The dangerous game

About the book

Charles Seton Darville appears to be enjoying the freedom of a successful writer, traveling widely and gathering material for his popular books. At a Corfu hotel, his acquaintance with Joan Caborn and her husband begins to reveal a less leisurely purpose beneath that familiar routine. Sudden departures, concealed communications, and questions about the couple's activities draw him into a pursuit that extends beyond the island. Le Queux uses the novelist's public identity as a plausible means of access to people and places, while private loneliness complicates his dealings with women. The thriller moves through hotels, international routes, and confidential exchanges, repeatedly asking how much of an apparently casual encounter has been arranged. Darville's skill at imagining intrigue must now serve him within it.

• Public identity and secrecy
• Espionage and trust
• Desire and manipulation

Why read it

Making the investigator a famous novelist gives his mobility and social access a built-in explanation within the plot.

English text of the 1926 Macaulay edition; published in England as Hidden Hands