Miss Mephistopheles

<p><I>Miss Mephistopheles</I> (1890) is a mystery novel by Fergus Hume. Although not as successful as <I>The Mystery of a Hansom Cab</I> (1886) an immediate bestseller for Hume <I>Miss Mephistopheles</I> is a gripping novel with forbidden romance and a tightly wound mystery worthy of the best of Victorian fiction. A sequel to <I>Madame Midas</I> (1888) a story of fortune and loss set in the shadow of Australia's nineteenth century gold rush <I>Miss Mephistopheles</I> examines the solidarity between women abused and abandoned by men.</p><p>Having lost her family fortune to a deceitful husband Mrs. Villiers flees to Ballarat where she turns her attention to managing her father's mine. Known to the local people as Madame Midas she maintains a hard exterior in order not only to hide the truth of her past but to guard herself from the cruelty of men. There she rescues a young girl named Kitty Marchurst a preacher's daughter misled by a wicked ex-convict. Raising her daughter Meg Marchurst becomes a star in the Melbourne burlesque scene acquiring wealth and fame beyond her wildest dreams. When her beloved diamonds are stolen however her world-and the city itself-threaten to come crashing down. Enmeshed in this mystery are an American insurance agent and Mrs. Villiers' estranged husband shadowy figures who move in and out of respectable society looking for vulnerable marks. <I>Miss Mephistopheles</I> is a tale of violence and greed set in a country built on wealth gathered too quickly to last.</p><p>With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript this edition of Fergus Hume's <I>Miss Mephistopheles</I> is a classic of Australian mystery and detective fiction reimagined for modern readers.</p>