The Sacred Herb by Fergus Hume

Name: The Sacred Herb
Author: Fergus Hume

The story revolves around a mysterious plant with alleged healing properties, which becomes the focal point of a complex web of intrigue and deception. The narrative unfolds in London, where a wealthy businessman dies under suspicious circumstances, sparking a chain reaction of events that exposes dark secrets and hidden agendas among the city's elite. As the plot thickens, it becomes clear that the sacred herb is coveted by multiple parties, each driven by their own motivations, ranging from altruism to greed and power.

By Fergus Hume · First published 1898 · Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Drama · 27 chapters · 104,363 words

First lines

Lord Prelice felt desperately bored. Like Xeres, he longed for some new pleasure, yet knew not where to look for one. This was the result of being surfeited with the sweets of extraordinary good fortune. Born to a title, endowed with passable good looks, gifted with abilities above the average, and possessed of admirable health, he should have been the happiest of men; the more especially as his income ran well into five figures, and he had the whole wide world to play with. Certainly he had played with it and with life, up to his present age of thirty-five years. Perhaps this was the reason of his acute boredom. If all work and no play makes Jack dull; all play and no work must necessarily make him _blase_.

What this Textopian page supports

The Sacred Herb is listed on Textopian as a novel by Fergus Hume, dated 1898 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Novel
Author: Fergus Hume
Date: 1898 CE
Language: English
Genres: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Drama, Literary Fiction, Thriller
Length: 104,363 words
Structure: 27 chapters, 2,247 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Similar titles

Genres

Mystery — The plot revolves around a murder case, with elements of investigation and suspense surrounding the innocence or guilt of the accused.
Crime Fiction — The narrative centers on a criminal act, specifically a murder, and the legal proceedings that follow.
Drama — The story features intense character interactions and emotional conflicts, particularly between Lord Prelice and Lady Sophia, as well as the courtroom drama.
Literary Fiction — The writing style is characterized by detailed character development and exploration of themes such as boredom, societal expectations, and moral dilemmas.