Bat Wing (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Bat Wing

I nodded, smiling. I was quite content to sit and watch my friend at work.

Paul Harley occupied a unique place in the mael strom Of Vice and ambition which is sometimes called London life. Whilst at present he-held no official post, some Of the most momentous problems Of British policy during the past five years, problems imperilling inter state relationships and not infrequently threatening a renewal Of the world war, had owed their solution to the peculiar genius Of this man.

NO clue to his profession appeared upon the plain brass plate attached to his door, and little did those who regarded Paul Harley merely as a successful private detective suspect that he was in the confidence Of some who guided the destinies Of the Empire. Paul Harley's work in Constantinople during the feverish months preceding hostilities with Turkey, although unknown to the general public, had been Of a most extraordinary nature. His recommendations were never adopted, unfortunately. Otherwrse, the tragedy Of the Dar danelles might have been averted.

His surroundings as he sat there, gaze bent upon the typewritten pages, were those of any Other professional man. SO It would have seemed to the casual Observer. But perhaps there was a quality In the atmosphere Of the Office which would have told a more sensitive visitor that It was the apartment Of no ordinary man Of busi ness. Whilst there were filing cabinets and book shelves laden with works Of reference, many Of them legal, a large and handsome Burmese cabinet struck an unexpected note.

On closer inspection, Other splashes Of significant colour must have been detected in the scheme, notably a very fine engraving Of Edgar Allan Poe, from the daguerreotype Of 1848; and upon the man himself lay the indelible mark Of the tropics. His Clean-cut features had that hint Of underlying bronze which tells Of years spent beneath a merciless sun, and the touch Of gray - at his temples only added to the eager, almost fierce vitality Of the dark face. Paul Harley was not able because Of that intellectual strength which does not strike one immediately, since it is purely tempera mental, but which, nevertheless, invests its possessor with an aura Of distinction.

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About the author

Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward (1883 - 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer, was a prolific English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu. Born in Birmingham to a working-class family, Arthur Ward initially pursued a career as a civil servant before concentrating on writing full-time. He worked as a poet, songwriter and comedy sketch writer for music hall performers before creating the Sax Rohmer persona and pursuing a career writing fiction. Like his contemporaries Algernon Blackwood and Arthur Machen, Rohmer claimed membership to one of the factions of the qabbalistic Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Rohmer also claimed ties to the Rosicrucians, but the validity of his claims has been questioned. His doctor and family friend Dr R. Watson Councell may have been his only legitimate connection to such organizations. His first published work came in 1903, when the short story "The Mysterious Mummy" was sold to Pearson's Weekly. Rohmer's main literary influences seem to have been Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle and M. P. Shiel. He gradually transitioned from writing for music hall performers to concentrating on short stories and serials for magazine publication. In 1909 he married Rose Elizabeth Knox. He published his first book Pause! anonymously in 1910.

Product details

• Authors: Sax Rohmer
• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 28.02.2019
• No. of pages: 338
• Dimensions: 152 mm x 229 mm x 22 mm
• Weight: 607 g
• Subject: Fiction > Suspense