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The Tempting of Tavernake
Edward Phillips Oppenheim (1866-1946), was an English novelist, in his lifetime a major and successful writer of genre fiction including thrillers. Featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1918, he was the self-styled "prince of storytellers. " He composed more than a hundred novels, mostly of the suspense and international intrigue nature, as well as romances, comedies, and parables of everyday life. Perhaps Oppenheim's most enduring creation is the character of General Besserley, the protagonist of General Besserley's Puzzle Box and General Besserley's New Puzzle Box (one of his last works). His work possesses a unique charm, featuring protagonists who delight in Epicurean meals, surroundings of intense luxury, and the relaxed pursuit of criminal practice, on either side of the law. His first novel was about England and Canada, called Expiation (1887); followed by such titles as The Betrayal (1904), The Avenger (1907), The Governors (1908), The Double Life of Mr. Alfred Burton (1913), An Amiable Charlatan (1915), The Black Box (1915), The Double Traitor (1915), The Cinema Murder (1917), The Box with Broken Seals (1919), The Devil's Paw (1920) and The Evil Shepherd (1922).
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1912
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About the author
E. Phillips Oppenheim
648 books79 followersEdward Phillips Oppenheim was an English novelist, primarily known for his suspense fiction.
He was born in Leicester, the son of a leather merchant, and after attending Wyggeston Grammar School he worked in his father's business for almost 20 years, beginning there at a young age. He continued working in the business, even though he was a successful novelist, until he was 40 at which point he sold the business.
He wrote his first book 'Expiation' in 1887 and in 1898 he published 'The Mysterious Mr Sabin', which he described as "The first of my long series of stories dealing with that shadowy and mysterious world of diplomacy." Thereafter he became a prolific writer and by 1900 he had had 14 novels published.
While on a business trip to the United States in 1890 he met and married Elise Clara Hopkins of Boston and, on return to England, they lived in Evington, Leicestershire until the First World War,and had one daughter. His wife remained faithful to him throughout his life despite his frequent and highly publicised affairs, which often took place abroad and aboard his luxury yacht.
During World War I Oppenheim worked for the Ministry of Information while continuing to write his suspenseful novels.
He featured on the cover of 'Time' magazine on 12 September 1927 and he was the self-styled 'Prince of Storytellers', a title used by Robert standish for his biography of the author.
His literary success enabled him to buy a villa in France and a yacht, spending his winters in France where he regularly entertained more than 250 people at his lavish parties and where he was a well-known figure in high society.
He later purchased a house, Le Vanquiédor in St. Peter Port, in Guernsey. He lost access to the house during the Second World War when Germany occupied the Channel Islands but later regained it.
He wrote 116 novels, mainly of the suspense and international intrigue type, but including romances, comedies, and parables of everyday life, and 39 volumes of short stories, all of which earned him vast sums of money. He also wrote five novels under the pseudonymn Anthony Partridge and a volume of autobiography, 'The Pool of Memory' in 1939.
He is generally regarded as the earliest writer of spy fiction as we know it today, and invented the 'Rogue Male' school of adventure thrillers that was later exploited by John Buchan and Geoffrey Household.
Undoubtedly his most renowned work was 'The Great Impersonation' (1920), which was filmed three times, the last time as a strong piece of wartime propaganda in 1942. In that novel the plot hinges around two very similar looking gentlemen, one from Britain and the other from Germany, in the early part of the 20th century. Overall more than 30 of his works were made into films.
Perhaps his most enduring creation is the character of General Besserley, the protagonist of 'General Besserley's Puzzle Box' and 'General Besserley's New Puzzle Box'.
Much of his work possesses a unique escapist charm, featuring protagonists who delight in Epicurean meals, surroundings of intense luxury, and the relaxed pursuit of criminal practice, on either side of the law.
Gerry Wolstenholme
He was born in Leicester, the son of a leather merchant, and after attending Wyggeston Grammar School he worked in his father's business for almost 20 years, beginning there at a young age. He continued working in the business, even though he was a successful novelist, until he was 40 at which point he sold the business.
He wrote his first book 'Expiation' in 1887 and in 1898 he published 'The Mysterious Mr Sabin', which he described as "The first of my long series of stories dealing with that shadowy and mysterious world of diplomacy." Thereafter he became a prolific writer and by 1900 he had had 14 novels published.
While on a business trip to the United States in 1890 he met and married Elise Clara Hopkins of Boston and, on return to England, they lived in Evington, Leicestershire until the First World War,and had one daughter. His wife remained faithful to him throughout his life despite his frequent and highly publicised affairs, which often took place abroad and aboard his luxury yacht.
During World War I Oppenheim worked for the Ministry of Information while continuing to write his suspenseful novels.
He featured on the cover of 'Time' magazine on 12 September 1927 and he was the self-styled 'Prince of Storytellers', a title used by Robert standish for his biography of the author.
His literary success enabled him to buy a villa in France and a yacht, spending his winters in France where he regularly entertained more than 250 people at his lavish parties and where he was a well-known figure in high society.
He later purchased a house, Le Vanquiédor in St. Peter Port, in Guernsey. He lost access to the house during the Second World War when Germany occupied the Channel Islands but later regained it.
He wrote 116 novels, mainly of the suspense and international intrigue type, but including romances, comedies, and parables of everyday life, and 39 volumes of short stories, all of which earned him vast sums of money. He also wrote five novels under the pseudonymn Anthony Partridge and a volume of autobiography, 'The Pool of Memory' in 1939.
He is generally regarded as the earliest writer of spy fiction as we know it today, and invented the 'Rogue Male' school of adventure thrillers that was later exploited by John Buchan and Geoffrey Household.
Undoubtedly his most renowned work was 'The Great Impersonation' (1920), which was filmed three times, the last time as a strong piece of wartime propaganda in 1942. In that novel the plot hinges around two very similar looking gentlemen, one from Britain and the other from Germany, in the early part of the 20th century. Overall more than 30 of his works were made into films.
Perhaps his most enduring creation is the character of General Besserley, the protagonist of 'General Besserley's Puzzle Box' and 'General Besserley's New Puzzle Box'.
Much of his work possesses a unique escapist charm, featuring protagonists who delight in Epicurean meals, surroundings of intense luxury, and the relaxed pursuit of criminal practice, on either side of the law.
Gerry Wolstenholme
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 27, 2023
كان ثَمة جَلَبةٌ كَوْنية غريبة من الأصوات المختلطة، ولكن سادَ بين هذين الاثنَين صمتٌ رائع.
April 23, 2019
Tavernake, an odd but very interesting character, sells the book. As the story progresses Tavernake morphs, has adventures, gets rich, and finally finds true love. But the best part is the beginning. 1912.
July 9, 2024
Why do some writers fade into history while others remain relevant for decades after they are gone? That’s the question I was asking myself as I read Oppenheim’s The Tempting of Tavernake. Oppenheim was extremely popular in his time, writing stories full of adventure and intrigue. Now he is all but forgotten. Yet this novel is extremely well written, containing plot twists that keep the reader intrigued and a set of interesting characters. It may be one of the first novels to have a “femme fatal” as the villain, and, at times, it reminded me of 1940’s noir films. For modern readers, it brings up questions of class, gender and sexual desire. Oppenheim’s only misstep is the ending. He opts for a conventional “happy ending” which did not fit his characters’ personalities. Tavernake finally rejects the amoral beauty Elizabeth for her sweet sister who seems to accept his proposal (she declined 3 times before) mainly to save herself from starvation. I hoped for something better. Oppenheinm’s hero is an oddly asexual and driven working class man throughout the book, but by the end he is a thoroughly conventional husband/provider. Overall, I did enjoy the book and would like to read other novels by Oppenheim to see if he ever let the freakiness of his characters lead him into less conventional conclusions.
August 8, 2023
حسنًا، أظن بإن هذه أجمل رواية قرائتها حتى الآن، عشقتها كل العشق وكنت اقرأها بحماسٍ كبير وأنا أتمنى أن لا أنتهي من قرائتها ابدًا، أشعر بتلامسٍ كبير من شخصيات الرواية عندما تتعرض للأزمات المالية وتصبح إلى حدٍ ما فقيرة، سأشتاق كل الاشتياق لكل شخصيات الرواية حقًا.
الرواية مليئة بأحداثٍ غامضة وأخرى مشوقة. وبعض الأحداث الرومانسية التي لا تشعر بها بنفس السذاجة التي تراودك في رواياتٍ رومنسية أخرى.
أرشح تلك الرواية لكل محبي الغموض والتشويق :)
الرواية مليئة بأحداثٍ غامضة وأخرى مشوقة. وبعض الأحداث الرومانسية التي لا تشعر بها بنفس السذاجة التي تراودك في رواياتٍ رومنسية أخرى.
أرشح تلك الرواية لكل محبي الغموض والتشويق :)
January 2, 2018
Loved it. It wasn't exactly what I expected, but I loved it. Reminded me of Thomas Hardy, but a generation or two newer.
April 20, 2021
Aunque la historia tiene un inicio interesante, la trama peca de predecible y un poco larga para lo que busca contar.
December 3, 2025
Poor Tavernake trying to deal with two drama queens.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews