Baden Powell of Mafeking

Joseph Smith Fletcher

Joseph Smith Fletcher is an English journalist and writer. He wrote over 230 books on a wide variety of topics, both fiction and non-fiction, and was one of the most prolific English mystery writers. This book describes English society, their life, their customs.

Brylant śmieci

Joseph Smith Fletcher

W jednym z londyńskich lombardów Andrew Lauriston znajduje zwłoki właściciela przybytku, starego Daniela Multeniusa. Podejrzenia policji od razu kierują się w stronę Lauristona początkującego, wybitnie nieśmiałego literata. Tylko czy byłby on zdolny dokonać tak makabrycznej zbrodni? Na miejscu znaleziono również pozostawiony manuskrypt oraz platynową szpilkę z grawerunkiem. Do kogo należały? I czy ma to jakiś związek z morderstwem?

Dead Mens Money

Joseph Smith Fletcher

Another fast-paced murder mystery by J.S. Fletcher told in the first person. He wrote about 200 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction. He was one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the Golden Age. It was first published in 1920, and has just the right stock of truly good characters, balanced by a couple of nasties. A young apprentice solicitor in a rural English town bordering Scotland, is riding his bike through lonely stretches of countryside very late in the evening, to run a strange errand for a mysterious lodger at his mothers house. He finds a recently murdered body at the end of his ride, and the mysteries keep piling up from there.

In the Days of Drake

Joseph Smith Fletcher

This is a short story about a young English boy whose cousin is kidnapped by a Spanish nobleman. He ends up in Mexico and finds himself on a galley bound for Spain. Francis Drake raids a galley and rescues British slaves, bringing them back to England.

In The Mayors Parlour

Joseph Smith Fletcher

This is a story of graft and corruption set in one of Fletchers favoured Northern towns. The mayor who is on a clean-up campaign is found dead in his parlour and our hero, his younger cousin, is determined to find out who killed him. Was he eliminated for this reason? There are entanglements involving city officials and his proposed reforms plus jealousy related to relationships. Lots of twists with a surprise murderer. The plot is cleverly centered around the inquest, which keeps being adjourned in hope of new evidence.

Kryminał (#35). Tajemnica dworu Markenmore

Joseph Smith Fletcher

Tytuł kryminału pochodzi od nazwy miejsca akcji. Markenmore to piękna posiadłość wiejska. Jednak jej właściciel, sir Anthony, leży na łożu śmierci. Czuwają przy nim młodsze dzieci: Harry i Valencia. Niespodziewanie po siedmiu latach nieobecności i braku jakiegokolwiek kontaktu z rodziną we dworze pojawia się Guy, pierworodny syn Anthonyego i dziedzic jego majątku. Nie chce jednak spotkać się z umierającym ojcem ani przyjąć spadku. Ale to nie dlatego Markenmore traci tego feralnego dnia aż dwóch swych posiadaczy i opiekunów. Guy zostaje zamordowany! Kto go zabił i dlaczego? Czyżby rodzeństwo chcące zabezpieczyć ogromny majątek? A może to dawne porachunki miłosne (przecież wtedy przybywa do dworu także John Harborough i pani Tretheroe)? Detektyw Blick wyrusza śladem mrocznych tajemnic starego Markenmore

Kryminał (#36). Kobieta o dwóch nazwiskach

Joseph Smith Fletcher

Marshall Allerdyke w środku nocy dostaje telegram od swego kuzyna Jamesa, który prosi go o pilne spotkanie w hotelu w Hull. Biznesmen wyrusza niezwłocznie. Po drodze spotyka tajemniczą kobietę, która za wszelką cenę usiłuje dogonić ekspres do Londynu. Po przybyciu na miejsce Marshall znajduje zwłoki Jamesa. Dowiaduje się też, że kuzyn przewoził cenną biżuterię, po której nie ma teraz śladu. Postanawia wykryć mordercę. Jedyną poszlaką jest klamerka od damskiego pantofla, znaleziona w hotelowym pokoju Jamesa. Właścicielką okazuje się spotkana tej samej nocy dama, która przedstawia się jako panna Lennard, ale wkrótce wychodzi na jaw, że nie jest to jej prawdziwe nazwisko. Kim więc jest owa pani? Jeśli to nie ona zabiła i okradła Jamesa, to co robiła nocą w jego pokoju? Zagadka jest trudniejsza, niż się na początku wydawało

Kryminał. Brylant śmierci

Joseph Smith Fletcher

Pewnego listopadowego wieczoru w jednym z londyńskich lombardów zostają znalezione zwłoki jego właściciela starego Daniela Multeniusa. Pech chce, że smutnego odkrycia dokonuje Mr Andrew Lauriston i to właśnie na niego pada podejrzenie policji. Czyżby ten nieśmiały, początkujący literat mógł z zimną krwią zabić i okraść jubilera? Ale jeśli nie on, to kto? Może właściciel pozostawionego na miejscu zbrodni wartościowego hiszpańskiego manuskryptu? A może ten, kto zgubił tu platynową szpilkę z grawerunkiem? Jedno jest pewne zabójca z Brylantu śmierci zna się na egzotycznych truciznach, wie, jak ich skutecznie użyć. Zresztą i denat miał tu swoje tajemnice

Lucian the Dreamer

Joseph Smith Fletcher

Joseph Smith Fletcher was an English journalist, writer and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He studied law before turning to journalism. This book opens with the first page of his experiences at the train station. If you love a story that sticks to the end, then this book is for you.

Mistress Spitfire

Joseph Smith Fletcher

Fletchers understanding of human nature is evident in his writing, where his characters embody every facet of human existence in very well-written prose and dialogue. Mistress Spitfire is a simple account of some of the episodes in the history of Richard Coop, Ghent, and his cousin Mistress Alison French during the Revolution of 1642-1644.

Mr. Poskitts Nightcaps

Joseph Smith Fletcher

The idea behind this book is that before going to bed, Yorkshire farmer Mr. Poskitt liked to tell a little story or nightcap. Thus, J.S. Fletcher recorded and collected these stories in this book. There is a hilarious story, tales of robbing money and arguing over wills, orphan pigs running around the village causing havoc, broken hearts and jealous lovers, and misers and men trying to make a fortune.

Ravensdene Court

Joseph Smith Fletcher

On the same night, two brothers were killed at a distance of 400 miles from each other. Their bodies were apparently searched by the killers, but money and valuables were left on the corpses. What were the killers looking for? The author unravels the complex history associated with these two brothers.

Scarhaven Keep

Joseph Smith Fletcher

This novel, first published in 1922, is a good example of J. S. Fletchers complex plots. The story starts with a famous actor gone missing in suspicious circumstances in northern England. But other dark deeds soon take our attention. Copplestone, the young dramatist, helping to solve the mystery, found himself suddenly in love; and the solution and his happiness were discovered together. In the search for Oliver, we find ourselves on a wild and lonely coast off the North Sea. The landscapes in this novel have a thrilling, threatening beauty that forms a perfect backdrop for the mysteries unfolding.

The Borough Treasurer

Joseph Smith Fletcher

The Borough Treasurer (1921) by J.S. Fletcher is a tale of blackmail, murder and a secret quarry. He has quite a large cast of interesting characters in this one, and manages to bring them all to life with great detail. This novel tales place in an obscure small town by the Yorkshire moors an ideal spot for two ex-cons to start life over. Messrs. Mallalieu and Cotherstone were outsiders who had built a prosperous business in Highmarket and even been elected as Mayor and Treasurer of the borough. But when an ex-detective moves to town, 30 years of respectability is suddenly threatened by revelations from the past. How far will two upstanding citizens go to keep their past a secret?

The Chestermarke Instinct

Joseph Smith Fletcher

Fans of golden-era mysteries will relish the twists and turns of J. S. Fletchers The Chestermarke Instinct. This cleverly crafted mystery begins with what seems like a common enough occurrence: a bank manager is late for work one morning. But what first appears to be simply a matter of a missed train soon is revealed to be a much more vexing problem. Has the manager, formerly a pillar of honesty, absconded with the missing banks items, or has something more sinister occurred? When a body is found at the bottom of an abandoned lead mine, the latter seems more likely. Wallington Neale, the banks assistant manager, must discover whether it is a case of embezzlement or if the events the result of... The Chestermarke Instinct.

The Herapath Property

Joseph Smith Fletcher

Jacob Herapat, wealthy real estate developer and Member of Parliament. found dead. With a gun at my side. But, it seems, an hour later the coachman brings him home. And what according to his will, what surprises she will open. Several people, including the police, are trying to solve the mystery.

The Middle of Things

Joseph Smith Fletcher

Viner stumbles upon the body of a murdered man whilst just following through his ordinary day routines. Little does he know that this find would make him a key figure in solving a big mystery. Well its soon discovered that the murdered mans name was Ashton and some important documents were stolen from him, but the true purpose for killing him and his real identity and that of his charge, make for a rather excitingly interesting murder-mystery... Nevertheless, Mr. Fletcher accomplishes it in a story that keeps the reader in suspense until the very last word. This talented author has no rival to-day in ingenuity.

The Middle Temple Murder

Joseph Smith Fletcher

When an elderly mans body is found on the steps of chambers in the Midde Temple, one of the Inns of Court, it falls to newspaperman Frank Spargo and Detective-Sergeant Rathbury to solve the crime. There is no indication as to the idetity of the corpse, whose pockets are completely empty apart from a scrap of paper bearing the names and chambers address of an aspiring young barrister. Who is the victim? Why was he killed? Who is the murderer? These are the questions that Spargo and Rathbury must answer in The Middle Temple Murder. This extraordinary discovery draw them into a labyrinthine web of intrigue, murder and crime in high places. The Middle Temple Murder by Joseph Smith Fletcher was first published in 1919 and is a great example of the classical English detective story.

The Orange-Yellow Diamond

Joseph Smith Fletcher

This novel takes place in the London parish of Paddington. The story opens with the murder of an old Jewish pawnbroker. Our Scottish hero, Andrew Lauriston, a penniless aspiring writer, has the misfortune of finding the body, and is accused of killing and robbing the old man. But then its found the pawnbroker had had in his possession an extraordinary South African diamond worth over eighty-thousand pounds a diamond thats now missing. It falls to Melky Rubenstein to unravel the mystery and prove the young mans innocence. This is a great tale which you can immerse yourself in and will appeal to anyone who likes the old style crime/ mystery novels.

The Paradise Mystery

Joseph Smith Fletcher

A quaint and idyllic English community is rocked to its very core when a dead body of a man is found and foul play is suspected. Did he fall or was he pushed? The inquest records a verdict of death by misadventure but more than one person is dubious about the death. But with few clues to go on and no likely suspects, it appears that the brutal crime may remain unsolved. Theres another murder, lots of behind the scenes investigation into burial and marriage records, questionable parentage, questionable motives, changed names, poisonings, twists and turns galore. This classic from the golden age of detective fiction will suck you in and keep you guessing until the very last page.

The Rayner-Slade Amalgamation

Joseph Smith Fletcher

Marshall Allerdyke is driving through the night from London to Hull in response to an urgent telegram from his cousin. As he nears Hull, a beautiful woman stops his car to ask for directions to Scotland. Odd time to be traveling so far and in such a hurry, but Allerdykes mind is elsewhere. When he finally arrives in Hull, he finds his cousin dead in his hotel room and a valuable consignment of jewels missing. Allerdykes only clue rests with that woman hurrying off to Scotland. Written in beautifully period English, this mystery has many threads to solve. The main characters work wonderfully with each other to solve the mystery, with the assistance of the British police. There are enough twists and turns and revelations to keep you busy right to the end.

The Root of All Evil

Joseph Smith Fletcher

Joseph Smith Fletcher (7 February 1863 30 January 1935) was a British journalist and author. He wrote more than 230 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction. Jackie Farnish has grown up in a grindingly poor household, and as she reaches adulthood she resolves to do whatever is necessary to claw her way out of poverty. She is loved by her childhood playmate Joe Bartle, but takes him for granted and feels that he lacks the spark or ambition to match her determination to make something of herself. Instead she pursues Albert Grice, son of a wealthy grocery store owner, and believes they have an understanding. She is horrified when Albert goes on holiday, and returns newly married to another woman.

The Talleyrand Maxim

Joseph Smith Fletcher

The Talleyrand Maxim" belongs to the pen of an outstanding British journalist and writer Joseph Smith Fletcher. Linford Pratt is a suave and clever law clerk looking for a chance to better himself. Opportunity knocks when he gets possession of a rich mans will that would mean the ruin of the present heirs. His thoughts turn to blackmail, since he assumes the wrongful heirs would pay a high price to hang onto their wealth. Pratts personal hero is the subtle, wily diplomat Talleyrand. Self-interest is Pratts guiding principle. We watch him pondering, planning and scheming his way through one complication after another. This is a gripping detective story, with many twists and turns, based in Edwardian England. It is definitely recommended for a wide circle of readers who want to have a couple of hours of fascinating reading.