The Secret of Chimneys

This is an early Agatha Christie novel, written in around 1925.
We have a young man called Anthony Cade – a bit of a ne’er do well, but there are strong suspicions of a heart of gold under all that roguish exterior.
Eking out a living in Africa, he encounters a friend who asks him to take a job for him, as the friend has set up to try his hand at a gold mine.
Anthony has to deliver a manuscript to a publisher in London by a particular date, oh, and its possible there will be bad guys after it. Oh, and by the way – could you also return this bundle of letters to a lady neither of them know but who apparently has been blackmailed over them?
Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
Anything but!
Add a hotel robbery, European robbery, a murder, another murder, invitations to hob with the nobs not to mention a beautiful dame who is turning down offers of marriage left, right and centre… it all adds up to a rollicking good story. The ending may be a little unlikely, but what the heck, I will suspend my disbelief for such a good ride!
This is Agatha Christie at her best – I was only sorry that we can see no more of Mr Cade. (He’s still alive at the end of the book, but his life has changed and its obvious that murder mysteries won’t be something he trips over every day.
Ah well.
Plenty more Agatha Christie to read, an I am sure there are more of this standard!