In the House of Secret Enemies is, of course, a collection of the Mongo novellas that appeared before Shadow of a Broken Man. The exception is "Candala," which was repeatedly rejected as "too radical" by the mystery magazines, and lay in "my trunk" for a number of years. In response to an editor's request that I submit a Mongo piece for an anthology, I sent "Candala"---which the editor praised as the best piece in the collection. It also now appears in a high school/college anthology that is used in the teaching of ethics.

Dr. Robert Frederickson ("Mongo" to his friends)---dwarf, private detective, criminology Ph.D., martial arts expert, ex-circus headliner, cult hero of such thrillers as Shadow of a Broken Man, Second Horseman Out of Eden, and The Language of Cannibals---originated as the hero of a series of short stories published in leading mystery fiction magazines throughout the 1970s. Chesbro's approach to the private eye thriller by way of science fiction and fantasy have earned him substantial critical acclaim and a fanatic following of readers.

In the House of Secret Enemies presents Mongo at the top of his game, faced with evil in the form of maniacal scientists, gangsters intent on subjugating entire countries, murderous espionage agents, diabolical mystics and sorcerers, and a full-grown Bengal tiger. In each case, the special talents of the redoubtable dwarf detective come into play to restore what passes for order in the sinister spheres he inhabits.

This scintillating collection provides a wealth of pleasures for Mongo fans, and for all connoisseurs of detective and offbeat fiction.

• ...I always allow myself one perverse notion a day (whether I need it or not). -George Chesbro

• Pride was the stuff oiling the gears that kept me going in a giant's world. -Mongo

• I'd been born with a small body and a big mind... -Mongo

• "Be thankful you're not the product of some guy's imagination; you'd be rejected by every editor in town." -Garth

• "I've found that most religious people prefer their miracles well aged." -Bill Younger

• ...just as it is dangerous for an artist to search too hard for the murky headwaters of his power, it is folly for a dwarf to entertain romantic thoughts of beautiful women. -Mongo