The Third Round

Herman Cyril McNeile, MC (28 September 1888 – 14 August 1937), commonly known as Cyril McNeile and publishing under the name H. C. McNeile or the pseudonym Sapper, was a British soldier and author. Drawing on his experiences in the trenches during the First World War, he started writing short stories and getting them published in the Daily Mail. As serving officers in the British Army were not permitted to publish under their own names, he was given the pen name "Sapper" by Lord Northcliffe, the owner of the Daily Mail; the nickname was based on that of his corps, the Royal Engineers.

Edward Blackton stares across the crystal waters of Lake Geneva, dreaming of a score big enough to transform him from mere criminal genius to world-dominating mastermind. His recent audience with two panicked representatives of an international diamond cartel may be his big chance. A British professor has perfected the cheap manufacture of precious stones, endangering the very existence of the diamond industry. To safeguard the cartel’s millions, Blackton will make the professor see reason—or send him to his grave.


Genre: Mystery