The Apartment Next Door

by William Andrew Johnston

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: Thriller, Classics, Fiction

168 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1919

About the author

William Andrew Johnston was born in 1871 in Pennsylvania. He was a career writer and editor, including being the longtime editor of the New York Sunday World. He was a co-founder with George Delacorte Jr. of Dell Publishing Company in 1921, one of the largest magazine publishers. He died in 1929.

Reviews

[Rene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am surprised by the negative reviews here about this book. I enjoyed it very much. Maybe the critics forgot that this story is set in the first world war, with relatively simple methods of expionage, compared to later periods.
The book is simply a good read. I was very much surprised by it, when I discovered it.

[Suman]

a classic nicely written!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, quick (and free) read that at times seemed like reading the Hardy Boys. A little repetitive in some places, and the outcome was predictable.

[Melissa Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a light read on a deep subject. It was for me relaxing and enjoyable which is what I look for in a book. Entertaining.

[Sai Theagaraj · Rating 3 out of 5]

A twisting tale of war time spies and traitors

[Cindy B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cleverly plotted mystery /romance in the Victorian style. Young woman used by Gov’t to spy on German spies. Enjoyable classical style read.

[Cindy B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cleverly plotted mystery with romantic twists. Gutenberg version. Recommended.

[Mbuye · Rating 3 out of 5]

A WWI espionage novel, written when US intelligence was carried out independently by the separate departments of War, Navy. State and Justice, even the Treasury, each jealously guarding their information from their sister services. The book is also in a way, a telling indictment of our own lost innocence that a young woman is so tenderly hedged about and guarded, that when on a chance encounter, a stranger approaches her and tells her to go to an office downtown alone, and without telling anyone, not even her parents, she should agree to it, even though on the previous night she had witnessed something very unusual and disturbing.

It is easy to say that the young woman is naive rather than innocent. Yet her patriotism is strong, and when the chance is offered her of a chance to do some serious work for her country, she does not hesitate. But then, she realises too late that her new job is a very dangerous one, and that she is working blind, only giving information, but never being briefed sufficiently. As a result, there is crossed communication, not even a real identification of the true patriots from the traitors. All this adds up to a thrilling action tale, with plenty of suspense.

The book was published in 1919, and bears the usual stamp of the style now maligned for its racist and sexist tropes. The story is entertaining, but the language is geared for young adults, there is no character insight, it is predictable, and some actions performed by the government, if patriotic and in a wartime context, nevertheless would have been deemed illegal in any court of law. Barring these drawbacks, give yourself up to some enjoyable bedtime reading.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fast paced book with a lot of action. Fun read.

[Larry Piper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very good. Kinda like reading a romance but pitched at a Hardy Boys level of understanding. Not very good. Kinda like reading a romance but pitched at a Hardy Boys level of understanding.