The Chestermarke Instinct

A wealthy merchant dies under suspicious circumstances and his nephew is accused of murder. The story follows the investigation into the death and the subsequent trial, revealing a complex web of motives and deceit among the family members and their associates.

By J.S. Fletcher · First published 1914 · Genre: Mystery, Crime, Detective · 31 chapters · 91,265 words

First lines

Every Monday morning, when the clock of the old parish church in Scarnham Market-Place struck eight, Wallington Neale asked himself why on earth he had chosen to be a bank clerk. On all the other mornings of the week this question never occurred to him: on Sunday he never allowed a thought of the bank to cross his mind: from Sunday to Saturday he was firmly settled in the usual rut, and never dreamed of tearing himself out of it. But Sunday's break was unsettling: there was always an effort in starting afresh on Monday. The striking of St. Alkmund's clock at eight on Monday morning invariably found him sitting down to his breakfast in his rooms, overlooking the quaint old Market-Place, once more faced by the fact that a week of dull, uninteresting work lay before him. He would go to the bank at nine, and at the bank he would remain, more or less, until five. He would do that again on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, and on Thursday and on Friday, and on Saturday. One afternoon, strolling in the adjacent country, he had seen a horse walking round and round and round in a small paddock, turning a crank which worked some machine or other in an adjoining shed: that horse had somehow suggested himself to himself.

What this Textopian page supports

The Chestermarke Instinct is listed on Textopian as a novel by J.S. Fletcher, dated 1914 CE.

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

• Work type: Novel
• Author: J.S. Fletcher
• Date: 1914 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Mystery, Crime, Detective, Thriller, British Literature
• Length: 91,265 words
• Structure: 31 chapters, 1,693 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Chestermarke Instinct by J.S. Fletcher
• 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 Chestermarke Instinct?
• How does this novel by J.S. Fletcher fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
• Where does Mystery first become important in the reading?

Similar titles

• The Middle Of Things by J. S. Fletcher
• The Rayner Slade Amalgamation by J. S. Fletcher
• The Crime At Black Dudley by Margery Allingham
• The Root Of All Evil by J. S. Fletcher
• Ravensdene Court by J. S. Fletcher
• Mystery At Lynden Sands by J. J. Connington

Genres

• Mystery — The plot revolves around a mysterious disappearance and the investigation that follows.
• Crime — The narrative involves criminal activities and the pursuit of justice.
• Detective — Features a detective character who plays a central role in solving the case.
• Thriller — Contains suspenseful and tense moments that keep the reader engaged.

Tags

Mystery · Thriller · Detective Fiction · Crime Novel · English Literature · Classic Mystery · Whodunit · Small Town Setting · Gossip and Rumors · Suspenseful Plot · Unreliable Narrator · Twist Ending

Contents

• The Missing Bank Manager
• The Ellersdeane Deposit
• Mr. Chestermarke Disclaims Liability
• The Modern Young Woman
• The Search Begins
• Ellersdeane Hollow
• The Travelling Tinker
• The Saturday Night Stranger
• No further Information
• The Chestermarke Way
• The Search-Warrant
• The First Find
• The Partners Unbend
• The Midnight Summons
• Mr. Frederick Hollis
• The Lead Mine
• Accident or Murder?
• The Incomplete Cheque
• The Dead Man's Brother
• The other Cheque
• About Cent Per Cent
• Speculation -- and Certainty
• The Aggrieved Victim
• Mrs. Carswell?
• The Portrait
• The Lightning Flash
• The Old Dove-Cot
• Sound-Proof
• The Sparrows and the Sphere
• Wreckage
• The Prisoner Speaks

More by J.S. Fletcher

• The Other Sense (1920)
• The Lighthouse on Shivering Sand (1920)
• The Ivory God (1920)
• The New Sun (1930)
• The Safety Pin (1924)
• The Paradise Mystery (1921)
• The Orange-Yellow Diamond (1903)
• Scarhaven Keep (1923)
• All works by J.S. Fletcher