The High Sheriff cover

The High Sheriff

by Henry Wade

Robert D'Arcy, High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, was a proud and vain man haunted by fear. And, sitting on the Bench, at the right hand of the Judge, during the long drawn-out days of the Autumn Assize, he knew that — in one way at least — he was no better than any of the criminals being hauled before him. This was his guilty secret. What happened when a blackmailer threatened that his secret would be a secret no more is the subject of this immensely readable novel. When it was first published in 1937, the Sunday Times said of this book 'A sincere and penetrating study of a proud, perhaps a vain man, first haunted by a fear that he will be revealed as a coward and then haunted by the murder of the man who threatened to make the revelation'.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?