Cost Price
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 1949 |
| Founder | Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer) |
| Products | Adventure novel |
Cost Price is an adventure novel released in 1949 by the English writer Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer). It represents the eighth and concluding entry in his 'Chandos' thriller collection. This work acts as a direct continuation of his 1932 book Safe Custody. In the United States, the novel was issued under the alternative title The Laughing Bacchante.
Plot
As the threat of the Anschluss looms over Austria, John and Olivia Ferrers call upon Richard Chandos and Jonathan Mansel to retrieve a valuable set of jewels once belonging to Pope Alexander VI, concealed within Hohenems Castle in Carinthia following the events of Safe Custody. Punter, a secondary antagonist from a prior attempted theft, narrates the tale to the criminal known as Friar. Friar, along with his accomplices Sloper, Orris, and Goat, schemes another robbery. After Mansel successfully intervenes, Friar attracts the attention of Boler, a German figure who complicates Mansel’s mission. Additionally, Diana Revoke, an aristocratic Englishwoman, becomes entangled in the unfolding events. Upon securing the gems and taking refuge briefly at Wagensburg Castle (previously featured in Blind Corner), Chandos joins forces with a group led by Jasper and Colette to transport the jewels covertly into Italy, and eventually to England, where they are intended for display in a museum. The story also includes returning characters such as manservants Bell and Carson, Andrew Palin, and Jenny Chandos.
Background
This book was released shortly after Mercer had finished constructing a new residence in Southern Rhodesia, where he and his wife had settled into retirement. This new home replaced "Cockade" located in Southern France (which is described in The House That Berry Built), a property that remained unoccupied and a source of concern for him.
Critical reception
Mercer’s biographer AJ Smithers (1982) commended his talent for character development, highlighting how the recurring cast members foster a sense of an intimate family circle that draws readers into feeling like honorary insiders.