The case of the Black Twenty-Two

"The Case of the Black Twenty-Two" by Brian Flynn is a detective novel written in the late 1920s. The story revolves around Peter Daventry, a junior partner at a London law firm, who finds himself embroiled in a mystery involving stolen antiques and intertwined murders. As he navigates through this labyrinth of deception, the eccentricities of his clients and the sinister happenings in the background keep the reader engaged in a mix of humor and suspense. At the start of the novel, Peter Daventry is introduced as a somewhat disillusioned young solicitor, reflecting on the tedium of his work while preparing for a peculiar commission from an American millionaire collector, Laurence P. Stewart. He is tasked with acquiring three historical items linked to Mary, Queen of Scots, but soon finds himself connecting with other characters, including Mr. Linnell, his senior partner, and an array of shadowy figures that add intrigue to the narrative. As events unfold, a robbery and a murder occur at the Hanover Galleries, where the very items Daventry was to acquire go missing, setting off a chain of investigations that hint at deeper complexities and eventual lethal consequences.