The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story

"The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story" by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White is a thrilling mystery where a celebrated artist, Louis Delahay, is found murdered, plunging his wife and their acquaintance, Lord Ravenspur, into a whirlwind of suspicion. The tale commences with the artist's veiled wife seeking out Lord Ravenspur's aid, delivering the dreadful news of her husband's demise and setting forth a path of investigation thick with secrets. As Lord Ravenspur teams up with Inspector Dallas, they navigate a tangled network of relationships and question the events surrounding Delahay's mysterious final hours, building suspense and uncertainty as they seek out the truth behind the crime.

Fred Merrick White (1859–1935) wrote a number of novels and short stories under the name "Fred M. White" including the six "Doom of London" science-fiction stories, in which various catastrophes beset London. These include The Four Days' Night (1903), in which London is beset by a massive killer smog; The Dust of Death (1903), in which diphtheria infects the city, spreading from refuse tips and sewers; and The Four White Days (1903), in which a sudden and deep winter paralyses the city under snow and ice. These six stories all first appeared in Pearson's Magazine, and were illustrated by Warwick Goble. He was also a pioneer of the spy story, and in 2003, his series The Romance of the Secret Service Fund was edited by Douglas G. Greene and published by Battered Silicon Dispatch Box.