In a city where most people mind their own business, one man quietly chooses not to.
The Amateur is a compact, quietly gripping novella by Richard Harding Davis, known for clear prose and keen observation. It follows Austin Ford, an American reporter newly posted to London, whose routine tilts when a young wife on an Atlantic crossing begs him to find her missing husband. What begins as professional curiosity turns personal as Ford moves from the safe margin of the page into the bright rooms and back corridors of the city.
This is not a tale of clockwork puzzles or grand revelations. Davis builds a world of quiet tension, where small decisions carry weight and emotional undercurrents run just beneath the surface. Ford is not a detective, nor a hero-he's an amateur who pays attention. In doing so, he stumbles into a tangle of cons, decoys, and mistaken identity that tests the line between observer and participant-and shows how easily good intentions can be used as bait.
This annotated edition includes:
A new foreword offering context and insight into Davis's approach
A concise biography introducing the author's background
Clean formatting to enhance modern readability
Drawing on his journalistic eye, Davis writes with restraint and clarity. The Amateur reflects that sensibility-quiet, human, and alert to risk. It's a story that doesn't shout for attention, but earns it through subtlety and sincerity.
Whether you're reading Davis for the first time or revisiting his work, this edition offers a fresh lens on one of his more introspective pieces.