The haunting hand by Walter Adolphe Roberts
"The Haunting Hand" by Walter Adolphe Roberts is a mystery novel written in the early 20th century. Set around New York’s film world, it follows aspiring actress Margot Anstruther as an eerie, possibly supernatural intrusion into her lodging collides with studio jealousies, a domineering director, and a loyal cameraman who loves her. The story blends backstage drama with a chilling puzzle centered on a disembodied hand and hints of real-world crime. The
opening of the novel introduces Margot’s lively social circle at a roof-garden party, her wary dynamic with the blustery director Frederick Stoner, and the quiet devotion of cameraman Gene Valery. Conversation turns to a vanished lodger named Stella Ball, a mysterious tenant called Murchison, and even a baffling radium theft, priming the mood for menace. After midnight, Margot witnesses a thin hand slide from beneath her bed to extinguish a burning match; she summons Gene with a coded French call, yet he finds nothing—except a telltale smudge on the rug. When the police keep watch in darkness, one officer also sees the hand snuff a flame, deepening the mystery; by morning at the studio, Margot’s account unsettles Stoner, who warns her against publicity even as he presses a personal interest she firmly rebuffs. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Roberts, Walter Adolphe, 1886-1962 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Gage, George W., 1887-1957 |
| LoC No. | 26006472 |
| Title | The haunting hand |
| Original Publication | New York: The Macaulay Company, 1926. |
| Credits | an anonymous Project Gutenberg volunteer |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Detective and mystery stories |
| Subject | Young women -- Fiction |
| Subject | Man-woman relationships -- Fiction |
| Subject | Motion picture industry -- Fiction |
| Subject | Thrillers (Fiction) |
| Subject | Astoria (New York, N.Y.) -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 78094 |
| Release Date | Mar 2, 2026 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 5207 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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