Miss Mephistopheles

Miss Mephistopheles (1890) is a mystery novel by Fergus Hume. Although not as successful as The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1886), an immediate bestseller for Hume, Miss Mephistopheles is a gripping novel with forbidden romance and a tightly wound mystery worthy of the best of Victorian fiction. A sequel to Madame Midas (1888), a story of fortune and loss set in the shadow of Australia's nineteenth century gold rush, Miss Mephistopheles examines the solidarity between women abused and abandoned by men.
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. Miss Mephistopheles is a tale of violence and greed set in a country built on wealth gathered too quickly to last.
This edition of Fergus Hume's Miss Mephistopheles is a classic of Australian mystery and detective fiction reimagined for modern readers. Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.
With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Fergus Hume was a British author renowned for his detective fiction, particularly in the late 19th century. Born in 1859, he became a prominent literary figure after returning to England. Hume's most famous work, "The Mystery of a Hansom Cab," published in 1886, gained immense popularity and is considered one of the pioneering detective novels.He also wrote "The Scarlet Bat," another notable addition to his oeuvre, showcasing his talent for crafting intricate plots and suspenseful narratives. Hume's writing features vivid characters and often blends mystery with social commentary. Throughout his career, he published numerous novels and short stories, significantly contributing to the genre. Hume's work has had a lasting impact on detective fiction, influencing future writers and shaping the genre's development. Throughout his career, Hume published over 30 novels and numerous short stories, showcasing his talent for crafting intricate plots filled with suspense and complex characters. He remains an important figure in the history of crime literature, with a style that continues to resonate with readers today.