The sinister mark

About the book

Mary Blake's success on stage has not made her willing to discuss the life behind her professional name. Donald Morris, who loves her, senses a growing anxiety that she refuses to explain. Then an urgent letter and her disappearance send him to rooms containing disturbing evidence, and private detective Peter Clancy becomes involved. Questions about Mary's sister Anne, recent movements, and the meaning of apparently incriminating objects guide the investigation. Lee Thayer makes uncertainty about identity central to the suspense: the people closest to a celebrated woman may still know very little about her. The mystery proceeds through interviews and material clues while Donald's emotional commitment makes the search more than a detached reconstruction of events.

• Hidden identity
• Disappearance
• Love and uncertainty

Why read it

Follow a Peter Clancy case in which a public personality conceals a private life essential to the investigation.

English first edition of Lee Thayer's novel, 1923