
Old Broadbrim, the methodical Quaker detective, receives an unsettling invitation from Custer Kipp, one of New York’s most prominent magnates. Kipp’s mansion on Fifth Avenue becomes the stage for a peculiar proposal: a year‑long guard‑duty against an unseen adversary who has placed the wealthy man on a “black list.” The detective is offered a generous sum, but the terms bind him tightly to Kipp’s commands, demanding his undivided attention and constant vigilance.
As Broadbrim steps into the opulent library, he learns only fragments of the threat—a shadowy figure from the past and a beautiful accomplice whose memory haunts Kipp. The case promises a tense blend of personal loyalty, covert danger, and the moral quandary of selling one’s freedom for a hefty fee. Listeners will be drawn into the early intrigue, wondering whether the detective’s famed intuition can outwit a foe that has lingered unseen for decades.
Full title
Old Broadbrim Into the Heart of Australia or, A Strange Bargain and Its Consequences
Language
en
Duration
~3 hours (229K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Demian Katz and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (Images courtesy of the Digital Library@Villanova University (http://digital.library.villanova.edu/))
Release date
2015-01-20
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1854–1938
A prolific American adventure writer, he turned out hundreds of boys' stories and dime novels across a career that stretched for roughly 60 years. Writing under St. George Rathborne and many pen names, he became especially known for fast-moving outdoor tales.
View all books