The Great Impersonation

By E. Phillips Oppenheim and Edward Phillips Oppenheim

Book Overview

Excerpt: ...the Hall. At a reasonable distance on his left, four other guns were posted. On one side of him stood Middleton, leaning on his ash stick and listening to the approach of the beaters; on the other, Seaman, curiously out of place in his dark grey suit and bowler hat. The old keeper, whom time seemed to have cured of all his apprehensions, was softly garrulous and very happy. "That do seem right to have a Squire Dominey at this corner," he observed, watching a high cock pheasant come crashing down over their heads. "I mind when the Squire, your father, sir, gave up this corner one day to Lord Wendermere, whom folks called one of the finest pheasant shots in England, and though they streamed over his head like starlings, he'd nowt but a few cripples to show for his morning's work." "Come out with a bit of a twist from the left, don't they?" Dominey remarked, repeating his late exploit. "They do that, sir," the old man assented, "and no one but a Dominey seems to have learnt the knack of dealing with them proper. That foreign Prince, so they say, is well on to his birds, but I wouldn't trust him at this corner." The old man moved off a few paces to some higher ground, to watch the progress of the beaters through the wood. Seaman turned to his companion, and there was a note of genuine admiration in his tone. "My friend," he declared, "You are a miracle. You seem to have developed the Dominey touch even in killing pheasants." "You must remember that I have shot higher ones in Hungary," was the easy reply. "I am not a sportsman," Seaman admitted. "I do not understand sport. But I do know this: there is an old man who has lived on this land since the day of his birth, who has watched you shoot, reverently, and finds even the way you hold your gun familiar." "That twist of the birds," Dominey explained, "is simply a local superstition. The wood ends on the slant, and they seem to be flying more to the left than they really are." Seaman gazed steadfastly...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0891904123
• ISBN13: 9780891904120
• Release Date: September 1948
• Publisher: Amereon Ltd
• Length: 166 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.8" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

An unforgettable novel

Through the years there are always certain books that one never forgets, for whatever reason,and often through the last sixty years I remember "The Great Impersonation" which I read at the age of 15. Not a difficult read, yet it holds its reader until the last page. The intrigue and the characters all fit so well that I feel, though not a classic per se, it is a skillful story not to be ignored by any reader. In fact, I am buying a couple of copies for the newer generation so it can be enjoyed for years to come.

Pre WWI -spy thriller

Terrific book, exciting, suspenseful, and I couldn't tell that it was written at that time. I read a lot of vintage mysteries -- many are good, but obviously done in a style not suited to today's reader. This could easily have been written today, it is suspenseful without being overly melodramatic. I read it straight through, it was that exciting. And it's free. I'm going to download a lot of his other books as well.

the great impersonation

one of the best books ever done on spys, the prose is quaint and interesting considering the date written (1925). Wonderful plot and even a love story. One of my all time favorites.

Looking for a Jolly Good Read?

This is storytelling at its peak. Although a rather just-state-the-facts author, Oppenheim created a delightful story by doing just that: weaving facts into a web that cannot be deciphered until the final chapter. He led the reader through a seemingly straightforward spy novel, only dropping hints at what was to come. This is a great read for anyone who likes their classics served with a twist.