The Red Paper

This rare book was one of my Christmas used-bookstore finds...I even had to add it to Goodreads myself! It's a delightful piece of vintage mystery-adventure, with the young hero startled out of his artistic apathy to rush to the aid of a distressed maiden. It begins as an attempt to prove that his father's heart-attack death was in fact murder, but the further he goes, it is a race for life and for honor. The young lady steals his heart quickly, and he grabs his sword and goes tilting at a windmill all the way from New York to rural Texas.

One thing I really liked is that this amateur sleuth makes mistakes. He shows his cards to the enemy, he sticks his neck in traps...but he learns and goes on with renewed courage. Even when he is mad and discouraged, he remains an honorable man. And it's a pretty big gamble that his amateur attempts may not be successful against the hardened criminals he is pursuing...

I have to say, I enjoyed the description of a true Texas Norther!