The Blood Red Cross

by L.T. Meade, Robert Eustace

A short work of mystery, originally contained in the 1903 collection, The Sorceress of the Strand.

"From the moment that Geoffrey Rowland took possession of the necklace there had been several attempts made to deprive him of it. Sword, fire, water, poison, had all been used, but ineffectually. The necklace with its eighty pearls, smooth, symmetrical, pear-shaped, of a translucent white colour and with a subdued iridescent sheen, was still in the possession of the family, and was likely to remain there, as George Rowland told me, until the end of time..."

Genres: Mystery

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1903

About the author

Mrs. L.T. Meade (Elizabeth Thomasina Meade Toulmin Smith), was a prolific children's author of Anglo Irish extraction. Born in 1844, Meade was the eldest daughter of a Protestant clergyman, whose church was in County Cork. Moving from Ireland to London as a young woman, after the death of her mother, she studied in the Reading Room of the British Museum in preparation for her intended career as a writer, before marrying Alfred Toulmin Smith in September 1879.

The author of close to 300 books, Meade wrote in many genres, but is best known for her girls' school stories. She was one of the editors of the girls' magazine, Atalanta from 1887-93, and was active in women's issues. She died in 1914.

Reviews

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eric Vandeleur, police surgeon, must use all of his cunning to thwart the diabolical Madame Sara's plan to terrorize a young woman to help steal a precious strand of pearls.

A good battle of wits between the forces of good and evil. This could have been a Sherlock Holmes vs. Moriarity story. It is unusual, particularly in this time period, to have such a smart, supervillain who is a woman.

A fun read with some scientific tricks that make for an intelligent story.