The Hand of Fu-Manchu Being a New Phase in the Activities of Fu-Manchu, the Devil Doctor

The story opens on a fog‑laden night in London, where the scholar‑detective Dr. Petrie has just arrived at the grand but uneasy New Louvre Hotel. Strange noises echo down a dim corridor, and a sudden knock reveals his longtime ally, the steely‑eyed Inspector Nayland Smith, dripping with travel coat and pipe smoke. Their reunion is brief, for both men have been pulled from distant adventures—Petrie from the heat of Cairo and Smith from a cryptic dispatch. Together they bolt the door, sealing themselves in a room that feels more like a trap than a refuge.

As they settle, Smith drops the news that the notorious Fu‑Manchu is dead, yet a darker force called the Si‑Fan is rising to fill the void. He mentions Sir Gregory Hale, a former diplomatic attaché whose unexpected arrival at the hotel may be the key to the new conspiracy. The pair brace themselves for a chase that will span continents and pit their wits against an unseen criminal network. Listeners are drawn into a tense, Victorian‑style mystery where every foggy breath could hide an enemy.