The Whisper on the Stair

This is a romp through purple prose.  The author seems to revel in it to the point that I feel like the whole thing was knowingly done tongue in cheek.  There is a manly, handsome, wealthy protagonist and a beautiful woman in need of his help that he falls instantly in love with.  There is a villain with no hands that stubbornly refuses to finish off our hero, even when said hero is bound and helpless.  On multiple occasions. There's a stack of books that seems to hold the key to solving the whole mess hidden somewhere in their pages.  There are gangsters, guns that never manage to get fired, burglary, ghosts, hypnotism, and a valet that seems to be more comfortable with violence than, er, valeting.  Of course, it is a product of its time and it wouldn't be complete without a little casual racism.  This threatens to ruin the enjoyment of what is ultimately some cheesy fun, but it's a very small part of the story.