6 h 31 minAudiobook16 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 if the gentleman who knows every rule of polite society is also the criminal who breaks them?
In The Golden Face, William Le Queux places a gentleman crook at the centre of a world built on appearances. Manners offer no guarantee of honesty. This criminal has nerve and a code of his own, making him both an intriguing hero and a threat in a brisk crime adventure.
False names, hidden motives and carefully staged appearances drive the intrigue. Even friendship offers uncertain ground when people hold back the truth. As danger presses in, loyalty means choosing between duty, affection and self-interest. Set in Edwardian Britain and Europe, the story invites you to look beneath every polished surface.
What you’ll discover
- A crook with manners Meet a gentleman criminal whose nerve and personal code complicate the line between hero and threat.
- Appearances that deceive Follow an intrigue where false names and hidden motives make trust a dangerous choice.
- Loyalty under pressure Explore the strain of choosing between personal affection, a sense of duty and self-interest.
- An Edwardian world Enter Britain and Europe in an age of fast travel and fascination with hidden danger.
- Brisk old-fashioned intrigue Enjoy a crime adventure driven by deception, divided loyalties and a criminal at ease in society.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy clever heists, hidden jewels, disguises and chases across Europe will find plenty here, as will anyone who likes a first-person confession, a master criminal with charm, and a love story tangled up in crime.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A strange job and a heavy suitcase
- Stolen gems travel inside a hat
- A false hump and a framed man
- Three white lights beside the railway line
- A pretty thief and a ruby called the Cat's Tooth
- An old gentleman, a trip to Madrid, a painted envelope
- Italian puzzles and a silver spider
- What the story is really about
- How the story is told
Who’s who
- George HargreaveA jobless ex-officer hired as chauffeur, who tells the story, is drawn into crime against his will, and wants above all to protect Lola.
- Rudolph RayneThe charming Yorkshire squire of Overstow, secretly the master of a vast gang, who leaves the risk to others and keeps his own hands out of the danger.
- Lola RayneRayne's dark-eyed daughter, who suspects her father's secrets, listens at doors and wants the truth, while growing close to George.
- Vincent DuperréRayne's right-hand man and George's old army captain under another name, ingenious with tricks and ready to carry out the dirty work.
- Madame DuperréDuperré's wife, a polished and widely traveled woman who runs the household and keeps a sharp eye on Lola and George.
- Arthur BentonThe honest Scotland Yard superintendent, famous for solving great cases, who is determined to catch the unknown chief of the gang.
- Betty TressiderA clever girl thief who poses as Lady Lydbrook and lures George into stealing for her.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 6 h 31 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 16 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear The Golden Face 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.
The Golden Face
by William Le Queux · 1922
A Yorkshire squire hires a chauffeur and sends him across Europe with a locked suitcase that weighs too much.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
The Golden Face is a crime adventure by William Le Queux, an English writer who died in 1927. It is set just after the First World War and told in the first person by George Hargreave, a former army officer with little money and no prospects.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A strange job and a heavy suitcase
George Hargreave leaves the army with a small gratuity and no work. He answers an advertisement in The Times asking for a gentleman who drives well, speaks foreign languages and can be trusted. The advertiser is Rudolph Rayne, who receives him in a West End hotel, asks whether he can sing, and hires him after a half minute of keen gray-eyed staring.
George notices a dark-eyed girl on a settee who watches him closely. She is Lola, Rayne's daughter. The next day the whole party travels north to Overstow Hall, a large modern mansion in Yorkshire, where George is surprised to find that the staff includes no women at all. A middle-aged guest called Madame seems to run the house and keeps a close watch on Lola.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Golden Face
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Golden Face about?
It follows George Hargreave, a jobless officer hired by a Yorkshire squire named Rudolph Rayne. He learns that his employer leads a gang of thieves and is drawn into robberies, schemes and chases across Europe, while loving Rayne's daughter Lola.
Who is The Golden Face in the book?
The Golden Face is the nickname of Rudolph Rayne, the secret chief of the gang. His friends call him that after he wore a half mask of beaten gold to a Paris ball, and it keeps his identity hidden.
Who is Lola in The Golden Face?
Lola is Rayne's dark-eyed daughter. She senses that her father's business is odd, listens in secret and warns George with a note. She grows close to George, and her safety is his main reason to stay in the squire's service.
The author
William Le Queux
1864–1927 · Anglo-French novelist
William Le Queux (1864–1927) was an Anglo-French writer born in London. He died in Knokke, Belgium. He wrote novels about espionage, crime and war. His books include The Great War in England in 1897, published in 1894, and The Czar’s Spy, published in 1905. He also worked with radio.
More by William Le Queux
All 10 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
