The Great Merlini: The Complete Stories of the Magician-Detective. Illustrated brings together the finest short mysteries featuring Clayton Rawson’s unforgettable sleuth — The Great Merlini, a professional magician who solves crimes not with supernatural powers, but with logic, science, and the art of illusion. Owner of a small New York magic shop and a retired stage performer, Merlini possesses an unusual advantage over criminals: he understands deception better than anyone. Where others see ghosts, miracles, or the impossible, he recognizes clever tricks, sleight of hand, and human manipulation. Again and again, baffling cases that seem to defy the laws of nature are revealed to be carefully engineered illusions. This richly illustrated collection gathers a wide range of Merlini’s most ingenious adventures, including The Clue of the Tattooed Man, From Another World, Off the Face of the Earth, Merlini and the Lie Detector, Nothing Is Impossible, and many others. Locked rooms, vanishing people, impossible alibis, and crimes staged like magic acts challenge both detective and reader alike. Blending fair-play clues, witty dialogue, and the colorful backstage world of professional magic, Rawson’s stories combine suspense with playful intelligence. Perfect for fans of Golden Age detective fiction and “impossible crime” puzzles, this complete collection showcases the charm, originality, and cleverness that make The Great Merlini one of mystery fiction’s most distinctive heroes. Contents: - The Clue of the Tattooed Man - The Clue of the Broken Legs - The Clue of the Missing Motive - From Another World - Off the Face of the Earth - Merlini and the Lie Detector - Merlini and the Vanished Diamonds - Merlini and the Sound Effects Murder - Nothing Is Impossible - Miracles – All in the Day’s Work - Merlini and the Photographic Clue - The World’s Smallest Locked Room