Beadle's Dime Library No. 728

Catalog Description *The Great Shadower's Baffling Case: A Story of False Clues and a Woman's Art* by Harold Payne is a detective mystery serialized in this October 1892 issue of Beadle and Adams's weekly publication. The narrative follows the renowned detective Thaddeus Burr, summoned by Inspector Byrnes to investigate the murder of Roger Clayburn in the village of Plainfield, New Jersey. Young physician Eldridge Mortimer, recently acquitted of the crime despite public suspicion, has hired Burr to prove his innocence. Mortimer reveals that Doretha St. Cloud, a village belle and the victim's romantic rival, has confessed in a letter to committing the murder in revenge for Clayburn's seduction and abandonment. However, Burr quickly deems the confession insincere, detecting a woman's devoted sacrifice rather than genuine guilt. The investigation proceeds with Burr examining contradictory evidence and hidden motives among the principal parties.