"GENERAL BESSERLEY'S SECOND PUZZLE BOX" by E. Phillips Oppenheim with its original dust jacket. 1940 1st American edition, 1st printing (with "Published February 1940" stated on the copyright page); Little, Brown, and Company; Boston. The book is a collection of suspenseful short stories set against the luxurious backdrop of pre-war Europe's casinos and Riviera villas. The book follows General Samuel Besserley, a retired American secret service chief, ex-soldier and diplomat. He acts as a benevolent, silver-tongued "puzzle master" and fixer living on the French Riviera. Each chapter or story represents another strange case or enigma pulled out of his "puzzle box." Oppenheim blends high-stakes international intrigue, luxury, betrayal, and redemption with a witty, classic mystery feel.