Project Gutenberg 2013-07-08 Public domain in the USA. 244 Hanshew, Mary E. Hanshew, Thomas W. 1857 1914 Hanshew, T. W. (Thomas W.) The Riddle of the Purple Emperor E-text prepared by Annie R. McGuire from page images generously made available by the Google Books Library Project (http://books.google.com) "The Riddle of the Purple Emperor" by Mary E. and Thomas W. Hanshew is a detective novel written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around Hamilton Cleek, a master detective known as "The Man of Forty Faces," who is drawn into a mystery involving a young woman, Lady Margaret Cheyne, and her family’s valuable jewels, particularly the infamous "Purple Emperor," a diamond with a dark history. The narrative is set against the backdrop of intrigue and danger as Cleek uncovers layers of deception surrounding the Cheyne family. At the start of the story, readers are introduced to the bustling atmosphere of Charing Cross Station as Cleek eagerly awaits the return of Ailsa Lorne from Paris. However, he encounters Lady Margaret, who has arrived alone and weary from her journey, having been overlooked at the station. Ailsa persuades Cleek to assist her in driving Lady Margaret to her newly inherited home, Cheyne Court, where dark secrets await. As Cleek drives, he learns of the ominous history tied to the family jewels and the potential dangers that they carry, especially considering the strange figures Margaret encountered on her journey. Through masterful prose, the opening sets a suspenseful tone that hints at a complex riddle and impending tragedy. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 80.0 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Detective and mystery stories Cleek, Hamilton (Fictitious character) -- Fiction PS Text Category: Crime, Thrillers and Mystery Category: Novels Category: British Literature 432650 2025-07-17T10:59:13.766176 text/html 418363 2024-10-23T16:49:13 text/html 286716 2025-07-17T10:59:22.286074 application/epub+zip 288396 2025-07-17T10:59:16.750116 application/epub+zip 235379 2025-07-17T10:59:15.505163 application/epub+zip 517877 2025-07-17T10:59:26.599090 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 473373 2025-07-17T10:59:21.398084 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 386974 2022-09-19T16:55:43.743712 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 394856 2023-09-18T15:16:04.002571 text/plain 374911 2024-10-23T16:49:13 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16691 2025-07-17T10:59:26.727064 application/rdf+xml 15362 2025-07-17T10:59:16.012100 image/jpeg 3935 2025-07-17T10:59:15.759102 image/jpeg 267561 2025-07-17T10:59:13.802161 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia