Created by Arthur Morrison (1863-1945) Arthur Morrison is one of the forgotten crime authors of the Conan Doyle generation. He grew up in genuine poverty, and is remembered by literary critics for his social protest "slum novels", most famously the semi-autobiographical A Child of the Jago. His work also included the intriguingly-titled, but as I … Continue reading Horace Dorrington
Tag: Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
Eugene Valmont
Created by Robert Barr Pseudonyms include Luke Sharp (1850-1912) "Every detective follows a wrong clue now and then, and every detective fails more often than he cares to admit." -- "The Siamese Twin of a Bomb-Thrower" The wild success of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes inspired a slew of imitators on both sides of the Atlantic from roughly from … Continue reading Eugene Valmont
The Rivals
Radio Anthology Series A radio anthology, dramatizing early stories of the "rivals of Sherlock Holmes," narrated by Arthur conan Doyle's Inspector Lestrade. THE RIVALS (2011-15, BBC 4) 16 30-minute episodes Starring Tim Pigott-Smith as Inspector Lestrade SEASON ONE "Murder by Proxy" Based on the story by By Matthias McDonnel Bodkin Starring Anton Lesser as PAUL BECK "The … Continue reading The Rivals
Max Carrados & Louis Carlyle
Created by Ernest BramahPseudonym of Ernest Bramah Smith1868-1942 "I have no blundering, self-confident eyes to be hoodwinked." Ernest Bramah's MAX CARRADOS, often billed as "The Blind Detective," was arguably the first of the defective detectives, and certainly one of the worthiest rivals of Sherlock Holmes. It may have been a gimmick, but it was a … Continue reading Max Carrados & Louis Carlyle
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (Private Detectives & Other Miscreants)
We can go around and around all night about who the first fictional "private detective" was, but most of us, I think, will agree that Sherlock Holmes was the first significant fictional detective -- his 1887 debut was a literary shot heard 'round the world that still reverberates over a hundred and thirty years later. … Continue reading The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (Private Detectives & Other Miscreants)
Martin Hewitt
Created by Arthur Morrison (1863-1945) "It was, of course, always a part of Martin Hewitt's business to be thoroughly at home among any and every class of people, and to be able to interest himself intelligently, or to appear to do so, in their various pursuits." -- the importance of the common touch, explained in … Continue reading Martin Hewitt
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (Television Series)
Television Series This fondly remembered British television anthology series featured adaptations of short mystery stories featuring some of the literary contemporaries of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, inspired by the popular series of Rivals of Sherlock Holmes anthologies by Hugh Greene. The show was produced by Thames Television and originally aired on ITV in Britain. The first … Continue reading The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (Television Series)
Paul Beck (Alfred Juggins) & Dora Myrl
Created by M. McDonnell Bodkin, K.C. (1850-1933) "The devilish ingenuity of Mr. Bodkins' criminals is such as to make the nervous tremble for a world without Paul Beck." -- The Yorkshire Daily Observer PAUL BECK and DORA MYRL would have been interesting enough on their own: two prime examples of early fictional detectives, each successful … Continue reading Paul Beck (Alfred Juggins) & Dora Myrl
William Arrowood
Created by Mick Finlay I never really thought of Sherlock Holmes as exclusively a servant to the rich and powerful, but that's the spin they're putting on WILLIAM ARROWOOD to boost his working class street cred. In London 1885, the front cover blurb of his eponymous debut, Arrowood (2017) goes, "London society taskes its problems to … Continue reading William Arrowood