Stolen Souls (1895) is a short story collection by Anglo-French writer William Le Queux. Published at the beginning of Le Queux’s career as a leading author of popular thrillers, Stolen Souls contains stories of mystery, espionage, and international crime. Using his own research and experience as a journalist and adventurer, Le Queux crafts an accessible, entertaining world for readers in search of a literary escape. Known for his works of fiction and nonfiction on the possibility of Germany invading Britain-a paranoia common in the early twentieth century-William Le Queux also wrote dozens of thrillers and adventure novels for a dedicated public audience. Although critical acclaim eluded him, popular success made him one of England’s bestselling writers. Stolen Souls is a collection of fourteen entertaining and thought-provoking short stories set throughout Europe. In The Soul of Princess Tchikhatzoff, an English journalist enters a popular restaurant on Nevski Prospekt in St. Petersburg. Dining alone, he cannot help but notice the strange couple sitting at the table next to him. The man, handsome, with a devious look in his eye, seems to be controlling the conversation, while his partner, a beautiful, ornately dressed woman, looks entirely uncomfortable. After they’ve left, the journalist goes out into the frigid Russian night, when suddenly a stranger approaches who cryptically invites him to a meeting of local Nihilists. In The Golden Hand, a reporter on assignment in Spain receives a tip to where the nation’s leaders-who have fled Madrid in a time of unrest-will be staying. Hungry for a story, anxious to provide information to the British people, and overall looking to break with several months of aimless wandering, he checks into his hotel and awaits his chance. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of William Le Queux’s Stolen Souls is a classic short story collection reimagined for modern readers.
