Other editions of book The Zeppelin's Passenger

A World War I tale of espionage in a fictional "backwater" area in England with no apparent military value called Dreymarsh. The story begins with Dreymarsh residents discovering an observation car from a German zeppelin along with a Homburg hat near Dreymarsh. This discovery triggers a range of events and introduces a myriad of characters which all make for a rather delightful mystery. Oppenheim was famous for his hundreds of spy and espionage novels. He is considered one of the originators of the thriller genre, his novels also range from spy thrillers to romance, but all have an undertone of intrigue. "The Zeppelin Passenger" is the most audacious German spy story with a strong hint of romance that Mr. Oppenheim has heretofore written.

Never heard a sound, the younger of the afternoon callers admitted, getting rid of his empty cup and leaning forward in his low chair. "No more tea, thank you, Miss Fairclough. Done splendidly, thanks. No, I went to bed last night soon after eleven - the Colonel had been route marching us all off our legs - and I never awoke until reveille this morning. Sleep of the just, and all that sort of thing, but a jolly sell, all the same! You hear anything of it, sir?" he asked, turning to his companion, who was seated a few feet away. Captain Griffiths shook his head. He was a man considerably older than his questioner, with long, nervous face, and thick black hair streaked with grey. His fingers were bony, his complexion, for a soldier, curiously sallow, and notwithstanding his height, which was considerable, he was awkward, at times almost uncouth. His voice was hard and unsympathetic, and his contributions to the tea-table talk had been almost negligible

This war thriller was published in the U. S. in 1918 (the English edition was published in 1919 under the title Mr Lessingham Goes Home). Since the Armistice was not declared until November 1918, we can deduce that Oppenheim wrote the novel while Britain was still embroiled in World War I. Germany was using the zeppelins of the title to bomb London, but as the book opens one of these dirigibles crashes in the English countryside. Its passenger, Baron Maderstrom, finds refuge in an English country house. He brings Lady Cranston news of her brother, a prisoner of war in Germany whose release he promises to secure. On the point of denouncing him as a spy, Lady Cranston is persuaded to harbor the Baron by her brother's fiance, Helen Fairclough, and to pass him off as an English houseguest going under the name of Hamar Lessingham. These three main characters are soon joined on stage by Phillipa Cranston's husband. Once a devoted spouse, Sir Richard Cranston is now regarded by his wife as a slacker who is not doing his part in the war effort. The heroine's ability to simultaneously despise her unpatriotic husband while concealing a German spy from the authorities who are searching for him is only one of many implausible plot contrivances the reader must swallow. Some of Oppenheim's thrillers are quite readable depictions of espionage activities, but The Zeppelin's Passenger is simply incredible. The last section of the book, should the reader persevere, jumps the shark even further. by CrimeQueen2

Edward Phillips Oppenheim (1866-1946), was an English novelist, in his lifetime a major and successful writer of genre fiction including thrillers. Featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1918, he was the self-styled "prince of storytellers. " He composed more than a hundred novels, mostly of the suspense and international intrigue nature, as well as romances, comedies, and parables of everyday life. Perhaps Oppenheim's most enduring creation is the character of General Besserley, the protagonist of General Besserley's Puzzle Box and General Besserley's New Puzzle Box (one of his last works). His work possesses a unique charm, featuring protagonists who delight in Epicurean meals, surroundings of intense luxury, and the relaxed pursuit of criminal practice, on either side of the law. His first novel was about England and Canada, called Expiation (1887); followed by such titles as The Betrayal (1904), The Avenger (1907), The Governors (1908), The Double Life of Mr. Alfred Burton (1913), An Amiable Charlatan (1915), The Black Box (1915), The Double Traitor (1915), The Cinema Murder (1917), The Box with Broken Seals (1919), The Devil's Paw (1920) and The Evil Shepherd (1922).

This war thriller was published in the U. S. in 1918 (the English edition was published in 1919 under the title Mr Lessingham Goes Home). Since the Armistice was not declared until November 1918, we can deduce that Oppenheim wrote the novel while Britain was still embroiled in World War I. Germany was using the zeppelins of the title to bomb London, but as the book opens one of these dirigibles crashes in the English countryside. Its passenger, Baron Maderstrom, finds refuge in an English country house. He brings Lady Cranston news of her brother, a prisoner of war in Germany whose release he promises to secure. On the point of denouncing him as a spy, Lady Cranston is persuaded to harbor the Baron by her brother's fiance, Helen Fairclough, and to pass him off as an English houseguest going under the name of Hamar Lessingham. These three main characters are soon joined on stage by Phillipa Cranston's husband. Once a devoted spouse, Sir Richard Cranston is now regarded by his wife as a slacker who is not doing his part in the war effort. The heroine's ability to simultaneously despise her unpatriotic husband while concealing a German spy from the authorities who are searching for him is only one of many implausible plot contrivances the reader must swallow. Some of Oppenheim's thrillers are quite readable depictions of espionage activities, but The Zeppelin's Passenger is simply incredible. The last section of the book, should the reader persevere, jumps the shark even further. by CrimeQueen2

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Nothing is as it seems at Wood Norton. A Zeppelin on a midnight flight over the English coast nearly crashes, leaving behind its observation car–and a Homberg hat. A mysterious stranger who appears from nowhere bearing news of Lady Cranston’s brother, who languishes as a German prisoner of war. And Sir Henry Cranston, who refuses to come out of retirement at a time when his country is in need, but prefers instead to spend his time fishing. The fate of nations and of two lovers separated by war depends on discovering the secret of... The Zeppelin’s Passenger!

The self styled prince of tales tells a charming and intriguing tale with the Zeppellin's passenger. Excerpt: "Never heard a sound," the younger of the afternoon callers admitted, getting rid of his empty cup and leaning forward in his low chair. "No more tea, thank you, Miss Fairclough. Done splendidly, thanks. No, I went to bed last night soon after eleven--the Colonel had been route marching us all off our legs --and I never awoke until reveille this morning.