11 h 16 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
What good is a brilliant eye for crime when the enemy stays hidden?
Sanford Quest solves crimes that baffle the police. His tools are sharp observation, nerve, and a close knowledge of how criminals think. In The Black Box, E. Phillips Oppenheim puts this celebrated criminologist against a dangerous opponent whose full threat remains out of sight.
A mysterious object gives the story its title, while pursuit and secrecy keep the pressure rising. Quest faces enemies as careful as he is, in a world of private investigators and secret dealings. The stakes turn on knowledge and trust: who sees the danger clearly, and who can be believed?
What you’ll discover
- A mind worth following Watch Quest bring observation and nerve to crimes that leave the police baffled.
- An opponent in shadow Feel the pressure of a dangerous foe whose full threat remains concealed.
- Trust under strain Follow a contest of minds where knowing whom to trust becomes part of the danger.
- Pursuit without pause Short chapters carry you through secrecy, sudden danger, and a plot that keeps moving.
- Early detective thrills Enjoy a crime story built for brisk entertainment, with clear dangers and a clever investigator.
Who will love it
For readers who love early detective fiction, brisk plots and a clever investigator against a shadowy foe, with secrets, pursuit and close escapes.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A criminologist at the center
- Crime and pursuit drive the pace
- Wit and nerve against a hidden foe
- A book of its time and style
Who’s who
- Sanford QuestA celebrated criminologist who uses sharp observation and nerve to solve crimes that defeat the police, and who is drawn into a dangerous case.
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- Large print hardcover
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The Black Box
by E. Phillips Oppenheim· 1915
Sanford Quest pits sharp observation and nerve against a hidden foe in a dangerous pursuit full of secrets.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 4
A criminologist at the center
The story is built around Sanford Quest, a criminologist whose reputation rests on his skill at solving crimes that baffle the police. Oppenheim gives the reader a hero who works by observation, nerve and a close knowledge of how criminals think.
This was a popular figure in the years when the detective story was fast becoming a favorite form. Readers had already met the great sleuths of Britain and America, and Oppenheim offers his own version, a man who treats crime as a problem to be mastered.
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What is The Black Box by E. Phillips Oppenheim about?
It is a crime thriller about a gifted criminologist who pits his skill against dangerous opponents. The story is a tale of detection, pursuit and secrets, told in fast, short chapters.
Who is Sanford Quest?
Sanford Quest is the criminologist at the center of the book. He is a confident investigator who solves cases that baffle the police, and the story follows his struggle against a hidden threat.
Who was E. Phillips Oppenheim?
He was an English writer of popular fiction who died in 1946. He produced a very large number of thrillers and spy stories and was widely read in the early twentieth century.
The author
E. Phillips Oppenheim
1866–1946 · English thriller novelist
Edward Phillips Oppenheim was an English novelist, born in London in 1866. He lived in Leicester and later on Guernsey, where he died in 1946. He wrote novels and short stories, including The Yellow Crayon (1903), The Zeppelin’s Passenger (1918), and The Great Impersonation (1920).
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