''An Eye for a Tooth'' is a 1943 adventure novel by the English author Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer), the sixth in his ' Chandos' thriller series. The events of the story immediately follow those of '' Blind Corner''.

Plot

On the way home in the car with the treasure from '' Blind Corner'', Mansel nearly runs over the corpse of a murdered man. He discovers the murderers, and seeks vengeance.

Background

The novel's denouement may have been suggested by

Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the ...

's play ''

The Jew of Malta ''The Jew of Malta'' (full title: ''The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Jew of Malta'') is a play by Christopher Marlowe, written in 1589 or 1590. The plot primarily revolves around a Maltese Jewish merchant named Barabas. The original story comb ...

'' in which most of the characters die after being deposited by a pivoting floor into a vat of boiling oil. AJ Smithers, the author's biographer, commented, "Mercer dispensed with the oil, but the principle was the same."

Critical reception

The novel was well received, sold well, and had to be reprinted six times within a year of publication.

References

Bibliography

* 1943 British novels Ward, Lock & Co. books Novels by Dornford Yates British thriller novels {{1940s-thriller-novel-stub