They Wouldn't be Chessmen

Inspector Hanaud #4

by A.E.W. Mason

Nahendra Nao, heir to the Maharajah of Chitipur, unwisely lets Elsie Marsh of the Casino de Paris wear his ancestral pearls, which react badly to her skin. In order to restore their lustre his secretary, Major Scott Carruthers, hires a beautiful, down-on-her-luck opera singer, Lydia Flight, to wear them while they heal. They take a houseboat on the Seine near Caudebec-en-Caux, and while there make the acquaintance of Julius Ricardo. When the pearls are stolen Ricardo teams up with his old friend Inspector Gabriel Hanaud to solve the mystery.

Genres: Mystery Thriller

Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 1935

About the author

Major Alfred Edward Woodley Mason (7 May 1865 Dulwich, London - 22 November 1948 London) was a British author and politician. He is best remembered for his 1902 novel The Four Feathers.

He studied at Dulwich College and graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1888. He was a contemporary of fellow Liberal Anthony Hope, who went on to write the adventure novel The Prisoner of Zenda.

His first novel, A Romance of Wastdale, was published in 1895. He was the author of more than 20 books, including At The Villa Rose (1910), a mystery novel in which he introduced his French detective, Inspector Hanaud. His best-known book is The Four Feathers, which has been made into several films. Many consider it his masterpiece. Other books are The House of the Arrow (1924), No Other Tiger (1927), The Prisoner in the Opal (1929) and Fire Over England (1937).

Reviews

[Victoria Jackson]

"If they'd been chessmen, they would have succeeded". They had their own agenda, the other players. Good suspense, good adventure story

[Phil Syphe]

The author takes a different approach in this episode of Hanaud, including waiting several chapters before introducing the famous French inspector. More notable still is, unlike the other books n the series, the reader knows who the criminals are.

The main mystery side is how Hanaud proves their guilt, but certain scenarios are left unclear till near the end. This method appeals to me more, as I grow bored when almost an entire story revolves around guessing games and endless explanations.

Hanaud first outing in "At the Villa Rose" still remains by far my favourite of the series, though I prefer this novel to the books in between.

[Janet]

First, I did not have an "enriched edition ", and I have NO idea why the book description says this is a war story.
It's about the fabulous pearls owned by an Indian rajah, whose son travels to Europe and foolishly lets a gold-digger wear them. However, the real threat to his wealth does not come from her, but from a cabal of criminals.
The (lame) title refers to a plotter's realization that his plans only work if everyone behaves in predictable ways.
Mason's Detective Hanaud is more annoyingly full of proverbs than I remembered, but what really bothered me was a completely unnecesssry hole in the plot. A young man (A) sees another man (B) doing something unusual-- but not criminal --and immediately declares B is dangerous. Why does A think so? Why and how does B do this? Mason creates elaborate reasons why neither man explains... and never, in a lengthy wrap-up, gives us any answers. Grrrr...

[Bob]

I stumbled across this pulp obscurity entirely by accident and really enjoyed it. Our hero, Inspector Hanaud, is an amusing blend of Poirot and Columbo (although he predates both). The plot is as preposterous as the title is unwieldy, but it's all very fun.