The Man With Two Left Feet

More about the book

There's a divinity that shapes our ends. Consider Henry Pifield Rice, a detective whose role is more mundane than one might expect. Employed at Stafford's International Investigation Bureau in the Strand, he is not tasked with solving baffling mysteries but rather with simple observations, like noting when someone leaves a restaurant. He has never measured a footprint or studied bloodstains, and his colleagues often refer to him with unflattering nicknames like 'Fathead' and 'That blighter what's-his-name.' Living in a boarding-house on Guildford Street, Henry's life takes an unexpected turn when a new girl, Alice Weston, joins the household. Quiet and pretty, she sits next to him at meals, and their conversation quickly evolves from small talk about the weather and movies to something more personal. Henry learns that Alice is a chorus girl, a departure from the more boisterous previous residents of the boarding-house. This sets the stage for a connection that promises to be significant in his otherwise ordinary life.