Meeting failure in his search for wealth in the 1851 Australian gold rush, a dispirited Mr. Cole takes the next available ship back to England -- and falls in love with Eva Denison, a beautiful and accomplished young woman traveling with her exotic Portuguese step-father. After a disaster at sea Cole returns to anonymity in London... or so he thinks. Events lead to the discovery of a horrible conspiracy, and then to an adventure that may cost Cole his greatest love. An incredibly good writing. The Hornung's style was highly praised by A.Conan-Doyle, who was his brother-in-law, and by O. Wilde. The narrative gets your attention at once and holds it till the last word. This novel isn't even one of his most famous books but it's splendid. Hornung knows how to create emotion and suspense with a seemingly plain word and how to get the most of a story, which grows and expands itself just when you think that's all there was to it. A good intrigue, interesting characters, picturesque entourages. Impossible to stop reading.
樂天KOBO
