At a villa near the glittering lights of Monte Carlo, a murder is committed and a beautiful young girl is implicated. When the great detective Hanaud is called in to solve the case, he follows the trail to a conclusion as shocking as the crime itself. A treat for fans of Hanaud, and for those who have yet to discover him.

In this thriller by A.E.W. Mason, Inspector Hanaud goes to the Villa Rose, where a wealthy widow has been cruelly murdered for her jewels.

The story opens at the tables at Monte Carlo where a young Englishman is succeeding in breaking the bank. That evening a murder is committed in a villa near the town, under the most curious circumstances, in which a girl is deeply involved. Hanaud, the great detective, is put upon the trail. Through the most thrilling incidents the story moves along to a conclusion as startling as the crime. (The first book in the Inspector Hanaud series). Show Excerpt large black letters on the first page, and leaped to the eyes. "Late last night," it ran, "an appalling murder was committed at the Villa Rose, on the road to Lac Bourget. Mme. Camille Dauvray, an elderly, rich woman who was well known at Aix, and had occupied the villa every summer for the last few years, was discovered on the floor of her salon, fully dressed and brutally strangled, while upstairs, her maid, Helene Vauquier, was found in bed, chloroformed, with her hands tied securely behind her back. At the time of going to press she had not recovered consciousness, but the doctor, Emile Peytin, is in attendance upon her, and it is hoped that she will be able shortly to throw some light on this dastardly affair. The police are properly reticent as to the details of the crime, but the following statement may be accepted without hesitation: "The murder was discovered at twelve o'clock at night by the sergent-de-ville Perrichet, to whose intelligence more than a word of praise is due, and it is

In this thriller by A.E.W. Mason, Inspector Hanaud goes to the Villa Rose, where a wealthy widow has been cruelly murdered for her jewels. At the Villa Rose is Mason and his cunning detective 'Hanaud' at their best. Missing jewels; high adventure some one hundred and fifty kilometres from Geneva; a casino and blind love are all factors in a difficult case for Hanaud, which ultimately involves a gang of frightened murderers.

The story opens at the tables at Monte Carlo where a young Englishman is succeeding in breaking the bank. That evening a murder is committed in a villa near the town, under the most curious circumstances, in which a girl is deeply involved. Hanaud, the great detective, is put upon the trail. Through the most thrilling incidents the story moves along to a conclusion as startling as the crime. (The first book in the Inspector Hanaud series).