The Great Impersonation

By E. Phillips Oppenheim

East Africa, 1913. The disgraced English aristocrat Everard Dominey stumbles out of the bush, and comes face to face with his lookalike – the German Baron von Ragastein.

Months later, Dominey returns to London and resumes his glittering social life. But is it really Dominey who has come back– or a German secret agent seeking to infiltrate English high society? As international tension mounts and the great powers of Europe move closer to war, Dominey finds himself entangled in a story of suspicion and intrigue. He must try to evade his insane and murderous wife as well as escape the attentions of the passionate Princess Eiderstrom – and will eventually uncover the secret of the ghost that haunts his ancestral home.

This classic thriller was hugely popular when it was first published in 1920, selling over one million copies in that year alone, and was filmed three times. It was selected by the Guardian as one of 1000 novels everyone must read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Release date: Nov 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781464206566

E. Phillips Oppenheim

E. Phillips Oppenheim (1866-1946) was a bestselling English novelist. Born in London, he attended London Grammar School until financial hardship forced his family to withdraw him in 1883. For the next two decades, he worked for his father’s business as a leather merchant, but pursued a career as a writer on the side. With help from his father, he published his first novel, Expiation, in 1887, launching a career that would see him write well over one hundred works of fiction. In 1892, Oppenheim married Elise Clara Hopkins, with whom he raised a daughter. During the Great War, Oppenheim wrote propagandist fiction while working for the Ministry of Information. As he grew older, he began dictating his novels to a secretary, at one point managing to compose seven books in a single year. With the success of such novels as The Great Impersonation (1920), Oppenheim was able to purchase a villa in France, a house on the island of Guernsey, and a yacht. Unable to stay in Guernsey during the Second World War, he managed to return before his death in 1946 at the age of 79.

Reviews for The Great Impersonation

[rayub-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good deception. Well written.

[chilirlw_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is set mostly in England right before the First World War. It's a captivating, quickly moving tale of espionage that begins with a chance meeting in the African bush of two old schoolmates, one German, one English, who bear a striking resemblance to each other. One of them has a brilliant idea: he could impersonate the other, thereby gaining access to the higher levels of his society.I did guess at the macguffin in this book; it says a lot for the writer's accomplishment that I was still enthralled to see how the plot works itself out. The story has the same sort of feel about it that DuMaurier's _Rebecca_ has--I think anyone who enjoys one would definitely enjoy the other. Highly recommended.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very enjoyable. I figured out the ending long before the book was over, but it did not impact my enjoyment in the least. There were still many loose ends that were tied up very satisfyingly -- good unity to the book. The characters were nicely drawn, although I must admit I had trouble following exactly who a couple of the minor characters actually were. Altogether enjoyable though and I will seek out more of his public domain works.

[leslie398 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent espionage suspense novel set in the time leading up to WW1. Two men who look amazingly alike, one German and one English, meet in German East Africa. Which one is it that returns to England as Everard Dominey?? Added to that is the mystery surrounding Dominey's wife and the circumstances which led him to leave England in the first place.I listened to the LibriVox recording by Tim Weiss which was fine though a tad slow in its pace for my taste.

[liz1564 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel was sent to me by the publisher Poisoned Pen Press via Net Gallery. It was originally published by Hodder and Stoughton in 1920. Thank you. Sir Everard Dominey and Baron Leopold von Ragastein are doppelgangers. They could be identical twins, even though one is upper class English and the other upper class German. Not only that, both men lived in the same house at Eton, attended Magdelen and even belonged to the same rowing team. The German speaks English with no accent and Dominey speaks German like a native. But in 1913, the two men have very different lives. At 36, von Ragastein is a highly placed representative of his government in Africa where he travels the continent recruiting allies and training the Africans to fight for Germany in the coming world conflict. Dominey is a dissipated alcoholic wreck who has spent the last ten years in Africa shooting animals and spending down his family fortune. When, nearly dying, Dominey stumbles into von Ragastein’s camp, the plan is hatched. As he become reacquainted with his school friend, von Ragastein realizes that Dominey only needs a little help to put an end to his miserable existence. Ragastein could assume the Englishman’s identity and instill himself in the highest aristocratic and political circles in England, to become Germany’s secret agent in the enemy’s most important enclaves.So nine months later, healthy and flush with wealth, Dominey presents himself to his astonished solicitors, intent on paying off his debts, restoring his estates, and reclaiming his social and political positions. It appears a foolproof scheme. Everyone seems eager to accept his story of gold mines in Africa finally paying off, especially since he is willing to spend lavishly to “better” Anglo-German relations. He has the ear of the English politicians who are perhaps too loose-lipped about plans for war and are happy to listen to someone who may help to prevent the conflict by diplomatic means.Unfortunately for his plans, Dominey faces two problems, both of them female. Von Ragastein initially was banished to Africa because of his torrid affair with a married woman. Princess Eiderstrom is in London and immediately recognizes the Englishman as her lover. Though he denies it, she will not be dissuaded and if she is not stopped, she can give away the game. The second problem is the same. Dominey’s wife Rosamund absolutely believes this man is not her husband. Only the fact that she has been insane for 10 years minimizes the damage her statements could cause.As the man calling himself Everald Dominey walks the tightrope to serve his country, the tension mounts. This part of the novel is a wonderful story and I wish that it could have been expanded to fill the entire book. Unfortunately, the author adds a lengthy subplot which is the essence of Edwardian melodrama. Dominey fled to Africa to escape an unproven murder charge, the alleged killing of a man stalking his wife. When he stumbles out of a cursed wood, the sight of him covered in blood and with a broken arm sends his wife into a mental breakdown. There are ghosts, banchee-like howlings, secret passages, a really wet heroine, and a predictable denouement to this aspect of the book.So a five-star read is lowered to four stars. Still, this is a really good early novel in the espionage genre.