If Sinners Entice Thee

In Short

This mystery novel follows the intersecting lives of George Stratfield, a disinherited gentleman, and Liane Brooker, the daughter of a professional gambler. Bound together by love but kept apart by a shadowy extortion plot and a tragic, unsolved murder, the couple navigates the treacherous social circles of Monte Carlo. The narrative serves as a bridge between the quiet, class-bound world of the English countryside and the glittering, cynical underworld of European casinos. It remains a compelling example of early twentieth-century suspense, defined by its atmosphere of dread and its relentless pace.

The Story

George Stratfield is the son of an irascible baronet who, in a fit of rage over George’s love for Liane Brooker, disinherits him. George settles into a life of poverty and professional stagnation, sustained only by his devotion to Liane. Meanwhile, Liane is trapped in a different kind of misery; she is under the thumb of Zertho, a former associate of her father who has recently come into a fortune and now demands she marry him. Liane lives in constant, palpable fear, her spirit crushed by a secret she refuses to share even with her lover.

The narrative tension escalates when a young woman named Nelly Bridson is found murdered in the English village where George and Liane first met. The police investigation hinges on a mysterious, high-quality hairpin found at the scene, which does not belong to the victim. This physical clue serves as a dark omen, haunting Liane, who realizes that someone is watching her and knows the truth about the night of the tragedy. As the investigation stalls, Liane and her father, Captain Brooker, relocate to the Riviera, where Zertho attempts to solidify his social standing among the elite.

In Nice and Monte Carlo, the story shifts toward the world of high-stakes gambling. George follows Liane to the continent, desperate to rescue her from her engagement to the man he recognizes as a former cheat and swindler. Through a series of tense encounters, including a meeting with the notorious gambler Mariette Lepage—known as "The Golden Hand"—the threads of the past begin to unravel. It is revealed that George’s own deceased brother, Charles, had been involved with Mariette and had secrets that tied the families together.

The climax arrives when the truth behind the murder and the blackmail is confronted. It turns out that the social maneuvering and the "sorcery" of the gaming tables were masks for a deeper, more dangerous game of leverage. The ending provides a resolution to the central romance, as George inherits his brother’s estate and marries Liane, while the darker mysteries of the murder remain officially unsolved, left to history. The surviving characters find a tenuous peace, though they are forever haunted by the memory of the "fateful spot" where the violence occurred.

How It Unfolds

The estrangement George breaks with his father over his refusal to abandon Liane, finding himself cast out of his ancestral home and stripped of his inheritance. He clings to the hope of a future with his beloved, even as his father’s health declines and the family atmosphere turns toxic.

The shadow of a crime Nelly Bridson is murdered, and a puzzling piece of evidence—a superior-quality hairpin—shifts the focus of the local coroner toward the possibility of a concealed observer. Liane, unnerved by the discovery, begins to act with a desperate, fearful secrecy that alienates those around her.

The migration to the tables Liane and her father travel to Nice with the wealthy, manipulative Zertho, who uses his newfound status to force Liane into an unwanted betrothal. George, suspecting that Liane is being coerced, pursues them to the Riviera, determined to uncover the truth behind her strange behavior.

The revelation of the past Through interactions with Mariette, the enigmatic gambler, George learns of his brother's secret life and the hidden connections linking their families to the Riviera’s underworld. These revelations expose Zertho as a blackmailer and provide context for the fears that have held Liane in such a rigid, terrified state.

The final resolution The mystery of the murder remains beyond the reach of the law, but the cycle of blackmail is broken. George and Liane return to England to reclaim their lives, finding happiness in their union while agreeing to avoid the site of the tragedy that once threatened to destroy them.

The People

George Stratfield is a man of honor who sacrifices his inheritance for his love of Liane. He is a patient, if somewhat melancholic, figure who grows from a struggling, isolated barrister into a man who successfully navigates the complex social and legal realities of his class.

Liane Brooker is the "sorceress" of the narrative, a woman whose grace and beauty hide a profound, paralyzing dread. She acts as the emotional center of the book, torn between her genuine love for George and a mysterious, life-altering commitment to a man she despises.

Zertho d'Auzac is the primary antagonist, a former "escroc" and card-sharper who uses his new wealth and a dark, unspoken secret to hold Liane hostage. He represents the cynical, transactional world of the casino, ultimately undone by his own greed and his failure to account for the genuine affection between the leads.

Captain Erle Brooker is Liane’s father, an aging gambler who maintains a code of honor despite his precarious life. He provides a sharp contrast to Zertho, balancing his own failings as a gamester with a protective, if occasionally misguided, love for his daughter.

In Its Own Voice

The Captain describes his own history and personal integrity regarding the gambling tables.

"It was entirely against my grain to fleece those beardless boys. I'll play fair, or not at all."

George reflects on the emptiness of his life after his father's death and his separation from Liane.

"The very clocks seemed to tick with unaccustomed solemnity, and the bell in the turret over the stables chimed slowly and ominously as each long hour passed towards the dawn."

A mysterious observer expresses her dark anticipation of Liane's eventual downfall.

"Little do you dream how near I am to you, or of the ghastly nature of the revelation which I shall ere long disclose."

What It's Really About

The central argument concerns the tension between public reputation and private reality. It explores whether an individual can truly "bury the past" in a world where money and social status are used to validate one's worth. The book probes the ethical boundaries of those who live by their wits, contrasting the "honorable" gambler with the "despicable" blackmailer. It asks whether love can survive the weight of deep, shared secrets and whether justice is truly possible when the evidence is as transient as a hairpin in the grass. It is a meditation on the fragility of human happiness and the way past indiscretions—both one's own and those of one’s family—inevitably shape the present.

Why Read It Today

This book will resonate with readers who enjoy the atmospheric, suspenseful tone of late-Victorian and Edwardian mysteries. It captures the specific feeling of the "Riviera set," where the air is thick with the scent of flowers and the underlying menace of hidden debts. You will find it a fascinating, if sometimes demanding, read; the prose is formal and at times heavy with the period's obsession with social station, which can feel like an obstacle to modern pacing. However, the emotional core—the genuine, if desperate, love between two people caught in a web of events beyond their control—is timeless.

The portrayal of the "gaming-room" mentality, with its peculiar blend of aristocratic dignity and raw, desperate greed, provides a compelling, if cynical, historical snapshot. The reader should be prepared for the period attitudes toward class and the somewhat convenient way the narrative handles the "unsolved" nature of its central crime. Yet, for those who value the slow, steady build of dread and the satisfaction of seeing a "cursed" couple find their way to a quiet, if haunted, peace, the story offers a lingering sense of melancholy that stays with you long after the final page is turned.