 1949 dustjacket | |
| Author | Dornford Yates |
|---|---|
| Series | Chandos books |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Ward Lock & Co [1] |
Publication date | 1949 [1] |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 286 [1] |
| Preceded by | Red in the Morning |
Cost Price is a 1949 adventure novel by the English author Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer), the eighth and last in his 'Chandos' thriller series. It serves as a sequel to his 1932 novel Safe Custody . The book was published in the US under the title The Laughing Bacchante. [2]
With Austria threatened by the Anschluss, John and Olivia Ferrers ask Richard Chandos and Jonathan Mansel to help them recover the priceless carved jewels collection of the Borgia Pope Alexander VI that, at the end of Safe Custody , had been left in a walled-up chamber of Hohenems Castle in Carinthia. Punter, a minor villain who had been part of a previous attempt to steal them, tells the educated crook Friar the story of that venture and Friar, along with his associates Sloper, Orris and Goat, decides to make a further attempt. After Mansel foils them, Friar deliberately attracts the attention of a German, Boler, to try and make Mansel's task more problematic. Diana Revoke, apparently an upper-class Englishwoman, appears on the scene and adds to the heroes' difficulties. Having extracted the gems, and briefly taken refuge in Wagensburg Castle (the scene of the action in Blind Corner ), Chandos joins a group of strolling players led by Jasper and Colette, to help smuggle them over the border into Italy and eventually to England where they are destined for a museum. Other characters from previous novels include the manservants Bell and Carson, Andrew Palin, and Jenny Chandos.
The book was published soon after Mercer had completed the building of a new house in Southern Rhodesia to which he and his wife had retired. This was his replacement for "Cockade" in Southern France (described in The House That Berry Built ) which was empty and still a worry to him. [3]
Mercer's biographer AJ Smithers, writing in 1982, expressed admiration for the way in which Mercer marshalled his characters. By continually bringing back old friends who give the impression of being one big family, his readers feel almost honorary family members themselves. [4]
Cecil William Mercer, known by his pen name Dornford Yates, was an English writer and novelist whose novels and short stories, some humorous, some thrillers, were best-sellers during the Interwar Period.
The House That Berry Built is a 1945 humorous semi-autobiographical novel by the English author Dornford Yates, featuring his recurring 'Berry' characters. It is a lightly fictionalised recounting of the construction of the author's house Cockade in the commune of Eaux-Bonnes, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France.
The Brother of Daphne is a 1914 collection of comic short stories by the English author Dornford Yates, the first book published under the pen name he had been using for magazine pieces since 1910. This was also the first book to feature the group of characters that featured in many of his future works: Bertram ('Berry') Pleydell, his wife and cousin Daphne Pleydell, Daphne's brother Boy Pleydell, another cousin Jonathan ('Jonah') Mansel, and Jonah's younger sister Jill Mansel. The group of five - Berry, Daphne, Boy, Jonah and Jill - later came to be known collectively as 'Berry and Co'.
Berry and Co. is a 1921 collection of comic short stories by the English author Dornford Yates, his third book, featuring his recurring characters Bertram ('Berry') Pleydell, his wife and cousin Daphne Pleydell, Daphne's brother Boy Pleydell, another cousin Jonathan ('Jonah') Mansel, and Jonah's younger sister Jill Mansel. The group of five - Berry, Daphne, Boy, Jonah and Jill - are collectively 'Berry and Co.'
Adèle and Co. is a 1931 comic novel by the English author Dornford Yates, featuring his recurring 'Berry' characters. This was Yates's first full-length Berry novel, following several earlier Berry short story collections. It was the first Berry book to be published in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton, and not to be serialised in The Windsor Magazine.
The Berry Scene is a 1947 collection of comic short stories by the English author Dornford Yates, featuring his recurring 'Berry' characters.
Blind Corner is a 1927 novel by the English author Dornford Yates. The book was the first in his Chandos thriller series and is narrated in the first person by Richard Chandos. In addition to Chandos and his servant Bell, the novel features a cast of characters who recur in many of the later books: George Hanbury and Jonathan Mansel; their respective servants Rowley and Carson; and Tester the Sealyham terrier. Mansel's character also appears as Jonah Mansel in the author's 'Berry' series of comic books and short stories, though he is not written for comic effect in this nor the later 'Chandos' books.
Perishable Goods is a 1928 novel by the English author Dornford Yates, the second in his Chandos thriller series and a sequel to Blind Corner. The story features the recurrent characters Richard Chandos (narrator), Jonathan Mansel and George Hanbury, with their respective servants Bell, Carson and Rowley.
Blood Royal is a 1929 novel by the English author Dornford Yates, the third in his Chandos thriller series. The story features the recurrent characters Richard Chandos (narrator) and George Hanbury, with their servants Bell and Rowley. Jonathan Mansel does not appear in this book.
Fire Below is a 1930 adventure novel by the English author Dornford Yates, the fourth in his Chandos thriller series and a sequel to Blood Royal. The book was published in the US under the title By Royal Command.
She Fell Among Thieves is a 1935 adventure novel by the English author Dornford Yates, the fifth in his 'Chandos' thriller series. It was serialised in Woman's Journal. The title comes from a phrase in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
An Eye for a Tooth is a 1943 adventure novel by the English author Dornford Yates, the sixth in his 'Chandos' thriller series. The events of the story immediately follow those of Blind Corner.
Red in the Morning is a 1946 adventure novel by the English author Dornford Yates, the seventh in his 'Chandos' thriller series. The events of the story immediately follow those of his 1939 novel Gale Warning in which Richard Chandos and Jonathan Mansel appear as characters. The book was published in the US under the title Were Death Denied.
Anthony Lyveden is a 1921 adventure novel by the English author Dornford Yates. It was first published in monthly instalments in The Windsor Magazine. The book was Mercer's first attempt at a full-length novel, and was succeeded by Valerie French which continued the story of the main characters.
The Stolen March is a 1926 fantasy novel by the English author Dornford Yates, first serialised in The Windsor Magazine.
Safe Custody is a 1932 novel by the English author Dornford Yates. It was serialised weekly in five parts in The Saturday Evening Post in October and November 1931 as "Your Castle of Hohenems", illustrated by F. R. Gruger.
Gale Warning is a 1939 novel by the English author Dornford Yates. It was first serialised in Woman's Home Companion.
Although it includes Chandos and Mansel, as a first person narrative by another character it is not normally counted as one of the author's 'Chandos' books.
Shoal Water is a 1940 novel by the English author Dornford Yates. It was first serialised in Blue Book between July and October 1940, as When The Devil Drives, with illustrations by Austin Briggs.
Ne'er-Do-Well is a 1954 detective novel by the English author Dornford Yates, his only work of the genre. Although Richard Chandos narrates, the book is not generally classified as a 'Chandos' title.
 | This article about a thriller novel of the 1940s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page. |