: Max Afford
: Rafat Allam
: The Dead Are Blind
: Al-Mashreq eBookstore
: 9781439744154
: 1
: CHF 5.80
:
: Science Fiction, Fantasy
: English
: 280
: DRM
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
The Dead Are Blind by Max Afford is a riveting mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. When a renowned detective is called to investigate a series of chilling crimes where the victims appear to have been targeted by someone who knows their every move, he is drawn into a labyrinth of deceit and hidden motives. As the detective delves deeper, he discovers a sinister connection between the victims and a powerful, elusive figure who seems to be manipulating events from the shadows. With each revelation, the case becomes more tangled, and the line between hunter and hunted blurs. Will the detective uncover the truth before the killer strikes again, or will he become the next victim in this deadly game? Dive into this thrilling tale of suspense and uncover the secrets that lie behind the veil of blindness.

Max Afford (1906-1954) was an Australian playwright, radio producer, and mystery novelist. He gained recognition for his crime fiction, particularly for the Jeffrey Blackburn series, which featured a resourceful detective solving intricate mysteries. Afford was also a pioneer in Australian radio drama, producing popular shows during the golden age of radio. His contributions to both literature and broadcasting helped shape early Australian entertainment. Despite his relatively short life, Afford left a lasting legacy in Australian mystery fiction and radio storytelling.

I. GENERAL NEWS SESSION


"What if it be a poison, which the friar

Subtly hath minister'd to have me dead?"

—Romeo and Juliet. Act IV.

* * *

To Jeffery Blackburn, it is the case.

Recalling the abrupt manner in which Blackburn was pitchforked into the murder of Judge Sheldon, and the foreboding events that preceded the raising of the curtain on the frightful business of the Dolls of Death, there is a certain irony in the fact that his chances of being connected with the case under discussion were, in the ordinary course of events, exceptionally remote. He stepped into the business merely as a spectator, a rather reluctant witness who paused momentarily to scoff and remained to ensnare his hands in a net of crime that was to enmesh innocent and guilty alike.

Spring came early to London that year. But the city was not caught unaware. There was entertainment and amusement for all classes in the varied programme of attractions that spread through a thawing muddy March and well into leafy June. Yet with these and a hundred other diversions to capture his wandering fancy, William Jamieson Read, Chief Detective-Inspector of the Criminal Investigation Department, Scotland Yard, must turn his inquisitive mind to the business of broadcasting.

On this particular Monday night an early dinner had been served at the flat. The two men sat with coffee and cigarettes over the faint sternutation of the gas-fire. The conversation had turned to radio plays in general. A commercial station at Luxembourg had made a feature of the broadcasting of"dinner-hour thrillers," presented to the listening world by courtesy of the Widdis Wonder Wash-cloth, and, as far as the Chief Inspector was concerned, no evening meal was complete without this accompaniment of mystery and mayhem. Since Mr. Blackburn's appetite was stronger than his prejudices, he was forced to lend an unwilling ear to these presentations and so their postprandial conversation centred about the theme of the play heard on that evening.

"A very fair production," announced Read, pushing back his coffee-cup and reaching for his pipe. In the background, tuned down to a barely audible whisper, the radio hissed in a defeated monotone.

"A very stupid production," commented Jeffery."Wash-cloths and obscure toxicology! O tempora! O mor