Old mystery books are just not for me. I just couldn't get into this one at all so I can't really recommend but I know some people would love this.

I enjoyed reading this collection of short stories. Astro the Seer is the American version of Holmes - but with a mystical twist.

Not all stories were up to my liking. Some were really good while some were... meh. Having said that, many of these short stories feature one or the other psychological aspect of human mind. In my opinion, this is what made the short story collection stand out from the rest written during the same period.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

I was going to list all the individual stories and elaborate on each. It was only when I started to list them all out I realised how many of them were there. Not all of them are very long either, which meant I would be repeating myself for a significant part of the review as well.
So I finally gave in and decided to do this the simple way.
The introduction in this book is yet again one I would have appreciated better after I read the whole book because it talks of the interpretations of things we see within the chapters.
That said, I would recommend reading it at some point (either before or after) because it did make me think more about some aspects of the story. I was not as fond of the footnotes, which provided a lot of factual information but took me out of the short story that I was reading.
Our central character Astro is a mystic who reads hands, auras and even sometimes crystal balls. This is but a cover for his actual analytical mind. He looks less like the cover portrays him to be if I read the descriptions right. There is also a romantic angle that develops slowly (extremely so) between a single story and the next as he undertakes his investigation.
There are some underhanded techniques that he uses, which he passes off as 'seeing', but it is ultimately for the good of the people who come to seek his help, and it is easy to forgive him.
All the stories are not the same length, nor do they have the same arc of the plotline, but there are a few that felt a little repetitive.
This book is a good indicator of the time, place and attitudes of the kind of people described.
I think people who seek out reprints with different types of mystery content will enjoy this one.
I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

"The Master of Mysteries" by Gelett Burgess, featuring the charismatic Astro, is a delightful collection of short stories reminiscent of the TV show Psych. Astro's uncanny abilities and partnership with the enchanting Valeska Wynne add an intriguing twist. While some cases may feel cliché, editor Leslie S. Klinger's informative footnotes enhance the experience. This early 20th-century gem outshines its modern counterparts. Join Astro and Valeska on their captivating adventures!

It is a wonderful, fascinating and fast-paced read!

I am deep in the thralls of reading classic mysteries from the “golden age”, typically defined as those written between the two world wars, although there seems to be some latitude in the start and end dates. The two biggest entities reissuing some of these lost classics are “The Library of Congress Crime Classics” and the “British Library Crime Classics”. So far, I have to admit that the quality of the British Library novels are beating out us here in the states, with a few exceptions.

So we come to “The Master of Mysteries” by Gelett Burgess, a reissue from 1912 by the Library of Congress. This is a collection of 24 short stories featuring Astro, the Seer of Secrets, and his lovely assistant, Valeska. Pretending to be a psychic, Astro uses his powers of observation as well as his esoteric knowledge to solve all sorts of mysteries, from missing persons to stolen jewels to murder. Owing a lot to the style and manner of Sherlock Holmes, both true believers and skeptics are won over by Astro’s abilities to “read the crystals” and solve the problems.

This book was difficult to get through and a bit repetitive in execution, I had to take it in small doses to get through. I understand that this was written in a different time, but the way Astro was condescending to Valeska was hard to take, although Sherlock Holmes wasn’t known for his modesty either. A time capsule of what the early 1900s were like, but there are better collections out there to enjoy.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

What a magnificent discovery!

A captivating collection of murder mysteries written with a lot of panache, plenty of humor and a terrific cast of exquisitely drawn characters. I didn't know this author but this amazing book rightly deserves to be discovered and enjoyed.

The weird and magical world of Astro and Valeska is sure to linger on my mind for quite sometime. A must for anyone addicted to out of the ordinary crime fiction!

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen and Netgalley for this fabulous ARC !

I never heard about this author before but I read a lot of his books since this one as I loved the style of writing and this mystery stories.
Astro and Valeska are an unusual and very entertaining couple of detectives, there's plenty of humour but there's also a solid mystery. Some stories are whodunnit, other aren't.
All of them are well plotted and entertaining.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

A fun collection of period short mysteries…

Way back in the early twentieth century, Gelett Burgess wrote a series of short mysteries featuring “Astro the Seer”. Astro ostensibly uses his metaphysical and extrasensory talents, such as reading palms, calculating astrological profiles, and feeling magnetic vibrations, to help his clients. But he doesn’t really rely on the occult. Instead, behind the incense and the show, he is a logical thinker and a keen observer of small clues, and together with his assistant, Valeska, he researches and reasons his way through his cases. And along the way, he develops a reputation, not just as a seer, but as a “solver of inexplicable problems”.

The Master of Mysteries contains all twenty-four Astro cases, and they are a lot of fun. As with any collection, some are a bit more enjoyable than others, but I liked all of them, and was more than a little sad when I came to the end and realized there were no more. Of course, after more than a century, the stories read like historical mysteries. But human nature hasn’t changed that much (if at all!), and they still work. One case, for example, revolves around determining the biological parentage of a couple of potential heirs, which of course would not be an issue now, but was impossible then. But “The Heir to Soothoid” is still enjoyable today simply for the clever way Astro and Valeska manage to bring things to a satisfactory conclusion.

If there is anything that seemed a little off in the collection, it’s the hint of Pygmalion in Astro’s and Valeska’s relationship. I would have had a lot of trouble accepting that in a modern collection but was able to suspend my distaste given the time frame in which Burgess was writing. And the final story, which finally resolves their relationship, was my least favorite of the bunch. But even with that minor issue, The Master of Mysteries is well worth reading.

A couple of notes: First, there’s a fictional “biography” of Astro at the end which is kind of fun, and only contains one minor spoiler. So if you want to know a bit more about Astro, you can skip to the end and read that before starting the stories. And second, I really appreciated the footnotes, which mostly provided interesting historical background, but also helped out with terms that have simply fallen out of modern-day usage, such as “mull” – which is a soft, sheer muslin, if you were wondering! Finally, please keep in mind that I try to flight “star-flation” a bit, and a four-star review for me is a solid recommendation to read this book. And last, but not least, my thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for my review copy.

What a treat this book is. Written in 1912 and reprinted from the Library of Congress copy, we get to enjoy twenty-four gems of mystical mysteries. I wouldn't usually advise the reader to skip to the end but, at the end of the book is the "biography" of Astrogon Kirby (Astro) born in 1881. Then settle down to read one or two at a time.
He got his start in 1908 when he was broke and decided to set himself up on business as "a palmist, seer and detective, working informally with the NY Police Department and Insp. McGraw." Aided by his assistant, Valeska Wynne. While no more a psychic than my very clever pup, Astro is a sharp observer of people and body language and does lots of background checking on his clients. (Think Sherlock Holmes) The cases are varied, from homicide, kidnapping, to marriage and relationships, each story is a slice of its time, warts and all. I thoroughly enjoyed every one.
My thanks to the publisher Poisoned Pen Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Master of Mysteries is a mystery featuring a magician with incredible cold reading and observational skills written by Gelett Burgess. Originally released in 1912, this reformat and re-release as part of the Library of Congress Crime Classics series from publisher Poisoned Pen Press is 496 pages in this edition and is available in paperback and ebook formats.

The original release of this book has the distinction of being the very first book published on Richard Lupoff's Surinam Turtle imprint, back in 1912, without an author credit. Additionally, the clever (if dated) volume included three ciphers for real life sleuths to solve, one of which was the name of the author. Burgess will be better known to most readers as the author of the children's "Goops" books and also has the dubious distinction of writing the "Purple Cow" poem, to the perennial delight of youngsters for more than a century: "I never saw a purple cow. I never hope to see one; But I can tell you, anyhow, I'd rather see than be one!".

Nevertheless, this is a collection of cases solved by main character Astro, the seer of secrets (and master of mysteries). There's a distinct Sherlock Holmes vibe to the way he notices details, seemingly pulls the solution to the mystery out of thin air, and then has to explain his process to his assistant, the lovely Valeska Wynne. 

The 24 short stories are more or less written to the same formula: a mystery, the drama, resolution with a seemingly impossible solution, and an explanation to Valeska pointing out the obscure details noted by Astro which synthesized into the correct answer. Although not derivative, it reminded me in some ways of a period version of "Psych", a TV series with a similar methodology. 

The author gets kudos for apparently being a very intelligent and humorous individual despite being born in Boston and raised as a Boston Elite. He soon ran away to California, getting a job as a professor at Berkeley and knocking over the Cogswell temperance statue. According to Wikipedia, we also have him to thank for coining the word "blurb". 

Four stars. This would be a superlative choice for fans of period mystery. The entire LoC Crime Classics series are worthwhile and this is a good addition. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Astro the Seer cultivates the persona of a psychic to solve crimes but instead he uses his logical mind, with the help of his assistant Valeska Wynne. In each story (except the last) Valeska misses a few clues so that Astro needs to offer his explanation of the mystery. With its twenty-four short stories it is for me the type of book to dip into over a period of time.
Overall a collection of entertaining short stories.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Orginally published in 1912

1 - Missing John Hudson - Mrs Hudson approaches Asro the Seer as her husband has been missing for ten days
2 - The Stolen Shakepeare - the First Folio Shakespeare of skeptic Mr Barrister has been stolen.
3 - The MacDougal Street Affair - sceptical Officer McGraw needs help as a shop owner is being threatened
4. The Fanshawe Ghost - who is the ghost haunting the Farnshawe Farm in the Vandyke village
5. The Denton Boudoir Mystery - Edward Masson insists that Astro finds the murderer of his fiance Miss Elizabeth Denton
6. The Lorsson Elopement - Ruth Lorsson secretedly corresponds with Sherman Fuller, but how and why
7. The Calenson Kidnapping Case - Five year old Harold Calendon has beeb kidnapped with a demand for inside information on the Stock Exchange.
8. Miss Dalrymple Locket - Her locket that was lost has now been returned to her but how will it help in solving her father's will.
9. Number Thirteen - Why is a female found by Valeska terrified of the number"13".
10. The Trouble withTulliver - Astro aims to discover what is causing the problem with D.A. Tulliver.
11. Why Mrs Burbank Ran away - Why has Ellen Burbank left her husband Major George Burbank, who is frantic with worry
12. Mrs Selwyn's Emerald - Astro has been invited to the Selwyn' home as his first appearance in society as a guest but Mrs Selwyn's emerald is stolen.
13. The Assassins' Club - Miss Violet Mannering is worried about the behaviour of her fiance navel lieutenant Robert Cameron.
14. The Luck of the Merringtons - a three year old has found an opal and a shriveled black hand. But who do they belong to.
15. The Count's Comedy - Stolen jewels have been delivered to a Ethel Shaw by a dressed gorilla. Her brother wants Astro to solve the puzzle.
16. Priscilla's Presents - Priscilla Quarich has on the last five Saturdays received a gift from an unknown source. But who.
17. The Heir to Soothoid - due to a mix up at the hospital Colonel Mixter is unsure of who is his heir to his fortune.
18. The Two Miss Mannings - on another train a young lady asks for help from a Mr Jensen. But how can he find her.
19. Van Asten's Visitor - When lawyer Paul Van Asten arrived home he found a stranger claiming to be his sister. Locking her in, he contacts Astro to come immediately
20. The Middlebury Murder - Lt. Graw asks for Astro's help with a murder in the office of Mr Middlebury
21. Vengeance of the Pi Rho Nu - Pauline Wister is to marry Edward Farralon tomorrow but he has disappeared.
22. The Lady in Taupe - who is the lady dressed in taupe that is following playwright Lionel Pinkard and why.
23. Mrs Stellery's Letters - who is writing, in a complimentary style, to Mrs Stellery - A bit obvious
24. Black Light - can the theory of black light help Valeska trace the location of Astro - again an obvious solution.

This is a new edition of a book first released in 1912 and it is lots of fun! It features Astro, the Seer of Secrets and Master of Mysteries. He claims to be psychic, and makes money by solving people's problems apparently mystically. In truth he possesses a Sherlock Holmes like ability to observe and analyse clues combined with a clever assistant, Valeska, who spies on the customers and feeds him information.

The book is a series of his cases some more intriguing than others, and all full of historical detail. Interestingly there is also a romance between Astro and Valeska which develops in tiny steps throughout the book culminating in (view spoiler) at the end.

Recommended for anyone who enjoys books from the Golden Age of crime, particularly for those who like Sherlock Holmes.

4 1/2 stars. Though this is one of the many creations made to be like Sherlock Holmes, Astro, the Seer of Secrets, has his own unique charm and reminds me a bit of the tv series Psych. Astro, with help from his female assistant Valeska, pretends to have occult powers which then he uses to solve problems and mysteries. Valeska plays a role similar to Watson, but she takes a much more active role in investigations and works solo to find out a lot of information that Astro needs. I'm actually surprised at what an active role she plays--even if usually out of the scene--to gather information when you consider the time period of many of these stories to be in the early 1900s.

It is a series of short stories that were published in newspapers or magazines so each can be read alone in pretty much any order without needing to know what happened before. It is longer than I expected, almost 500 pages. The stories take place in New York City and the characters come from all levels of society and nationalities which gives it a real flavor of the place and time. The stories range from misplaced jewels, a kidnapped child, espionage, theft and murder. There is also humor and a touch of romance.

I really enjoyed it. This is one of the hidden gems that can be found in a series that brings old mysteries back to the modern reader. I did not feel like Astro was a cheap imitation of Sherlock. There are some similarities but there are a lot of differences too.

Sit back and enjoy. Let yourself be dazzled by the Amazing Astro.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

This collection of Gelett Burgess’s short stories featuring Astro the Seer and his assistant Valeska is an interesting delight. Astro is a detective of the Sherlock Holmes style who bills himself as a psychic, while actually making use of intellect, observational skills, and some sleight of hand to gather information regarding his clients. The beautiful and intelligent Valeska’s skills at observation soon equal those of Astro, making her of equal importance in their partnership.

The stories are, for the most part, light-hearted and filled with humor. For the casual reader they my seem dated. But for the avid reader of classic mysteries this will be an interesting and entertaining addition to their collection.

Aided by his astute and useful assistant Valeska, Astro, the “Master of Mysteries”appears to enjoy a good living at the expense of his gullible clientele by reading palms and telling fortunes.In addition he uses his superb powers of observation and scientific reason, as well as her detective skillls, in the solving of a variety of crimes.

Their creator, Frank Gelett Burgess was a leading light in the San Francisco literary renaissance of the 1890s, an artist, illustrator, poet, humorist, critic and author. The stories were originally published pseudonymously and were first collected in 1912. It is good to have the original illustrations included in this edition which has an Introduction and extensive notes by Leslie S Klinger.

It is typical of the writer's quirky sense of humour that if you take the initial letter of the first word in each of the 24 tales, the sentence formed is "The author is Gelett Burgess".

The collection is best read in small instalments as there is a sameness to them, despite the range of crimes covered. It is also annotated to an annoying extent, with footnotes as abundant as in many academic texts.

In all, this amounts to an interesting wander into the realms of psychic-detection but I was not overly impressed. Vintage fun, but fundamentally frothy rather than complex.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the digital review copy.

An intriguing collection of mysteries solved by Astro, a palm reader with acute observational skills.. The mysteries cover a wide range of crimes with grace.

Endnotes to each story provide much-needed background for a book published in 1912.

Self-proclaimed Master of Mysteries and Seer of Secrets, Astro is a clever detective in the early 1900s. His cover is a psychic and magician and his lovely assistant Valeska is eager to become a full-fledged detective, too, in a man's world. Chemistry is found in spades...both in the laboratory and out. Mysteries abound and there is no shortage of clients who want to believe in psychics and other mediums to find loved ones or answers to other mysteries. Astro uses his keen power of observation to problem solve. So gratified are he and Valeska that they work pro bono. They thrive on deception.

A 200-year-old calendar, corpses, First Folio Shakespeare, jewels, Clewfinder and descent into madness are just a few mouthwatering cases the reader will enjoy. The illustrations are a delight!

Golden Age readers who seek something unusual and out of the ordinary, do read this compendium of 24 short stories, some lighter than others, all fascinating. Though there are similarities between Astro and Sherlock Holmes' thought processes, my preference remains Holmes. Still, these stories are worth reading! I really appreciate that such works are being showcased. Those who don't read this genre are truly missing out.

My sincere thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this delightful collection.

"Packed with two dozen stories, The Master of Mysteries offers a twentieth-century, mystical twist on the classic consulting detective genre made popular by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. With Astro, the self-proclaimed "seer of secrets," author Gelett Burgess gives us a detective just as observant and brilliant as Sherlock Holmes - but with feelings.

Astro, the Seer of Secrets, and his lovely assistant, Valeska, sound more like a magic act than a private detection team.

Astro hides his powers of observation and reasoning beneath a turban and a cape, pretending to read palms and consult crystals while in fact keenly observing details that most people - police included - miss. Valeska, his beautiful blonde protégé, assists Astro with his investigations, all the while honing her own skills.

Called upon by believers and skeptics both, they adeptly recover what is missing - a rare Shakespeare folio, a missing husband, a kidnapped child - while also solving actual murders. But it is their burgeoning romance, and their mutual zeal to work pro bono where matters of the heart are at stake, that set this crime-solving duo apart."

I'm all about the mystical in the mysteries.

Gelett Burgess wrote a wryly comical group of stories featuring alleged psychic, Astro, and his eager Girl Friday, Valeska. Published in a newspaper in the early 1900s, the collection was printed in 1912 and is reissued today.

Astro is no psychic, but rather a very observant, methodical and logical investigator. He is Egyptian, and uses his exoticness to draw info out of the folks who come to consult the "Oriental Seer." They underestimate Veleska's youth, sex, blonde hair and beauty, for she is also a formidable observer.

Some stories are more light-hearted and some take darkly criminal bents, but as a whole, the series is a charming reprint.

My thanks to both NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance copy of this collection of mysteries featuring a magician detective and his assistant during the early part of the twentieth century.

During the Golden Age of Detective stories, anyone could be a consulting sleuth or part-time investigator. Rich heirs, bored writers, socialites, domestic servants, ex-military members would take to the streets working with the police and invading the homes of people recovering from the trauma of theft or loss, asking questions freely, making observations, and having fun. Astro the Seer was a magician who used his skills at sleight of hand and his great intellect, along with assistant helped the police on numerous occasions, when he wasn't fleecing clients with palm readings and tarot cards. The Master of Mysteries by Gelett Burgess is a collection of stories featuring this intrepid twosome, finding lost objects, protecting the innocent, persecuting the guilty, and having fun while doing it.

Astrogen Kerby had learned that arts of magic and sleight of hand and misdirection on the streets of Cairo, something that he found he was very good at. Coming to America Kerby went to a premier college where he found an aptitude for science and rational thinking. Kerby moved to New York City, and in order to fund his private physics library began to use his skills as a magician and forecaster of the future to wrangle money from the rich and or gullible who came to see him. Astro the Seer, along with his assistant Valeska, and assistant who grew to be so much more, soon found himself helping police on their most difficult cases. Chasing down a mad blackmailing bomber, finding a missing husband, or even looking into a missing Shakespeare folio.

There are twenty-four tales contained in this volume and all are fun, and in most ways played fair with clues, though being a good magician Astro does tend to keep some discoveries under his turban, probably next to a rabbit. The mysteries are Holmes- pastiches, down to Astro pointing out occupations and relationships between husbands and wives, based on missing buttons, or stains on a lapel. However being a forecaster of the future, this makes sense, as a good fortune teller reads the person more than tea leaves, or tarot cards. His assistant Valeska grows to be more than a Watson, which adds a nice balance to the stories, and a fun dynamic to their relationship. As the stories progress so does Valeska's skills and importance to the detection of crimes. These are stories of their time, so there might be somethings that don't play right in today, but I don't think there is anything too bad. I could be looking at it through my eyes, and if I am wrong I apologize. I did find these fun stories and had a great time reading them.

Recommended for classic mystery readers and for those who miss not only the feeling but the way that classic Sherlock Holmes stories were presented. These are fun stories, as the writer was considered a great humorist, and even as the years have past still make a person smile. I might have read a story once before but I enjoyed being introduced to the author, and watching a professional like Astro the Seer hustle the marks, and solve crimes.