The Wooden Hand

A fortune hunter comes home from a diamond-mining expedition in South Africa, but he never gets to enjoy his return. Instead, he turns up murdered, and his artificial wooden hand has vanished. Why would a killer steal a false limb, and what makes it so valuable?
In a gloomy cottage nicknamed Misery Castle, young Eva Strode has been waiting for her estranged father to arrive, while grumbling voices predict that his homecoming will only spoil things. Now it has ended in murder, and suspicion spreads in every direction, even toward the man engaged to marry his daughter. Suspects abound, motives tangle, and every answer seems to raise a darker question.
From the quiet English countryside to the shadowy underbelly of London’s criminal underworld, Fergus Hume, the author of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, leads listeners through a tightly plotted Edwardian detective story full of false trails, hidden histories and twists that keep the puzzle open until the final chapters. Diamonds, secrets and a varied cast of witnesses keep every clue in doubt. Atmospheric, brisk and packed with intrigue, The Wooden Hand is a classic whodunit for anyone who loves a murder with a missing wooden hand at its heart.
First published in 1905, this vintage mystery is ideal for fans of classic crime fiction, old-fashioned sleuthing and atmospheric whodunits.