7 h 25 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 25 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a master safecracker’s nerve meets a dangerous mission and a secret that could change everything?
In The White Cipher, Henry Leverage brings together a skilled outsider, a dangerous task, and a secret at the heart of the action. This crime adventure puts a specialist’s craft in the spotlight, inviting you into a world where patience, touch, and nerve matter.
The title points toward a code and the promise of something hidden in plain sight. Leverage belongs to the pulp tradition of fast, plot-driven storytelling. The appeal lies in clever problems, strong action, and the pull of a mystery whose answer carries high stakes.
What you’ll discover
- A specialist set apart Meet a master safecracker whose unusual craft places him at the center of a dangerous task.
- A secret worth pursuing Follow the promise of a cipher and a hidden answer that could change everything.
- Nerve beside skill Discover the appeal of a hero who lives by craft rather than strength alone.
- A dangerous mission Step into an adventure where a specialist’s skill meets a task with high stakes.
- The pull of pulp Enjoy the direct, plot-driven storytelling of an author rooted in popular crime and adventure fiction.
Who will love it
Readers who love gentleman thieves, safecracking, secret codes, sea chases and quick, clever dialogue will enjoy this postwar adventure.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Freedom comes with a bargain
- An old friend raises new doubts
- Quiet skill beats noisy force
- The packet tests Fay's limits
- A remembered detail renews the chase
- Small things can defeat cleverness
- Trust grows through shared risks
- Objects and images guide the chase
- Each failure leaves a clue
Who’s who
- Chester FayAn American safecracker freed from Dartmoor to open an embassy safe. He wants his freedom, and he distrusts every policeman he meets.
- Saidee IsaacsA dark-eyed, jeweled woman from Fay's past who helped to plan his release. She wants him to go straight and to finish the mission.
- Sir Richard ColstromThe chief of the Criminal Investigation Division. He hires Fay to steal a cipher key and admires enterprise, even in a thief.
- Inspector MacKeenonA sly, hound-like Scotland Yard man who watches Fay across London and the sea. He wants the key and the cracksman both.
- Dutch GusA bulky German crook and informer who trails Saidee and Fay. He wants the cipher key for his own gang and for Germany.
- Harry RaymondKnown as Ace-in-the-hole Harry, a deep-sea card cheat in smoked glasses who fleeces passengers on the northern steamers.
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The White Cipher
by Henry Leverage · 1919
A silver-haired safecracker leaves Dartmoor prison and must steal a German secret from a Dutch embassy safe.
Medium level2–5 hours to read2 languages
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In short
What would a master thief do if the law let him out of prison early, handed him a gentleman's wardrobe and asked for a favor? In The White Cipher, a silver-haired American named Chester Fay walks out of Dartmoor after five years behind bars.
The White Cipher at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 20 min3 h 25 min fast, 5 h 5 min slow
- Length
- 61,400 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1919by Henry Leverage
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A prisoner freed and offered a bargain
Dawn comes gray inside Dartmoor prison. Prisoner C-45 lies awake and watches the barred door cast tiny crosses on the wall. He is Chester Fay, serving ten years for opening a jeweler's safe in Hatton Garden by means Scotland Yard cannot explain. An old turnkey tells him to dress, because he is going out.
In the courtyard waits Inspector MacKeenon, whose testimony about one fingerprint sent Fay away. A black car carries them across the misty moor. Fay weighs a dash for the marsh, then stays, because the mystery grips him harder than freedom.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1919
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h 50 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Leverage, Henry. The White Cipher. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-white-cipher.
Leverage, H. (2026). The white cipher. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-white-cipher (Original work published 1919)
Leverage, Henry. The White Cipher. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-white-cipher.
@book{leverage2026white,
author = {Leverage, Henry},
title = {The White Cipher},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-white-cipher},
note = {First published 1919}
}
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What is The White Cipher about?
It follows American safecracker Chester Fay, freed early from Dartmoor prison to steal a cipher key from a Dutch embassy safe. Scotland Yard, a rival crook and an old flame all pull at him as he travels from London to Holland and the North Sea.
Who is Chester Fay?
Chester Fay, also called Edward Letchmere, is a silver-haired American cracksman known as one of the best in the world. He was jailed for opening a Hatton Gardens safe, and his skill with locks makes him the Yard's choice for a delicate job.
What does the silver greyhound mean in the book?
The silver greyhound is the badge of the King's Couriers, an old order chosen for speed and loyalty. Whoever wears it passes through customs and borders without papers, which makes it the perfect passport for Fay's trip to Holland.
The author
Henry Leverage
1885–1931 · American crime writer
Henry Leverage was an American author born in London in 1885. He wrote The White Cipher. He lived during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and died in 1931. His birthplace was in England, though he is identified as an American writer.
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