''The List of Adrian Messenger'' follows Scotland Yard and Colonel Anthony Gethryn investigating a list of ten names given by Adrian Messenger. Following Messenger's death in a plane sabotage, authorities discover most men on the list recently died in staged accidents. The men on Adrian Messenger's list span different professions and locations, but are targeted systematically by a serial killer. The book was later adapted into a 1963 film directed by John Huston, starring George C. Scott and Kirk Douglas.