Sexton Blake: Palmer and Beauremon (The Teed Files #5)

Synopsis:
“I studied the methods used by the great corporations of the world, and compared them with the methods of the most brilliant criminals. The comparison proved that the cold organisation of business accomplished far more than brilliant and sometimes misguided inspiration. Then I began to develop my scheme.” ~ Baron Robert de Beauremon, The Council of Eleven, 1914

Brilliant. Focused. Ruthless. Hammerton Palmer and Baron Robert de Beauremon were G. H. Teed’s new additions to Blake’s rogues’ gallery in 1914. Both would return frequently to the Union Jack during the next couple of years to cause the detective no small amount of trouble.

The anthology begins with The Death Club, a popular tale that made the top ten list of many Blake fans during the master criminal era. A mysterious murder results in Blake teaming up with Mademoiselle Yvonne to thwart the machinations of financier Hammerton Palmer. It is followed by four tales featuring the Council of Eleven, a powerful and wealthy criminal organisation founded by Baron Robert de Beauremon, a French aristocrat. The Council will accept any job—robbery, forgery, blackmail, abduction—as long as the profits are high. In The Council of Eleven, Beauremon and his organisation attempt a bank heist. In The Lost King, Blake travels to Barania to investigate the kidnapping of the heir to the throne. The story continues in The Mountaineer’s Secret. In the last tale, A Fight for an Earldom, Blake andTinker travel to Arizona to find a dying man’s missing son. Teed pays tribute to his favourite author in the last three tales, see if you can figure out who it is.

This is the fifth of 14 anthologies that collects G. H. Teed’s most popular works from 1913 to 1917. Each edition includes all of the original illustrations! Enjoy!