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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A count is held captive, and a soldier of fortune faces a rescue that tests both courage and heart.
In Direst Peril by David Christie Murray brings a hard-fighting adventurer to the centre of a dangerous rescue. A nobleman is held against his will, and his freedom is the prize. Risk and quick decisions drive the action, while rival loyalties make courage more than a matter of facing danger.
Alongside the struggle for freedom runs a romantic thread. The daring rescue is also a test of loyalty, with the pull of the heart bound to the demands of action. This is adventure in the old tradition: bold deeds, clear moral choices, and a leisurely, confident voice that invites you to settle into the tale.
What you’ll discover
- A captive count A nobleman's lost freedom gives the rescue its purpose and the adventure its central stake.
- A hard-fighting adventurer Follow a soldier of fortune whose courage faces the demands of a daring rescue.
- Loyalties under strain Rival loyalties turn bold action into a test of commitment as well as nerve.
- Romance beside danger The promise of love draws the heart into a story shaped by peril.
- Old-fashioned storytelling pleasure Settle into a leisurely voice, lively action, and the clear choices of traditional adventure.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this book if you like old-fashioned adventure with a warm heart: daring rescues, secret councils, double-dealing spies, loyal servants, and a love story told by a devoted husband.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Love gives Fyffe a new purpose
- A promise becomes a rescue mission
- Friendship makes deception feel worse
- Hinge turns kindness into practical help
- Calm observation carries the escape forward
- Freedom begins a different kind of care
- London turns friendship into a threat
- Family love confronts devotion to country
- Loyalty faces tests beyond the rescue
Who’s who
- John FyffeThe narrator, a blunt, honest soldier of fortune who falls in love at first sight and promises to rescue a prisoner for the woman he loves.
- Violet RossanoA young woman raised in England who learns her father is alive and risks her fortune and her heart for him.
- Count RossanoAn Italian patriot freed after twenty years in an Austrian fortress, he wants to return to the cause he has suffered for.
- George BrunowA charming, boastful friend of Fyffe who loves attention and money, and who rivals him for Violet.
- Robert HingeA loyal English groom serving in Austria, red-haired and stiff, who helps free the count and becomes Fyffe's devoted servant.
- Baroness BonnarA glittering Hungarian-seeming lady who charms London society while secretly working for Austria.
- Count RuffianoA tall, shabby, theatrical exile and the count's oldest comrade, he wants Italy free and trusts everyone.
- Lady RollinsonViolet's kind but stubborn aunt, who adores Fyffe until she is persuaded to turn against him.
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In Direst Peril
by David Christie Murray · 1894
A soldier of fortune promises to free a prisoner he has never met, for a woman he has spoken to twice.
Medium level5–10 hours to read20 languages
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“Beware of the women!”
In short
What would you risk for a woman you have spoken to only twice? In 1847, a rough soldier of fortune named John Fyffe stands on a crowded London staircase, meets Violet Rossano, and within weeks he is bound for the Austrian mountains to free a prisoner he has never seen.
In Direst Peril at a glance
- Reading time
- About 5 h 35 min4 h 25 min fast, 6 h 35 min slow
- Length
- 79,200 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1894by David Christie Murray
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 shy soldier falls in love on a staircase
John Fyffe tells his story as an old man, at his wife's request. In 1847 he has just come back from Argentina, where he broke his sword in front of General Rosas and walked out of the camp. He has spent his life lending his sword to oppressed peoples, and he knows almost nothing about women.
At Belcaster House in London he is wedged on a packed staircase beside his friend George Brunow. A few steps above stands a dark-haired young woman in white muslin and a single string of pearls. His heart leaps as it does before a dangerous mission, but this time the feeling will not pass. She asks Brunow to bring over Captain Fyffe. She is Violet Rossano, and she treats him like an old friend.
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Details
- First published
- 1894
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 6 h 25 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Murray, David Christie. In Direst Peril. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/in-direst-peril.
Murray, D. C. (2026). In direst peril. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/in-direst-peril (Original work published 1894)
Murray, David Christie. In Direst Peril. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/in-direst-peril.
@book{murray2026direst,
author = {Murray, David Christie},
title = {In Direst Peril},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/in-direst-peril},
note = {First published 1894}
}
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What is In Direst Peril about?
It follows John Fyffe, a soldier of fortune who travels to an Austrian fortress to free the imprisoned father of the woman he loves. After the rescue he faces plots and betrayals in London.
Who is the narrator of In Direst Peril?
The story is told by Captain John Fyffe himself, writing as an old man at the request of his wife. His plain, humorous voice and open admissions of his own faults carry the book.
Is In Direst Peril based on a true story?
It is a work of fiction. It is set in 1847 and 1848, when revolutions spread across Europe, and it uses real events such as the fall of Louis Philippe as its backdrop.
The author
David Christie Murray
1847–1907 · English novelist and journalist
David Christie Murray (1847–1907) was an English journalist and novelist. He was born in West Bromwich and died in London. He worked as a journalist before writing novels. His books, published in the late nineteenth century, include Aunt Rachel, In Direst Peril, and VC: A Chronicle of Castle Barfield and of the Crimea.
“Beware of the women!”
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