I. Sentiments and Clues

II. Uneasy Apprehensions

III. Ninety-eight Pearls

IV. A Thief in the Night

V. Little Miss Jane

VI. A Fountain Pen

VII. Concerning Margery

VIII. Too Late

IX. Only One Eye Closed

X. Breaking the News

XI. A Night in the Fleming Home

XII. My Commission

XIII. Sizzling Metal

XIV. A Walk in the Park

XV. Find the Woman

XVI. Eleven Twenty-two Again

XVII. His Second Wife

XVIII. Edith's Cousin

XIX. Back to Bellwood

XX. Association of Ideas

XXI. A Proscenium Box

XXII. In the Room Over the Way

XXIII. A Box of Crown Derby

XXIV. Wardrop's Story

XXV. Measure for Measure

XXVI. Lovers and a Letter

"In my criminal work, everything that wears skirts is a lady, until the law proves her otherwise," declares Jack Knox, attorney at law and narrator of this sprightly mystery. Jack's cautiously chivalrous observation is prompted by the beauty and distress of his newest client, Margery Flemming. It seems that Margery's father, a crooked politician, has been missing for over a week. Unwilling to involve the police in her father's corrupt activities, the comely young woman has selected a random lawyer for consultation?a counselor who falls in love with her at first sight and determines to prove his worth.
Jack's pursuit of the vanished politician leads to an investigation of a notorious social club known as the White Cat. While Jack bumbles his way along a trail of clues (he's comically clumsy as well as inexperienced at locating missing persons), Margery takes refuge with her elderly aunts, one of whom suddenly disappears, leaving behind only a bloody handprint. Can Jack locate Margery's missing relatives and win her affections from her increasingly suspicious-looking fiancé?
Mary Roberts Rinehart, "the American Agatha Christie," published this entertaining romp in 1910. Loaded with period charm, the briskly paced mystery combines political thrills, humor, and romance.
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Known as the American Agatha Christie, Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876?1958) is reputed to have originated the expression, "the butler did it" (although she didn't). She is also credited with inventing the "Had-I-But-Known" school of mystery writing. Many of her books and plays have been adapted for movies, and her classic mystery, The Circular Staircase, plus her debut, The Man in Lower Ten, are available from Dover.