Mon 18 Jul 2016
Reviewed by William F. Deeck: TIMOTHY KNOX – Death in the State House.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[2] Comments
William F. Deeck
TIMOTHY KNOX – Death in the State House. Houghton Mifflin, hardcover, 1934. Black Cat Detective #24, digest-sized paperback, 1946.
In the Capitol of an unnamed state — internal evidence suggests New Jersey — the Governor is working late. When someone inserts a knife in his neck. he stops working. Since the Governor is a womanizer, a gambler, and an owner of a “speak” and gambling den, he has lots of enemies.i
Called in to investigate is Eli Scott, apple grower and chief of police of a small town. Solving the murder is beyond the dubious talents of the capital city’s police since this is an impossible crime: Those who could have murdered the Governor all clear each other.
An only novel, interesting primarily because it’s a rather good impossible crime for the times.
Bibliographic Notes: Bill was quite correct in saying that this was Timothy Knox’s only novel. What he may not have known is that Knox was the pseudonym of Charles Fisher & Elizabeth K. Read, about either little is known. Fisher, however, was also the author of a short story collection entitled Some Unaccountable Exploits of Sherlock Holmes (1956; perhaps self-published).
July 18th, 2016 at 4:32 pm
Appendix II of Mike Ashley’s The Mammoth Book of New Sherlock Holmes Adventures mentions Fisher’s Some Unaccountable Exploits of Sherlock Holmes. The 1956 publication is mentioned and these stories are characterized as short and frivolous accounts that were originally published in the newspaper The Philadelphia Record from 1939-1940. I have not been able yet to locate on online archive for this newspaper for 1939-1940.
On ABE I found some entries for a 1985 Magico Magazine publication, although one listing has a date for 1960. No listings for the 1956 edition.
July 19th, 2016 at 11:20 am
Thanks, Bill
This is more information on Fisher’s book than I expected about such an small obscure publication.
Though I suppose when it comes to Sherlock Holmes, there is nothing that’s totally obscure!