The Adventure of the Sinister Stranger

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Summary

Genre: Detective

Format: Short Story

Locations: England, London

Recurring Characters: Tommy, Tuppence

Synopsis

The Beresford’s receive a long-awaited letter from Russia, in which they hope to find the crucial number sixteen under its postage stamp. They are interrupted by the strange and foreign Dr. Bower, who fears someone is trying to steal his precious research, leaving Tuppence with sole possession of the valuable letter.

In this instance the Beresford’s adopt the style and methods of Francis and Desmond, the Okewood Brothers, created by Valentine Williams (1883-1946), writing as Douglas Valentine. The Okewoods’ methods typically involved Desmond getting into a life-threatening scrape, only to be rescued by Francis, who “turns up as the gardener or something in the nick of time, and saves the situation.” In this case Tuppence unwittingly takes Francis’s role.

This is the fourth story to appear in Partners in Crime.

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