THE TWICKENHAM PEERAGE

This book was published around 1902, a few years after The Beetle. It's as far as possible from the mood of that gothic fantasy, and illustrates Marsh's amazing ability to hop from one genre to another with ease. The plot revolves around a double. James Merrett discovers he bears an exact resemblance to the Marquis of Twickenham, one of the richest peers in England. The Marquis, who was always a bad lot, has disappeared for fifteen years, and his needy relatives wish he could be proved dead, so they could inherit. As it happens, James is a performance artist able to mimic death - to the point of fooling teams of doctors. Perhaps you see where this is going... The plot is a delightful mix of absurd situations, moral perplexities, emotional ups and downs, and startling turns of events. (Amazon)