One of BLCC recent reprints was a new author for them - Leo Bruce.
Edwards says that Croft's Deene series (1955-1974) seem to have never been published in paperback and some had been out of print for decades. Maybe because they were written in Golden Age style at a time when other authors were writing grittier and more psychological stories.
In Jack on the Gallows Tree (originally published in 1960) Carolus Deene is recovering from a bout of jaundice and is sent off to a health spa type hotel at Buddington. No sooner has he arrived and settled in and there are two murders only linked by a lily being left on the bodies. Deene has been told by the headmaster of his school Not to get involved with any murders again as it will give the school a bad name. But as usual Carolus Deene does get involved and manages to work out the who and the why before the police.
I wonder if BLCC will publish more of this authors books - hopefully they will as it was a good read.
Back Soon
Good news that there's another BLCC author and maybe more books to come.
ReplyDeletePenny
I hope they publish more as it was very readable, like the books ECR Lorac which had also been out of print for years and found again by BLCC and are very good
DeleteThe Open Library has 22 Leo Bruce novels available to read online for free.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment I only do proper books!
DeleteI'll take a look at this one, I have seen it around but didn't know the author so didn't get it. I've just started a BLCC collection myself, Cyanide in the Sun... short stories set on holidays, the first story was excellent so I have high hopes.
ReplyDeleteThere have been a few authors that BLCC have reprinted that I've not been able to get into but on the whole it's good so many lost authors have been found again. I always suggest them to the library to buy and they usually oblige
DeleteI hope this author keeps writing and your library makes the books available to you. The story sounds very good. Twists and turns of a well written mystery followed by the solution always makes a good read.
ReplyDeleteThis author died several years ago but he wrote several books which I hope British Library Crime Classics will reprint more of
DeleteThis sounds like a good series. I don't have any Leo Bruce -- I see more purchases for my collection in the offing!
ReplyDeleteI looked on line and a few were reprinted in the early 2000s but only in the US so you should be able to get them - luckily!
DeleteI shall have to wait and hope BLCC publish more here.
It says something about impermanence in the publishing world (and the culture in general) that I have never heard of Leo Bruce or Rupert Croft-Cooke, and yet he published so many books!
ReplyDeleteIt would be good to see some of these older series reprinted. They have the charm of an older age about them, I imagine.
ReplyDeleteRupert Croft-Cooke - what a blast from the past! in 1953 his conviction for "indecent behaviour," jailed for six months, (see his Wikipedia entry for the specifics) was a cause celebre that contributed to the decriminalization of homosexuality. The prolixity of his writing meant that he had no standing as an author and I don't recall ever having read anything he wrote. Roderick
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky to find authors that have gone by the wayside.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
29 volumes of memoirs??? Jeez, every sneeze, every toilet visit...
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting. I do like the title!
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