The Gentleman Dressed in Newspaper

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Summary

Genre: Detective

Format: Short Story

Location: England

Recurring Characters: Tommy, Tuppence

Synopsis

During a quiet period at Blunt’s, Tommy and Tuppence amuse themselves by scrutinising the personal columns of the papers. One especially cryptic ad reads, “three hearts ….12 tricks …Ace of Spades …. finesse the king.” Tuppence cleverly deduces that the ad refers to the Three Arts Ball (3 hearts) held at midnight (12 tricks) at the Ace of Spades, a smart Bohemian café. But what does “finesse the king” mean? Tommy and Tuppence decide to attend the ball in costume and find out.

In this short story, which appears in Partners in Crime, the detectives Tommy and Tuppence impersonate are McCarty and Riordan, created by Isabel Ostrander (1885-1924).

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