Cover image for

The Poisoned Pen

Language English
Series No. 2 in the Craig Kennedy, Scientific Detective series
Published 1911
Notes

I THE POISONED PEN
II THE YEGGMAN
III THE GERM OF DEATH
IV THE FIREBUG
V THE CONFIDENCE KING
VI THE SAND-HOG
VII THE WHITE SLAVE
VIII THE FORGER
IX THE UNOFFICIAL SPY
X THE SMUGGLER
XI THE INVISIBLE RAY
XII THE CAMPAIGN GRAFTER

Approx. 103,836 words.

Excerpt

wned by the Posts, and that Halsey Post, as the executor of the estate, was a more frequent visitor than the mere collection of the rent would warrant. Mrs. Boncour maintained a stolid silence that covered a seething internal fury when the newspaperman in question hinted that the landlord and tenant were on exceptionally good terms.

It was after a fruitless day of such search that we were sitting in the reading-room of the Fairfield Hotel. Leland entered. His face was positively white. Without a word he took us by the arm and led us across Main Street and up a flight of stairs to his office. Then he locked the door.

"What's the matter?" asked Kennedy.

"When I took this case," he said, "I believed down in my heart that Dixon was innocent. I still believe it, but my faith has been rudely shaken. I feel that you should know about what I have just found. As I told you, we secured nearly all of Dr. Dixon's letters. I had not read them all then. But I have been going through them to-night. Here

ReviewsAdd a review for this title.

2006.09.28
Richard Bohan

This is a collection of twelve short Craig Kennedy stories. It involves just the elements one expects from Arthur B. Reeve: numerous murders, discussion of technolies to apprehend criminals, and some interesting settings. On the whole, it is up to Arthur B. Reeves standards, althouth the quality of the individual stories varies widely. The two weakest are the title story, where in fact the mystery is solved by luck and is, in any case, rather arbitrary, and The White Slave, also solved entirely by Kennedy's luck, which also allows to escape criminal charges for assault. On the other had,The Sand Hogs, The Firebug, and The Smuggler are above average. The book should the reader an hour or so of enjoyment