6 h 30 minAudiobook3 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A gray envelope waits beside a clock, and a mother pushes her daughter toward a decision she fears.
In James Hay’s "No Clue!", Catherine Brace wants Mildred to post a letter before the midnight collection. Mildred hesitates, while Gene waits in the next room. The address is Sloanehurst. Neither woman speaks openly about what the letter demands, but their bitter exchange makes clear how much they believe depends on sending it.
At Sloanehurst, consulting detective Jefferson Hastings regrets letting Judge Wilton draw him into talking about his cases. Modest and more comfortable listening, he worries that he has bored his host, Arthur Sloane. He does not know a brutal crime awaits him. This American puzzle mystery sets secrets against an investigator whose patience matters most when answers seem out of reach.
What you’ll discover
- A letter under pressure An envelope beside the mantel clock turns a private disagreement into a tense decision.
- A mother’s hard resolve Catherine’s anger and sudden restraint make Mildred’s hesitation feel dangerous before the letter leaves.
- A quietly engaging detective Meet Hastings, whose modesty and humor offer a welcome contrast to the household’s tensions.
- Secrets worth questioning Weigh private motives and uncertain appearances as the mystery invites you to form your suspicions.
- The pleasure of persistence Follow an investigator who returns to questions and small facts rather than abandoning a cold trail.
Who will love it
For readers who love American puzzle mysteries, secrets and suspects, and the pleasure of matching guesses against a determined detective. It also suits anyone curious about detective fiction between the wars.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A crime sets the puzzle in motion
- Secrets lie behind every suspect
- The detective will not give up
- How the genre shapes the telling
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- Large print hardcover
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Read and hear "No Clue!" in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
"No Clue!"
by James Hay · 1920
A detective refuses to quit as guarded suspects hide their secrets and a murder case offers little evidence.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 4
A crime sets the puzzle in motion
Mysteries of this period usually begin with a crime that disturbs an ordinary household or community. The first pages set out the facts as they seem to be and introduce the people closest to the event. Each of them has a reason to be nearby, and each has something they would rather not explain.
The reader is asked to watch closely from the start. Small details of place, time and behaviour are the raw material of the puzzle. A good mystery plants them early and trusts you to notice them later.
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Who wrote No Clue?
No Clue! was written by James Hay, an American writer of mystery and detective fiction who died in 1936. He worked in the period between the world wars, when puzzle mysteries were very popular.
What kind of book is No Clue?
It is a detective novel in the puzzle tradition. It centres on a crime, a group of suspects with secrets, and an investigator who keeps working on a case that seems to offer little evidence.
Is No Clue a true story?
No. It is a work of fiction written in the early twentieth century. It invents its crime, its suspects and its detective for the pleasure of the reader.
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