As readers no doubt realise, the theme of this collection is the many and varied forms of revenge, some of them more inventive than others. A few thoughts on its contents follow.
An Alpine Divorce
A woman is dead but it suicide or murder?
Which Was The Murderer?
Will the man whodunnit escape justice via a legal loophole?
A Dynamite Explosion
How might you destroy a cafe under police guard, particularly when you live in a flat above it?
An Electrical Slip
Revenge carried out by a particularly well-placed relative of the victim.
The Vengeance of the Dead
A woo-woo tale wherein a disgruntled chap punishes his cousin and the lawyer who won the cousin's case against him.
Over The Stelvio Pass
But will the newlyweds be able to pass safely over it?
The Hour And The Man
A condemned prisoner escapes from prison.
"And The Rigour of the Game"
A young man does not gamble or imbibe at his club, why does he attend it?
The Bromley Gibberts Story
An author planning a murder rampage calmly describes its details to an editor beforehand.
Not According to the Code
Collar manufacturers fall out and it all ends in tears.
A Modern Samson
A member of the Alpine Corps attempts to escape a courtmartial by scaling a mountain on the border with Italy.
A Deal On 'Change
Wall Street magnate craftily ensures his daughter-in-law is not shunned by society.
Transformation
An inventive watchmaker extracts justice for his brother's death.
The Shadow of the Greenback
Under a man's Will the man or men who kill his murderer will receive $50,000.
The Understudy
An actor steals the identity of a missing African explorer but with the best of intentions.
"Out of Thun"
A young woman collects marriage proposals when conducting research for, well, you'll see.
A Dramatic Point
Two actors argue about a piece of stagecraft.
Two Florentine Balconies
It would be wise not to mess with Venetian ladies....
The Exposure of Lord Stansford
Lord Stansford gets an interesting offer.
Purification
And it's also best to avoid aggravating jealous Russian women.
Etext
My verdict: To describe the stories more than I have would give away much of
their content and then a host of "continential objurgations" (a wonderful
phrase stolen from one of the above yarns) would surely fly about the list.
However, I can reveal a number of these tales have twist endings and I found
it an enjoyable collection to dip into at odd moments.
Mary R
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