The Golden Age of mystery novels is taken here to be the period between 1913 and the start of World War II. Many authors are very well known and widely read. They may be found here. Others are less well know, but definitely deserve a reading. You will find information about them on this page. Many of the authors mentioned on this page are being republished by The British Library. Library Thing has a list of this series and conveniently links to Amazon for purchases.
E. R. Punshon (1872 - 1956) Ernest Robertson Punshon was an English playwrite and writer of detective novels. He wrote a series of mystery novels which featured policeman Bobby Owen who rises in the ranks from constable to commander as the series progresses. His mystery novels are now being reprinted in e-book format by Dean Street Press. More information and a bibliography of his books may be found at the Golden Age of Detection web site and at the Golden Age of Mystery and Detection web site.
J. J. Connington (1880 - 1947) The pseudonym of Alfred Walter Stewart. Stewart was a chemist who received his education at the Universities of Glasgow, Marburg, and the University College in London. He taught for many years and published several books on chemistry. He wrote his novels late at night after a full day of teaching. His first published book in 1923 was Nordenholt's Million which was a science fiction novel. He published his first two detective novels in 1926. Following these in 1927, he published the first book Murder in the Maze which featured his series detective Sir Clinton Driffield who would appear in many more books. His books are meticulously plotted and show the author's scientific background. Conninton's books have long been out of print, but they are now being reissued by The Murder Room, and may be purchased from Amazon. For more information on Connington, visit the Golden Age of Detection web site.
Anthony Wynne(1882-1963) The pseudonym of Robert McNair Wilson, who was a Glasgow born cardiologist. Wilson wrote on a variety of subjects from medical matters to the French Revolution. He created the series detective Dr. Eustace Hailey who was featured in 28 novels. Dr. Hailey specialized in the solution of locked room mysteries, and he put particular emphasis on the character of the people accused of murder because he believed that the solution of the crime lay in character rather than in the collecting of bit and pieces of clues. A bibliography of his books may be found at the Golden Age of Detection website.
Joseph Jefferson Farjeon (1883 - 1955) Farjeon was the grandson of the American actor Joseph Jefferson. Farjeon worked for 10 years for the Amalgamated Press in London before he started writing what is an impressive number of mystery novels. More information and a bibliography of his books may be found at The Golden Age of Detection web site. Farjeon had lapsed into obscurity until recently when the the British Library has included some of his books in their British Library Crime Classic series. His sister Eleanor became a very well know children's novelist.
Archibald Fielding - Here is a mystery for you. Archibald Fielding wrote more than two dozen mysteries in a career which spanned over twenty years, and nothing is know about him (or her). In his introduction to the The Tall House Mystery, Greg Fowlkes says that the author had "a familiarity with the classics, the arts and music, a working knowledge of French, an appreciation of the finer things of life". An American publisher stated that Fielding was "a middle-aged English woman by the name of Dorothy Feilding whose peacetime address is Sheffield Terrace, Kensington, London." Research shows that there was such a person who disappeared from records in 1937. More about this may be found at the Golden Age of Detection web site. His (her) books are literate, feature Inspector Pointer, and are worth reading. The books have been reissued by Resurrected Press and are available at Amazon.
E. C. R. Lorac (1894 - 1958) This is the pseudonym of Edith Caroline Rivett who also wrote with the name of Carol Carnac. She was born in London, and attended the School of Arts and Crafts. She was a prolific author and was a member of the Detection Club. The books written with the Carnac name feature Inspector Julian Rivers. The books written with the name of Lorac feature Scottish Chief Inspector Robert Macdonald. Lorac seems to have been largely forgotten, but the British Library Crime Classics series has reprinted some of her books.(available from Amazon). A short biography and a bibliography of her books may be found at Wikipedia
John Rhode (1884 - 1964) Rhode was one of the pen names of Cecil John Charles Street who also wrote under the names of Miles Burton and Cecil Waye. Under the Rhode name, he wrote books in which the detective is Dr. Lancelot Priestly who explains how impossible crimes are committed. Rhode was an officer in the British army while he seems to have written four mystery novels each year. More information may be found at the Golden Age of Detection web site. Rhode seems now to be forgotten though many of his books are now available at Amazon.
G. D. H. Cole and Margaret Cole - an important mystery writing team. George Douglas Howard Cole (1889 - 1959) spent his youth in Ealing, and attended Balliol College. He was a significant voice in economics and published many books and articles. He was a Socialist and an active member of the Labour Party. Margaret Postgate Cole (1893 - 1980) was the daughter of a professor of Latin at the University of Liverpool and the sister of the mystery novelist, Raymond Postgate. She attended Girton College in Cambridge. She was active in the Socialist movement and wrote several nonfiction works. She was named a Dame of the British Empire. The Coles said that they wrote mystery novels for recreation, but the income provided from these books was probably quite helpful. They wrote 33 books and most of these feature Superintendent Henry Wilson of Scotland Yard. A biography and bibliography of the detective stories of Margaret Cole may be found at Wikipedia. A biography of G. D. H. Cole may be found at Wikipedia along with bibliography of everything he ever wrote. A biography and some critical comments may be found at the Golden Age of Detection. I must say that it is very, very difficult to find a copy of any of their mystery novels at a reasonable price. May 5, 2022 At last, a kindle version of a mystery by the Coles is available at Amazon.
Mavis Doriel Hay (1894 - 1979) Mavis Doriel Hay was born in Potters Bar, Middlesex and grew up in a middle class household. She was fascinated by rural crafts, and published Rural Industries of England and Wales with co-author Helen Elizabeth Fitzrandolph. In 1929, she married her co-author's brother Archibald Menzies Fitzrandolph. She wrote only three mystery novels. In 1934, she published Murder Underground in which Miss Eugenia Pongleton was strangled with her dog's leash on the steps of a London tube station. This was followed by Death on the Cherwell and The Santa Klaus Murder. After this, she continued to write books on rural crafts. Her books have been reissued in the British Library Crime Classics series and are available from Amazon. More information may be found at Wikipedia
Charles Daly King (1895 - 1963) King was born in New York, and educated at Newark Academy and Yale University. He served in the field artillery in World War I. For a short time, he worked in a cotton and wool business, but decided to continue his academic career. He received his Ph. D. in Psychology from Yale. He practiced psychology after this. His detective novels are less than praiseworthy with dull characters but good plots. He published a collection of short stories called The Curious Mr. Tarrant which Ellery Queen called "the most imaginative detective short stories of our time." King stopped writing detective stories at the start of World War II, but continued his psychology practice. A biography and bibliography may be found at the Golden Age of Detection web site.. You may also enjoy reading a review of his novel Obelists at Sea (1932) at the Tipping My Fedora web site.
Cyril Hare (1900 - 1958) Hare is the pen name of Alfred Alexander Gordon Clark who was born in Mickleham, England. He was educated in a public school, and then went to Oxford where he received degree in history. He then studied law and practiced in a law firm in London. During World War II, he served with the ministry of economic warfare. After the war, he returned to private practice and served as county judge in Surrey. He started writing mystery novels in 1937 with the publication of Tenant for Death. His series characters were Inspector Mallett and Francis Pettigrew who appeared alone or together in five novels. A bibliography of his books may be found at the Golden Age of Detection web site.
John Bude (1901 - 1957) Ernest Carpenter Elmore was the real name of John Bude. He was born in Kent. He wrote three fantasy novels and worked in the theater as a producer and director. He wrote thirty mystery novels, and the majority of these featured Inspector Meredith who is an extremely meticulous investigator in the best tradition of the police procedural. In 1953, he was one of the founding members of the Crime Writers Association. A bibliography of his books may be found at the Classic Crime Fiction web site. Several of his books have been reissued in the British Library Crime Classics series and are available at Amazon.
Leo Bruce(1903 - 1979) Leo Bruce is the pseudonym of Rupert Croft-Cooke who was born in Edenbridge, England. He was educated at Tonbridge School and Wellington College. From 1923 to 1926, he attended the University of Buenos Aires. Bruce served in the British army from 1940 to 1946 and earned the British Empire medal. After serving in the army, he worked as a critic for a short time, and them turned to a career in free-lance writing. He wrote a variety of books including three books on cooking, but he is best known for his detective novels. His first mystery novel was Case of Three Detectives in which he introduced middle class Sargent Beef. Eight more mysteries featuring Sargent Beef were written until 1952, when he introduced wealthy university-educated Carolus Deene in the book At Death's Door. Several more Deene novels followed until 1974, when Bruce ceased writing mystery novels. Bruce's novels are in the style of the classic detective story, and his plots are quite clever, however, Bruce also managed to write entertaining mysteries which are parodies of the conventional detective novel. More information and a bibliography of his books may be found at the Golden Age of Detection web site. Several of his books are available at Amazon.
Dorothy Cameron Disney(1903 - 1992) Dorothy Cameron Disney was born in Indian Territory which later became the state of Oklahoma. She received a degree from Barnard College. She worked as a stenographer, nightclub hostess, advertising copy writer and movie extra. She started writing fiction in 1929, and in 1936 she published her first novel Death in the Back Seat. She only wrote 8 novels and was definitely in the had-I-but-known school of mystery fiction but her novels are well written and deserve a read. An article about Ms. Disney may be found at The Golden Age of Detective Fiction,
Hannah Lees (1904 - 1972) Hannah Lees was the pen name of Elizabeth Head Fetter. She was born in Philadelphia. She attended Vassar College and the University of Colorado. She was a copywriter for Philadelphia department stores, and a novelist and freelance magazine writer. She married a doctor and wrote articles and a book about health. She wrote five mystery novels and a bibliography of them may be found at The Golden Age of Detection.. The first book Prescription for Murder deals with a death of a diabetic patient in a hospital. She served on the Philadelphia Commission on Human Rights and on the national board Planned Parenthood - World Population. Her papers are stored at the University of Oregon.
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Home - Where you will find out more about mystery novels, find new authors, and learn about some really great older ones.
