Plotting is the most important aspect of detective fiction, with character next in order of significance. Thematic content normally is at a minimum, except for the omnipresent conflict between good and evil, the central role of acquisitiveness as a cause of the downfall of people, and the evil or trouble that lurks behind a facade of civilized morality. All of these generic themes are present in To the Hilt, with the usual Francis variations upon them, but the third is a focal one.
Throughout the novel, the truth, people, and objects are hidden, disguised, or missing; in addition, people and things are not what they seem to be. Sir Ivan desperately wants the King Alfred Gold Cup race to be run so the public and his customers would not suspect that his brewery is insolvent.....
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