E. Phillips Oppenheim was the undisputed master of early 20th-century espionage fiction, and The Double Four stands as a glittering example of his craft. Written in 1911, this novel helped define the genre that would later produce legends like John le Carré. Peter Ruff, a retired spymaster, has retreated to the quiet countryside of Somerset, determined to leave his dangerous past behind. But the dead have a way of pulling men back into the light. When the enigmatic Madame de Maupassim dies and summons him from beyond the grave, Ruff finds himself entangled in a web of European intrigue, a shadow organization called the Double Four, and the desperate search for his vanished wife. The atmosphere drips with Edwardian elegance and mounting dread. For anyone who loves a perfectly plotted spy thriller with period flavor and genuine suspense.
