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The Lady from Nowhere
This early work by Fergus Hume was originally published in 1900 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'The Lady from Nowhere' is a tale of murder by this famous mystery novelist. Fergusson Wright Hume was born on 8th July 1859 in England, the second son of Dr. James Hume. The family migrated to New Zealand where Fergus was enrolled at Otago Boys' High School, and later continued his legal and literary studies at the University of Otago. Hume returned to England in 1888 where he resided in London for a few years until moving to the Essex countryside. There he published over 100 novels, mainly in the mystery fiction genre, though none had the success of his debut work.
284 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1900
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About the author
Fergus Hume
861 books51 followersFergusson Wright Hume (1859–1932), New Zealand lawyer and prolific author particularly renowned for his debut novel, the international best-seller The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1886).
Hume was born at Powick, Worcestershire, England, son of Glaswegian Dr. James Collin Hume, a steward at the Worcestershire Pauper Lunatic Asylum and his wife Mary Ferguson.
While Fergus was a very young child, in 1863 the Humes emigrated to New Zealand where James founded the first private mental hospital and Dunedin College. Young Fergus attended the Otago Boys' High School then went on to study law at Otago University. He followed up with articling in the attorney-general's office, called to the New Zealand bar in 1885.
In 1885 Hume moved to Melbourne. While he worked as a solicitors clerk he was bent on becoming a dramatist; but having only written a few short stories he was a virtual unknown. So as to gain the attentions of the theatre directors he asked a local bookseller what style of book he sold most. Emile Gaboriau's detective works were very popular and so Hume bought them all and studied them intently, thus turning his pen to writing his own style of crime novel and mystery.
Hume spent much time in Little Bourke Street to gather material and his first effort was The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1886), a worthy contibution to the genre. It is full of literary references and quotations; finely crafted complex characters and their sometimes ambiguous seeming interrelationships with the other suspects, deepening the whodunit angle. It is somewhat of an exposé of the then extremes in Melbourne society, which caused some controversy for a time. Hume had it published privately after it had been downright rudely rejected by a number of publishers. "Having completed the book, I tried to get it published, but everyone to whom I offered it refused even to look at the manuscript on the grounds that no Colonial could write anything worth reading." He had sold the publishing rights for £50, but still retained the dramatic rights which he soon profited from by the long Australian and London theatre runs.
Except for short trips to France, Switzerland and Italy, in 1888 Hume settled and stayed in Essex, England where he would remain for the rest of his life. Although he was born, and lived the latter part of his life, in England, he thought of himself as 'a colonial' and identified as a New Zealander, having spent all of his formative years from preschool through to adulthood there. Hume died of cardiac failure at his home on 11 July 1932.
Hume was born at Powick, Worcestershire, England, son of Glaswegian Dr. James Collin Hume, a steward at the Worcestershire Pauper Lunatic Asylum and his wife Mary Ferguson.
While Fergus was a very young child, in 1863 the Humes emigrated to New Zealand where James founded the first private mental hospital and Dunedin College. Young Fergus attended the Otago Boys' High School then went on to study law at Otago University. He followed up with articling in the attorney-general's office, called to the New Zealand bar in 1885.
In 1885 Hume moved to Melbourne. While he worked as a solicitors clerk he was bent on becoming a dramatist; but having only written a few short stories he was a virtual unknown. So as to gain the attentions of the theatre directors he asked a local bookseller what style of book he sold most. Emile Gaboriau's detective works were very popular and so Hume bought them all and studied them intently, thus turning his pen to writing his own style of crime novel and mystery.
Hume spent much time in Little Bourke Street to gather material and his first effort was The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1886), a worthy contibution to the genre. It is full of literary references and quotations; finely crafted complex characters and their sometimes ambiguous seeming interrelationships with the other suspects, deepening the whodunit angle. It is somewhat of an exposé of the then extremes in Melbourne society, which caused some controversy for a time. Hume had it published privately after it had been downright rudely rejected by a number of publishers. "Having completed the book, I tried to get it published, but everyone to whom I offered it refused even to look at the manuscript on the grounds that no Colonial could write anything worth reading." He had sold the publishing rights for £50, but still retained the dramatic rights which he soon profited from by the long Australian and London theatre runs.
Except for short trips to France, Switzerland and Italy, in 1888 Hume settled and stayed in Essex, England where he would remain for the rest of his life. Although he was born, and lived the latter part of his life, in England, he thought of himself as 'a colonial' and identified as a New Zealander, having spent all of his formative years from preschool through to adulthood there. Hume died of cardiac failure at his home on 11 July 1932.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 24, 2014
Found dead in a yellow boudoir, no one seems to know exactly who the murdered woman is and her past and identity baffle all who ever came in contact with her... who is this lady, and what sequence of events could have led to so terrible a death?...
Hume's classic crime/mystery is worth the read...
Hume's classic crime/mystery is worth the read...
November 27, 2015
Nice period mystery. Nothing unusual--just a good steady read.
May 29, 2016
Un tranquillo giallo da leggere mentre si va in treno...
August 28, 2019
un giallo breve che si legge facilmente sotto l'ombrellone. Trama scontata ma gradevole.
December 16, 2019
I enjoyed the first half but once it settled down into the more usual mystery investigation it became more average. Enjoyable enough.
September 9, 2019
Questo giallo non mi ha convinto molto. L'investigatore Gebb non brilla per acume o genio, anzi... inizialmente sembra un po' stupidotto nel risolvere il delitto. Nessuna deduzione, nessun tassello raccolto qua e là a comporre il puzzle. Gebb va avanti a forza di domande dirette tipo "Chi ha ucciso la signora Gilmar? E chi suo cugino?" finché finalmente qualcuno risponde... Mah. Una lettura che non mi ha lasciato molto.
April 14, 2018
Liked this more than I thought at first I would. Well narrated and Recommended.
March 29, 2024
This is a very good read. The plot is a bit confused but overall the novel offers good solid entertainment and is a very worthwhile read.
March 17, 2015
An elderly woman dies in a room that seems to be right out of the Arabian nights. Detective Gebb takes over the case and must determine who this woman is, where she came from, and why she was killed. Gebb is helped in this endeavor by a former detective, Simon Parge. Though the two disagree strongly about the motive and perpetrator of the crime, they do come to the solution.
The story focuses mostly on the adventures that Gebb runs into and the interplay between Gebb and Parge, who functions a bit as a deus ex machina, popping up when Gebb hits the doldrums and can't find a fresh trace. Akin to many of this story's contemporaries, it's heavy on melodrama and surprising admissions, and light on character development. Gebb is less a sleuth and more an interrogator who relies on others' revelations to put his facts together. Partly because of this, I spent a good deal of the novel feeling like I was at least one step ahead of him.
That said, it was a quick read and occasionally had quite beautiful or striking turns of phrase. A worthwhile read for those who enjoy Victorian or classic mysteries.
The story focuses mostly on the adventures that Gebb runs into and the interplay between Gebb and Parge, who functions a bit as a deus ex machina, popping up when Gebb hits the doldrums and can't find a fresh trace. Akin to many of this story's contemporaries, it's heavy on melodrama and surprising admissions, and light on character development. Gebb is less a sleuth and more an interrogator who relies on others' revelations to put his facts together. Partly because of this, I spent a good deal of the novel feeling like I was at least one step ahead of him.
That said, it was a quick read and occasionally had quite beautiful or striking turns of phrase. A worthwhile read for those who enjoy Victorian or classic mysteries.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews