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| How did they miss the last E in Greene????????? |
The Great Tontine has an interesting premise because it involves a lottery of a very unique kind. Each ticket-holder nominates a certain person over the age of sixty. The money thus raised is used for the building and up-keep of an opera house while dividends are paid to the ticket-holders. As the nominees pass away, the remaining share-holders see an increase in their dividends. Finally only three are left: the self-indulgent Viscount Lakington; honest Miss Caterham; and smart lawyer Paul Pegram. As Miss Caterham’s nominee is missing, Pegram sends a proposal to the viscount to claim and divide the prize between them…but with a rider.
I enjoyed this mixture of mystery and romance and am keen to read more of the writer Hawley Smart.
A review of the book can be found @Vintage Pop Fictions.
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First Line: Eighteen hundred and sixty
First Published in 3 vols by Chapman & Hall, 1881
Other books read of the same author: None
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Richard Marsh’s 1897 novel The Beetle combines elements of horror with mystery. Told from the point-of-view of four people who become involved in a tale of revenge, the novel (as Wikipedia informs me) was a roaring success and out-sold Bram Stroker’s Dracula which was published in the same year.
Upcoming politician Paul Lessingham, in his earlier years, became involved with an Egyptian cult. Now a devotee of that cult wants to destroy Lessingham. With a power that is supernatural, s/he creeps closer to Lessingham…
A detailed review of the book can be found here.
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First Line: ‘No room! – Full up!’
First Published by Skeffington in 1897
Other books read of the same author: None
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The Penguin Book of Victorian Villainies
Original Title: Victorian Villainies
Selected by Graham Greene & Hugh Greene
Intro by Hugh Greene
Publication Details: London: Claremont Books,1985
First Published. 1984
Pages: 715
Source: DSPL [823 G822V]
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a hot cup of pleasure 
Neer, I haven't read Graham Greene in years. I wasn't aware of this anthology. THE ROME EXPRESS was a good novel, as we both read and reviewed it.
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Four novels with creepy Victorian villains – you can't beat that, Neer. 🙂 This sounds like something I will definitely be adding to my library. Outsold DRACULA???
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This does sound deliciously eerie, Neeru. There's something about the Victorian Era, isn't there, when it comes to creating a creepy atmosphere. Glad you enjoyed the reading.
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Yeah, the Rome Express was a delight. The other three novels in this anthology are good too. I too haven't read anything by Greene lately.
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Yeah, outsold Dracula,Yvette. And yet today people know Dracula but haven't even heard of The Beetle. kind of strange how books lose their appeal.
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Oh yes Margot, there is definitely something about the Victorain era with its gaslights and hansoms and its dark-dark side.
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