Gas-lit, fog-enshrouded London is in the grip of terror due to a series of brutal, random murders. A relentless police inspector is obsessed with unmasking the predator. The tale has a twisted and powerful ending.
Scripted by respected mystery writer Kendall Foster Crossen and based on Thomas Burke's 1929 short story, this version features Claude Rains and Vincent Price, with Lou Krugman, Ben Wright, Raymond Lawrence, Alec Harford, and Paul Frees.
In 1949, a panel of mystery critics selected "The Hands of Mr. Ottermole" (The Story-Teller, February 1929) as the best mystery story of all time; thirty-five years later, the Mystery Writers of America named it one of the four best suspense and mystery tales. The FictionMags Index indicates the story has been reprinted at least 38 times since its original publication. The story has also been televised several times, most notably on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, featuring Theodore Bikel and Rhys Williams.
Thomas Burke (1886-1945) was a British author best known for his stories about the poverty-stricken Limehouse District of London, collected in such books as Limehouse Nights, Twinkletoes: A Tale of Limehouse, Whispering Windows: Tales of the Waterside (also published as More Limehouse Nights, East of Mansion House, The Pleasantries of Old Quong (also published as A Tea-Shop in Limehouse), and Night Pieces: Eighteen Tales. He also published nearly two dozen works of non-fiction, many of them about London and its environments. In contrast to many of the tales of orientals and the "yellow peril" popular at the time, Burke showed a particular respect for his subjects. The Limehouse of Burke's time -- with its crime, sex, and violence, is long gone, but can be relived through his stories. Time has also blunted the effect of "The Hands of Mr. Ottermole," but it still remains a chilling and effective tale.
Enjoy this classic tale.
https://archive.org/details/TSP481202
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