Only seven were hanged

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

76200

Title

Only seven were hanged

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

In a cozy yet ominous Clue Club meeting on Christmas Eve, a mysterious substitute waiter interrupts proceedings to reveal a shocking secret: the club's president, a judge, has been murdered. The narrative unfolds as a tense cat-and-mouse game involving a vain criminal, a treacherous accomplice, and a frozen river that seals a fugitive's fate. A gripping tale of crime, deception, and retribution.

Summary up to 500 words

In Stuart Martin's *Only Seven Were Hanged*, the narrative unfolds within the exclusive Clue Club, a gathering of professionals like lawyers, doctors, and psychologists who analyze crime and justice. The evening's formal proceedings are disrupted when a new waiter reveals that the club's president, a distinguished judge, has been murdered. The story then pivots to a parallel plot involving Nathaniel Gore, a vain gem-lifter who attempts to steal a famous diamond from a ship. Gore, driven by vanity and pressure from his accomplice Chicago Anne, kills the ship's purser with a gun he had never previously used. He escapes into the sea but is eventually captured or lost in the chaos. Meanwhile, the mystery of the judge's death is solved through the revelation that the new waiter was actually Lorry Black, a former convict who had been drugged and substituted for the real waiter. Lorry Black attempts to flee with stolen money, relying on his accomplice, Bern, a former receiver of stolen goods. However, Bern betrays Lorry, leading to Lorry's death when he falls through the ice of a frozen river while trying to cross it. The novel explores themes of crime, justice, betrayal, and the consequences of vanity and greed. The Clue Club members analyze the crimes, discussing the nature of criminal behavior, while the narrative builds tension through the interplay of the two main storylines. The story concludes with the realization that the judge's death was an act of retaliation under ancient law, and the bludgeon used by the killer is left in the river, symbolizing the end of the criminal's path.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Mystery
• Crime Fiction