"There Are Plots within Plots"

THE MYSTERY OF LANDY COURT.
By Fergus Hume (1859-1932).
Jarrold and Sons.
1894. 214 pages. 3s. 6d.
[a.k.a. FROM THIEF TO DETECTIVE]
Online HERE and HERE.

Hume's fame was secured with THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB (1886), even though he earned very little from it. Here's a full contemporary review of his twenty-seventh book:

The Landy Court mystery baffed the skill of Drage, the great private detective. Indeed, it was complicated enough, but Mr. Hume puts the reader on the right scent early in the story, which is a pity. As there are plots within plots, you cannot, however, thread the maze completely till guidance is given, and so far it is a successful story of its kind. In workmanship it compares very favourably with the average tale of crime and mystery. — "Novel Notes," THE BOOKMAN [U.K.] (May 1894)

Resources:
- A Wikipedia article ("Fergus Hume").
- More information about the author's other detective fiction by Mike Grost ("Fergus Hume").

Category: Detective fiction