The Second Latchkey

by C.N. Williamson, A.M. Williamson

Even when Annesley Grayle turned out of the Strand toward the Savoy she was uncertain whether she would have courage to walk into the hotel. With each step the thing, the dreadful thing, that she had come to do, loomed blacker. It was monstrous, impossible, like opening the door of the lions' cage at the Zoo and stepping inside. There was time still to change her mind. She had only to turn now ... jump into an omnibus ... jump out again at the familiar corner, and everything would be as it had been. Life for the next five, ten, maybe twenty years, would be what the last five had been. At the thought of the Savoy and the adventure waiting there, the girl's skin had tingled and grown hot, as if a wind laden with grains of heated sand had blown over her. But at the thought of turning back, of going "home"-oh, misused word!-a leaden coldness shut her spirit into a tomb. She had walked fast, after descending at Bedford Street from a fierce motor-bus with a party of comfortable people, bound for the Adelphi Theatre. Never before had she been in a motor-omnibus, and she was not sure whether the great hurtling thing would deign to stop, except at trysting-places of its own; so it had seemed wise to bundle out rather than risk a snub from the conductor, who looked like pictures of the Duke of Wellington. But in the lighted Strand she had been stared at as well as jostled: a girl alone at eight o'clock on a winter evening, bare-headed, conspicuously tall if conspicuous in no other way; dressed for dinner or the theatre in a pale gray, sequined gown under a mauve chiffon cloak meant for warm nights of summer.

Genres: Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery

136 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1920

About the author

Charles Norris Williamson, 1859–1920, British writer and journalist

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

ebook here https://archive.org/details/secondlat...

Also on Librivox

This has to be one of the most unusual stories I've read. It begins with a jewel thief in England and ends on a ranch in Texas! But all in all it was really interesting.

[Mbuye · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Williamson duo wrote surprisingly popular novels, mostly before the First World War - surprisingly, because their fiction by today's unforgiving standards appears sentimental and unsophisticated. Nevertheless, the subjects range from comedy to romance, crime and detection, as well as travelogues, as the couple were fond of motoring, the craze in the days when cars were still a novelty.

The Second Latchkey is one of their most successful crime novels, and one wonders if the intention was to underline the principle of marrying in haste to repent at leisure. The plot complications include jewel-heists, impoverished peers, wealthy and mysterious young men, a naïve heroine, and the classic lady of the Roaring 20's, the Vamp. This is more melodramatic than usual, and certainly rams home a lesson, which is unlike their usual style.

Since I am a sucker for vintage classic mysteries, I greatly enjoy the Williamson novels. Fortunately, a large number of their books are available on Gutenberg. The British Mysteries Ultimate Collection also includes a number of their best works.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story, and it was a very unusual set-up for a romance mystery. The young woman was sick to death of her life as a companion to an ungrateful older woman, so she took a dangerous chance on finding love with a stranger who needed help. The story starts in a stodgy old house in England, moves along to a magnificent mansion, lovely hotels, a cruise ship, a long train trip, and a Texas ranch on the Mexican border. Ruses, anger revenge, jealousy, loyalty, love, and the hope of forgiveness and reconciliation all play their parts in this novel.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

A damsel running away from a dull life....a knight to the rescue ...but is he really a knight ? An interesting read ....

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was published in 1920, so that has to be taken into consideration. Personally, I love these old bloodless mysteries. This one starts off like the old 'It Takes a Thief' TV series and ends like a Zane Grey western. I actually liked it more than the 3 stars, but it isn't exactly great literature. If you like jewel thieves in England and ranchers in Texas, you will like this book. (The readers on librivox.org were really good.)

[Kayleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my utmost favourites. I've read it three times. The main character makes a choice and finds the adventure she has always been looking for.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun.

[Manjuu PriyaKK]

Nice book to read.