The Great Court Scandal (1907) is a novel by Anglo-French writer William Le Queux. Published at the beginning of Le Queux’s career as a leading author of popular thrillers, The Great Court Scandal is a story of international espionage, intrigue, and forbidden romance. Using his own research and experience as a journalist and adventurer, Le Queux crafts an accessible, entertaining tale for readers in search of a literary escape. Known for his works of fiction and nonfiction on the possibility of Germany invading Britain—a paranoia common in the early twentieth century—William Le Queux also wrote dozens of thrillers and adventure novels for a dedicated public audience. Although critical acclaim eluded him, popular success made him one of England’s bestselling writers. In The Great Court Scandal, two British conmen wait in their upscale Paris hotel room for their ringleader to return. Guy—a high born man brought low through carelessness and misfortune—and Harry—a working class man gifted with wit and ambition—have had an unsuccessful time in the city, and are growing desperate to escape before the authorities catch up with them. Passing the time with mindless ribaldry and memories of danger and adventure, Guy and Harry are entirely unprepared for what comes next. When Roddy arrives with a stolen suitcase, he opens it to discover a parcel of letters belonging to the Crown Princess of Austria, whose scandalous secrets—however well hidden—will threaten her reign and her life. The Great Court Scandal is a throwback to the simpler days of entertainment, a bestseller that holds up over a century after it appeared in print. This edition of William Le Queux’s The Great Court Scandal is a classic thriller reimagined for modern readers.
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William Le Queux (1864-1927) was an Anglo-French journalist, novelist, and radio broadcaster. Born in London to a French father and English mother, Le Queux studied art in Paris and embarked on a walking tour of Europe before finding work as a reporter for various French newspapers. Towards the end of the 1880s, he returned to London where he edited Gossip and Piccadilly before being hired as a reporter for The Globe in 1891. After several unhappy years, he left journalism to pursue his creative interests. Le Queux made a name for himself as a leading writer of popular fiction with such espionage thrillers as The Great War in England in 1897 (1894) and The Invasion of 1910 (1906). In addition to his writing, Le Queux was a notable pioneer of early aviation and radio communication, interests he maintained while publishing around 150 novels over his decades long career.