Freeman Wills Crofts (1879–1957)
Author of The Hog's Back Mystery
About the Author
Series
Works by Freeman Wills Crofts
British Library Crime Classics Collection 10 Books Bundle (Death of a Busybody,Mystery in the Channel,The Methods of Sergeant Cluff,The Cheltenham Square Murder,The 12.30 from… (2016) — Contributor — 7 copies
The Mad Hatter Mystery 3 copies
The Freeman Wills Crofts Omnibus: The Cask, The Groote Park Murder, The Pit-Prop Syndicate, The Ponson Case (2020) 2 copies
To Wake the Dead 1 copy
The Waxworks Murder 1 copy
The 950 express 1 copy
Juvelkuppen 1 copy
Mord i mörker 1 copy
Vem var det? 1 copy
Diamantrovet 1 copy
London Murder Mysteries - Boxed Set: The Cask, The Ponson Case & The Pit-Prop Syndicate (2020) 1 copy
East Wind [short story] 1 copy
il morto del taxi 1 copy
Associated Works
The Case of the Drowning Duck | Fear Comes to Chalfont | Mystery in the Woodshed — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1879-06-01
- Date of death
- 1957-04-11
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Methodist College, Belfast
Campbell College, Belfast - Occupations
- railway engineer
writer - Organizations
- The Detection Club
- Awards and honors
- Royal Society of Arts (Fellow, 1939)
- Short biography
- Freeman Wills Crofts, the âKing of Detective Story Writersâ, was one of the pre-eminent writers in the golden age of British crime fiction. Acclaimed by his contemporaries, Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler, he wrote more than 30 detective novels and was a founder member of the hugely influential DETECTIVE CLUB. Croftsâs most famous creation was Scotland Yard detective, Inspector French (âAs near the real thing as any sleuth in fictionâ THE SUNDAY TIMES).
Born in Dublin, Crofts became an engineer and wrote his debut novel, THE CASK: A DETECTIVE STORY (âAn imaginatively ingenious mysteryâ THE EVENING STANDARD) in 1919 during a long absence from work due to illness. He became a full-time writer in 1929 and moved to England with his wife Mary to live in Guildford. He died in 1957. - Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
- Places of residence
- Blackheath, Guildford, Surrey, UK
- Place of death
- Worthing, Sussex, England, UK
- Associated Place (for map)
- UK
Members
Discussions
Collection as part of a Publishers Series? in Librarything Series (October 2021)
Reviews
When a book succeeds as spectacularly as Gone Girl, people are eager to replicate the phenomenon. Now we have scores of books with unreliable narrators and plot twists that are supposed to elicit an âI didnât see that comingâ reaction. Of course, now that we know the formula, we always see it coming. The real twist today is no twist. That is why I am glad to see Poisoned Pen Press republishing forgotten mysteries from the Golden Era, when twists were how women wore their hair and show more unreliable usually referred to the weather. In a surfeit of frying pan to fire personal jeopardy thrillers, these books dedicated to logic and linear reasoning are like as refreshing as a long, tall drink of water.
Mystery in the Channel is just such a classic. It was published in 1931 and written by Freeman Wills Crofts, a member of the famed Detection Club. That means he swore his mysteries would be fair and Mystery in the Channel is just the sort of fair, reliable mystery that is a welcome relief from the sometimes overheated thrillers of today.
The mystery begins when a ship transporting rail passengers from England to France discovers a yacht dead in the waterâliterally dead as the passengers have been shot. The captain is careful and does his job, noting the yachtâs location and the time. He sends the yacht back along with another ship, one that coincidentally carried one of the partners of the murdered men, financiers who run one of the countryâs huge investment firms. His name is Nolan and his lucky presence on the scene helps the police with identifying the victims and understanding the situation.
And it is a sticky situationâŚthe victims seem to be scoundrels themselves. Their firm is foundering and they seem to have planned to take the money and run. Inspector French is assigned to the case, and he quickly runs down the list of suspects, painstakingly eliminating them one by one.
Mystery in the Channel is an excellent procedural that never leaves you in the dark while the Inspector is in the know. It is written with humor and passion, restrained and disciplined passion for justice and duty. French and his police associates were rightly outraged on behalf of the people who were victimized by the dead men. There were no bailouts and seventy year old people found themselves impoverished, forced to look for work instead of enjoying retirement. It is not enough to find the killer, he must find the money to help these people.
I enjoyed Mystery in the Channel. Yes, I solved the crime before the end, but then, that is the point. Crofts was not trying to leave us stunned and surprised. He wanted his readers to feel the satisfaction of following the mystery with Inspector French and leaping or casting forward as he did and figuring it out. Crofts provided all the pieces to fit together and trusts us to enjoy the process. I sure did.
Mystery in the Channel will be released on January 3rd. I received an e-galley through NetGalley.
â â â
http://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2016/12/13/mystery-in-the-channel-by-... show less
Mystery in the Channel is just such a classic. It was published in 1931 and written by Freeman Wills Crofts, a member of the famed Detection Club. That means he swore his mysteries would be fair and Mystery in the Channel is just the sort of fair, reliable mystery that is a welcome relief from the sometimes overheated thrillers of today.
The mystery begins when a ship transporting rail passengers from England to France discovers a yacht dead in the waterâliterally dead as the passengers have been shot. The captain is careful and does his job, noting the yachtâs location and the time. He sends the yacht back along with another ship, one that coincidentally carried one of the partners of the murdered men, financiers who run one of the countryâs huge investment firms. His name is Nolan and his lucky presence on the scene helps the police with identifying the victims and understanding the situation.
And it is a sticky situationâŚthe victims seem to be scoundrels themselves. Their firm is foundering and they seem to have planned to take the money and run. Inspector French is assigned to the case, and he quickly runs down the list of suspects, painstakingly eliminating them one by one.
Mystery in the Channel is an excellent procedural that never leaves you in the dark while the Inspector is in the know. It is written with humor and passion, restrained and disciplined passion for justice and duty. French and his police associates were rightly outraged on behalf of the people who were victimized by the dead men. There were no bailouts and seventy year old people found themselves impoverished, forced to look for work instead of enjoying retirement. It is not enough to find the killer, he must find the money to help these people.
I enjoyed Mystery in the Channel. Yes, I solved the crime before the end, but then, that is the point. Crofts was not trying to leave us stunned and surprised. He wanted his readers to feel the satisfaction of following the mystery with Inspector French and leaping or casting forward as he did and figuring it out. Crofts provided all the pieces to fit together and trusts us to enjoy the process. I sure did.
Mystery in the Channel will be released on January 3rd. I received an e-galley through NetGalley.
â â â
http://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2016/12/13/mystery-in-the-channel-by-... show less
I enjoyed this novel, but it's not my favorite in the world. It was written in 1931 and it has a very "vintage" feel about it, which I do love. I adored the atmosphere, as it mainly takes place in small harbour towns on the English and the French side of the Channel, plus a short stint in Swansea in Wales. It's all very maritime with lots of nautical terms, ferries, boats, fishermen and Scotland Yard's nautical expert, and I do love all of this. On the other hand, the story is very show more "masculine" (or what would traditionally be considered masculine): Men deduct the crime, they meet in the evenings having cigars and whisky, they are the experts, and human emotions play only a minor role in the story. There are a few women, but they usually make dinner and leave. I appreciated seeing the methods of the policemen at work because that was very interesting, but there was something lacking to make it more engaging.
I think I would still read more volumes of the series, but rather as an in-between read when I need a quick palate-cleanser. show less
I think I would still read more volumes of the series, but rather as an in-between read when I need a quick palate-cleanser. show less
The cargo ship Jane Vosper is sunk one day on its usual run between London and Buenos Aires. Sabotage is suspected, possibly for the insurance money. Naturally, the insurance firm wants to exhaust all avenues before paying up, so they hire an investigator to look into the matter. But then the investigator disappears. Enter Inspector FrenchâŚ
I thoroughly enjoyed this installment in the French series. Granted, I am rather nerdy about boats *and* insurance, so this ticked two major boxes for show more me. Readers who like lots of car chases or thrilling set pieces may find this book rather slow for their tastes. Other readers who appreciate seeing real police workâmethodically following up on each lead, continually challenging oneâs assumptions and researchâwill find this book interesting and possibly even soothing in its way. This may be my favourite French so far.
For those who are concerned about series order: the book does make reference to a few previous cases, but does not give away the identities of criminals in previous books, as far as I can tell. So you could read out of order (which is what Iâm doing, honestly). show less
I thoroughly enjoyed this installment in the French series. Granted, I am rather nerdy about boats *and* insurance, so this ticked two major boxes for show more me. Readers who like lots of car chases or thrilling set pieces may find this book rather slow for their tastes. Other readers who appreciate seeing real police workâmethodically following up on each lead, continually challenging oneâs assumptions and researchâwill find this book interesting and possibly even soothing in its way. This may be my favourite French so far.
For those who are concerned about series order: the book does make reference to a few previous cases, but does not give away the identities of criminals in previous books, as far as I can tell. So you could read out of order (which is what Iâm doing, honestly). show less
The disappearance of Dr. Earle brings Inspector French to the Surrey downs. Dr. Earle simply vanished one Sunday evening, without even taking his coat and outdoor shoes. Was it foul play, or was it an affair? A nurse in London, who was seen with the doctor, has also disappeared, giving rise to the affair suggestion. But then a third party disappearsâmaking it look most definitely like murder. But without a discernible motive, French canât make head or tail of the case.
This is a very show more patiently plotted case. Frenchâs appeal lies in his meticulous following of police procedure: following up every lead, continually going back over his notes, challenging all of his assumptions. From that standpoint, itâs a bit slow and can feel a bit serious. But there are flashes of humour: for example, I laughed at the part where French hands his card to a person heâs interviewing and the person smiles and says âyou want an international conference â my name is English, my colleagueâs name is Welsh, too bad this fellow isnât called Scott.â
Of the Frenches Iâve read, this one is one of the lesser books for me, just because it is a bit ploddy and doesnât involve boats or trains or planes. But it is not entirely a âcozyâ bookâthe murder is actually quite shocking.
This book does contain throwaway references to previous cases, so if the mere mention of a previous case constitutes a spoiler for you, then youâll want to read this book in its proper series order. show less
This is a very show more patiently plotted case. Frenchâs appeal lies in his meticulous following of police procedure: following up every lead, continually going back over his notes, challenging all of his assumptions. From that standpoint, itâs a bit slow and can feel a bit serious. But there are flashes of humour: for example, I laughed at the part where French hands his card to a person heâs interviewing and the person smiles and says âyou want an international conference â my name is English, my colleagueâs name is Welsh, too bad this fellow isnât called Scott.â
Of the Frenches Iâve read, this one is one of the lesser books for me, just because it is a bit ploddy and doesnât involve boats or trains or planes. But it is not entirely a âcozyâ bookâthe murder is actually quite shocking.
This book does contain throwaway references to previous cases, so if the mere mention of a previous case constitutes a spoiler for you, then youâll want to read this book in its proper series order. show less
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 67
- Also by
- 51
- Members
- 3,378
- Popularity
- #7,544
- Rating
- 3.5
- Reviews
- 88
- ISBNs
- 323
- Languages
- 8
- Favorited
- 7
