As made clear by this generous collection ["Fen Country"] …, the late great Mr. Crispin, an agreeably discursive novelist, was the most succinct (though still, somehow, leisurely) of short-story writers. Most of these gems, in fact, originally written as newspaper tidbit treats, are more riddles than stories—as Prof. Gervase Fen and Inspector Humbleby (sometimes individually, often together) are confronted with minicases for instant solution; the deductions—involving locked rooms, switched identities, tricky little details of all kinds—are always carried off with a brisk charm that's amusing without being fluttery. But just as impressive are the stories that don't rely on this seductive chat-at-the-pub format. "Death Behind Bars" is a creepy closing-in on a truly clever, truly grisly modus operandi. "The Pencil" and "Cash on Delivery" are dark, ironic, narrative twisters from the criminal point of view. And here too is that glorious Crispin classic about the poverty-line...