Inspector French and the Cheyne Mystery — Freeman Wills Crofts

A deadly secret from World War I sends the Scotland Yard inspector across Europe in this classic detective mystery. After surviving the Great War, Maxwell Cheyne hoped to resume a peaceful life in England, but danger has followed him home. A ruthless gang will stop at nothing to retrieve a letter from his possession which holds a mysterious code. Cheyne is no stranger to violent confrontation, and he’s prepared to fight back. But when an innocent woman is kidnapped, he turns to Scotland Yard for help. Insp. Joseph French will stop at nothing to bring the woman to safety, following the trail of clues from London to Bruges to Antwerp. But it soon becomes clear that to solve the case he must crack the letter’s code . . . for the criminals have set sail on an expedition with their captive in tow. Originally published in 1926, Inspector French and the Cheyne Mystery is the second novel to feature Freeman Wills Croft’s famous detective, following Inspector French’s Greatest Case.