The Riddle of the Sands
A Record of Secret Service A Penguin Enriched eBook Classic
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
The Riddle of the Sands, a work of espionage and military strategy, centers on Davies and Carruthers, a minor official in the Foreign Office, and their suspicion of a German plot to invade England. Navigating a tiny sail boat up a sandbank-ridden waterway, Davies and Carruthers explore the shallow tide beaches and stumble upon a mysterious site rumored to be the place of hidden treasure. Refusing to heed the warnings of a German navy patrol boat, Davies and Carruthers continue on, but the plot thickens as Davies falls in love with the daughter of the supposed mastermind behind the invasion plot.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
An insightful introduction by the author's great-grandson distinguishes this reissue of a seminal work of spy fiction first published in 1903. At the dawn of the 20th century, Carruthers, a young Foreign Office functionary, is lamenting being stuck in London with little to do when he receives a surprising communiqu from Oxford classmate Arthur Davies. Davies's request to join him on a yacht in Schleswig-Holstein includes an eccentric laundry-list of items that Davies wants his friend to bring. With nothing else on his horizon, Carruthers accepts, and ends up enmeshed in intrigue centering on Davies's concern that Germany's growing sea-power poses a threat to England. Childers (1870 1922) couples his patiently developed plot with richly imagined lead characters. Davies himself is the standout, rounded out by numerous quirks, including a craving for throwing items overboard from his small vessel. Eric Ambler fans will find this a fascinating antecedent.
Customer Reviews
Brilliant...
A fascinating set of side articles written by the authors great grandson are included in this.
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