The Cheyne mystery

by Freeman Wills Crofts

"The Cheyne Mystery" by Freeman Wills Crofts is a mystery thriller novel published in 1926. When naval veteran and writer Maxwell Cheyne is drugged, burgled, and then kidnapped by a criminal gang searching for a mysterious coded letter, he finds himself drawn into a dangerous conspiracy. Aided by a spirited young artist, Cheyne pursues the villains from Plymouth to London's Wembley suburbs. Only after narrowly escaping death does he turn to Scotland Yard's methodical Inspector French, whose investigation leads across Europe to uncover secrets tied to a deceased German U-boat captain.