Smith Investigates Mystery Books in Order

Smith usually rejects cases likely to bring heartbreak, no payment or no solution. When Beatrice accepts the kind of trouble he avoids, husband and wife face an investigation that tests their relationship without their friends’ help.

Smith understands criminals and hidden lives, but struggles when an objectionable acquaintance enters his friends’ circle. Their involvement with his enemy leaves him worried and uncertain, while Beatrice approaches the problem with a clearer idea of action.

Smith investigates a missing girl whose likely abductor works at Scotland Yard. Challenging the police risks exposing his own illegal activities and endangering his family, while Beatrice tries to keep him alive as the inquiry deepens.

An acquaintance of Smith becomes obsessed with Beatrice and the apparent transformation she has brought to her husband. As his wife faces danger, Smith must confront the threat and the fierceness of his own protective instincts.

Smith’s former lover returns seeking help, but Beatrice is the one persuaded to accept her case. Despite the woman’s troubling behavior, Bea draws Smith and Violet into an investigation complicated by his past and her own loyalty.

Beatrice knows her husband John Smith can be capable of both wrongdoing and kindness. When he appears to frighten her deliberately, she must question his motives, confront her fear, and discover the truth he seems determined to conceal.

Smith and Beatrice search for a missing woman whose manipulation has made others miserable. As they investigate, professional duty collides with sympathy for her victims, leaving them uncertain whether finding her would really serve those around her.