Anthony Cade, an adventurer working in South Africa, accepts a commission to deliver a memoir and a set of letters to London. The assignment pulls him into a multifaceted conspiracy involving the fictional Balkan kingdom of Herzoslovakia. At the historic Chimneys estate, a gathering of politicians and aristocrats turns into a crime scene when a foreign prince is murdered. The narrative tracks the recovery of a stolen diamond and the search for King Victor, a notorious jewel thief. Superintendent Battle investigates alongside Cade to uncover how the revolution in the Balkans connects to the house party.
This story serves readers who enjoy early twentieth-century international intrigue mixed with the traditional manor house mystery. It attracts those interested in the bridge between Victorian adventure fiction and the Golden Age puzzle. Readers observe the intersection of amateur sleuth work and professional police procedure. They finish the book with an understanding of how geopolitical tensions and secret identities were used to construct elaborate red herrings in the post-war detective genre.
Practical, outward-looking, clear-cut and escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1925
- Language
- EN
