General Besserleys Puzzle Box

E. Phillips Oppenheim

General, his companion pronounced, you are getting fat. Too many cocktails. General Besserley, late of the Secret Service at Washington and now a very popular member of Monaco society, glanced downwards at his slightly increasing outline. He was rather a fine figure of a man and his carriage was beyond reproach, but it was certainly true that there was sometimes a little difficulty about the two bottom buttons of his waistcoat.

General Besserleys Second Puzzle Box

E. Phillips Oppenheim

General Besserley sat before his writing-table, drawn close up to the wide-flung windows of his summer-house, his pen clasped in his idle fingers, his eyes wandering though a tangle of drooping roses and clematis beyond the gardens below to where a car was crawling up the mountain road. He leaned a little sideways and touched a bell. In a few moments a white-coated butler opened the door and approached the table.

Gleanings

E. Phillips Oppenheim

The clamour of crushing boughs and howling wind sank every now and then into insignificance before the roaring of deep-throated guns, whose red fire flashed out across what seemed to be a bottomless abyss. Below, the army of the Turks decimated in numbers, yet still a host, within the walls of Crersa, the defenders of an oppressed and brave country making their last stand in their ancient stronghold.

Harvey Garrards Crime

E. Phillips Oppenheim

Harvey Garrard, as his limousine crawled over London Bridge and turned into the dingy streets beyond, leaned forward in his seat looking out of the window with the half-weary anticipation of one who revisits familiar but distasteful scenes. There was a faint air of disgust in his expression as the well-known odours of the neighbourhood assailed his nostrils. Forty-eight hours ago he had been living in a paradise of mimosa and roses warmed by Riviera sunshine, his senses reacting pleasurably to the mild excitement, the music and the gaiety of Monte Carlo.

Havoc

E. Phillips Oppenheim

Havoc occurs when European countries are discussing covert alliances. The story revolves around the creation of a secret alliance between Germany, Russia, and Austria. The English hope to split Russia away by holding the Czar to his previous public commitments, but they need proof of what was done to create the pressure. All the pressures that lead to WWI are there, but the intrigues and secret treaties create an interesting background to the twists and turns of the plot.

Jacobs Ladder

E. Phillips Oppenheim

Jacobs Ladder begins: Seated at breakfast on that memorable July morning, Jacob Pratt presented all the appearance of a disconsolate man. His little country sitting-room was as neat and tidy as the capable hands of the inimitable Mrs. Harris could make it. His coffee was hot and his eggs were perfectly boiled. Through the open windows stretched a little vista of the many rows of standard roses which had been the joy of his life. Yet blank misery dwelt in the soul of this erstwhile cheerful little man, and the spirit of degradation hung like a gloomy pall over his thoughts and being. Only the day before he had filed his petition in bankruptcy.

Jeanne of the Marshes

E. Phillips Oppenheim

The Princess opened her eyes at the sound of her maids approach. She turned her head impatiently toward the door. Annette, she said coldly, did you misunderstand me? Did I not say that I was on no account to be disturbed this afternoon? Annette was the picture of despair. Eyebrows and hands betrayed alike both her agitation of mind and her nationality.

Jednooki Budda

E. Phillips Oppenheim

Powieść sensacyjna napisana żywym i błyskotliwym stylem. Narratorem jest major Owston, zaangażowany przez milionera Martina Hewsa do ochrony swojej unikalnej kolekcji obrazów i rzeźb. Na cenne zbiory Hewsa czyha nieuchwytny przestępca Jeff, ścigany przez Scotland Yard, jednak dzięki umiejętności charakteryzacji i kamuflażu kpi sobie z całej londyńskiej policji. E. Phillips Oppenheim, nazywany w swoim czasie mistrzem wśród twórców powieści kryminalnych i sensacyjnych, był znanym na całym świecie autorem thrillerów kryminalnych i szpiegowskich. Jego powieści i opowiadania zawierają wszystkie elementy pełnych napięcia przygód i intryg, i są uważane za prekursorskie dla współczesnych powieści kryminalnych.