Number Seventeen

by Louis Tracy

"Number Seventeen" by Louis Tracy is a mystery novel written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around Francis Berrold Theydon, an artist, who becomes entangled in a murder mystery after witnessing a chance encounter with a beautiful woman and her father outside a theater. Theydon’s seemingly mundane life takes a dramatic turn as he finds himself wrapped in intrigue following the discovery of a murder in his residential block, leading him to question the true identity of the mysterious visitor he heard the previous night. The opening of the novel introduces Theydon and details a series of events that unfold on a rainy night after a theater performance. As he waits for a cab, he observes a striking young woman, Evelyn, with her father but dismisses the encounter as inconsequential. However, the plot thickens when he learns that a woman named Mrs. Lester, who lived in the neighboring flat, has been murdered. Theydon, portrayed as perceptive yet impulsive, grapples with his observations of the stranger who visited Mrs. Lester, prompting tension between his thoughts and his responsibility as a witness. The opening sets a tone of suspense and curiosity, hinting at deeper connections between the characters and the impending investigation that they will all become part of.