A review of The Seven Sleepers by Francis Beeding – 231221

Originally published in 1925, The Seven Sleepers, written by the duo, John Palmer and Hilary Saunders under the nom de plume of Francis Beeding, is an all-action thriller very much in the style of John Buchan’s Thirty Nine Steps. There are murders, three particularly brutal ones, but the focus of the Story is whether the narrator, Thomas Preston, can deliver a letter into the hands of the French authorities which will thwart a plot designed to restore German supremacy.

The aftermath of the First World War was a traumatic period for Germany. The humiliation of their capitulation and the vengeful terms imposed by the Allies as part of the post-war settlement led to economic hardship, social disorder, and a growing sense of resentment. It was these conditions that the Nazis under the leadership of Adolf Hitler exploited, plunging Europe and its allies into another catastrophic effect. It is clear, though, that even before the Nazis became a force to be reckoned with there were concerns that the Germans would not take their fate lying down and would seek to reassert themselves with renewed vigour. This is the premise of Beeding’s story.

The Seven Sleepers are a group of the richest individuals in Germany who are willing to pledge their wealth to fund a dramatic attempt to wage war on the victorious allies. They have signed a coded letter to that effect which is to be delivered to Hannover in an attempt to persuade the old war veteran, Field Marshal von Ludenburg, to lead the forces. The conspirators have already bought up a significant quantity of saucepans for their aluminium – it was a good time to be an aluminium salesman – and ball bearings.

The eminence grise behind the scheme is Professor Kreutzemark, a man who mixes brutality with a fine scientific mind. He has developed a gas which was designed to wipe out all life within an area of 400 square kilometers which was to be dropped by air on London and Paris ahead of a land assault by 200,000 troops. Mustard gas had been a deadly and effective weapon in the First World War and Kreutzemark’s X3 was a logical extension, presaging the fear that weaponry was likely to become more anonymous, more scientific, and more deadly. Was Beeding sensing that the nascent developments in nuclear fission and lethal gasses such as Zyklon B would lead to the mass atrocities of the Second World War.

That is the context. The story itself requires an amazing string of coincidences to get going. Preston’s trunk is sent to Geneva instead of genoa and he goes there for it, a city in which his girlfriend, Beatrice Harvel, whom he has not seen for two years just happens to work in the Secretariat of the League of Nations. Preston just happens to be sitting in the right bar at the right time to receive a curious invitation to meet his “grandmother” at 4pm the next day and deliver a note in cipher. He is regaled with the password to effect entry into the house. This happens just before his Apollo is dragged away, by two men, who, unbeknownst to him, will be his allies in the escapade to follow. Preston bears an uncanny physical resemblance to the intended emissary, von Emmerich.

Instead of ignoring the message or reporting it to the authorities, Preston makes the meeting and is rapidly drawn into a dark and murky world of espionage and counter espionage. If you can accept that the premise of the book requires an extraordinary number of coincidences to occur in a short space of time, then you are in for a thrilling ride. It is a page turner as Preston falls in and out of the hands of the baddies and at the same time reignites his love for Beatrice who, naturally, falls into the hands of the gang, emboldening our hero to see the job through to the end.                  

Beeding’s decision to have Preston narrate the story means that we know our hero is going to survive, but on occasions it is a close run thing, requiring all of his famous British pluck and ingenuity.

While the book ends happily, there is an ominous note. Preston receives a note congratulating him on his nuptials, to Beatrice, naturally, from Kreutzemark, who threatens that they will meet again. There is a little un-PC language in the story, but this should not overshadow what is an excellent example of a thriller of its time. Thoroughly recommended.