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About this edition: This is one of five titles released simultaneously in a Christmas boxed set. These are the only five titles appearing in the green cloth binding.
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About the author: Miles Burton is a pseudonym of Cecil John Charles Street, MC, OBE (3 May 1884 – 8 December 1964), who was known to his colleagues, family and friends as John Street. Here is a Wikipedia article about him. He has one other title in the Mystery League series: The Secret of High Eldersham.
Characters:
- Lord Hardway
- Lady Daphne Hardway, his wife, owner of the diamonds
- Dick Penhampton (a.k.a. Captain Blackwood) - Lady Daphne's brother
- Jerry Gould (a.k.a. Sid Evans) - Dick Penhamton's service buddy
- Alison Weatherleigh - Dick's girlfriend
- Dr. Weatherleigh - Alison's father, of Lestridge Hall
- Thomas "Pussy" Herridge - second story thief
- The "Funny Toff" - legendary master criminal
- Ibbotson, retired money lender, second theft victim
- Detective Inspector Brooks - of the C.I.D.
- Sir Edric Conway - of Scotland Yard
Locale: England
Synopsis: Pussy Herridge breaks into Lord Hardway's home one foggy night and makes off with a valuable diamond necklace. On the street, he is immediately nabbed by an apparent plain-clothes man, who handcuffs him and relieves him of the necklace. Pussy manages to escape and flees, still in handcuffs. A local constable grabs him on suspicion, and it turns out the plain-clothes man was likely a fake.
Detective Inspector Brooks investigates his sources at the waterfront, trying to find who the fake was. Shortly after, he turns up dead.
Lady Daphne's brother, Dick Penhamton, decides to investigate on his own. He and his buddy, Jerry Gould, take a room at the waterfront and assume new identities (Dick = Captain Blackwood, Jerry = Sid Evans). Dick gets a lead on the "Funny Toff", the criminal who is rumored to be behind the theft. Dick gets a summons to a night meeting, and arrives to find the only person present is Pussy Herridge - dead.
Next Ibbotson, retired money lender, has jewels stolen from his home. This is followed by a theft from Seccombe & Armitage, diamond merchants.
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ReplyDeleteI loved this title, attracted by the clever wrap around cover art. These might be dated reads, but I think they are fun and always entertaining. I review all the books I read on my blog - JetBlackDragonfly.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteIf I'm not overstepping, here is my review of The Hardway Diamonds Mystery...
jetblackdragonfly.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-hardway-diamonds-mystery.html
Thanks for the note! Appreciate it! Will check out your blog. - Rick
DeleteSeems like an interesting book, Rick. I don't know but doesn't seem like a typical Burton (though really haven't read much of him).
ReplyDelete