The Secret of Chimneys

A lighthearted thriller that shows Agatha Christie at her most playful. Anthony Cade, an easygoing adventurer, agrees to deliver a packet of memoirs to a London publisher and finds himself tangled in blackmail, murder, and the fate of a throne in the fictional Balkan kingdom of Herzoslovakia. Much of the action gathers at Chimneys, a grand country house where guests, impostors, and stolen jewels collide. The case brings the first appearance of Superintendent Battle, Scotland Yard’s stolid problem-solver. Full of secret identities, coded letters, and quick banter, it trades the tidy village puzzle for international intrigue and reads more like a caper than a whodunit. Free to download here as a PDF and EPUB edition.