I had a lot of hope for this novel, since I have seen and adorded the Hitchcock film version of the story (it's about the first movie where he got the thrilling plot/romance/humor combo down). And I read the sequel Greenmantle in 2002 and thought that it was amazing how well it had held up storywise and how timely it seemed. Alas, for a 126 page novel it is slow going and dull. Published in 1915, it shows its age. Lots of talk, no thrill. Two great lines though---"I knew something of the man, and he did several jobs for me. He was half crank, half genius, but he was wholly honest."* And "Then I got a corpse--you can always get a body in London if you know where to go for it."
*I want that on my tombstone!
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