The Million Dollar Mystery
(Grosset & Dunlap, 1915)
Suppose someone told you there were a million dollars in cash hidden somewhere in your house. What would you do? It's easy to imagine my reaction. I'd have the place gutted from floor to ceiling, and damned if I didn't find the stash. Well, this story involves just that-- with a twist.
Let me introduce you to Braine. He's a swell chap, for sure, but if you get in his way he'll mow you down. He, too, is looking for $1,000,000. But it isn't located in his own house. It's concealed in the house of his enemy, Hargreave. Only Hargreave's butler knows where it is for sure, and Braine must use all his cleverness to lure him away long enough to get in the place. Braine, you see, is head of "The Black Hundred," one of the most notorious criminal organizations in the world. He has all sorts of devices at hand, and he's willing to use them. Blackmail, threats, kidnapping, violence, death-- you name it, Braine's a general specialist. And he's aided by the "Countess Olga Perigoff." That's royalty with a vengeance.
Hargreave has the Black Hundred on his tail, so he must flee. He leaves Jones, the butler, in charge of the loot. And also in charge of his daughter, Florence. When Braine discovers that Hargreave has a daughter, he works her into his schemes. Now enter Jim Norton, newspaper journalist and secret detective. He senses something suspicious about Braine and the Countess, so he decides to enter the general roll of good guys. But Braine is a cunning character. Thinking that Florence knows where the money is hid, he tries time and again to lure her into his clutches. And he almost succeeds. Everything is used, from poisoned peaches to false accusations, from outright deception to forcible kidnapping. And while all this is going on, Norton and Jones counter Braine's machinations with their own. It seems for awhile that The Black Hundred is having a run of bad luck. Perhaps they'll fail. Mighty forces are at work, however, and the Hargreave folks literally get a "run for their money," as they try to outwit Braine and his accomplices, and keep their hands on the stash-- before it's too late.
This terrifically fast-paced story is not a traditional novel, but the novelization of a film. It was written to cash in on the enormous success of The Thanhouser Corporation's 46-reel serial The Million Dollar Mystery, released in 1914. The film starred Florence La Badie and James Cruze. Kunitz and Haycraft (Twentieth Century Authors) called it "one the greatest money-makers of pioneer cinema." It was, at the time, the most successful serial ever made. It's no wonder, then, that the original story was made into its own book. The story-teller, Harold MacGrath, was a novelist by profession. During the film's initial run, viewers were invited to "solve the mystery" and win $10,000 cash. I'm not sure if anyone actually won it, but a great deal of promotional material can still be found in the forms of posters and clippings.
Now, for the facts. Harold MacGrath devised the original story. The story was then made into a scenario (screenplay) by Lloyd F. Lonergan. Later, MacGrath made the scenario into a novel. Thus, the Million Dollar Mystery is actually a movie tie-in. The work itself has no literary value, but was written purely for entertainment's sake. As such, it is far-fetched and outlandish at times. It contains wall-to-wall action and incident, with almost no diversional material. If it had been the author's first work, it wouldn't have gotten farther than the pulps. Yet for all that, it's one hell of a mystery tale which we won't find ourselves forgetting any time soon. In fact, it makes us want to chase down the original movie, which is nowhere in sight-- although some silent film collectors claim that "reels still exist."
The Grosset & Dunlap edition of this book is illustrated by over 50 stills from the motion picture. The title has become scarcer of late years, yet copies seldom go beyond $15-20. If you can land one, by all means do so. Once I picked up this book I had trouble putting it down. It takes about nine hours to read, but I dare say you won't regret a moment of it. If you like hair-raising thrills and fast-paced adventure-- tempered by a promise of mystic millions when the chase it over-- you'd better get in on The Million Dollar Mystery. And bring your own billy-club.
--B.A.S.
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