The Gallery Gods

In a sunlit tropical port, William Beckwith waits in smug anticipation for the newspapers that should trumpet the murder he has committed in New York: the strangling of his wealthy enemy, Hugh Conway. He expects outrage, headlines, and the satisfaction of having outwitted both law and press, yet paper after paper brings only silence. Conway's name never appears, not even in reports from later days or the next steamer, and Beckwith's confidence begins to fray into confusion and unease. Convinced the police are suppressing the scandal, he turns to the American Club and the consul, Melton, hoping for answers. Instead, he finds a strangely detached man who speaks wistfully of home and ordinary comforts, offering no clue at all. As Beckwith checks each newspaper in growing disbelief, his planned triumph becomes a chilling mystery. What begins as a criminal's boastful certainty turns into an unnerving question: if the murder is not being covered up, why does no one seem to know it happened? This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.