Edward Phillips Oppenheim (1866 1946), an English novelist, was a major and successful writer of genre fiction, particularly thrillers. Among his books are The Betrayal, The Avenger, The Double Life of Mr. Alfred Burton, The Devils Paw, and The Evil Shepherd. Many of Oppenheims works appeared as newspaper or magazine serials before they were published in book form. The serial versions of his novels were often syndicated for publication in periodicals in the USA and other English-speaking countries. One Little Thread of Life made its first appearance in 1899 in The Weekly Telegraph, Sheffield, England. Mr. Oppenheim can be depended upon to give his plots that turn which is as admirable as it is unexpected, and this is one of the best of his many good and exciting books.