Good evening,

I'm looking for an old British short story that I read years ago. Two British detectives are talking about the person they would not want chasing after them. The older detective mentions the person he would fear the most would be the "Amateur" for the person would never call it quits. I believe the title of the story is called "The Amateur". The story unfolds about a newspaper owner who's son is kidnapped and held for ransom. Fearing for his son's safety he uses his brains and allies to outsmart the kidnappers and gets his son back alive. The story is set during the early 1900s, perhaps even up to the late 1940s. The newspaper owner was an infantry man during one of the wars.

If anyone has any clue about this story, please email me at [email protected] and I will be eternally grateful.

Thank you for your time.
John