The Mystery of the Skeleton Key
Hugh Lamb author Bernard Capes author G K Chesterton editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:HarperCollins Publishers
Published:13th Jun '19
£8.99
Available to order, but very limited on stock - if we have issues obtaining a copy, we will let you know.
The Skeleton Key (1919) was the first detective novel published by Collins, ushering in the Golden Age, the Crime Club, and 100 years of remarkable crime fiction that would follow.
A body is discovered after a shooting party in the grounds of a country house in Hampshire. The police are called in, and a clever young detective, Sergeant Ridgway, begins to unravel a much more complicated and brutal case of murder than was first suspected. But has he met his match with Le Sage, a chess-playing Baron, who is convinced that the answers lie not in Hampshire but in Paris?
After 20 years of writing in various genres, The Skeleton Key was Bernard Capes’ crowning achievement, as he died shortly after completing the book. Introduced by Hugh Lamb, whose anthology The Black Reaper resurrected Capes’ reputation as one of the best horror writers of his generation, the book also includes its original tribute to Capes by G. K. Chesterton, author of the Father Brown mysteries.
‘It is a fair bet that one of [Agatha Christie’s] most successful crime outings owed a lot to this riveting story… a thrilling read… Who could ask for more?’ DAILY MAIL
‘If Hugh had returned from hunting by another path, or if he had left his gun behind him, or if one could have told just when the shot was heard, perhaps the murder of beautiful Annie Evans might have been cleared up without so much effort on the part of the famous Sergeant Ridgeway from Scotland Yard, or so much mutual suspicion on the part of the various guests assembled at the Hall. Baron Le Sage of doubtful fame might have gone on playing chess, and pretty Audrey’s love affairs might not have become so tangled. But it’s just as well as it is, perhaps, for the result of all these complications is a thoroughly exciting detective story.’ BLACK MASK MAGAZINE
ISBN: 9780008337278
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 15mm
Weight: 160g
224 pages
100th Anniversary edition