The Cheyne Mystery

The Cheyne Mystery brings Freeman Wills Crofts’s approach to fiction, mystery into clear focus first published in 1926. Its central concerns include secrecy, evidence, motive, and the difficult search for truth, approached through the possibilities of fiction, mystery. As part of a series, the book also contributes to a larger imaginative or narrative design while retaining its own identity. Form and tone matter throughout, with a carefully controlled structure that rewards attention to detail and shifting suspicion. At roughly 85,503 words with a fairly easy reading profile, it offers a reading commitment that is easy to judge before beginning while still leaving room for close attention. Its continuing value lies in its role in shaping the pleasures and conventions of detective and suspense fiction. Readers drawn to fiction, mystery and secrecy will find a work that combines a distinct period voice with questions that remain recognizable today. Its combination of period detail and recognizable human concerns makes it suitable for independent reading, discussion, or a first exploration of Freeman Wills Crofts’s work.