Carl Buchanan has come up before on this blog, in particular in this post made last January. At the time it had just been discovered that “Carl Buchanan” was the pen name of James Robert Peery, a fact which produced a flurry of activity, including a list of the stories he’d done for the detective pulp magazines.

   I won’t reproduce the list of his short fiction here — you can follow the link above for that — but here now is the revised entry for Buchanan as it presently exists in Part 9 of the online Addenda for the Revised Crime Fiction IV, by Allen J. Hubin:

BUCHANAN, CARL. Pseudonym of James Robert Peery, 1900-1954, q.v. Born in Mississippi; served in U.S. Army’s Signal and Intelligence Divisions in WWI; worked in banking and cotton before settling into journalism; published two mainstream novels under his real name. Under this pen name, the author of a number of short stories for the US detective pulp magazines and three crime novels published in the UK, included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
      The Black Cloak Murders. Pearson, UK, hc, 1936. Setting: North Carolina.

      Night of Horror. Mellifont, UK, pb, 1939.
      The Red Scorpion. Mellifont, UK, pb, 1939.

[UPDATE] A week or so ago, I received an email from Suzanne Peery Schutt, who has agreed to allow me to share it with you. She says:

    “My sister-in-law sent me your web site, and I just wanted you to know that I am the daughter of James (Jim) Peery. He was a brilliant man who died at age 54. His two novels are Stark Summer, 1939, and God Rides A Gale, 1940. These were the war years and it was difficult making a living as a writer, so he moved to Jackson from Eupora, working as news editor of radio station WJDX and was Mississippi correspondent for United Press.

    “He died of a thrombosis way too soon, at age 54. I was a junior in college. I cherish my memories: I never had to look up a word in the dictionary as he knew them all. I have no copies of the pulp magazine stories; I was just a child but remember him at the typewriter in the parlor of the family home in Eupora. It was built in 1908 and is still standing despite damage from Katrina. The family who owns it now has renovated it and I go back at least 3 times a year to see it and remember my wonderful heritage.

    “Daddy was married to his childhood sweetheart, Sudie Leigh, and my mother. Mother was a school teacher and superintendent of education for Webster County. For a time, she supported the family so that Daddy could write his two novels.

    “I live in Clinton, am married to Wallis Schutt, an engineer, and we have three grown children. I am an avid reader and quilt maker.”

            Best regards,

              Suzanne Peery Schutt

[UPDATE #2] 12-11-07. In the interest in keeping this entry on Mr. Peery complete, here are the combined listings of his pulp stories written as Carl Buchanan, as far as Victor Berch and I have been able to determine them, taken in part from The FictionMags Index:

BUCHANAN, CARL

   Victor adds “There is one other [detective] tale under the name Robert Peery, who, I assume, is our man.”

   To which I agree, and although it is has not yet been confirmed that Robert Peery is indeed James Robert Peery, here again from The FictionMags index are the following:

PEERY, ROBERT

   In addition, James Robert Peery had a letter published in the July 1939 issue of Clues, which neither Victor nor I have seen. If anyone has a copy of the magazine, we’d love to know what he had to say.

   Working in Part 5 this afternoon, I annotated the tail end of this portion of the Addenda. I imagine it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. If you have know anything about any of these authors that’s not said here and should be, please let me know.

   We probably haven’t found all of Dick Wordley’s early crime fiction, for example. The one just added came from a purchase on eBay I recently made. Nor do I know anything about Maurice Worth and the sleuth in all three of his books, Derek Haring. Tell me more, if you can.

WORDLEY, DICK. 1923-1995. Add both dates. Australian writer with five known crime novels; he also wrote non-fiction: history, sport, travel and psychology. A crusading journalist for abducted children, his account of a child taken from Australia to Greece by its father, Cathy’s Child was made into a film in the 1970s. Below is the author’s current entry in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV, adding the one indicated with a (*).
      Death is a Trotter. Australia: Invincible, pb, ca.1949. Add setting: Australia.
      Jig for the Hangman. Australia: Invincible, pb, ca.1962. Add setting: Tasmania.

      Murder Doesn’t Miss Much. Australia: Invincible, pb, n.d.
      Murder Got Married. Australia: Invincible, pb, ca.1950.
      * Murder Is a Handicap. Australia: Invincible, pb, n.d. Setting: Australia.

WORTH, MAURICE. Joint pseudonym of Maurice Henry B. Mash, 1882- , q.v. & Willan George Bosworth. Add year of birth to the former. Under this pen name, the author of thee mystery novels included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below. Series character: DH = Derek Haring. Setting in all three books: England.
      The Golden Pheasant Mystery. Hutchinson, UK, hc, 1927. DH
      The Pagoda Mystery. Hutchinson, UK, hc, 1928. DH
      The Plaza Mystery. Hutchinson, UK, hc, 1928. DH

YELDHAM, PETER. 1927- . Radio, TV, stage and film writer in Australia; TV producer. Author of one published play and three mystery paperbacks included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. One of the latter is cited below.
      Without Warning. Sydney, Australia: Pan, pb, 1995. Add setting: Sydney.

YORK, ANDREW. Pseudonym of Christopher Nicole, 1930- . Under this pen name, the author of 18 mystery thrillers included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV, some of them reprinted in the US under Nicole’s own byline. Jonas Wilde, who appears in the book cited below, is a British agent whose “business is death.” He appeared in nine titles, all between 1966 and 1975.
      The Dominator. Hutchinson, UK, hc, 1969. Add setting: Copenhagen, Stockholm.

YOSHIMURA, AKIRA. 1927-2006. Add year of death. Prize-winning Japanese author of twenty novels and collections of short stories, one of which is included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
      On Parole. Harcourt Brace, US, hc, 2000. Setting: Tokyo. Translation from the Japanese. [A man convicted of killing his wife is paroled from prison after 15 years.]

   Beginning work on Part 21 yesterday, I found myself annotating the entries for a number of authors known primarily for their romance fiction. One large subcategory of romance fiction is known as “romantic suspense.” There wouldn’t be a name for it if it didn’t exist, as you will see below:

BAHNSEN, KIMBERLY JEANNE. 1956- . Pseudonym: Kylie Brant, q.v.

BARTON, BEVERLY. Pseudonym of Beverly Beaver, q.v. Born in Alabama. Under this pen name, the author of many romance novels, some having criminous components. Add the one indicated with a (*) below. This is now her complete entry in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV.
      After Dark. Zebra, US, pb, 2000. Zebra, UK, pb, 2001. Setting: Alabama. [A book in the author’s “The Protectors” series.]
      * Her Secret Weapon. Silhouette, pb, 2000. [Book Four in the “A Year of Loving Dangerously” series.]

      A Man Like Morgan Kane. Silhouette, US, pb, 1997. Silhouette, UK, pb, 1999. Setting: Birmingham AL. [A book in the author’s “The Protectors” series.]

BEAVER, BEVERLY. Pseudonym: Beverly Barton, q.v.

BRANT, KYLIE. Pseudonym of Kimberly Jeanne Bahnsen, 1956- , q.v. Under this pen name, the author of many series romances, many having criminous elements. Add the ones indicated with a (*) below. This is now the complete entry for the author in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV.
      * Bringing Benjy Home. Silhouette, pb, 1997. Setting: Arkansas, Virginia, California.
      Falling Hard and Fast. Silhouette, pb, 1999. Setting: Louisiana. [Sheriff Cage Gauthier has an unresolved murder on his hands in the sultry town of Charity LA.]

      Guarding Raine. Silhouette, US/UK, pb, 1996. Setting: California.
      * An Irresistible Man. Silhouette, pb, 1995. Setting: Philadelphia.
      * McLain’s Law. Silhouette, pb, 1993. Setting: Philadelphia. [Detective Connor McLain is skeptical when Michele Easton claims she’s had dreams about kidnapped children.]
      * Undercover Bride. Silhouette, pb, 2000. Setting: Idaho. [Book 2 in the “A Year of Loving Dangerously” series: SPEAR agent Rachel Grunwald is assigned to infiltrate the Brotherhood of Blood compound.]
      * Undercover Lover. Silhouette, pb, 1998. Setting: Miami. [Undercover agent tackles a gang of smugglers.]

CLARE, CATHRYN. Pseudonym of Cathy Stanton, q.v. Under this pen name, the author of series romances, some having criminous elements. Add the one indicated with a (*) below. This is now the complete entry for her in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV.
      The Baby Assignment. Silhouette, 1996 [Texas] [Woman and child on the run from danger with an FBI agent for protection.]
      -Blind Justice. Silhouette, pb, 1989.
      The Honeymoon Assignment. Silhouette, pb, 1996. Setting: Texas.
      The Wedding Assignment. Silhouette, pb, 1996. Add setting: Texas. [Former DEA agent kidnaps a bride-to-be about to make a dangerous mistake.]

MAGNER, (ELLEN) LEE. Full married name: Ellen Lee Magner Tatara, 1947-2002, q.v. Confirm both dates. Author of series romances, some having criminous elements. Add the one indicated with a (*) below. This is now the author’s complete entry in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV.
      Dangerous. Silhouette, pb, 1996.
      * Owen’s Touch. Silhouette, pb, 1998. Setting: West Virginia. [A woman with amnesia may be on the run from a killer.]

STANTON, CATHY. Pseudonym: Cathyrn Clare, q.v. Born in Canada, moved to US when she married an American citizen.

TATARA, ELLEN LEE MAGNER. 1947-2002. Confirm both dates. Used a shortened form of her full married name, Lee Magner, q.v., as a pseudonym.

   The first winter storm of the season, here in the Northeast, and our first power outage, from 7:15 this morning to about 1:30 this afternoon. I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come. Wisely planning ahead, I made the big push this weekend, and Judy’s car was in her half of the garage when the ice and freezing rain hit. (Of course some of the boxes of books that came from there are now in the living room, but you have to remember: one step at a time!)

   But the reminder of how much we depend on electricity is a sobering one, not to mention access to one’s computer. I’m still working on Saturday’s New York Times crossword puzzle, for example, and without Google the Southwest corner is proving to be impenetrable.

   Al Hubin also sent me Part 21 of his online Addenda to the Revised Crime Fiction IV early this morning, and here it is, almost 4:30 in the afternoon, and I’ve only now gotten it uploaded.

   This new data is strong on newly discovered birth and death dates for authors, along with added info on series characters and settings. But also in this installment are lengthy entries for romantic suspense writers Kylie Brant and Glenna Finley, among others; historical fiction author Nigel Tranter, whose books often contained elements of crime-related activities; western writer Tim Champlin, for whose books the same can be said; Ian Rankin, whose books have been the basis for a number of recent TV films; and science fiction writer Walter Jon Williams, whose stories of galactic gentleman burglar-thief Drake Majistral are now included.

   It’s too early for me to have start adding cover images and so on, along with whatever additional commentary I will begin to add as soon as I can get to it, but I will, as soon as I can get to it!

   I was working in Part 9 for a short while again this evening. The following are consecutive entries in the M’s. Not the most interesting group of authors, perhaps, but they’re all grist for the mill. (And who is to say, without reading them?)

MILLAR, FLORENCE N(ORAH). 1920-2000? Add tentative year of death. Author of two detective novels and one work marginally criminous, all three included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. Chief Inspector Douglas Grant (DG) is the series detective in two of them. See below.
      Fishing Is Dangerous. Gifford, UK, hc, 1946. DG
      Grant’s Overture. Gifford, UK, hc, 1956. DG
      -The Lone Kiwi. Dawson, UK, hc, 1948. Setting: Italy, World War II.

MILLAR, J(OHN) HALKET. 1899-1978. Born in New Zealand. Add as a new author entry.
      Death Round the Bend. R. W. Stiles & Co., New Zealand, hc, 1954. [A novel about the bushranging Burgess gang that terrorized the New Zealand goldfields in 1866.]

MILLAR, PETER. British journalist and author of one thriller novel included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below. Bleak Midwinter (Bloomsbury, 2002) is about an outbreak of bubonic plague set in modern Oxford.
      Stealing Thunder. London & NYC: Bloomsbury, hc, 1999. Add setting: 1945. [Alternative history thriller involving Klaus Fuchs, the German born Los Alamos physicist who passed on critical pieces of information about the atomic bomb.]

MILLER, RON(ALD) JAY. 1943- . Add full first name and year of birth.
      The Medallion. Salt Lake City: Northwest, pb, 1992. Setting: Wyoming. “This tale of courage and triumph follows Calvin Taft as he battles to regain his past with the help of a special medallion.”

MILLS, JOHN FITZMAURICE. 1917-1991. Add year of death. Lived in Wales; art critic for Irish Times for 10 years. Besides one novel included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV (see below) the author of such reference books as Collecting and Looking after Antiques and How to Detect Fake Antiques.
      Top Knocker. Dublin, Ireland: Wolfhound, pb, 1990. Wolfhound, US, pb, 1990. Setting: Dublin. [Novel about intrigue in the antiques trade, by an insider.]

MILLS, MAX. 1910?-2001? Add both dates, both tentative. Author of one novel included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
      Bedtime at Eleven. Quality Press, UK, hc, 1949.

   I was working in Part 4 last week. These are consecutive entries in the S’s.

SHEPPARD, STEPHEN. 1945- . Ref: CA. Born in England. Actor & painter; author of three novels included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV, including the one cited below.
      Monte Carlo. TV movie: CBS, 1986 (scw: Peter Lefcourt; dir: Anthony Page)

SMITH, CRAIG (BRIAN). 1947- . Note: Separate this entry from the one following; they are two different authors. Besides the title below, his only entry in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV, this Craig Smith was the screenwriter for three crime films made between 1996 and 2002.
      Ladystinger. Crown, US, hc, 1992. Setting: New Orleans, Jamaica. (Add the latter.) TV movie: Showtime, 1993, as Scam (scw: Craig Smith; dir: John Flynn). Nominated for an Edgar in 1993 as Best First Novel. [A mistress of the scam may get herself double-looped by her own chicanery.]

SMITH, CRAIG (S.) 1950- . Ref: CA. Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Southern Illinois; lives in Switzerland. Note: Separate this entry from the one preceding; they are two different authors.
      Silent She Sleeps. Heinemann, UK, hc, 1997. US title: The Whisper of Leaves. Setting: Illinois; academia. [Innocent man is framed by corrupt cop.]
      _The Whisper of Leaves. Southern Illinois University Press, pb, 2002. US title of Silent She Sleeps.

SMITH, WILBUR (ADDISON)
      Wild Justice. TV movie: Syndicated, 1993. Also released as Covert Assassin and as Dial. (scw: J. H. Carrington; dir: Tony Wharmby)

SOHMER, STEVE
      Favorite Son. TV movie [mini-series]: NBC, 1988 (scw: Steve Sohmer; dir: Jeff Bleckner)

SPECHT, ROBERT. 1928-1997. Ref: CA. Editor; free-lance TV writer and story editor. Of two novels written, one is included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below. This constitutes the author’s complete entry.
      The Soul of Betty Fairchild. St. Martin’s, hc, 1991. Setting: South Carolina. Add TV movie: NBC, 1997, as NightScream (scw: Eugenia Bostwick-Singer, Raymond Singer, Gary Tieche; dir: Noel Nosseck). [Twenty-four years after Betty Fairchild is murdered, a young woman shows up who is identical to her in appearance and behavior, and seems to suffer from multiple personalities.]

SPEIGHT, RICHARD (DOBBS). 1940- . Trial lawyer living in Nashville, TN. His son, Richard Speight Jr., is an actor currently [2007] in a recurring role on the TV show Jericho. Author of two books listed in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV, one of which is cited below.
      Desperate Justice. TV movie: ABC, 1993, as A Mother’s Revenge; also released as Desperate Justice (scw: John Robert Bensink; dir: Armand Mastroianni)

SPROUL, KATHLEEN. 1903?-1977? Author of five detective novels included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. Series sleuth Dick Wilson appears in the four published by Dutton between 1932 and 1935; covers for one of these is shown below. Her fifth and final mystery is listed immediately thereafter.

      Death Listened In. Phoenix Press, hc, 1946. Add setting: Midwest. Said Anthony Boucher in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Passable enough up to the ending, which hinges upon a device of such monstrous improbability that it makes Buck Rogers look strictly scientific.”

   I’ve been working with Part 9 yesterday and today, this time more or less in the A’s, but things quickly branched out from there:

ADAMS, FRANK R(AMSEY). 1883-1963. Chicago reporter; writer of songs and screen plays. Also the author of eight mystery and adventure novels included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV, two marginally. One of these was reprinted in paperback by Dell in 1950 as western fiction; see below. One other book by Adams was purely a western: Gunsight Ranch (Doubleday Doran, hc, 1939).
      Arizona Feud. Doubleday Doran, US, hc, 1941. Harrap, UK, 1944. “The homecoming of a young Arizonian revives a blood feud three generations old.”

ANDREAE, PERCY. 1858-1924. Confirm birth date and add date of death. Influential anti-prohibitionist in the US in the 1900s. Between 1894 and 1902, the author of five novels included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV, including the two below. Two of the other titles are indicated as being only marginally crime-related.
      Stanhope of Chester. Smith Elder, UK, hc, 1894. Rand McNally, US, pb, 1896. The Bookman (Vol. III, No. 1, March 1896): “The most notable ghost story that has appeared for many years.”
      The Vanished Emperor. Ward Lock, UK, hc, 1896. Rand McNally, US, 1896. Alternate history novel set in Europe. “Sir John Templeton solves the case of the missing German emperor.”

ANDREWS, CAROLYN. Pseudonym of Carolyn Hanlon, 1940- , q.v. Add real name and year of birth. Under this pen name, a writer of romance fiction, with one title included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below. [Other pen name: Cara Summers; not used for criminous fiction before the year 2000.]
      The Marriage Curse. Harlequin, pb, 1996. [A lovely innkeeper determined to solve the mystery surrounding her resident ghost clashes with her overly solicitous landlord.]

ARCHER, MARGARET. Author of six crime novels listed in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV, including the two below. Published in the UK between 1945 and 1953, none appeared in the US.
       Gull Yard. Jarrolds, UK, hc, 1947. [Nellie Greene, the new governess to the Rev. Arthur Cagg’s household, arrives in London’s Gull Yard during early Victorian times.]

       The Silent Sisters. Jarrolds, UK, hc, 1950. Add setting: England.

ARMSTRONG, RAYMOND. Pseudonym of Norman (Harold) Lee, 1898-1964, q.v. Under this pen name, the author of 13 mystery novels included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV, all published only in the UK between 1947. The series characters who appeared in these books include J. Rockingham Stone, Inspector Dick Mason, and Laura Scudamore, sometimes individually and on occasion, all three in the same books. It must be Laura Scudamore who is known as “The Sinister Widow,” as the phrase is part of the title in all seven books in which she appears.

ARNOLD, JUDITH. Pseudonym of Barbara J. Keiler, 1953- , q. v. Add real name and year of birth. Lives in a small town near Boston. Under this pen name, a writer of romance fiction with two titles in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV, one marginally. See below. [Other pen names: Ariel Berk, Thea Frederick; neither was used for criminous fiction through the year 2000.]
      -Legacy of Secrets. Harlequin, pb, 1998. Setting: Louisiana. [Book 11 in the Delta Justice series.]

      A Stranger’s Baby. Harlequin, pb, 1996. Setting: Maryland.

CORRIGAN, MARK. Pseudonym of Norman (Harold) Lee, 1898-1964, q.v. Under this pen name, described online as the author of “30 mystery/detective novels with series character Mark Corrigan of US Intelligence who, with sidekick Tucker Maclean, has first-person romantic adventure thriller experiences in exotic locations.” Two of these are shown below.
         

HANLON, CAROLYN. 1940- . Pseudonym: Carolyn Andrews, q.v. Add this entry with the author’s real name and year of birth. [Other pen name: Cara Summers; not used for any criminous fiction before the year 2000.]

HOBART, ROBERTSON. Pseudonym of Norman (Harold) Lee, 1898-1964, q.v. Under this pen name, the author of four mystery novels included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. Series character Inspector Grant Vickary appears in two of them; the setting for each is Australia. One of these is shown below:

KEILER, BARBARA J. 1953- . Pseudonym: Judith Arnold, q.v. Add this entry with the author’s real name and year of birth. [Other pen names: Ariel Berk, Thea Frederick; neither was used for criminous fiction through the year 2000.]

LEE, NORMAN (HAROLD). 1898-1964. Correction of dates & addition of middle name. Add as pseudonyms: Raymond Armstrong, Mark Corrigan, Robertson Hobart, qq.v. Also add the titles indicated with a (*) below. The following is now the complete entry in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV for the author under his own name. (Others novels appear to be adventure or sea stories only.)
      -Deputy Wife. Mitre, UK, pb, 1946.
      The “Four Winds” Mystery. Mitre, UK, pb, 1946.
      Peril at Journey’s End. Foster, UK, pb, 1947.
      (*) Ship of Adventure. Skilton, UK, 1948. Setting: Ship.
      (*) The Terrified Village. Lutterworth, UK, hc, 1947. Setting: England, 1800s. Subtitle: A Tale of the Kent and Sussex Smugglers. [Historical tale based on the exploits of the Zack o’Lantern gang, in which the son of a London lawyer falls in with smugglers.]

LEE, NORMAN. 1905-1962. Delete this entry. This eliminates an apparent second Norman Lee whose presumed pseudonyms are now correctly attributed in the entry above.

   I was working in Part 9 yesterday, primarily in the L’s, when I came across a pair of authors who are twin sisters, a fact that hadn’t been pointed out before.

BURFORD, PAMELA. 1954- . Add date of birth and married name: Pamela Burford Loeser, q.v. Twin sister of Patricia Ryan, q.v. Under her maiden name, the author of many romance novel, primarily for Harlequin and its various imprints. Two of them are included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
       His Secret Side. Harlequin, pb, 1996. Silhouette, UK, pb, 1998. [Investigating her best friend’s murder in Vermont, the last thing a woman expects is to be both attracted to and fearful of the small town’s doctor.]
      Twice Burned. Harlequin, pb, 1997. Silhouette, UK, pb, 1998. Setting: New York. [A young woman determined is forced to accept help from an FBI agent who wants to keep her locked away and safe.]

HOPWOOD, BRENDA CECILIA. 1878-1959. Pseudonym: Patrick Leyton, q.v.

LEYTON, PATRICK. Add: pseudonym of Brenda Cecilia Hopwood, 1878-1959, q.v. Under this name, the author of 20 crime thrillers published in England between 1925 and 1948. Two were reprinted in the US; one is shown below. Note: This discovery was made by John Harrington, who has also found evidence that around 1919 the author legally changed the family name from Gregge-Hopwood to Hopwood only.

LIPKE, KAY. 1896- . Full name: Kathleen Bellows Lipke. Add year of birth. Author of one hard-to-find mystery novel included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below. Another novel, Life Is for Living, appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer book section on December 27, 1936; it appears to have criminous content.
      Rain on the Roof. Dial Press, hc, 1931. Methuen, UK, hc, 1932. Setting: California.

LOEWENKOPF, SHELLY (ALAN). ca.1931- . Add middle name and tentative year of birth. Co-author of two books in the long-running Nick Carter paperback series, both included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
       _Arms of Vengeance [as by Nick Carter]. Co-authored by Dennis Lynds. Jove, pb, 1989. [#255]
       _Law of the Lion [as by Nick Carter]. Co-authored by Dennis Lynds. Jove, pb, 1989. [#252]

LOESER, PAMELA BURFORD. 1954- . Add date of birth and married name of Pamela Burford, q.v.

RYAN, PATRICIA (née BURFORD). 1954- . Add date of birth and maiden name. Twin sister of romantic fiction writer Paula Burford, q.v. Also a writer of romances, two of them included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below. As P. B. Ryan, later the author of a series of post-Civil War historical mysteries featuring Boston governess Nell Sweeney, the first being Still Life with Murder (Berkley, pb, 2003).
      A Burning Touch. Harlequin, pb, 1996. Mills, UK, pb, 1996. Setting: New Jersey. [India Cook offers her services to the police department; detective Jamie Keegan knows all about con artists.]
      Silken Threads. Topaz, hc, 1999. Setting: London, 1100s. [Graeham Fox is on a secret mission: rescuing his lord’s illegitimate daughter from the clutches of her abusive husband.]

   I was working in Part 8 of the online Addenda this afternoon, primarily in the J’s, but as often happens, this required jumping around and filling in some of the other entries as well.

BECKE, (GEORGE) LOUIS. 1855-1913. Most sources suggest that his name at birth was George Lewis Becke. Australian author of many novels and stories about the South Pacific. To the 15 novels and collections included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV, add the following:
       -The Mystery of the Laughlin Islands. With Walter (James) Jeffery, 1861-1922, q.v. Unwin, UK, hc, 1896. Setting: Ship.

HEALEY, BEN(JAMIN JAMES). 1908-1988. Add year of death. Pseudonyms: J. G. Jeffreys, Jeremy Sturrock, qq.v. Artist and designer in British film industry. Under his own name, the author of 12 mystery novels listed in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV published in the UK between 1965 and 1981. Series characters: (1) artist Paul Hedley and(2) art thief Harcourt d’Espinal, who generally worked separately but appeared together in Last Ferry from the Lido (Robert Hale, 1981) aka Midnight Ferry to Venice (Walker, 1982). Four of the books were published in the US.

JEFFERY, WALTER (JAMES). 1861-1922. Add as a new author entry. Born in England; noted Australian writer & journalist. Co-author of one marginally crime-related title:
       -The Mystery of the Laughlin Islands, with (George) Louis Becke, 1855-1913, q.v. Unwin, UK, hc, 1896. Setting: Ship.

JEFFREYS, J. G. Pseudonym of Ben(jamin James) Healey, 1908-1988, q.v. Add year of death. Other pseudonym: Jeremy Sturrock, q.v. The first seven adventures of Jeremy Sturrock of the Bow Street Runners, a series set in Regency times, were first published in the UK as by Sturrock; then in the US under the Jeffreys byline. One of these is shown below; an additional title, The Thistlewood Plot (Walker, 1987) appeared only in the US.

JILES, PAULETTE. 1943- . Ref: CA. Add as a new author entry. Born in Missouri; immigrated to Canada, 1969. Journalist, writer, memoirist, poet.
       -Sitting in the Club Car Drinking Rum and Karma-Kola. Polestar, Canada, pb, 1986. Setting: Canada, train. A novella (104 pages) subtitled: A Manual of Etiquette for Ladies Crossing Canada by Train. Described as “a parody of the 1940s detective novels of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, [the story] follows its heroine as she avoids the payment of $50,000 in overdue bills by fleeing across country.” Illustrated with the Dome Car floor plan.

STURROCK, JEREMY. Pseudonym: Ben(jamin James) Healey, 1908-1988, q.v.. Add year of death. Other pseudonym: J. G. Jeffreys, q.v. The primary character in each of the books under this pen name was the same as the author’s, Jeremy Sturrock of the Bow Street Runners. A series set in Regency times, it displayed, says one online source, “a nice raunchy low-life vulgarity.” Seven books were published in the UK between 1972 and 1983; one of these is shown below. When published in the US the byline was given as J. G. Jeffreys. A final book appeared in 1987 only in the US.

   While I’ve been tending to other matters and haven’t been able to spend much time with Mystery*File this month, British mystery fan and bookseller Jamie Sturgeon has continued to send me examples of maps in mysteries as he’s come across them. I’ve been collecting some of my own, but where they are at the moment, I don’t know. (I’m a bit unorganized at the moment.)

   Rather than wait for me to add mine to his to create one long entry, I’ve finally decided to run only the four that he’s sent me most recently.

   First, he says, how about this double one from Fatal Friday by Francis Gerard?

Fatal Friday (Rich, 1937, hc) [Chief Insp. (Supt.) Sir John Meredith; England] Holt, 1937.

   Next, he went on to say, perhaps a day or so later, there’s this one in Riot Act by R Philmore:

Riot Act (Gollancz, 1935, hc) [C. J. Swan; England]

   Here’s one of the more elaborate maps Jamie says he’s ever seen in a crime novel, one that he sent me while my computer was down. It comes from Angel in the Case by Evelyn Elder (Milward Kennedy), a very scarce book. Some other Methuen books of the period have these maps on the front endpapers as well.

Angel in the Case (Methuen, 1932, hc) [England]

   And here’s a map from another Methuen title,The Pressure Gauge Murder, by F.W.B. von Linsingen, his only mystery:

The Pressure-Gauge Murder (Methuen, 1929, hc) [South Africa] Dutton, 1930.

[UPDATE] 10-25-07. The British contingent of crime authors didn’t have a monopoly on maps in mysteries, of course. Bruce Grossman sent this one along, taken from Ellery Queen’s The Dutch Shoe Mystery. In particular, it’s from the softcover edition of Otto Penzler’s reprint, so we’re assuming that it’s the same as the one in the original First Edition.

The Dutch Shoe Mystery (Stokes, 1931, hc; Gollancz, UK, 1931) [Ellery Queen; New York City, NY]