Feval, the father of the modern detective novel, reveals the origins of the Black Coats and of their mysterious, seemingly eternal master, Colonel Bozzo. Long before the Corleones, Blofeld, Fu-Manchu, and Moriarty, the historical saga of the Black Coats, spanning seven volumes, gave its "lettres de noblesse" to criminal literature.

For over a century, the Black Coats have ransacked Europe, accumulating wealth beyond the dreams of avarice. The location of their treasure is known only by their godfather, Colonel Bozzo-Corona, but now some members of the High Council of the criminal brotherhood have banded together to form the Companions of the Treasure, a cabal-within-the-cabal which plots to wrest that secret from their immortal master. Meanwhile, the Colonel, who once killed his own son, is now pitted against his grandson in a generational conflict of evil... Written in 1870-72, The Companions of the Treasure is a key...

Written in 1865, "Heart of Steel" is the first chapter chronicling the Black Coats' attempts at stealing the fabulous fortune of the de Clare family. Fval, the father of the modern detective novel, continues the dark chronicles that gave its "lettres de noblesse" to criminal literature by introducing the first, great female villain in the history of crime fiction.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your...

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Ce quatrieme tome de la serie "Les Habits Noirs," et sa suite, "Maman Leo" est centre autour de la lutte que mene le jeune magistrat Remy d'Arx contre les Habits noirs, ceux-ci directement diriges ici par le colonel Bozzo. Pour combattre Remy d'Arx, le colonel utilise "l'arme invisible," une arme psychologique: il le rend amoureux fou de la jeune Fleurette, enfant a l'origine inconnue, recueillie par des saltimbanques, que mene la sentimentale geante dompteuse de fauves, Leocadie Samayoux, dite Maman Leo..."