Audiobook Le Queux, William The Sign of the Seven Sins

The story opens with Carmela Rosselli, an Italian-American woman who finds herself world-weary and disillusioned after a failed romance. Accompanied by her wealthy and cynical friend Ulrica Yorke, she embarks on an extended tour of Europe, eventually arriving on the sunny shores of the French Riviera. Seeking distraction, they visit the famous Casino at Monte Carlo, known metaphorically as the Sign of the Seven Sins, where they reconnect with old acquaintances, including the affluent young Reginald Thorne and Gerald Keppel. Reggie quickly becomes infatuated with Carmela and enjoys a phenomenal run of luck at the roulette tables, winning a small fortune before the group leaves the rooms for the evening.

Shortly after, the festive atmosphere is shattered when Reggie is discovered dead in Carmela and Ulrica's hotel sitting-room, robbed of his winnings and apparently murdered. The local police struggle to establish a motive or a cause of death, while Carmela is haunted by the unexpected appearance of her former lover, Ernest Cameron, who is accompanied by another woman. Amid the mounting dread and suspicion that plague the resort town, the narrative delves deeper into the complex past of the characters.

Carmela is shadowed by mysterious warnings from an anonymous figure disguised as an owl, who hands her the very bank-notes stolen from Reggie and warns her against associating with the eccentric American millionaire Benjamin Keppel. As the plot develops, a yachting cruise on Keppel's magnificent vessel, the Vispera, turns into a vehicle for uncovering darker truths. Carmela accidentally discovers a concealed cabin where a woman's body has been hidden, exposing a sinister plot involving betrayal, hidden identities, and a dangerous conspiracy. The journey shifts from the Mediterranean back to Paris, where the tangled web of clues ultimately points toward an ingenious method of assassination and a web of illicit gambling rings. Through confrontation and meticulous investigation, the true perpetrator of Reggie's murder is unmasked, exposing a chilling history of revenge and card-sharping. In the resolution, the surviving characters find their respective paths toward redemption and new beginnings, leaving behind the dark shadows cast by the tragedies of the Riviera.