern Bluebeard in which John and his colleagues have to find out what is behind the disappearances of the wives of a nobleman.

The Case of the Dead Socialite in which John has to clear his brother's name and find out how the same woman can have died several times in a row without staying dead.

The Case of the Extinct Fish in which a nice summer vacation turns into a hunt not so much for a monstrous fish, but for its owner and maker who has a devious plan.