Showing results by author "A. E. W. Mason" in All Categories

While Sûreté inspector Gabriel Hanaud visits the London home of his friend Mr. Ricardo, they receive a visit from Carradine, a young socialite with a disturbing story. A beautiful young woman he met at a costume party has appealed to him for help. Obsessed with a rich American woman’s pearls, this young woman went to steal them from the American’s hotel room … only to find a gang of thieves, who overpowered her. She woke up hours later, alone in the room except for a dead body. Can Hanaud prove her innocence, and bring the real murderers to justice?

A short story from the British Library Crime Classic collection Final Acts. The Affair at the Semiramis Hotel sees A .E. W. Mason's famous detective, Inspector Hanaud, and amateur detective Ricardo investigate the theft of a pearl necklace and the murder of its owner, set within the world of opera.

At the fashionable French resort of Aix-les-Bains a murder is discovered: wealthy but naïve Mme Dauvray is found strangled in the salon of her villa, apparently for her famously expensive jewels. Her young English companion, Celia Harland, is missing, and her maid is bound and chloroformed upstairs. A young English inventor who has been courting Miss Harland adamantly protests her innocence, and begs the famous Sûreté detective Inspector Hanaud to investigate.

Las cuatro plumas mete el dedo en la herida de una de las mayores derrotas del Imprerio británico, cuando en 1885 un desierto implacable y una población orgullosa y fiera le dio una lección en Sudán. Las tropas coloniales fueron arrasadas y su máximo oficial, Gordon, decapitado para humillación de Londres.

A Romance of Wastdale, published in 1895, is a novel by the British writer A.E.W Mason. In 1921, it was turned into a film of the same name directed by Maurice Elvey and made by Stoll Pictures, Britain’s biggest studio of the silent era. The novel is set in the scenic area of Wastdale, Cumbria, situated in the Lake District National Park and surrounded by some of England’s highest mountains. Wastdale Head has been a starting point for walks and climbing trips into the mountains, in this context, this story of mountains, mountaineers, romance, and treachery unfolds.

When Feversham’s regiment was called to service in the Soudan, he resigned his commission. His fellow officers sent him one white feather each as a sign that they recognised his cowardice. What follows is an exciting adventure of redemption and a heart-aching love story....

Just before his regiment sails off to war in the Sudan, British officer Harry Feversham quits the military. He is immediately given four white feathers as symbols of cowardice, one by each of his three best friends and one by his fiancée. To disprove this grave dishonor, Harry dons an Arabian disguise and leaves for the Sudan, where he anonymously comes to the aid of his three friends, saving each of their lives. Having proven his bravery, Harry returns to England, hoping to regain the love and respect of his fiancée.

Witness for the Defence is a captivating blend of romance and mystery, interwoven with engrossing courtroom drama. Watch as young love rekindles after a long separation, or perhaps its an illusion as people change over time, as do the circumstances that mold their lives. Journey with us from the English shores to the vibrant landscapes of India, as our protagonists face challenges they never anticipated. Dive into this intriguing narrative by Nicholas Clifford, where suspense meets romance in an international setting.

The Four Feathers is a classic adventure novel of honor, redemption, and courage. When British officer Harry Feversham resigns before a critical mission, he is accused of cowardice and given four white feathers by those he loves. Determined to reclaim his honor, he embarks on a dangerous journey to prove his bravery. A thrilling tale of war, romance, and self-discovery.

Join us on a thrilling journey as Harry Wethermill, the prodigious young scientist and inventor, takes a much-needed break at Aix-les-Bains. Here, he encounters the enchanting Celia Harland, a companion to the venerable Madam Dauvray. Their budding romance is observed by Julius Ricardo, a retired financier seeking tranquility in Aix. However, peace is shattered when Madam Dauvray is found brutally murdered, with suspicion falling heavily on the now missing Celia. Upon Wethermills desperate request, Ricardo ropes in his friend Inspector Hanaud, the renowned Parisian detective, to unravel this ...

Step into the world of Inspector Hanaud, a distinguished member of the French Sûreté, and the inspiration behind Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. Different from the renowned Sherlock Holmes, Hanaud is a stout, professional policeman relying on psychological analysis above physical clues. Explore his intriguing journey in The Affair At The Semiramis Hotel, a captivating novella that is the second in a seven-part series. Was the reported robbery and murder a real event or merely a mescal-induced delusion of the witness? Unravel this mystery with Hanaud and his confidante, retired ...

A young English girl is accused in Dijon of murdering her French aunt. Hanaud to the rescue! Inspector Hanaud is a member of the French Sûreté. He is said to have been the model for Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, as well as the opposite of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. In 1910, Mason undertook to create a fictional detective as different as possible from Sherlock Holmes, who had recently been resuscitated after his supposed death by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1903. Inspector Gabriel Hanaud was stout, not gaunt like Holmes; a professional policeman, not a gentleman amateur; from the French...

Part romance, part mystery, part courtroom and quasi-courtroom drama. Young love reignites itself after a hiatus of some years. Or does it? Much can change in that time -- both to the people themselves, and to the events that shape their lives. The action moves from England to India, and back again, confronting the protagonists with problems they never dreamed they’d have to face. ( Nicholas Clifford)

The Four Feathers is a 1902 adventure novel by British writer A.E.W. Mason that has inspired many films of the same title. The novel tells the story of British officer, Harry Feversham, who resigns his commission in the East Surrey Regiment just prior to Sir Garnet Wolseley's 1882 expedition to Egypt to suppress the rising of Urabi Pasha. He is faced with censure from three of his comrades for cowardice, signified by the delivery of three white feathers to him, from Captain Trench and Lieutenants Castleton and Willoughby, and the loss of the support of his Irish fiancée, Ethne Eustace, who ...

Harry Wethermill, the brilliant young scientist, a graduate of Oxford and Munich, has made a fortune from his inventions, and is taking a vacation at Aix-les-Bains. There he meets, and immediately falls in love with, the young and beautiful Celia Harland, who serves as companion to the aging but warm-hearted Madam Dauvray of Paris. All this is observed by Julius Ricardo, a retired financier from the City of London, who spends every August at Aix, expecting there to find a pleasant and peaceful life. Imagine his consternation when he learns that Mme. Dauvray has been brutally murdered, and ...

Inspector Hanaud is a member of the French Sûreté. He is said to have been the model for Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, as well as the opposite of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. The Affair At The Semiramis Hotel (1917), a novella, is the second Hanaud mystery. Did the robbery/murder really happen or was it the mescal-induced hallucination of the witness? The first novel is At The Villa Rose (1910). The third is The House Of The Arrow (1924) (there are seven through 1949, available at project gutenberg Australia). In 1910, Mason undertook to create a fictional detective as different as...

The Watchers by A. E. W. Mason is a historical novel set during the Napoleonic Wars, focusing on espionage, loyalty, and intrigue. The story follows the experiences of Martin Hillyard, a British intelligence officer, who becomes entangled in a web of political and personal conflicts. Hillyard is tasked with monitoring and thwarting the efforts of French spies, but his mission is complicated by emotional entanglements and the schemes of those he must watch. The novel explores themes of duty, honor, and the challenges of maintaining personal relationships amid the pressures of war. With a mix of...

Wealthy widow Mrs. Harlowe has died at her house in Dijon, apparently of natural causes. But then her brother-in-law accuses her niece Betty of poisoning the old woman; Jim Frobisher, junior partner in the office of Betty’s English solicitors, is dispatched to France to provide legal advice and support. In France, as Jim seeks to discover the truth and clear Betty, he enters into an uneasy alliance with the enigmatic and mercurial Sûreté detective, Inspector Hanaud.

This audiobook contains the first three adventures of A. E. W Mason’s enigmatic and mercurial Sûreté detective, Inspector Hanaud—a key inspiration for Agatha Christie’s celebrated sleuth Hercule Poirot. First, Hanaud investigates the murder of wealthy Mme Dauvray at the fashionable French resort of Aix-les-Bains. Then, during a visit to London, Hanaud unravels a case of theft and murder following a costume party at a prestigious hotel.

Watchers is a dark and thrilling tale of piracy, murder, and revenge set on a remote Cornish island in the 1700s. With dangerous secrets, brutal outlaws, and a mysterious past, this novel blends suspense with literary excellence. A gripping listen for those who love historical adventure with a dark twist.