The unknown seven A detective story

About the book

Kingdon Cole watches Professor Carmody's house while investigating the disappearance of Malcolm Reeves, who is believed to have visited the reclusive scientist. A woman in a limousine interrupts the surveillance and astonishes Cole with detailed knowledge of his habits, professional history, and current inquiry. She claims that the missing man represents only a small part of a much larger affair, challenging the investigator's confidence in his own information. The opening establishes a contest between observation and being observed, with scientific secrecy adding another layer of uncertainty. Cole must decide what use to make of an informant whose access seems almost unlimited. The ensuing detective adventure turns the promise of privileged knowledge into a source of temptation as well as possible assistance.

• Knowledge and manipulation
• Scientific secrecy
• Investigation and temptation

Why read it

The first encounter reverses the investigator's usual advantage by making him the subject of someone else's detailed inquiry.

English Chelsea House text of 1923, published under the name Harry Coverdale