The Day of Temptation (1899) is a mystery 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 Day of Temptation is a story of mystery, romance, and international crime. 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 Day of Temptation, two Italian expatriates share a meal in a modest home near London. Arnoldo Romanelli, a debonair young man, and Doctor Filippo Malvano, an older gentleman, have recently learned of the imminent arrival of Vittorina, a woman from their shared past who harbors a dangerous secret. Speaking in hushed tones, remembering a night known only to the three of them, the two men agree that Vittorina’s arrival would spell disaster for their newly peaceful lives. The only option, it seems, is for Arnoldo to journey to Italy before she can leave, to meet her under the guise of romance in order to marry her and keep her silent. Assuring Malvano that he can be trusted, that he will not let his desire or Vittorina’s beauty distract him, Arnoldo prepares to return to a country he fled for the sake of safety, to a past he’d thought to leave behind for good. This edition of William Le Queux’s The Day of Temptation is a classic mystery novel reimagined for modern readers.
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About the author
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.
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