Jim Hanvey, detective

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

78848

Title

Jim Hanvey, detective

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

In this 1923 mystery, detective Jim Hanvey navigates a world of deception and high-stakes crime. With his characteristic ungainly demeanor and sharp intuition, Hanvey outsmarts a bank teller's elaborate theft scheme and exposes a sophisticated con artist posing as a wealthy golfer. Blending humor with suspense, the novel offers a classic hard-boiled experience where the detective's unique perspective turns the tables on seemingly invincible criminals.

Summary up to 500 words

The narrative opens at the Third National Bank, where teller Clifford Wallace is under immense pressure to process massive payrolls. His nervousness is palpable as he prepares to distribute millions in cash. A young woman, Phyllis Robinson, enters the line. Wallace, aware of her secret, discreetly slips an additional $100,000 into her satchel before she leaves. Phyllis, terrified but relieved, rushes to a safety-deposit box to hide the stolen money, believing the transaction went unnoticed. Meanwhile, the bank's special officer, Jim Hanvey, observes the scene with detached indifference. Later, Hanvey reveals to the bank president that the missing funds were never actually stolen; the woman was an accomplice, and the money was likely never in the vault in the first place, or the 'theft' was a misunderstanding of a routine error. Hanvey's calm demeanor contrasts with the chaos around him. The plot shifts to a separate crime involving a messenger from Starnes & Company carrying valuable Liberty Bonds. The messenger is ambushed by three criminals who knock him unconscious and steal his satchel. They flee in a car, believing they have made a clean getaway. However, the criminals are unaware that the satchel contained only registered bonds with little value, while the truly valuable unregistered bonds remained safely at the bank. The criminals drive miles, stop for refreshments, and even board a train, only to realize too late that they have been duped. They are left stranded with worthless securities. In another storyline, a man named Johnny Norton attempts a forgery scheme with his wife Helen's encouragement. They plan to use forged checks, but Jim Hanvey intervenes. Hanvey visits Johnny, pretending to inspect his forgery skills, and gently convinces him to stop, citing that he has lost his touch. Helen is relieved, and the couple decides to go straight. Hanvey then receives a call confirming the criminals' failure, further proving his foresight. The final major plot involves Tommy Braden, a man mistaken for the notorious criminal Jared Mallory due to a physical resemblance. Braden is staying at a hotel where he meets Edgar Morse, a wealthy man interested in jewelry. Braden sells a string of pearls to the Morses for $75,000, intending to flee with the money. However, Jim Hanvey arrives unexpectedly. Hanvey reveals that he has already recovered the famous Vanduyn pearls from a previous case and that the pearls Braden sold were not the stolen ones. Furthermore, Hanvey warns Braden that the check given to him is from a friend who has no funds, a trick to prevent Braden from cashing a fake check. Braden realizes he has been outsmarted and decides to stay, admitting he was a fool for thinking he could pull off such a con. Throughout these intersecting stories, Hanvey's unique personality—described as fat, florid, and moving with a lumbering gait—contrasts with his brilliant deductive abilities. He uses his size and apparent clumsiness as a disguise, allowing him to observe and deduce crimes that others miss. The novel concludes with Hanvey having successfully prevented several...

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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