It’s said that the ghost of the Black Abbot has been seen near the old abbey, but that doesn’t deter several of a nobleman’s employees from showing up to find a supposed hidden treasure. Soon, a mysterious hooded figure begins murdering those who may have figured out where the riches are hidden.

Who is the Black Abbott, what is his purpose–and how he is connected to the treasure? From a malevolent ghost to a tangled romance and a plot for revenge, The Black Abbot brings classic, non-stop Edgar Wallace thrills.

Dick Martin is leaving Scotland Yard. His final job, investigating a stolen book, takes him from a conversation with librarian Sybil Lansdown to a meeting with a Doctor Stalletti, who will become a key figure. Along the way, Martin becomes involved with a small-time crook—an expert at picking locks—who tells him about a recent lock-picking job that has made him quite nervous. But before he can pass along details, the lock-picker is murdered.

Next, the retiring detective gets involved in a couple of seemingly unrelated incidents—the theft of an obscure book, and an assignment to chase after a very rich and very elusive young heir who is rarely seen. In the midst of all the chasing about, there is a desperate search underway for seven individual keys which, when all used together, can open a mysterious door in a family’s tomb.

Doctor Stalletti is involved, clearly an unsympathetic and sinister character, suspected of carrying out unethical medical experiments, to say the least. There are glimpses of some powerful and dangerous creatures who may or may not be linked to the doctor. In addition, we’ll hear of librarian Lansdown’s unfortunate habit of getting herself into dangerous situations.

Seeing justice done in your own way of thinking is not the wisest path to follow. However, it was indeed how one individual managed his life. He did it in such a way that criminals at all levels feared him, as did Scotland Yard as they tried to put a halt to his actions. The Yard itself hadn’t the slightest idea of what he looked like because this man, who came to be known as The Ringer, had a baffling way of disguising himself.

On the surface it seemed his actions could be beneficial to the law abiding world. However, The Ringer didn’t limit himself to the so-called “bad” guys, but would sometimes kill anyone he looked on as targets for his personal vengeance.

He had various encounters with a crafty and very unorthodox lawman named Bliss, as well as Alan Wembury, a newcomer to the legal enforcement world. It’s a strange story in many ways as you have an opportunity to listen to what took place.

The day Clay Shelton is set to be hanged, he requests to speak with the inspector who arrested him, Arnold “Betcher” Long. He tells Long that the Gallows Hand will have its revenge. Assuming he is a dead man trying to delay the inevitable, Long ignores him. But when the judge who sentenced Shelton is murdered, he finally starts to take notice.

Soon more people involved with the Shelton case begin to die, all killed by a shadowy organization known as the Terrible People, and Long knows it’s only a matter of time before he’s next.

A murder is committed among the rich of a small town, and all the evidence seems to point to a beautiful young woman …

“There is something–evil about it. Queer word for me to use, Macleod, eh? They touch your elbow as you walk–ghosts! That’s how I’ve named it the Valley of Ghosts … Macleod, go and stay a day or so in Beverley Green and smell it yourself–something brooding …”

The seemingly peaceful, prosperous community of Beverley Green is haunted. While certain inhabitants–the young Stella Nelson and her feckless painter-father; Mr. Arthur Wilmot, who conducts a mysterious business in the City; the aristocratic Mr. Boyd Salter; and the retired businessman Merrivan–try to hide their pasts, it turns out that nothing stays secret for long.

When, in this tense atmosphere, Mr. Merrivan is found murdered, the clues point to none other than Stella Nelson. But Stella has caught the eye of Dr. Andy Macleod, an assistant pathologist who has drifted into the profession of thief-catcher, and he is determined to solve the mystery and prove her innocence.