The Secret of the Smoked Spectacles

Written by William Le Queux

Narrated by Cathy Dobson

William Le Queux (1864 - 1927) was an Anglo-French journalist and writer, diplomat, traveller, flying buff and wireless pioneer who broadcast music from his own station long before radio was generally available.

He was phenomenally successful as a novelist and short story writer, and many of his tales are based on his own exploits, albeit vastly exaggerated. He is widely recongnized as one of the first creators of the spy story genre, in which his diplomatic background, familiarity with European high society and his interest in technology combined to create a rich tapestry for his intrigues.

The Secret of the Smoked Spectaclesis a strange tale of intrigue in which a mysterious man in spectacles appears at oddly fortuitous moments to help our secret agent out of peril, and yet appears weighed down by a great and inexplicable sorrow of his own. The solution of the mystery is one of the strangest stories ever told.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Red Door Consulting
• Release date: Oct 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9781467697583

William Le Queux

William Le Queux (1864-1927) was an Anglo-French journalist, novelist, and radio broadcaster. Born in London to a French father and English mother, Le Queux studied art in Paris and embarked on a walking tour of Europe before finding work as a reporter for various French newspapers. Towards the end of the 1880s, he returned to London where he edited Gossip and Piccadilly before being hired as a reporter for The Globe in 1891. After several unhappy years, he left journalism to pursue his creative interests. Le Queux made a name for himself as a leading writer of popular fiction with such espionage thrillers as The Great War in England in 1897 (1894) and The Invasion of 1910 (1906). In addition to his writing, Le Queux was a notable pioneer of early aviation and radio communication, interests he maintained while publishing around 150 novels over his decades long career.