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Dr. Hailey #2
The Double-Thirteen Mystery: A Dr Hailey Detective Novel
Dr Eustice Hailey took a pinch of snuff, then considered the situation his agitated
young friend, the Honourable Robert Barling, had disclosed to him. While dancing the previous night with his fiancée, Olva Vorloff, a beautiful, tragic-eyed Russian exile, Bob saw her face pale with terror. He had turned just quickly enough to see a man in the doorway, a Russian she had recently passed on the stairs without recognition. The girl had pleaded fatigue and he took her home. The next morning she had vanished.
young friend, the Honourable Robert Barling, had disclosed to him. While dancing the previous night with his fiancée, Olva Vorloff, a beautiful, tragic-eyed Russian exile, Bob saw her face pale with terror. He had turned just quickly enough to see a man in the doorway, a Russian she had recently passed on the stairs without recognition. The girl had pleaded fatigue and he took her home. The next morning she had vanished.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1926
34 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Wynne
47 books28 followersAnthony Wynne is a pseudonym of Robert McNair Wilson, an English physician, who developed a specialism in cardiology after working as an assistant to Sir James Mackenzie, whose biography he subsequently wrote in 1926.
He was born in Glasgow, the son of William and Helen Wilson, (née Turner),
He was educated at Glasgow Academy and Glasgow University and became House Surgeon at Glasgow Western Infirmary. He was Medical Correspondent of The Times from 1914–1942.
He twice stood, unsuccessfully, for Parliament, as Liberal candidate for the Saffron Walden district of Essex in 1922 and 1923.
He wrote biographies and historical works under his own name and a single novel under the pseudonym Harry Colindale. Under Anthony Wynne, he created Eustace Hailey, a doctor in mental diseases and amateur sleuth, who featured in many of his 45 mystery novels, beginning with The Mystery of the Evil Eye (1925) and ending with Death of a Shadow (1950).
As Anthony Wynne he also wrote short stories for a variety of magazines and newspapers.
He married Winifred Paynter on 7th December 1905 in Alnwick, Northumberland, and the couple had three sons. In the September quarter of 1928 he married again, Doris May Fischel, at Hampstead and they had two sons.
He died in the New Forest, Hampshire, on 29 November 1963.
He was born in Glasgow, the son of William and Helen Wilson, (née Turner),
He was educated at Glasgow Academy and Glasgow University and became House Surgeon at Glasgow Western Infirmary. He was Medical Correspondent of The Times from 1914–1942.
He twice stood, unsuccessfully, for Parliament, as Liberal candidate for the Saffron Walden district of Essex in 1922 and 1923.
He wrote biographies and historical works under his own name and a single novel under the pseudonym Harry Colindale. Under Anthony Wynne, he created Eustace Hailey, a doctor in mental diseases and amateur sleuth, who featured in many of his 45 mystery novels, beginning with The Mystery of the Evil Eye (1925) and ending with Death of a Shadow (1950).
As Anthony Wynne he also wrote short stories for a variety of magazines and newspapers.
He married Winifred Paynter on 7th December 1905 in Alnwick, Northumberland, and the couple had three sons. In the September quarter of 1928 he married again, Doris May Fischel, at Hampstead and they had two sons.
He died in the New Forest, Hampshire, on 29 November 1963.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 19, 2016
The Russian Revolution was as much a gift to thriller writers of the 1920's and 1930's as the Cold War was to their brethren in the 1950's and 1960's. Young Bob Barling has just won the hand of beautiful Grand Duchess Olva Vorloff when she disappears. With the help of Dr. Hailey, he traces her to a deserted country house, but Scotland Yard is sure that Olva murdered the sinister Russian with the scarred face. When Bob, in his turn, disappears, Dr. Hailey sets out on a long journey to find him before he, too, is killed by the man with the staring eyes. What a good time I had reading this! Wynne is now one of my favorite forgotten Golden Age writers.
May 11, 2026
Upgraded from 3 1/2. An early Dr. Hailey book. Involves Russians fleeing from the Bolsheviks. Countess Olva and a young friend of Dr. Hailey's have fallen in love. But she is putting him off. Why?
This is the start of the chase that leads Dr. Hailey all around England trying to save his young friend. (I don't know if it is all around but it is a lot around.)
This is the start of the chase that leads Dr. Hailey all around England trying to save his young friend. (I don't know if it is all around but it is a lot around.)
Want to Read
September 27, 2018Synopsis: Dr. Hailey assists in locating a Russian Grand Duchess and her suitor. But then they both disappear!
February 20, 2023
Convoluted Plot and Characters
Hard to finish the book. I loved other books by Anthony Wynne but this one is a dud. Just not interesting.
Hard to finish the book. I loved other books by Anthony Wynne but this one is a dud. Just not interesting.
March 10, 2025
What a twisty, convoluted mystery is this, the second Dr. Eustace Hailey mystery written by Capt. Robert McNair Wilson under the pen name Anthony Wynn. And considering that Wilson (1882-1962) was a British surgeon, writer, journalist and a politician, it is no surprise that this tale in which several of the characters are Russian, is indeed chock full of false names, identities and political intrigue, in addition to the usual red herrings found in mysteries.
It all begins when a young man — the Honorable Robert Barling — is dancing with his love, Olva Vorloff, a beautiful Russian exile. At a certain point, Barling sees Olva's face go pale with terror, and while he turns quickly and spots a man in a doorway, he can't put what he sees with her emotional response. Soon he takes her home, only to discover her disappearance the next day.
As readers can imagine, he is very concerned and equally determined to get to the bottom what her disappearance. He starts to track down the man that she saw in the doorway but that only opens up more questions and concerns, because he has disappeared as well. That's when Barling turns to a friend, Dr. Hailey, who brings another friend of his from Scotland Yard when things lead to a country estate, where they find a car crash (involving Olva's vehicle, purchased under an assumed name) and a body. Scotland Yard begins to believe that Olva may have had a hand in the murder.
Hailey has faith that Barling would never fall in love with a woman who is not upstanding in every way (Olva's mother is a countess, for goodness sakes!), so he starts to conduct his own investigation and runs into a whole slew of odd things, like finding what certainly looks like a secret code, Barling and an apparent Olva attending a masked dance when police are looking at both of them and an odd Russian with weird eyes that apparently can hypnotize Olva and make her do things she otherwise wouldn't.
This is not a bad mystery but its almost too packed with all the characters and action. But it does get tiring at times when the police seem set on what is obviously the wrong track. As long as you don't try to think of this too logically, its a solid, well-paced story. Did it feel a bit far-fetched? It did, but I've enjoyed other books and movies that do the same. So its three stars for me — the same that I gave to three other Wynne books. Not bad for a quick read.
It all begins when a young man — the Honorable Robert Barling — is dancing with his love, Olva Vorloff, a beautiful Russian exile. At a certain point, Barling sees Olva's face go pale with terror, and while he turns quickly and spots a man in a doorway, he can't put what he sees with her emotional response. Soon he takes her home, only to discover her disappearance the next day.
As readers can imagine, he is very concerned and equally determined to get to the bottom what her disappearance. He starts to track down the man that she saw in the doorway but that only opens up more questions and concerns, because he has disappeared as well. That's when Barling turns to a friend, Dr. Hailey, who brings another friend of his from Scotland Yard when things lead to a country estate, where they find a car crash (involving Olva's vehicle, purchased under an assumed name) and a body. Scotland Yard begins to believe that Olva may have had a hand in the murder.
Hailey has faith that Barling would never fall in love with a woman who is not upstanding in every way (Olva's mother is a countess, for goodness sakes!), so he starts to conduct his own investigation and runs into a whole slew of odd things, like finding what certainly looks like a secret code, Barling and an apparent Olva attending a masked dance when police are looking at both of them and an odd Russian with weird eyes that apparently can hypnotize Olva and make her do things she otherwise wouldn't.
This is not a bad mystery but its almost too packed with all the characters and action. But it does get tiring at times when the police seem set on what is obviously the wrong track. As long as you don't try to think of this too logically, its a solid, well-paced story. Did it feel a bit far-fetched? It did, but I've enjoyed other books and movies that do the same. So its three stars for me — the same that I gave to three other Wynne books. Not bad for a quick read.
May 12, 2023
Entretenida historia de suspenso. No es un whodunnit clásico ya que no hay pistas ni indicios para develar el misterio, pero el relato mantiene el interés.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews