Showing results by author "James Pattinson" in All Categories

When a lifeboat marked 'Valparaiso I' is discovered, a strange mystery unfolds. The Valparaiso had been sunk by a Japanese submarine nearly a year earlier whilst carrying a million pounds of gold bullion. In the lifeboat is a man with a question mark tattooed on his left forearm; but he can shed no light on the situation because his memory has gone - or so he claims. Two other survivors from the Valparaiso, Rains and Jones, have doubts about the man's professed amnesia.

Paul Crane had not altogether liked the look of Skene and West when they turned up at his North Norfolk cottage and made him an offer he could not refuse, but his chequered past had long since taught him not to be particular...Only when he fell in love with Penelope was there any hope of going straight. And perhaps he would have stuck to his promise if the chance of making a million had not, as it were, dropped into his lap.

Alan Caley was far from delighted to receive a phone call from his old school pal Chuck Brogan, inviting him to lunch. It was some time since he had last seen Brogan and he remembered that the man had taken part in a gold robbery and been sent to prison for a number of years. Caley was reluctant to accept, Brogan was persuasive and hinted that the meeting might turn out to be to Caley's advantage - financially.

When Peter Hadley, second mate of the British tramp steamer Ocean Waif, goes ashore in Philadelphia looking for the sister from whom he has heard nothing for two years, he quickly finds himself caught up in a web of mystery and deceit. It does not take him long to realise that his own life is in danger. But Hadley is a tough customer and knows how to look after himself. His inquiries bring him into contact with a number of colourful, bizarre and dangerous characters who both help and hinder him in his search.

Sometimes, in his own mind, Keele referred to himself as “The Booking Clerk”. This was a rather macabre private joke since the tickets he issued were all one-way. Yet whatever he was called, his was a profitable occupation. The time came, however, when he wished to leave it. Miss Rona Wickham had entered his life, and the role he played hitherto was incompatible with his association with her. Unfortunately, he found that getting out was not as easy as he had hoped.

When David Sterne went up to London to seek his fortune, Adolf Hitler was rampant and the shadow of impending conflict lay forebodingly over Europe. He was still struggling to make a living when war broke out and he was swept into it. Six years of his life were to be spent in the King's uniform. And so began his dramatic climb to success - with a little help from Frederica Lathwell. Then, of course, there was Angela Street...

No one could understand why George Calder had committed suicide. He left a note, but it was too cryptic to provide any clue as to the reason. In her determination to solve the mystery behind her husband's death, Margaret Calder turned to an old friend for help. Keith Brooke was only too willing to do what he could, especially as he too had become intrigued by the strange circumstances surrounding George's death. The search for an answer led him to far-flung destinations.

One of the most important attributes of a prospective candidate for the U.S. presidency is that of being clean; not to have any dirt in your background, present or past. Senator William S. Gaullicauder appeared to fit the bill perfectly in this respect. But then a skeleton came rattling out of an English cupboard, threatening the senator’s squeaky clean reputation. The story had to be suppressed, and fast. But competing interests were involved, and violence and murder would ensue.