Showing results by author "E. Phillips Oppenheim" in All Categories

The Pawns Count is a high-stakes espionage thriller set during World War I. As spies from England, Germany, America, and Japan battle for control of a powerful explosive formula, secrets, deception, and international intrigue unfold in a deadly race against time.

East Africa, 1913. The disgraced English aristocrat Everard Dominey stumbles out of the bush and comes face to face with his lookalike, the German Baron von Ragastein. Months later, Dominey returns to London and resumes his glittering social life. But is it really Dominey who has come back - or a German secret agent seeking to infiltrate English high society?

Stunning full-cast production of the classic mystery thriller set on the cusp of the First World War First published in 1920, The Great Impersonation was a runaway best-seller. Listen now to this stunning full-cast adaptation, available as a download for the first time. It’s early 1914 and two...

A German advocate of the Kaiser discovers he is a facial/physical match for young Englishman Everard Dominey, who is near death after harrowing experiences in Africa. The remarkable doppelgänger resemblance leads Major-General Baron Leopold Von Ragastein to infiltrate the UK in perfect disguise. He wants to lead his country’s efforts as Europe is racing toward war. Part of the plan is to murder Dominey and have the Baron take his place in English society.

The Seven Conundrums is seven different short stories. A mysterious man employs three desperate entertainers who have financial problems. The three accept his work proposal, not knowing if they are on the side of good or evil. As they work for the mystery man, they don't know if he is a thief, police, or both, making them spies, guardians, protagonists, and victims of curious adventures. After all, conundrums do not necessarily have a right or reasonable solution by their nature. In the end, however, all becomes known to the trio.

"It is an easy task," Selingman declared. "This young man is your slave. Whatever your daily business may be here, some part of your time, I imagine, will be spent in his company. Let me know what manner of man he is. Is this innate corruptness which brings him so easily to the bait, or is it the stinging smart of injustice from which he may well be suffering? Or, failing these, has he dared to set his wits against mine, to play the double traitor? If even a suspicion of this should come to you, there must be an end of Mr. Francis Norgate."

A former defense attorney turned righteous crusader is the hero of this blockbuster novel from an early master of the thriller genre. A businessman is found stabbed through the heart, the obvious suspect his partner: Oliver Hilditch, a cold-eyed fellow with a paper-thin alibi. Hilditch seems destined for the gallows, but he is saved by brilliant defense attorney Francis Ledsam, who uses every legal trick he knows to free his client.

The Zeppelin’s Passenger weaves a gripping tale of German espionage set against the backdrop of World War I in England. In the seemingly inconsequential village of Dreymarsh, residents stumble upon an observation car from a German zeppelin and a mysterious Homburg hat, igniting a thrilling mystery. The plot thickens when Mr. Hamar Lessingham, an enigmatic Englishman, arrives at the home of Sir Henry Cranston, carrying letters from Major Richard Halstead, a British prisoner of war. Halstead’s sister, Phillipa, and his fiancée, Helen, are desperate for news of Richard’s fate. As ...

An Englishman is enjoying his dinner at Stephano's, at which he is a regular diner. A man enters quickly, sits at his table, starts eating his food, and hands him a packet underneath the table! So begins Paul Walmsley's acquaintance - and adventures - with American adventurer Joseph H. Parker and his lovely daughter, Eve.

Stolen Idols is a supernatural adventure wrapped in mystery and legend. When Gregory Ballaston steals one of two ancient temple statues, he unwittingly unleashes a series of eerie and terrifying events. Is the legend true? Will the separation of the idols bring disaster? A thrilling tale of treasure hunting, curses, and the thin line between myth and reality.

This is a story about Jacob Pratt who "stood bond” for his brother and then lost all his money and was unable to pay his debts. Two years later his brother is finally able to restore him to an enviable financial position. Jacob rewards those who stood beside him during his time of trials and attempts to get even with those who had cast him aside. He finds that revenge is not always sweet. Even though Jacob has plenty of money, he is unable to win the girl of his dreams.

E. Phillips Oppenheim, an English novelist created well in excess of 100 novels and 30 plus collections of short stories. Most of his tales are thrillers and espionage. The Great Impersonation was written following World War I and is considered by many to be perhaps his best novel. The story focuses on German espionage in England prior to the start of World War I. The tale centers on two characters that are almost identical in appearance. Indeed, while both attend the same school in England, they are often mistaken for one another.

Nicholas Goade, the Scotland Yard detective, takes a well earned rest after his recent work in arresting single-handed a notorious criminal who had for five years defied the police forces of New York and London. He has been awarded a cheque for $25,000 and six months leave of absence and is enjoying a touring holiday in the West of England in his ancient Ford car with his companion Flip, a small, fat, white dog. But his holiday soon becomes “a busman's holiday”, as he himself puts it, as at each turn he is called upon to deal with crimes.

Neap-Tide Madness is the strange story of Sir Jaspar Slane's visits to the Dormy House in Norfolk. One foggy evening Slane glimpses the figure of a man emerge from the mist carrying a hunting rifle. The figure raises his gun and shoots at Slane from close quarters, narrowly misses him and vanishes again into the mist. When he makes it back to the Dormy House, Slane learns that the loose madman is the mysterious Mark Rennett - a fishman and hunter who lives in a ramshackle cottage on the marshes with his extraordinarily beautiful wife.

E. Phillips Oppenheim, a prolific English novelist, crafted over 100 novels and more than 30 collections of short stories, primarily in the thriller and espionage genres. One of his most lauded works, The Great Impersonation, was penned in the aftermath of World War I and delves into the world of German espionage in England just before the wars onset. The narrative revolves around two strikingly similar characters Sir Everard Dominey, an English baronet whose life spirals out of control following a murder accusation, and Baron Leopold von Ragastein, a disgraced German nobleman banished for his...

Set against the tumultuous backdrop of the years leading up to World War I, Double Traitor immerses listeners in a world where Germany is boldly preparing for conflict while Britain clings to its belief in invincibility. A vast network of German spies operates covertly in England, often right under the noses of the unsuspecting. The story follows Francis Norgate, an aspiring British diplomat whose principled defense of a woman in Berlin leads to his disgrace and recall. During his journey home, he encounters Selingman, a charming German gentleman who presents himself as a humble crockery ...

In Havoc, a web of intrigue unfolds as European powers engage in secretive discussions about covert alliances. The narrative centers on a clandestine pact between Germany, Russia, and Austria, with the English determined to sway Russia by holding the Czar to his past commitments. To do so, they need undeniable evidence of the pressures at play, revealing the hidden machinations that paved the way to World War I. This gripping tale weaves together the political tensions and secret treaties that shape a tumultuous era, filled with unexpected twists and turns. (Summary by Tom Weiss)

This captivating 1926 collection features sixteen thought-provoking essays on religion by prominent figures of the early 20th century, primarily authors. Originally published in The London Daily Express, the anthology includes the insights of notable writers such as Arnold Bennett, Hugh Walpole, and Rebecca West, alongside esteemed personalities like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Israel Zangwill. Join us on a reflective journey through their diverse perspectives on faith and spirituality, as compiled by David Wales.

Follow the captivating journey of Alfred Burton, a charming salesman whose day takes an unexpected turn when he discovers a mysterious plant in an abandoned house. Little does he know, the fruit of this peculiar plant will not only alter the trajectory of his life but transform his very essence. - Summary by Devorah Allen

Stirling Deane has sold the Little Anna Gold Mine which he discovered in South Africa. The sale has made him a rich man and the head of the company to which he sold the mine. A former acquaintance from his days in South Africa has shown up and claims that he has the original deed to the mine and that he is in fact the owner of the mine. Shortly after a meeting with Deane, the man is found murdered and the deed he claims to have had is missing. Another man which Deane hired to negotiate the return of the deed to Deane is accused of the murder, tried, and sentenced to death.