Detective Cleek's Cases

Book excerpt: Hamilton Cleek is a consulting detective and also known as "the man of the forty faces" for his incredible skill at disguise. Cleek is himself a reformed criminal and now helps Inspector Narkom of Scotland Yard in solving crimes in Clarges Street, London. The Cleek mysteries were originally published as individual short stories but were later compiled into separate books. Content: The Riddle of the Night The Riddle of the Purple Emperor The Riddle of the Frozen Flame The Riddle of the Mysterious Light The Riddle of the Spinning Wheel "There was a moment of something like absolute confusion, for mist and darkness enveloped both the road and the Common, and none of the three could see anything from the windows of the car which might decide whether they had collided with some obstruction or were hovering upon the brink of some dangerous and unexpected pitfall . . ." (Excerpt from "The Riddle of the Night") Thomas W. Hanshew (1857-1914) was an American author best known for his Hamilton Cleek Detective Series, written in collaboration with his wife, Mary E. Hanshew (1852-1927).