Death Plays Solitaire; Deadly Jade; Lady, Behave!; The Red Eyes of Kali

London: T. V. Boardman & Company Limited; Herbert Jenkins Limited; Collins; Stanley Paul, 1945-1950. First edition. Cloth. Very Good/Very Good. 7.5" by 5.5". Not Stated. First UK edition copies of four thrilling crime and detective novels, in the original unclipped dust wrappers. The first UK edition, first impressions of these four works in the publisher's original cloth bindings, with the original unclipped dust wrappers. Deadly Jade was produced "in complete conformity with the authorized economy standards". A selection of four exciting crime novels written by four different authors. Death Plays Solitaire (1945) by Raymond Leslie Goldman features his popular characters the newspaper editor Asaph Clume and the "irrepressible red-headed reporter" Rufus Reed. In this novel, Reed's im­petuous nature and Clume's analytical mind are put to the test through a series of adventures and problems including fugitives, a two-timing secretary, and a game of solitaire. Deadly Jade (1947) is a thrilling mystery novel by Bruce Sanders, in which subterfuge and deceit surround a stolen jade necklace. This is a story of crime and passion written with a sense of realism. Lady, Behave! (1950) is a crime novel from the Dark series by Peter Cheyney (1896-1951), best known for his short stories and novels about agent/detective Lemmy Caution and the private detective Slim Callaghan. It was the third part in a trilogy featuring Johnny Vallon, a hard-drinking former army officer working as a private detective. The Red Eyes of Kali (1950) is the second book in the Temple Fortune series by the prolific writer Thomas Curtis Hicks Jacobs (1899-1976). In this novel, Johnny Vallon investigates the mysterious death of Mr. Vine Allard, the proprietor of a rival detective agency. This is a scarce book to see. Death Plays Solitaire, Deadly Jade, and The Red Eyes of Kali are undated; they are dated through copies held at the British Library.  In the publisher's original cloth bindings, with the original unclipped dust wrappers. Externally, cloth is generally bright and smart. Shelf wear to the extremities of Death Plays Solitaire. Mark to the lower extremities of Deadly Jade. Lady Behave is slightly faded to the spine. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright and clean, except for those to Death Plays Solitaire, which are clean but age-toned. Dust wrappers remain mostly bright. Creasing and shelf wear to the dust wrapper of Death Plays Solitaire; small closed tear to the rear of the wrap and a repaired closed tear to the front of the wrap. Dust wrapper of Deadly Jade is chipped, with losses to the head and tail of the spine of the wrap, and shelf wear to the joints and extremities. Dust wrappers of Lady Behave and Red Eyes of Kali are a little chipped to the head and tail of the spine, with shelf wear to the joints and front of the wrap. Very Good