The Chestermarke Instinct

"The Chestermarke Instinct" by J. S. Fletcher is a mystery novel written in the early 20th century. The story centers around Wallington Neale, a bank clerk in the sleepy town of Scarnham, who is thrust into a perplexing situation when his manager, John Horbury, goes missing under suspicious circumstances. The narrative unfolds against a backdrop of potential intrigue involving theft and possibly darker events, as characters around Neale begin to speculate on the manager's fate. At the start of the novel, the main character grapples with the monotony of his banking job while a beautiful spring day stirs his adventurous spirit. However, this serenity is shattered when Neale discovers that Horbury has not come to work as expected, leading to growing concerns about the bank manager's whereabouts. The opening chapters introduce us to Neale's routine, his familiarity with the town, and his concerns about Horbury's sudden absence, setting the stage for a complex mystery that involves missing securities and the manager's unexplained disappearance. As Neale and others begin to investigate, the intrigue deepens, hinting at twists and turns that will keep readers engaged. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Joseph Smith Fletcher was an English journalist and author. He wrote more than 230 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction, and was one of the most prolific English writers of detective fiction.