The Deaves Affair

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About this book

A failed painting sends Evan Weir out of his Washington Square studio and into a street dispute over the price of an apple. The elderly customer turns out to be Simeon Deaves, a wealthy man whose reputation for stinginess quickly changes the crowd's mood. Hulbert Footner begins this mystery novel with a small public quarrel, using its comic details to introduce Evan's curiosity and the city's busy street life.

Later, money becomes a more serious problem as George Deaves faces demands from blackmailers. Maud presses him to pay, while Evan proposes involving the police and setting a trap at a house in Van Dorn Street. Family disagreements, fear of publicity and tense conversations shape the investigation. Readers interested in mysteries built around financial pressure and social reputation will find a story in which observing people matters as much as planning the next move.

About the author

Hulbert Footner

Hulbert Footner (1879–1944) was a Canadian-born, largely self-taught writer, born in Hamilton, Ontario, who moved to New York as a young man and worked in journalism and theatre before turning to fiction.