In five short stories and one long novelette, Rufus King introduces Colin Starr, a young physician whose medical knowledge enables him to detect murder where a less able doctor would have signed a certificate of death from natural causes. Because of his shrewd understanding of human psychology as well as his application of scientific knowledge to seemingly unrelated facts, Dr. Starr is a unique detective in the annals of crime. Included in this volume are: The Case of the Three Baleful Brothers The Case of the Prodigal Bridegroom The Case of the Sudden Shot The Case of the Imperious Invalid The Case of the Buttoned Collar The Case of the Lonely Ladies Rufus King (1893-1966) was an American author of Whodunit crime novels. He created four series of detective stories, the most famous being Lieutenant Valcour. Modern critics are rediscovering Rufus King's work. Mike Grost, on Golden Age Detective, features a long writeup of King, stating: "King had a vivid writing style, with colorful characters, events, and images. He was clearly a born writer."

ルーファス・キングが描くコリン・スター医師は、医学的知見と心理への洞察で、自然死の仮面を剥ぎ取る異色の探偵です。本作の真髄は、肉体に刻まれた微かな違和感から犯人の歪んだ精神を逆算する知的なプロセスにあります。黄金時代特有の鮮烈な筆致は、単なる謎解きを超え、人間の内面に潜む業や情念を色彩豊かに浮き彫りにしています。 映像化作品では、この緻密な診断が緊迫感あるサスペンスへと昇華されました。活字ならではの思弁的な深みと、映像による動的な演出が融合することで、彼の知性はより立体的な魅力を放ちます。両メディアを横断することで、医学ミステリの本質的なカタルシスを余すところなく堪能できるでしょう。