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Mr Sabin, an old exiled French duke, lives happily in Massachusetts with his wife Lucille, until the day she disappears in New York. Anonymous letters, written in yellow crayon, order him to return home. The crayon is the mark of a secret society of European nobles, determined to halt the rise of the socialists. Mr Sabin follows Lucille to London, where the society is using her to influence a powerful minister. Alone, this old man stands up to a formidable organisation, amid elegant drawing rooms and political intrigue. Full of suspense, this novel is easy to read in the language you are learning.

For her eighteenth birthday, Rachel Verinder inherits a fabulous diamond, the Moonstone, stolen long ago in India. That very night, the diamond disappears. Three mysterious Indians prowl around the house, and Sergeant Cuff, a famous London detective, comes to investigate. Each witness in turn tells what they saw, and the reader pieces the truth together bit by bit. It is one of the very first detective novels, and one of the finest. Each narrator has a voice of their own, like Betteredge, the old house steward who looks for answers to everything in “Robinson Crusoe”. The novel is a pleasure to read in the language you are learning.

Gordon Gregg, an English writer living near Leghorn, in Italy, stands in for the British consul for a while. He receives the owner of a stranded yacht, dines on board and finds the torn photograph of a young Englishwoman, Elma Heath. The next day, the consulate safe has been opened and the yacht has vanished. His investigation takes him to London, to Scotland, then to Finland, at that time a province of the Russian Empire, where the young woman seems to be in great danger. Amid false identities, an ordinary man tries to save a woman he does not know. Fast and full of mystery, this novel is easy to read in the language you are learning.

On a Saturday in June 1880, a wealthy American factory town hears some astonishing news. During the night, burglars have broken into Miss Wardour's house, forced her small safe and stolen the famous “Wardour diamonds”. The investigation begins, and behind the town's fine façades everyone seems to be hiding something. An American detective novel full of false leads and reversals. With its twists and lively dialogue, this novel is easy to read in the language you are learning.

In the middle of the First World War, Richard Hannay, the hero of “The Thirty-Nine Steps”, has to unmask a formidable German spy hidden in England. Under a false identity, he settles among pacifists. Then the trail leads him from Scotland to the Swiss mountains, and on to the front in France. Chases, disguises and coded messages: Hannay can count only on his nerve and a few loyal friends. The title comes from a character in “The Pilgrim's Progress”, the old book that accompanies Hannay throughout his mission. Its fast pace makes it easy to read in the language you are learning.

Lucy Graham, a charming young governess with no fortune, marries Sir Michael Audley, a rich widower much older than herself. Shortly afterwards, George Talboys returns from Australia, where he went looking for gold, and learns that his own wife died while he was away. George disappears during a visit to Audley Court, and his friend Robert Audley, Sir Michael's nephew, wants to know what has happened to him. It was one of the greatest successes of the Victorian age: a suspense novel in which a charming woman may be hiding a terrible secret. Full of suspense, it is a gripping read in the language you are learning.

In the mid-nineteenth century, in the mountains of North Carolina, Tom De Willoughby, huge, lazy and much loved by his neighbours, runs the store and post office at a remote crossroads. One day he takes in Sheba, a baby whose young mother has just died, and brings her up on his own. Years later comes Rupert, Tom's nephew, poor and without family, hoping to win back the fortune the De Willoughbys lost in the Civil War. A warm and humorous story about the family we choose, by the author of “The Secret Garden”. With its endearing characters, this novel is a pleasure to read in the language you are learning.

In London at the start of the twentieth century, Helen Wynton, a poor young secretary, dreams of seeing the eternal snows of the Alps. A rich American, Charles Spencer, overhears her wish. Without giving his name, he pays a small newspaper, which sends Helen to write articles at a grand hotel in Maloja, in Switzerland. But Mark Bower, a man far too interested in her, takes the same train. Among glaciers and mountain guides, Spencer watches over Helen, while an old guide, Stampa, hides an old grief connected with Bower. A story of love and suspense in the heart of the Alps. With plenty of dialogue, the novel is easy to read in the language you are learning.

In this American novel from 1905, Jimmy Grayson, an almost unknown young lawyer from the West, is unexpectedly chosen as his party's candidate for President of the United States. Harley, a reporter for a New York newspaper, follows his campaign aboard a special train, and falls for Sylvia, the candidate's niece, an independent young woman from Idaho. But powerful financiers in the party want Grayson to keep quiet about tariffs. A lively account of what goes on behind the scenes of an election campaign, and of the price of honesty in politics. Its dialogue and travel scenes are easy to read in the language you are learning.

In Vienna, Irene leads a quiet middle-class life with her husband, a lawyer, and their two children. One day, as she leaves the home of her lover, a young pianist, she is stopped by a woman she does not know. The woman accuses her of stealing this man from her, and demands money. The blackmail starts again, over and over, and the fear of being found out invades every moment of her family life. Zweig describes this anguish from the inside, with a tension that never lets the reader go. You can read this short story in one sitting in the language you are learning.

This collection brings together ten stories by Edgar Allan Poe. We enter the House of Usher, an old mansion that cracks along with the family who live in it. We attend the masked ball of Prince Prospero, shut away in his abbey while the Red Death ravages the land, and we listen to a murderer swear that he is not mad. Here too is the first case of the Chevalier Dupin: with this character, Poe invented the detective story, long before Sherlock Holmes. With the translation always in front of you, each story can be read in one sitting in the language you are learning.

The son of a woman who followed the armies and robbed the dead on battlefields, Ferdinand is taken in by a generous nobleman, Count de Melvil, and brought up with his son Renaldo. But the boy dreams only of rising by cunning. He betrays his benefactors, then travels across Europe cheating at cards and seducing women, until he passes himself off as a count in London. The hero of this novel by Tobias Smollett is a true rogue, and we watch for each new trick with pleasure mixed with dread. With the translation always in front of you, you can discover this great adventure novel in the language you are learning.

Brought up in a disreputable London tavern, young Paul Clifford is sent to prison for a theft he did not commit. He comes out a thief for good, and becomes the elegant leader of a band of highwaymen who rob wealthy travellers. Then he falls in love with a young woman from good society, Lucy Brandon. The novel opens with a famous line: “It was a dark and stormy night.” Snoopy made it legendary, and it is one of the most quoted opening lines in the world. Full of action and irony, the novel is a pleasure to read in the language you are learning.

One May morning in 1919, in London, the painter Philip Esdaile is hosting breakfast for his friends in his Chelsea studio. Suddenly an aeroplane crashes nearby, and two airmen clinging to the same parachute fall onto the roof: one is dead, while the other, Chummy Smith, a wartime friend of the painter, has survived. On the roof they also find a pistol that has been fired. Rather than call the police, the friends decide to keep the affair secret and find out the truth for themselves. The investigation is told by one of the guests. Its absorbing plot and ironic tone make it an enjoyable read in the language you are learning.