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A DETECTIVE STORY
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
ILLUSTRATIONS
CHAPTER I - THE FALLING STAR
CHAPTER II - A STRANGE NEIGHBOUR
CHAPTER III - THE DRAMA IN THE GARDEN
CHAPTER IV - ENTER FREDDIE SWAIN
CHAPTER V - A CALL FOR HELP
The story opens with a hard‑pressed attorney‑detective returning to his cramped office after a grueling series of court battles. Sweltering June heat presses against the windows, and he drifts into day‑dreams of cool fountains while the world outside crackles with summer sparks. An unexpected knock delivers a terse message from his longtime confidant, Jim Godfrey, a reporter who promises a quiet retreat at a secluded Bronx summer house—if the detective will agree to a few days of rest.
Enticed by the prospect of sleep and a break from relentless cases, the protagonist quickly packs his bags, his curiosity sparked by Godfrey’s hint of “certain phenomena” in the neighborhood. As he prepares to leave the bustling city behind, the narrative teases an uneasy blend of ordinary fatigue and the whisper of a new mystery waiting to surface, setting a tone that balances weary humor with the lure of the unknown.
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (380K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Suzanne Shell, Riikka Talonpoika and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
Release date
2004-09-04
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1872–1962
Best known for lively mysteries and popular literary anthologies, this Ohio-born writer also spent decades building library culture at home and abroad. His career blended storytelling, scholarship, and public service in a way that still feels distinctive.
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