The Czar's Spy

An English steam yacht ran aground on the Meloria about ten miles out, and was discovered by a fishing-boat who brought the news to harbor. The Admiral sent out two torpedo-boats, which managed after a lot of difficulty to bring in the yacht safely, but the Captain of the Port has a suspicion that the crew were trying to make away with the vessel." -- "To lose her, you mean?" The faithful Francesco, whose English had mostly been acquired from sea-faring men, and was not the choicest vocabulary, nodded, and, true Tuscan that he was, placed his finger upon his closed lips, indicative of silence. Gordon Gregg, an Englishman living in Italy and serving as an acting consul, becomes the victim of a hoax when a visiting countryman invites him for dinner on a luxurious yacht. On board, he finds the photo of a lovely young woman, torn in pieces. Then he returns to shore to find the consulate's safe burgled. The yacht, meanwhile, has set sail for parts unknown. The Czar's Spy, written by The English/French author William Le Queux in 1905, is a tale of international espionage and intrigue. This tale takes the reader in a slalom excursion from Italy to England to Finland and Russia and back again. The reason for this journey is to solve a mystery but only adds more questions and ambiguous happenings instead of the sought of answers. The story's hero finds the torn photograph of a beautiful woman falls in love with this poor victim of circumstance and risks his life and more to save her. The story has it all... love, murder, deceit and mystery. At the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century's, William Le Queux (1864-1927) was a prolific writer of mystery, espionage and thrillers and enjoyed much success but today is almost forgotten. This is a real shame as I think his style would appeal to many contemporary readers. I recommend it to everyone that enjoys naïve love and twisting mystery.