Cleek of Scotland Yard

Thomas W. Hanshew

Hamilton Cleek is back or is he? Margot, Queen of the Apaches, the notorious French criminal gang, has been released on bail and vanished, Inspector Narkom of Scotland Yard has a series of inexplicable murders to solve, there is talk of revolution in Mauravania. And Cleek is missing. The stories collected here are some of the best about the clever and resourceful private detective Cleek, the man of the forty faces, who through his talents for disguise solves crime and mystery in London. Hold on to your hats for another thrilling ride as spying, murder, mysterious disappearances, jewel theft and horse theft, bombs and political intrigue rear their ugly heads. The stories range from well-done mysteries involving excellent deductive reasoning to fast-paced action tales set in exotic locales with highly romanticized villains.

Cleek. The Man of the Forty Faces

Thomas W. Hanshew

A classic mystery novel featuring Hanshews best-known creation, the consulting detective Hamilton Cleek, known as the man of the forty faces for his incredible skill at disguise. An ex-cracksman turned Scotland Yard detective, Cleeks slim and faultlessly dressed form is topped by an india-rubber-like face, of which he has remarkable control. Cleek is based in Clarges Street, London, where he is constantly consulted by Inspector Narkom of Scotland Yard. Cleek is the central figure in dozens of short stories that began to appear in 1910 and were subsequently collected in a series of books. Cleek: The Man of the Forty Faces is the first book in the saga. A wonderfully entertaining story from the turn of the century of mystery, chivalry, and intrigue. If youre looking for good mystery look no further.

Cleek. The Master Detective

Thomas W. Hanshew

Collection of several short mysteries, starring consulting detective Hamilton Cleek and his incredible skills at disguise with the assistance of his cockney assistant Dollops. Cleek is poacher-turned-gamekeeper, a master criminal who decides to turn straight and work for Scotland Yard after being stricken by the sight of a lovely, innocent young woman whose jewels he was about to pinch. Told as a fairly continuous narrative, held together by the underlying thread of Cleeks efforts to redeem himself and thus gain the affection of the woman with whom he has fallen in love. There is also another underlying thread concerning Cleeks erstwhile accomplice, Margot, and her present accomplice, Merode, as Cleek occasionally finds himself foiling their plans. Each one of these stories is a romp, some more successful than others.

The Riddle of the Frozen Flame

Thomas W. Hanshew

This is another classic of golden-age detective fiction featuring Detective Hamilton Cleek who was introduced in Cleek: The Man of the Forty Faces first published in 1913. This super sleuth and master of disguise will bedazzle you once more as he ingeniously solves a new case. Without the logical mind and condescending manners of Doyles Sherlock Holmes, Hamilton Cleek worms into your heart through your eyes and via your brain. In this tale, Cleek investigates the sinister disappearance of people and the mysterious appearance of flames at night in the desolate Fens, and his friend Superintendent Narkom of Scotland Yard tries to solve some tricky cases of bank robberies in London. Using disguises, clues, and his brain he solves several mysteries in one.

The Riddle of the Mysterious Light

Thomas W. Hanshew

In The Riddle of the Mysterious Light, consulting detective Hamilton Cleek is en route to meet with Scotland Yard detective Narkom when hes intercepted by a roving gang of nefarious neer-do-wells. Can he muster his mighty intellect and physical prowess and hatch a plan to escape his captors? Hamilton Cleek is the central figure in dozens of short stories that began to appear in 1910 and were subsequently collected in a series of books. Cleek is a detective as remarkable as Sherlock Holmes. He has, however, the prime quality of always being in an apparently hopeless tangle of circumstances, and he has also the genius of getting out. The Cleek stories were written by Thomas W. Hanshew, until his death in 1914. His wife, Mary E. Hanshew, then took over this popular pulp mystery series.

The Riddle of the Night

Thomas W. Hanshew

Sherlock Holmes fans will find a lot to like in Thomas W. Hanshews The Riddle of the Night. Thomas W. Hanshew (1857-1914), who also wrote as Charlotte Mary Kingsley, was an American author and actor best known for his stories of Hamilton Cleek, the man of the forty faces, who through his talents for disguise solves crime and mystery in London. He wrote some books in collaboration with his wife, Mary E Hanshew. In it, renowned consulting detective Hamilton Cleek is faced with a puzzling set of facts. A gruesome murder that transpired in the dark of night is accompanied by the scantest of clues, including a set of scrawled numbers and a scrap of paper. Can Cleek get to the bottom of this confounding case?

The Riddle of the Purple Emperor

Thomas W. Hanshew

Hamilton Cleek, once known to Scotland Yard as The Vanishing Cracksman is a reformed crook turned detective. He has a gift for both deduction and impersonation, a curious combination of Sherlock Holmes and Peter Sellars, which he uses to solve mysteries. After a long Channel crossing, Cleek drives a lady home only to discover her aunt has been murdered. But the mystery has only just begun. It leads to a mysterious and sinister chain of events, which Cleek and Superintendent Maverick Narkom of Scotland Yard attempt to unravel, with, of course, the help of the irrepressible and ever-hungry Dollops, Cleeks cockney sidekick. As excitingly improbable a detective story as ever baffled and allured the breathless reader, The Riddle of the Purple Emperor has all the thrills of adventure and murder and hate and love embroidered on the groundwork of a plot as precisely worked out as a problem in mathematics.

The Riddle of the Spinning Wheel

Thomas W. Hanshew

Hamilton Cleek is a renaissance man for the ages: an intellectual giant with the brawn of ten men, he serves as a consulting detective, often helping Scotland Yard with particularly challenging cases. With the power to distort and transform his visage and mimic any mannerism he desires, Cleek, with the assistance of his cockney assistant Dollops, makes a super natural detective! In The Riddle of the Spinning Wheel, a young woman concerned that the turmoil in her family could lead to her fathers murder seeks help from Mr. Cleek of Scotland Yard. Her fear comes to pass when a room is pitched into darkness and the strange sound of a spinning wheel is the omen of death. Cleek finds himself at the center of a confounding whodunit. Will this be the mystery that finally pushes him over the edge?