Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 39

Death-Face, the Detective: Life and Love in New York Edward L. Wheeler's serial novel opens with a murder in Central Park. Young Celia Orwick awaits a meeting in a secluded arbor; the wealthy dandy Dock Raymond finds her there and confesses his love before departing. Ned St. Cloud then arrives—Celia confronts him, demanding marriage and threatening to expose him as a blackguard. When he refuses, St. Cloud strangles her in a violent assault, leaving her dead on a bench. The narrative shifts to the following day as a cadet-dressed gentleman appears on sweltering Baxter Street, repeatedly stopping at saloons before pausing before a brick building. Wheeler employs melodramatic conventions typical of penny-dreadful detective fiction: passionate romantic intrigue, dark secrets, sudden violence, and urban New York settings. The story interweaves multiple male figures vying for Celia's affections against St. Cloud's murderous rage.