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

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.

Edward Phillips Oppenheim (1866 - 1946) was an English novelist, in his lifetime a major and successful writer of genre fiction including thrillers. 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.