Beadle's Dime Library No. 554

# The Drummer Detective's Big Lay-out

This 1889 dime novel by George C. Jenks features detective protagonist "Peachblossom" Grattan, a well-dressed Chicago detective known for his skill with firearms. The narrative opens in Matthew Thorne's shabby eighth-floor office, where Thorne, a secretive land agent, has discovered the location of a buried tin box containing a will that would transfer Chicago property worth two million dollars. Thorne hires Peachblossom and his associate Red Bill to retrieve the box, offering them twenty thousand dollars in gold dust as compensation. The detective agrees to depart the following day via the fast train. Unknown to the three men, a shadowy figure named Bullard Worth observes their entire transaction through a transom window, learning of the hidden treasure and immediately planning to intercept Peachblossom's mission.