12 h 5 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 297 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 297 pagesAbout this book
A magistrate lies murdered in his locked library, and a soot-smudged handprint turns a quiet household into a circle of suspects.
In Arthur J. Rees’s The Hand in the Dark, the English countryside offers little shelter from fear. A respected magistrate’s death draws investigators into a household burdened by old grudges and hidden truths. From the grieving widow to the watchful butler, everyone has something to protect—and secrecy can look very much like guilt.
The investigation advances through clues, doubt and careful reasoning. Appearances mislead, motives overlap, and each discovery raises fresh questions about whom to trust. Rees invites you to weigh what people reveal against what they conceal. The stakes reach beyond finding a murderer: how can justice emerge when nobody tells the whole truth?
What you’ll discover
- A locked library Consider a seemingly impossible crime whose enclosed setting makes every clue feel close at hand.
- Secrets that resemble guilt Watch private fears and old resentments complicate the search for a killer.
- A shadowed country household Enter a quiet world where familiar rooms and guarded conversations take on menace.
- A puzzle for patient readers Follow the slow gathering of evidence and test your suspicions as the investigation unfolds.
- Motive beneath appearances Look beyond respectable surfaces to questions of deception, responsibility and what justice demands.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who enjoy classic puzzle mysteries, with atmosphere, suspicion and careful reasoning. It is a good fit for fans of early twentieth century detective fiction. If you want fast modern action, its measured pace may feel slow.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Fear begins with what cannot be seen
- Everyone in the story hides something
- Clues are fair, and patience pays
- Rees writes for the reader who guesses
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
- 12 h 5 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 4 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 297 pages: USD 11.95 when you start free, USD 17.95 on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 297 pages: USD 18.95 when you start free, USD 24.95 on its own.
- 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 · 60-day guarantee
- 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, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: USD 0.14 a day, then USD 0.27 a day, never raised. Or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear The Hand in the Dark 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.
Read it side by side
The Hand in the Dark
by Arthur J. Rees· 1920
A murder in a locked library exposes a household’s secrets.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: English
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 4
Fear begins with what cannot be seen
The title sets the tone. A hand in the dark suggests a danger that has no face, and that idea drives the whole book. Rees works in a tradition where the first fear comes from not knowing who is acting, or why. The reader is asked to feel the dark before any solution comes.
Stories of this kind often lean on night, closed rooms, old houses and sudden silences. Such settings shrink the world, so every sound and every shadow counts. Small events start to feel large. A door left open can matter more than a long speech.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
The author
Arthur J. Rees
1872–1942 · Australian mystery novelist
Arthur J. Rees (1872–1942) was an Australian writer of detective fiction. He was born in Melbourne and later lived in England. He wrote The Hand in the Dark, published in 1920, and The Moon Rock, published in 1922. He also worked as a journalist.
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. 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 - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More like this
Free
Free
Free
Free
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
Questions about The Hand in the Dark
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 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 just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs USD 17.95 on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: USD 11.95 for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is The Hand in the Dark about?
It is a detective mystery by Arthur J. Rees, built around a crime, a circle of people with secrets, and the search for the truth. Its mood is dark and tense, and its pleasure lies in following the clues.
Who wrote The Hand in the Dark?
Arthur J. Rees wrote it. He was a British author of detective and mystery fiction in the early twentieth century, who died in 1942, and he wrote several other crime novels for readers of puzzle stories.
Is The Hand in the Dark a true story?
No, it is a work of fiction, written as a detective novel in the early twentieth century. Like most books of its kind, it invents its crime, its people and its puzzle to entertain the reader.
Popular in mystery and crime
See all
Free
