A Crime of the Under-seas

"A Crime of the Under-seas" by Guy Boothby is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story unfolds with Christopher Collon, a somewhat elusive private detective, recounting his adventures and the peculiar trades he encounters in the exotic setting of Colombo, Ceylon. The narration takes a dramatic turn when Collon becomes embroiled in a case surrounding a precious pearl that is lost following the sinking of a ship. His journey will intertwine a web of crime, danger, and intrigue as he navigates the seedy underbelly of the East. The opening of the novel introduces Collon and two other intriguing characters, McDougall and Callingway, as they chat in the Grand Oriental Hotel. Their discussion about their lives and aspirations foreshadows the adventure ahead. Shortly after, an elderly gentleman named Mr. Leversidge approaches Collon with a unique request: to recover a valuable pearl lost with a shipwreck. However, the plot thickens as it is revealed that their mission is not straightforward; there are darker forces at play, including a possible murder linked to the pearl. As Collon prepares for the dive to retrieve the pearl, he uncovers that the agent who was transporting it has gruesomely perished, hinting at an even deeper mystery surrounding the gem. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Guy Newell Boothby was a prolific Australian novelist and writer, noted for sensational fiction in variety magazines around the end of the nineteenth century. He lived mainly in England. He is best known for such works as the Dr Nikola series, about an occultist criminal mastermind who is a Victorian forerunner to Fu Manchu, and Pharos, the Egyptian, a tale of Gothic Egypt, mummies' curses and supernatural revenge. Rudyard Kipling was his friend and mentor, and his books were remembered with affection by George Orwell.