Little did Anthony Cade suspect that a simple errand to deliver a manuscript on behalf of a friend would drop him right in the middle of an international conspiracy. Why were Count Stylptich's memoirs so important? And what was 'King Victor' really after? Murder, blackmail, stolen letters and a fabulous missing jewel, all threads lead to Chimneys, one of England's historic country house estates, and a startling denouement.The Secret of Chimneys marks the first appearance of Inspector Battle. He would go on to appear in four other novels.This novel was published in 1925 by Bodley Head in London, and by Dodd, Mead & Co. in New York. The Times Literary Supplement described it as "a thick fog of mystery, cross purposes, and romance, which leads up to a most unexpected and highly satisfactory ending".Chimneys was adapted by Christie as a stage play but was not performed until 2003, in Canada. It was filmed with the addition of Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple by ITV in 2009.