
THE MASTER CRIMINAL
CHAPTER I "LET THEM GET WHO HAVE THE POWER, AND LET THEM KEEP WHO CAN"
CHAPTER II CONCERNING THE GREUZE, SOME GENTILES, AND A JEW
CHAPTER III THE MAKING OF A CRIMINAL
CHAPTER IV THE REFLECTIONS OF LYNTON HORA
CHAPTER V THE COMMANDATORE MAKES A DEDUCTION
CHAPTER VI WHEREIN A KING'S MESSENGER IS DESPOILED OF HIS DESPATCHES
CHAPTER VII MERIEL MAKES AN IMPRESSION
CHAPTER VIII A SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION AND ITS RESULT
CHAPTER IX CONCERNING A GREAT MAN'S VEXATION
A velvety June night cloaks London in a heavy, oppressive hush, and the quiet of a candle‑lit drawing‑room is broken only by the distant toll of Big Ben. Myra, poised at a window, clutches her knees while her husband, the enigmatic Commandatore Lynton Hora, reads lazily in an arm‑chair, his sharp eyes missing nothing. Their exchange crackles with tension—a mix of weary affection and looming dread—as they await the return of a son bound for a perilous mission.
Hora’s cool, almost aristocratic demeanor contrasts sharply with Myra’s growing anguish, hinting at a web of secrets and dangerous loyalties. The scene sets the stage for a tale of high‑stakes intrigue, where personal devotion collides with the shadowy world of a master criminal whose reach may extend far beyond the walls of their home. Listeners are drawn into a suspenseful dance of love, fear, and the promise of a dangerous game about to begin.
Language
en
Duration
~8 hours (464K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
New York: The Cupples & Leon Company, 1907.
Credits
Charlene Taylor, Laura Natal, Bruce Albrecht (bgalbrecht) and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.)
Release date
2023-08-29
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1866–1925
A journalist-turned-novelist with a flair for fast-paced adventure, this English writer is best remembered for tales that caught the thrill and anxiety of the early motor age. His fiction mixes crime, suspense, and futuristic touches in a way that still feels lively today.
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