Nick Carter Stories No. 124, January 23, 1915: The girl kidnaper; or, Nick Carter's up-to-date clew.

A breezy seaside resort perched on a sheer cliff becomes the backdrop for a baffling disappearance. Mrs. de Puyster van Dietrich, a multimillionaire guest, vanishes from her locked fourth‑floor suite overnight, leaving no sign of a struggle, a jump, or a fall. The locked doors, the bolted windows, and the jagged rocks below give the mystery a seemingly impossible air, prompting the hotel’s proprietors to question whether a crime—or something even stranger—has occurred.

James Mallory and Paul Savage, the pragmatic owners of the new Amsterdam Hotel, scramble to protect their fledgling reputation while trying to make sense of the dead‑end clues. Their search draws in the legendary detective Nick Carter, whose reputation for solving the toughest puzzles promises an “up‑to‑date clew.” As Carter steps onto the promenade, the first pieces of the puzzle begin to align, setting the stage for a fast‑moving investigation that blends high society intrigue with the raw power of the Atlantic surf.