The Riddle of the Purple Emperor

In Short

The Riddle of the Purple Emperor is a 1919 classic detective novel by Mary E. and Thomas W. Hanshew, featuring Hamilton Cleek, a former master thief known as "The Vanishing Cracksman" who now uses his uncanny shape-shifting abilities to solve crimes for Scotland Yard. When an orphaned heiress returns to her family estate on the Thames, she is plunged into a nightmare of double identity, poisonings, and kidnapping centered around the legendary Purple Emperor diamond. Celebrated for its breathless pacing, intricate plotting, and theatrical atmosphere, the novel remains an enduring specimen of Edwardian sensational mystery fiction.

The Story

The tale begins when young Lady Margaret Cheyne returns from a French convent to reclaim her ancestral home, Cheyne Court, along with her inheritance: the Purple Emperor, a fabulous violet diamond looted from an Indian temple. Accompanying her is Hamilton Cleek, the master of disguise who serves Superintendent Narkom of Scotland Yard under various aliases. Arriving at the dark, sprawling house, Cleek breaks in through a window to investigate a gunshot, only to discover the lifeless body of Margaret’s reclusive, eccentric aunt, the Honourable Miss Cheyne, in the dusty ballroom. Yet when Cleek returns moments later with Constable Roberts, the front door is opened by an immaculate butler, and Miss Cheyne herself appears—alive, furious, and seemingly unharmed—to drive the intruders away.

Cleek immediately suspects a clever illusion or a sinister substitution. The plot thickens when Lady Margaret vanishes entirely, and Sir Edgar Brenton, her secret fiancé, becomes frantic to clear his name and locate her. Sir Edgar is the son of a man who once jilted the elder Miss Cheyne, giving the old woman ample reason to hate him. Meanwhile, secondary mysteries multiply around Hampton Village: a corpse is discovered in a murky shop in Drury Lane, a local doctor’s surgery is compromised, and the scent of rare Huile de jasmin lingers at key crime scenes.

As Cleek probes deeper, using his "birth-gift"—the ability to twist his facial features at will to impersonate anyone from a stupid police officer to a casual passerby—he uncovers a web of blackmail and hidden motives. A second fatal shooting occurs at Cheyne Court, leaving the Honourable Miss Cheyne dead on the hearth-rug for real. Suspicion falls across the cast: on Sir Edgar; on his mother, Lady Brenton, who was seen skulking through the dark wrapped in a distinctive gold lace scarf; on a mysterious Hindoo named Mr. Dall who stalks the grounds seeking the sacred diamond; and on Jennifer Wynne, a local beauty desperately covering up the gambling debts of her foolish young brother, Bobby.

With the aid of his loyal, quick-witted apprentice Dollops, Cleek survives being trussed up and left for dead in a subterranean wine cellar by a ruthless gang of jewel thieves known as the Pentacle Club. Cleek unravels the tangled threads at a dramatic inquest. He reveals that the dead shopkeeper, the fake butler, and the bogus Hindoo were all part of a conspiracy led by the criminal James Blake, who poisoned his own brother with prussic acid stolen from Dr. Wynne's surgery. Cleek exposes the trickery at Cheyne Court, locates the true Purple Emperor diamond, rescues Lady Margaret from the subterranean vaults, and restores her to Sir Edgar's arms.

How It Unfolds

The phantom corpse Cleek forces open a window at Cheyne Court after a shot is fired, discovering the dead body of Miss Cheyne, only for the old lady to appear alive and well minutes later when the police return.

The Drury Lane connection Investigating a murder in a dusty London shop, Cleek learns that the victim was a former maid at Cheyne Court who was repeatedly interrogated by a man obsessed with the mansion's floor plan.

A second tragedy on the hearth-rug The authorities return to Cheyne Court to find the house empty and Miss Cheyne shot to death a second time, leaving Sir Edgar Brenton under a cloud of deep suspicion.

Trapped beneath the floorboards Pursuing clues through subterranean passages, Cleek is captured, bound, and left to die in a cellar by a vengeful thief, only to be freed at the last moment by his resourceful protégé, Dollops.

The inquest and the truth Before a crowded courtroom, Cleek drops his disguise, proves that a local tipster was murdered by his own brother using stolen prussic acid, and untangles the web of blackmail surrounding the neighborhood.

The monster in the vault In the subterranean vaults beneath the estate, a dishevelled, crazed figure tries to snatch the recovered Purple Emperor diamond, revealing the butler's true identity and securing Lady Margaret’s safety.

The People

• Hamilton Cleek: A former legendary burglar known as "The Vanishing Cracksman," now a brilliant Scotland Yard operative. Driven by a desire for redemption and a deep devotion to his beloved Ailsa Lorne, he uses his unique physical ability to mold his face into any likeness to protect the innocent and outwit criminal minds.
• Lady Margaret Cheyne: The vulnerable orphan heir to the Cheyne estate and the ill-fated Purple Emperor diamond. Confined for years in a Paris convent, she seeks home and love with Sir Edgar Brenton, but finds herself kidnapped, imprisoned in dark cellars, and targeted by ruthless jewel thieves.
• Superintendent Narkom: The head of Scotland Yard and Cleek’s fiercely loyal associate. He relies entirely on Cleek’s genius to solve the Yard's most baffling cases, offering emotional support and official authority while remaining a unabashed romantic at heart.
• Sir Edgar Brenton: A devoted young aristocrat deeply in love with Lady Margaret. Hampered by his family's bitter history with Miss Cheyne and his own reckless actions on the night of the initial murder, he risks his reputation and freedom to save his sweetheart.
• Jennifer Wynne: A striking, protective young woman in Hampton Village who acts deceitfully, climbing out of windows and hiding evidence, solely to protect her impressionable brother Bobby from being framed for murder and ruined by racing debts.
• Dollops: Cleek's devoted young protégé and friend. Light-footed and fiercely loyal, he serves as Cleek's eyes and ears in tight spots, stepping in to perform crucial rescues when his master is trapped.

In Its Own Voice

"Heavens! man, but she is dead," shouted the outraged constable before Cleek could stop him. "This gentleman came to fetch me to view the body. In the name of the law, I am going to search the place."

When Constable Roberts confronts the immaculate butler at the door of Cheyne Court, he blurts out the terrifying discovery he and Cleek made just moments earlier.

"I only hope the old-clothes woman has come to life again, like my corpse did this evening," he said with just a tinge of whimsical humour...

Cleek dryly remarks to Superintendent Narkom after escaping the bizarre scene where a murder victim seemingly resurrected herself to chase away the police.

"Dead men tell no tales, my girl, and her precious ladyship won't do us no harm. And as for other things----"

A ruthless criminal gloats to his accomplice in the vaulted cellars of Cheyne Court, leaving Cleek bound upon the floor to await what seems like certain death.

What It's Really About

Beneath its melodramatic trappings of secret passages, disguised jewel thieves, and Indian curses, The Riddle of the Purple Emperor explores the destructive nature of secrets and the burden of family legacies. The titular diamond acts as a catalyst that exposes the hidden frailties of everyone nearby: old grudges held by bitter recluses, desperate cover-ups mounted by loving relatives, and financial ruin brought on by gambling. The novel contrasts the self-sacrificing love of characters like Jennifer Wynne and Sir Edgar—who risk their own safety to protect family members—with the cold, mercenary greed of the Pentacle Club. Ultimately, the story asserts that true redemption and happiness require stepping out from the shadows of past misdeeds into the light of absolute honesty.

Why Read It Today

The Riddle of the Purple Emperor offers an irresistible slice of early 20th-century mystery fiction for readers who cherish classic "impossible crime" puzzles, locked-room aesthetics, and theatrical heroics. The novel moves at a breakneck pace, piling twist upon twist with unabashed storytelling vigor. Cleek's uncanny ability to transform his features instantly provides a fun, almost superheroic dimension to the traditional Edwardian detective model.

Modern readers should be prepared for the stylistic conventions of its era, including dramatic dialogue, romantic sentimentality, and period tropes surrounding exotic foreign villains and looted Indian treasures. The prose leans heavily into sensational stage-craft—gasping heroines, subterranean vaults, and dramatic courtroom unmaskings—rather than gritty realism. Yet for those who enjoy the vintage charm of Arthur Conan Doyle, Jacques Futrelle, or Edgar Wallace, this novel delivers an entertaining, atmospheric, and satisfyingly intricate mystery where justice and true love triumph over complex villainy.