The Sign of Silence

"The Sign of Silence" by William Le Queux is a mystery novel written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around Edward Royle, who finds himself embroiled in a perplexing situation involving his friend Sir Digby Kemsley, an engineer whose sudden disappearance coincides with the emergence of a young woman's murder. As Royle navigates through intrigue and potential betrayal, he faces personal doubts about those he loves, revealing themes of loyalty and suspicion. At the start of the novel, the protagonist, Edward Royle, shares a lunch with his beloved Phrida Shand in a posh London restaurant. They discuss Sir Digby Kemsley, who has mysteriously vanished, leading to concerns about his true identity after investigations reveal he may be an impostor. The narrative shifts as Royle learns of a brutal murder in Sir Digby's flat, connected to a hidden past involving love and deception. As tensions escalate, Royle grapples with his affection for Phrida and the implications of the unfolding mystery, foreshadowing deeper personal and relational conflicts in the story. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

William Tufnell Le Queux was an Anglo-French journalist and writer. He was also a diplomat, a traveller, a flying buff who officiated at the first British air meeting at Doncaster in 1909, and a wireless pioneer who broadcast music from his own station long before radio was generally available; his claims regarding his own abilities and exploits, however, were usually exaggerated. His best-known works are the anti-French and anti-Russian invasion fantasy The Great War in England in 1897 (1894) and the anti-German invasion fantasy The Invasion of 1910 (1906), the latter becoming a bestseller.