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About the Author: Andrew McAleer is the author of many books including the 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists and the forthcoming A Casebook of Crime (January 2025, Level Best Books), featuring detective Henry von Stray, a character created in 1937 during the Golden Age of Mystery by his father, Edgar winner John McAleer.
As the celebrated private detective Henry von Stray’s official historiographer, I have long held that the singular events occurring on Guy Fawkes Day 1921, led to von Stray becoming recognized as one of the world’s foremost criminologists of his day. The baffling affair not only exhibits many examples of his unique insight into the criminal mindset, but also demonstrates his ingenious ability to use his specialized skills in this area to outwit some of the most cunning members of the criminal fraternity and, I am delighted to report, beat them at their own game.
I began the early part of the holiday uncovering what I couldn’t help but conclude was an evil plot to ransack the annual awards dinner von Stray and I had planned to attend that evening at the Fraternal Order of Benevolent Walnuts. A celebration I might add in which I would be receiving the Club’s most prestigious award—Honored Walnut of the Year.
In preparation of the important festivity I removed my official Club stickpin from my dress jacket’s lapel buttonhole for a final inspection and polish. It was then I observed its stick was bent and badly fractured. It would never do if during my acceptance speech the pin toppled off at the foot of the Club’s highest-ranking member the Honorable Veritable Walnut Sir Percy Stonyhurst Berrycloth. Without haste I ran to our telephone to make arrangements with our friend and local jeweler Mrs. Amalasand Omloop to schedule an urgent repair; however, after several attempts to get through, the operator informed me the telephone call failed to reach the intended party.
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