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This page lists novels and short story collections E.C. Bentley and collaborative novels that include a contribution by E.C. Bentley.

Bentley was a journalist and poet who also published a number of books of poetry. These fall outside the scope of this page.

Cover images are, where possible, of the first UK edition and a recent paperback or digital edition.

Trent's Last Case

E.C. Bentley

1913

A Philip Trent novel.

"When a scheming American capitalist is found dead in the garden of his English country house, two immediate matters confound amateur detective Philip Trent: why is the dead man not wearing his false teeth and why is his young widow seemingly relieved at his death? The newly widowed Mabel Manderson, ‘the lady in black’ has a disarming effect on the refreshingly fallible and imaginative Trent, in this classic detective story that twists and turns as a result of the irresistible combination of ingenious deductions and misplaced assumptions."

Trent's Own Case

E.C. Bentley

1936

A Philip Trent novel.

"James Randolph is murdered early one evening and his body is found a few hours later. When the police arrive they discover that Randolph's safe has been ransacked and discarded wrapping paper litters his bedroom floor. Perhaps by chance or perhaps by design, Trent seems to have been the last person, other than the murderer, to see Randolph alive. But this is only one aspect amongst many which connect Trent with the murder and stimulate his interest: his friend Inspector Bligh is the detective in charge of the investigation, and then a long-time friend readily and perplexingly confesses his guilt. As much as he respects the abilities of Inspector Bligh, Trent's personal knowledge has him doubting the confession and intent on finding the truth."

Trent Intervenes

E.C. Bentley

1938

Philip Trent short stories.

"Philip Trent is an artist, a journalist, and an urbane unraveller of highly problematical crimes. Here the unshakable sleuth appears in twelve tales of misadventure, where the crimes that he investigates range from fraud and embezzlement to criminal assault and murder, yet they all succumb to his adept methods even if the criminal sometimes escapes."

• The Genuine Tabard
• The Sweet Shot
• The Clever Cockatoo
• The Vanishing Lawyer
• The Inoffensive Captain
• The Fool-Proof Lift
• The Old-Fashioned Apache
• The Bad Dog
• The Public Benefactor
• The Little Mystery
• The Unknown Peer
• The Ordinary Hairpins

Elephant's Work

E.C. Bentley

1950

"When fed up and thoroughly peeved Chuny causes the train to crash, little does she know that her rage has sparked off a staggering chain of events involving an amnesiac who, in his quest to find a wanted criminal in order to resolve a case of mistaken identity, meets the formidable General de la Costa, learns a great deal about diamonds and becomes embroiled in an extraordinary affair involving the Bishop of Glasminster's mitre."

The Scoop and Behind the Screen

Members Of The Detection Club

1983

Two detective serials that were written by various members of the Detection Club for weekly radio broadcasts on the BBC in 1930 and 1931. The scripts were originally published in instalments in the Listener magazine shortly after the broadcasts. The book brings together the two complete scripts.

The contributing authors were Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Anthony Berkeley, E.C. Bentley, Freeman Wills Crofts, Clemence Dane, Ronald Knox, and Hugh Walpole.