Aus dem Buch: "Sie hatten ohnehin ein wenig Aufsehen erregt. Man ist zwar in Paris an sehr vieles, das andernorts Zusammenrottungen verursachen würde, schlechtweg gewöhnt; ein höchst nachlässig gekleidetes Paar aber fällt in einem erstklassigen Mode-Restaurant auch in Paris auf. Ihre Gesichter, die in diesem Milieu sofort sozusagen dominierten, und das sichere Auftreten Fecs hatten den Maître d'Hôtel jedoch schnell entwaffnet; die Lebhaftigkeit ihrer Unterhaltung, welche durchaus gegen die Lokalusancen verstieß, besonders das überaus kräftige Mienenspiel Bichettes hatten dann aber neuerdings unliebsame Aufmerksamkeit hervorgerufen." Walter Serner (1889-1942) war ein Essayist, Schriftsteller und Dadaist.

Israel Zangwill was born in London on 21st January 1864, to a family of Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire. Zangwill was initially educated in Plymouth and Bristol. At age 9 he was enrolled in the Jews' Free School in Spitalfields in east London. Zangwill excelled here. He began to teach part-time at the school and eventually full time. Whilst teaching he also studied with the University of London and by 1884 had earned his BA with triple honours in philosophy, history, and the sciences. His writing earned him the sobriquet "the Dickens of the Ghetto" primarily based on his much lauded novel 'Children of the Ghetto: A Study of a Peculiar People' in 1892 and its glimpse of the poverty-stricken life in London's Jewish quarter. As a writer he was keen to reflect on his political and social outlooks. His simulation of Yiddish sentence structure in English aroused great interest. His mystery work, 'The Big Bow Mystery' (1892) was the first locked room mystery novel. Zangwill was also involved with narrowly focused Jewish issues as an assimilationist, an early Zionist, and later a territorialist. In the early 1890s he had joined the Lovers of Zion movement in England. In 1897 he joined Theodor Herzl (considered the father of modern political Zionism) in founding the World Zionist Organization. Zangwill quit the established philosophy of Zionism when his plan for a homeland in Uganda was rejected and founded his own organisation; the Jewish Territorialist Organization. Its stated goal was to create a Jewish homeland in whatever territory in the world could be found for them. Amongst the challenges in his life he found time to write poetry. He had translated a medieval Jewish poet in 1903 and his volume 'Blind Children' in 1908 shows his promise in this new endeavour. 'The Melting Pot' in 1909 made Zangwill's name as an admired playwright. When the play opened in Washington D.C., former President Theodore Roosevelt leaned over the edge of his box and shouted, "That's a great play, Mr. Zangwill, that's a great play." Israel Zangwill died on 1st August 1926 in Midhurst, West Sussex.

Spy thriller fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder 'The men who work for you, General', he observed, 'should rid themselves of any fear of death'. Rome, 1934. Martin Fawley leaves the American secret service and is recruited by General Berati, the most feared man in fascist Italy, as a spy. After a brief encounter with a glamorous yet murderous Italian princess, Fawley's mission takes him undercover to Monaco. Suave and worldly, Fawley is quite at home in the casinos and golf courses of Monte Carlo--but he is soon entangled in a game with higher stakes. As the nations of Europe vie for power, Fawley discovers the secret weapon that will determine the outcome of the looming war. This classic thriller--undoubtedly an influence on Ian Fleming's James Bond novels--is now republished for the first time since the 1930s. With its yachts and cocktail parties, its steely hero and brutal assassins, and its cinematic range across the cities of Europe, this is a gripping and sophisticated tale of a spy who saves the world.

One of many great works by E. Phillips Oppenheim, "prince of storytellers" from the late 19th and early 20th Century England.

E. Phillips Oppenheim's "A Millionaire of Yesterday" was first released in 1900. The book follows the story of a young man's struggle for fortune in colonial Africa and his quest for happiness there. Young Scarlett Trent, who is eager to become wealthy in the gold mines of Africa, must struggle with his own sense of good and evil while juggling the difficulties he faces and his desire to succeed. His buddy Monty, a dubious alcoholic with a murky past, accompanies him on his mission. The suspense is maintained throughout the novel, whether they will be successful in achieving their goals or whether Monty's past returns to haunt them both. Despite his best efforts, Trent is obstructed by several opponents who only bring him immense tragedy. The readers will find themselves immersed in the experience of the novel as it leads them towards a happy ending. The Long Arm of Mannister, The Great Impersonation, and The Moving Finger are some of Oppenheim's best known works.

Oppenheim featured on the cover of Time magazine on September 12, 1927, he was the self-styled "prince of storytellers." He composed some one hundred and fifty novels, mainly of the suspense and international intrigue nature, but including romances, comedies, and parables of everyday life. He was the earliest writer of spy fiction as understood today, and invented the "Rogue Male" school of adventure thrillers that was later exploited by John Buchan and Geoffrey Household.

Richard Temperley arrives at Euston station early on a fogbound London morning. He takes refuge in a nearby hotel, along with a disagreeable fellow passenger, who had snored his way through the train journey. But within minutes the other man has snored for the last time-he has been shot dead while sleeping in an armchair. Temperley has a brief encounter with a beautiful young woman, but she flees the scene. When the police arrive, Detective Inspector James discovers a token at the crime scene: a small piece of enamelled metal. Its colour was crimson, and it was in the shape of the letter Z. Temperley sets off in pursuit of the mysterious woman from the hotel, and finds himself embroiled in a cross-country chase- by train and taxi - on the tail of a sinister serial killer. This classic novel by the author of the best-selling Mystery in White is a gripping thriller by a neglected master of the genre. J. Jefferson Farjeon (1883-1955) was the author of more than sixty crime and thriller novels that were highly acclaimed in his lifetime. Farjeon is the author of Number Seventeen, a play that was adapted for the big screen by Alfred Hitchcock. His Christmas crime novel, Mystery in White, was republished as a British Library Crime Classic and became a bestseller. Front cover (c) NRM/Pictorial Collection/Science & Society Picture Library

Dive into the suspenseful realms of "The Golden Beast," a 1926 mystery thriller penned by the prolific British writer E. Phillips Oppenheim. Renowned for his bestselling novels that soared in popularity during the interwar years, Oppenheim weaves a gripping tale that unfolds against the backdrop of a Norfolk country estate owned by the Honerton family. The story kicks off with the accidental death of Lord Honerton's son, leading to a tragic sequence of events. Seeking justice, Lord Honerton forces the execution of the gamekeeper who objected to his romantic pursuits with his daughter. A haunting curse befalls the family, and years later, the youngest son vanishes without a trace, confounding the efforts of Scotland Yard to locate him. "The Golden Beast" takes readers on a rollercoaster of suspense and mystery, exploring the repercussions of a family's dark secrets. Oppenheim's masterful storytelling keeps you on the edge of your seat, unraveling a gripping narrative that delves into the complexities of justice, tragedy, and the enigmatic ties that bind a family.