The Inoffensive Captain by E C Bentley

From Classic Detective Stories by John Anthony Walker

December 3, 2025 · 1h 13m

About this episode

The episode revolves around a dangerous prison escape and a cryptic letter that leads to hidden jewels.

A dangerous prisoner has escaped from Dartmoor, and the police are certain he will return to where he stashed the stolen jewels whose whereabouts remain maddeningly obscure. When Inspector Muirhead comes to Philip Trent's rooms, he brings not evidence but an enigma: a letter whose phrasing seems deliberately cryptic, as though its author were speaking in code. First published in The Strand Magazine, March 1914. Collected in Trent Intervenes (1938). E. C. Bentley (1875–1956), journalist, satirist, and inventor of the clerihew. Best known for Trent’s Last Case (1913) and the Philip Trent stories. Say thanks with a coffee? https://buymeacoffee.com/10mn8sk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: John Anthony Walker

Topics covered

mystery
detective
crime
jewels
enigma
escape

Keywords

Dartmoor
Inspector Muirhead
E C Bentley
jewels
mystery
crime
enigma
detective

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Strand Magazine

Books & works: Trent Intervenes, Trent’s Last Case