The Dangerfield Talisman
The Dangerfield Talisman opens at Friocksheim, the ancestral home of Rollo Dangerfield, whose family possesses an ancient golden armlet said to be their hereditary luck—supposedly won from a water-spirit by their Norse ancestor and doomed to bring ruin if the family's trust in it ever falters. Amid a house party of bridge-players, gossips, and fortune-hunters, an American collector named Wraxall tries and fails to buy the priceless heirloom, which Rollo insists is never guarded because it "always comes home." Eileen Cressage, a girl crippled by debt, loses heavily at cards and writes a cheque she cannot cover; the predatory Morchard offers to "help" her at a price, but she is secretly rescued by the sharp-tongued Mrs. Brent, who lends her the money on condition of absolute secrecy. That same stormy night, the Talisman vanishes from its unguarded case. Old Dangerfield refuses to call in the police, serenely certain the jewel will return within a week as it always has. The odious busybody Freddie Stickney forces an impromptu "inquest" among the guests, and circumstantial evidence—Eileen seen wandering the corridors near midnight, her light burning at three a.m.—makes her look guilty, though she cannot explain herself without breaking her promise to Mrs. Brent. Engineer Conway Westenhanger, sympathetic and methodical, deduces from the cabinet's disturbed glass bell that the actual thief was left-handed, clearing Eileen (whom he proves right-handed through a series of disguised tests) while narrowing suspicion toward the household's few left-handed, financially strained members, notably the wastrel nephew Eric Dangerfield. Mrs. Brent's return aboard her yacht finally allows Eileen's alibi to surface publicly, exposing Morchard's near-blackmail and Stickney's meddling to general contempt, though the mystery of the Talisman's disappearance—and Rollo's unnervingly calm insistence that no theft has truly occurred—remains unresolved as suspicion tightens around the family's own guarded secret.
By J.J. Connington · First published 1926 · Genre: Mystery, Detective Fiction, Crime Fiction · 15 chapters · 81,744 words
First lines
"Lucky again, partner," commented Westenhanger, breaking into Eileen Cressage's thoughts as he took up the scoring-block. "That's game and rubber, Douglas. Your mind must be wandering."
Douglas Fairmile had glanced down the room to where a fair-haired girl was sitting with a rather red-faced man. Douglas's brows contracted slightly. That fellow Morchard had attempted to monopolise Cynthia this evening; but surely anyone could see that the girl was bored. A persistent creature, Morchard-rather too persistent at times, Douglas felt. Then at the sound of Westenhanger's voice, his attention came back to the bridge-table.
What this Textopian page supports
The Dangerfield Talisman is listed on Textopian as a novel by J.J. Connington, dated 1926 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: J.J. Connington
- Date: 1926 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Mystery, Detective Fiction, Crime Fiction, Family Saga, Literary Fiction
- Length: 81,744 words
- Structure: 15 chapters, 1,995 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Dangerfield Talisman by J.J. Connington
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Dangerfield Talisman?
- How does this novel by J.J. Connington fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Mystery first become important in the reading?
Genres
- Mystery — The entire narrative revolves around the disappearance and reappearance of the Talisman, with the central plot driven by investigation, deduction, and gradual revelation of secrets.
- Detective Fiction — Westenhanger functions as an amateur detective who systematically identifies the thief through observation, logical deduction, and discovery that the perpetrator must be left-handed.
- Crime Fiction — Theft, burglary attempts, kleptomania, and criminal investigation serve as primary plot drivers throughout the narrative.
- Family Saga — The work explores family secrets and inherited moral compromise across three generations of Dangerfields, examining how past deceptions burden subsequent heirs.
Tags
classic detective fiction · Golden Age mystery · British crime novel · murder investigation · amateur sleuth · country-house mystery · suspense · puzzle plot · crime fiction · interwar fiction · English setting · whodunit
Contents
- CHAPTER I
- CHAPTER II
- CHAPTER III
- CHAPTER IV
- CHAPTER V
- CHAPTER VI
- CHAPTER VII
- CHAPTER VIII
- CHAPTER IX
- CHAPTER X
- CHAPTER XI
- CHAPTER XII
- CHAPTER XIII
- CHAPTER XIV
- CHAPTER XV