The Sign of the Seven Sins

A change of scene takes Carmela Rosselli from Washington society to the hotels and gaming rooms of the Riviera. She travels with her guardian, Ulrica Yorke, passing through London and Paris before arriving in Nice. There they meet two acquaintances from Washington, Reginald Thorne and Gerald Keppel, whose company brings talk of roulette, money and possible attachments. Carmela introduces these encounters through an account of her upbringing, her wealth and an earlier disappointment in love.

William Le Queux's mystery follows fashionable visitors through a world of polished manners and uncertain loyalties. Carmela's personal account combines opinions about dress and courtship with painful doubts about someone she still loves. At a roulette table, she is distressed when the man recognizes her, looks alarmed and walks away with another woman. Readers drawn to mysteries with a strong social setting will find Riviera society viewed through one woman's wounded pride and watchful attention.