Dangerous Ground; or, The Rival Detectives. By Lawrence L. Lynch (of the Secret Service).
Chicaao: Alex T. Loyd & Co., 1886. First Loyd edition. There also exists a Chicago, Henry A. Sumner & Co. edition (1885), presumably printed from the same plates. OCLC records one copy of the present edition. Frontispiece + 49 illustrations. With publisher’s ads. Light shelfwear to head and foot of spine. Tips bent with very minor fraying of cloth. Small, light damp-stain towards foot of back board. Mild fraying/cracking to exterior front hinge — more prominent at hinge interior, but overall still sound. Likewise, very mild cracking to interior of back hinge. Decorative off-white endpapers with light toning. Small tear to top of first front free endpaper. Third front free endpaper features Christmas gift inscription to a previous owner (1887). Text generally clean and bright throughout. Binding tight, with the exception of two early gatherings which protrude slightly. A very good + copy. Publisher’s dark blue cloth. Gilt spine, with illustration from the novel below title/author (also in gilt) — all relatively bright. Front cover features a decorative pattern ruled in black, in the center of which is featured the series logo for “Lynch’s Detective Novels.” Back board, same, but ruled in blind. Octavo. [8], 9-462 pp. + [2] + 10 pp. Item #17974
Emily “Emma” Murdoch Van Deventer (1853 – 1914) was an Illinois-born mystery author who published at least two dozen detective novels under the pseudonym “Lawrence L. Lynch (of the Secret Service)” — Lawrence Lynch being the name of her first husband. Van Deventer’s oeuvre is known for exploring Chicago and its surrounding environs, and for frequent appearance of strong, female leads, including the titular girl detective in Madeline Payne, the Detective’s Daughter (1884) and the raucous cast of Mountain Mystery.
In 1859 on the Kansas frontier, Arthur Pearson is struck dead by lightning. Or so it seems. Pearson’s associate, Walter Parks’, suspicions are confirmed when he locates a nail driven into the base of Pearson’s skull. Twenty years later, Parks—now mysteriously wealthy, and still seeking to avenge Pearson—secures the services of veteran detective team Van Vernet and Richard Stanhope. The catch? He pits the detectives against one another. Whoever solves the decade’s old murder will receive a fortune as his prize. Inevitably, word of the investigation (and the prize) begins to spread, and various sinister parties conspire to secure the money for themselves. Another copiously illustrated thriller from the wildly popular “Lynch (of the Secret Service).” Wright III, 2443.
Price: $400.00