The Lust of Hate

The Lust of Hateis the third of Guy Boothby’s novels about the mysterious Dr Nikola, an occultist anti-hero seeking immortality and world domination.

In this the third of Boothby's Dr. Nikola novels, Nikola applies his almost hypnotic persuasion to convince an out-of-luck Australian, formerly from England, named Gilbert Pennethorne to assist Nikola unwittingly in an evil scheme.

Nikola takes advantage of Pennethorne's intense desire for revenge against a former boss in Australia who stole information about the location of a gold field that would have made Pennethorne immensely wealthy. Using that information, the boss made himself rich, living a high life in London, while Pennethorne remained penniless.

Nikola contrives a plan and a device for Pennethorne to commit the perfect murder of the wealthy thief. Unknowingly, Pennethorne thus becomes a party to another one of Nikola's insidious schemes.

The Lust of Hate was first published in 1898. 81.000 words, reading time approximately 6 hours, 45 min. Also available as audiobook, read by Peter John Keeble, running time: 7 hours, 15 min. 

Guy Newell Boothby (1867–1905) was a prolific Australian novelist and writer, noted for sensational fiction in variety magazines around the end of the nineteenth century. He lived mainly in England. He is best known for such works as the Dr Nikola series, about an occultist criminal mastermind who is a Victorian forerunner to Fu Manchu, and Pharos, the Egyptian, a tale of Gothic Egypt, mummies' curses and supernatural revenge.