From the 1860s to the present day, the Diogenes Club has been the least-known of Great Britain’s intelligence and law enforcement services. Founded by Sherlock Holmes’s cleverer brother Mycroft, the Club protects the realm – and this entire plane of existence – from occult menaces, threats born in other dimensions, magical perfidy and the Deep Dark Deadly Ones.

This collection of 10 stories features psychic investigator Richard Jeperson and friends as they pursue the mission of the Club. Most occur during the 1970s, which is a nice change from the usual late 19th century settings for these types of books. I enjoyed most of these stories, although they tend to be more of novella length than short story length. I can always count on Kim Newman to bring interesting plots. A handy glossary is included at the back of the book which identifies all of the “Britishisms” for those Americans that might feel lost in some of the slang. However, Mr. Newman’s writing style runs more toward the clever turn of phrase as opposed to clarity, concentrating more on colorful commentary through dialog at the expense of traditional storytelling. At times this becomes overbearing and made me feel a bit lost, like I was missing a few too many inside jokes. But as long as you can hang in there, these stories can be a real treat.

Note that these stories can be read and enjoyed without benefit of having read the author’s “Anno Dracula” series of alternate history novels, even though the Diogenes Club plays a prominent role in those books.