Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 765

This 1892 dime novel by Jo Pierre follows two parallel storylines. The first features Flipper Flynn, a street-smart New York boy who encounters Roger Hethington, an Englishman searching for his kidnapped brother Lionel. After rescuing Hethington from attackers, Flynn agrees to help investigate. That night, Hethington discovers a gravestone in his room bearing his own name and a death date of August 10—ten days hence—a chilling threat from the kidnappers. The second plot involves Betty Gray, a servant girl at a mysterious establishment, who attends to Isaac Moss, a young amnesiac prisoner who cannot recall his identity or past. Moss suspects his captors have deliberately assigned him a false name, complicating any escape or rescue. Both storylines involve kidnapping, ransom schemes, and criminal conspiracies in New York City.