Mary Stuart

A Note from the Editor

While rummaging through the attic some time ago I came upon a stack of books, bound together with twine. A note that read “Memoirs” had been slipped under the knot. I carefully undid the twine and upon opening the first book I discovered, much to my delight, that the stack comprised the memoirs of Madame Mary Stuart. Though my father had been the original publisher of the set I had forgotten all about them, I am embarrassed to say.

Of course, Mary Stuart was a celebrity in her day beginning shortly after the First World War. Renowned for her brilliance in solving mysteries and aiding police agencies like Scotland Yard, her travels, always accompanied by her closest friend and confidant Belladonna Martine, took her across most of Europe and even North Africa.

It was an adventurous life that flew in the face of the conventions of her day. That this remarkable woman had found the time to recount some of her adventures was too good an opportunity to miss. I realized then and there that I had to publish these books once again. It was time to introduce a new generation to the world’s first female consulting detective.

So I am proud to give you, in her own words, the Memoirs of Madame Mary Stuart for your enjoyment.