This eclectic and wide-ranging collection from Scottish-born writer Robert Barr is a diverting and enjoyable read. The tales range from an account of political intrigue among radical leftists, to the story of a young Parisian woman who gets caught up in a baffling crime, to the slapstick comedy of "The Great Pegram Mystery," one of the first-ever parodies of Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic detective.