The Mystery Lady

The Mystery Lady, Robert W. Chambers, Grosset & Dunlap, 1925

This novel is about Dirck, a young man who inherited a large amount of money from his parents. Filled with more ego than brains, he invests it all in what turns out to be a fraudulent, criminal-run, oil company scheme, with the expected result. Around this time, Dirck acquires some very old information about a pirate ship that allegedly sank in the early 1500s, near the family homestead off the Carolina coast, with a hold full of gold. In desperation, he gives part of the information to Welper, the head of the oil scheme. Things get worse for Dirck, so, in despair, he writes to Maddaleen, his sister, living in Europe, and tells her that he is planning to commit suicide out of shame.

In New York, while attempting to steal a certain piece of paper from Welper, Maddaleen makes the acquaintance of John Lanier, who is willing to help in exchange for a piece of the action. Both men are members of an extremely exclusive club called the Forty Club. Its members are all crooks and thieves, and it has many very stringent rules. The breaking of any of the rules obligates all the other members to kill the rule-breaker. Maddaleen breaks several of the rules.

The scene shifts to the family homestead, just off the Carolina coast. The men from the Forty Club set up on one of the nearby islands, looking for the gold. John, Maddaleen and Dirck (who was never really dead, just very ashamed of himself) also start gold hunting. By the way, there is much more to Lanier than just being a smart crook. Eventually, the "good guys" strike gold first, bringing it up by the ton. This leads Welper and a couple of the others to double-cross the rest of their Forty Club compatriots. Fueled by liberal amounts of moonshine, encourage them to attack the "good guys," steal the gold, and kill everyone, especially Lanier. In the ensuing confusion and bloodshed, Welper and his new colleagues will take the gold, and head to parts unknown. Can Lanier, Dirck, Maddaleen, plus about a dozen servants, hold off crazed, drunken crooks? Does Lanier have an ace up his sleeve?

Here is a really good thriller/adventure story. There is no sex, and almost no violence, so the author relies on very fine writing that will keep the reader interested. If you can find a copy, it is very much worth reading.