The Opal Serpent is a detective novel by American author Fergus Hume. An old pawnbroker is found strangled with his lips pinned together with an opal serpent broach. He has a beautiful daughter who is apparently the heir of his large estate. But another claimant has made herself known as the actual daughter of the pawnbroker. Follow detective Hurd as he unravels the convoluted mystery of the old man’s death and attempts to determine who is the rightful heir. The Opal Serpent was first released in 1905. Audiobook read by Richard Kilmer, running time 9 hours, 42 min. Unabridged full version. Also available as E-Book: ePUB, 89,600 words, average reading time 7 hours, 30 min. Fergusson Wright Hume, known as Fergus Hume (1859-1932) was a prolific English novelist. His first novel was the self-published novel The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1886), which became a great success. It eventually became the best selling mystery novel of the Victorian era.