Peachmonk / A Serio-Comic Detective Tale in Which No Fire-Arms Are Used and No One is Killed

An aristocratic gentleman finds himself drawn into a three-day serio-comic detective episode after a mysterious package bearing a red lily and enigmatic initials appears. He and a circle of friends and rivals, including a spirited lady, a veiled visitor, and theatrical figures, unravel social puzzles, secret rendezvous, and eccentric intrigues while avoiding violence. The narrative unfolds as playful pastiche, deliberately embedding hundreds of printed-book titles and literary allusions as clues and running commentary. Scenes shift between drawing rooms, theatres, and private chambers, building to a contrived crisis and an unconventional finale that resolves riddles through wit and odd contrivance rather than force.