# Inspector French’s Greatest Case — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for Inspector French’s Greatest Case by Freeman Wills Crofts.

- [I: Murder!](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/i-murder.md): On a dreary November evening in Hatton Garden, Constable James Alcorn discovers the body of Charles Gething, murdered in the office of Duke & Peabody. Inspector French arrives to investigate, finding the safe open and a 
- [II: The Firm of Duke and Peabody](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/ii-the-firm-of-duke-and-peabody.md): Inspector French interviews Mr. Duke and the clerk Orchard about the murder of Charles Gething. Mr. Duke describes the firm's structure and staff, expresses full confidence in Gething, and reveals the mystery of the safe
- [III: Gathering the Threads](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/iii-gathering-the-threads.md): Inspector French investigates the murder of Charles Gething, weighing evidence of financial motive against Gething's known character. He forms a tentative theory that Gething planned to steal from the safe but was killed
- [IV: Missing](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/iv-missing.md): Ten days after the murder of Charles Gething, Inspector French receives a call from Mr. Duke, who reports that his traveling agent Vanderkemp has disappeared from the Amsterdam office. French travels to Amsterdam to inve
- [French Takes a Journey](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/v-french-takes-a-journey.md): Inspector French receives news that two of the stolen banknotes have been paid into a bank in Reading by Colonel FitzGeorge. He travels to Reading to interview the Colonel, who believes he received the notes from the man
- [VI: The Hotel in Barcelona](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/vi-the-hotel-in-barcelona.md): Inspector French travels to Barcelona in pursuit of Jan Vanderkemp. After a long journey, he checks into the Hôtel d’Orient and begins searching for his suspect. He locates Vanderkemp at a smaller hotel and, using a ruse
- [VII: Concerning a Wedding](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/vii-concerning-a-wedding.md): Inspector French investigates the postponed wedding of Miss Duke and Stanley Harrington, suspecting a connection to the murder. He gathers information through Sergeant Nolan's conversations with the housemaid Rachael, le
- [Sylvia and Harrington](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/viii-sylvia-and-harrington.md): Inspector French intensifies his interrogation of Harrington and Sylvia Duke, probing their movements on the night of the murder. He confronts Harrington about stopping the taxi near Hatton Garden and later questions Syl
- [Mrs. Root of Pittsburg](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/ix-mrs-root-of-pittsburg.md): Inspector French, deflated by his lack of progress on the Gething case, is summoned by his chief and assigned a new lead: diamonds resembling those stolen from Duke & Peabody have turned up at a moneylender's. French vis
- [X: Some Pairs of Blankets](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/x-some-pairs-of-blankets.md): Inspector French investigates the mysterious Mrs. Root by visiting the Savoy, where he confirms her signature and learns she left abruptly after three nights. He then consults his friend at Dashford's Inquiry Agency abou
- [XI: A Deal in Jewellery](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/xi-a-deal-in-jewellery.md): Inspector French investigates the transactions of Mrs. X, who purchased jewellery from six different shops using cheques from the stolen Duke diamonds. He theorizes that the purchases were part of a plan to convert the d
- [XII: The Elusive Mrs. X](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/xii-the-elusive-mrs-x.md): Inspector French investigates the identity of Mrs. X by tracing her movements and the mysterious trunks of blankets brought from America. He interviews customs officers and the purser of the Olympic, identifies eight wom
- [Mrs. French Takes a Notion](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/xiii-mrs-french-takes-a-notion.md): Inspector French's wife suggests that the elusive Mrs. X is a former actress, leading French to identify her as Cissie Winter. He interviews theatrical producers Mr. Rohmer and Mr. Jacques, learning of her past career an
- [XIV: Tragedy](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/xiv-tragedy.md): Inspector French learns that Mr. Duke has committed suicide by jumping overboard during a crossing from Harwich to the Hook. He visits Miss Duke to break the news, then meets with the solicitors and Mr. Schoofs at the fi
- [XV: The House in St. John's Wood](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/xv-the-house-in-st-john-s-wood.md): Inspector French, interrupted during supper, learns from Constable Caldwell that the woman from the circular has been identified as Mrs. Henry Vane of Crewe Lodge in St. John's Wood. French visits the house, finds it des
- [XVI: A Hot Scent](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/xvi-a-hot-scent.md): Inspector French, now with multiple leads, prioritizes tracing Mrs. Vane. He sets assistants to find the maid Susan Scott, interviews the bank manager Mr. Harrod about Mrs. Vane's dwindling account and suspicious deposit
- [A Deal in Stocks](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/xvii-a-deal-in-stocks.md): Inspector French investigates a stock transaction list found in Mrs. Vane's letter, consulting a stockbroker friend who reveals the list does not add up and appears fraudulent. French realizes the figures may be a cipher
- [The S.S. Enoch](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/xviii-the-s-s-enoch.md): Inspector French arrives in Le Havre to arrest Mr. and Mrs. Vane aboard the S.S. Enoch, only to discover they disembarked before the ship sailed, leaving behind empty suitcases as part of a false trail. After reporting t
- [French Propounds a Riddle](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/xix-french-propounds-a-riddle.md): Inspector French returns to Captain Davis's ship, convinced that the Vanes are still aboard despite the captain's earlier search. He devises a plan to flush them out by announcing a riddle competition during a ship conce
- [Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/inspector_french_s_greatest_case_se/chapters/xx-conclusion.md): Inspector French reconstructs the full details of the murder of Charles Gething and the diamond theft, revealing Reginald Ainsley Duke's double life as Mr. Vane, his embezzlement, and the conspiracy with Cissie Winter to

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