The Cheyne mystery

Maxwell Cheyne is a dashing, if slightly reckless, son of a naval commander whose life has swung between modest country comforts and the restless call of the sea. Educated modestly after his father’s early death, he briefly pursued a quiet life as a country gentleman before the Great War thrust him back into naval service, where he earned a reputation for bravery before a wound forced his discharge. Now in his late twenties, Cheyne balances a love of yachting, a dabbling in writing, and a generous, open‑handed nature that draws both friends and trouble.

The story kicks off on a bleak March morning when Cheyne finds himself in the Edgecombe Hotel in Plymouth, a seemingly ordinary stop that quickly spirals into a baffling incident. That moment sets off a chain of curious cases—burglary, secret messages, and shadowy figures—that pull Cheyne’s nautical instincts and sharp wit into a wider, post‑war mystery. Listeners will be drawn into his resourceful investigations, the atmospheric English coast, and the subtle interplay of personal history and larger intrigue.