Books with author J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher

When the great actor, Bassett Oliver, who was a martinet for punctuality, failed to turn up to a rehearsal which he himself had called, his business manager guessed that something had happened. It had. But it took more than one set of brains to discover the truth, and another set of very curious circumstances was mixed up in it. Copplestone, the young dramatist, helping to solve the mystery, found himself suddenly in love; and the solution and his happiness were discovered together.

When an elderly man's body is found on the steps of chambers in the Midde Temple, one of the Inns of Court, it falls to newspaperman Frank Spargo and Detective-Sergeant Rathbury to solve the crime. The murdered man, for indeed it was murder, was found with no money or identification on his person except for a piece of paper with the name and address of a young barrister. Who is the victim? Why was he killed? Who is the murderer? These are the questions that Spargo and Rathbury must answer in The Middle Temple Murder. This classic book was edited by Resurrected Press. Resurrected Press is dedicated to bringing high quality classic books back to the readers who enjoy them. These are not scanned versions of the originals, but, rather, quality checked and edited books meant to be enjoyed!

When an old seaman named James Gilverthwaite shows up in the sleepy town of Berwick looking for long-term lodging, it seems innocent enough. But within days, it becomes clear that Gilverthwaite is looking for something. Soon, a young clerk whom the sailor has asked for assistance is drawn into the mystery -- and what first appeared to be an old man's harmless lark results in murder.

When the great actor, Bassett Oliver, who was a martinet for punctuality, failed to turn up to a rehearsal which he himself had called, his business manager guessed that something had happened. It had. But it took more than one set of brains to discover the truth, and another set of very curious circumstances was mixed up in it. Copplestone, the young dramatist, helping to solve the mystery, found himself suddenly in love; and the solution and his happiness were discovered together.

By Fantasyman on January 19, 2013Format: Kindle Edition Verified PurchaseI rate this one five stars. Mostly on the craft displayed by the author in writing this story. Some of Fletcher's novels have that boiler plate feel to them, quickly hacked together and then off to the publisher. He was a very inventive story teller with a talent for paring the plot down to bite size tidbits easily digested by the reader. As I have stated, this was one of his more carefully crafted efforts. The plot is excellent and moves along at a steady pace, with well developed characters, and a surprise ending that makes sense, along with wrapping up the story. What intrigues me most about this story is how Fletcher uses the omniscient view to portray events in an active and incisive manner, following one character after another while revealing details both about the characters as well as clues to the mystery itself, yet never wandering off track. None of Fletcher's novels are ever likely to make it into the pantheon of great mystery fiction, as Fletcher never relies on a larger than life detective character to unravel the mystery with a flash of intuitive brilliance. He always builds the mystery with clues that are out there for the reader to see and to relate to. I've read several of his novels to date, and I can state that in not one of them is the reader left in the dark about clues or events that solve the mystery, nor are events that eventually prove to be important glossed over or trivialized in the course of the story to reduce their import in the mind of the reader, only to be suddenly brought back at the end by some superior intellect to solve the mystery. With Fletcher you always know what's what.Take the time to read this one, you won't be disappointed.Here are some other novels by Fletcher that I recommend:The Middle Temple MurderThe Chestermarke InstinctDead Men's MoneyThe Burrough Treasurer

When the great actor, Bassett Oliver, who was a martinet for punctuality, failed to turn up to a rehearsal which he himself had called, his business manager guessed that something had happened. It had. But it took more than one set of brains to discover the truth, and another set of very curious circumstances was mixed up in it. Copplestone, the young dramatist, helping to solve the mystery, found himself suddenly in love; and the solution and his happiness were discovered together.

When an old seaman named James Gilverthwaite shows up in the sleepy town of Berwick looking for long-term lodging, it seems innocent enough. But within days, it becomes clear that Gilverthwaite is looking for something. Soon, a young clerk whom the sailor has asked for assistance is drawn into the mystery -- and what first appeared to be an old man's harmless lark results in murder.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

A classic mystery from J.S. Fletcher, full of murder, red herrings, romance, an old castle, chests of gold, and English lawyers. The very beginning of this affair, which involved me, before I was aware of it, in as much villainy and wickedness as ever man heard of, was, of course, that spring evening, now ten years ago, whereon I looked out of my mother's front parlour window in the main street of Berwick-upon-Tweed and saw, standing right before the house, a man who had a black patch over his left eye, an old plaid thrown loosely round his shoulders, and in his right hand a stout stick and an old-fashioned carpet-bag. He caught sight of me as I caught sight of him, and he stirred, and made at once for our door. If I had possessed the power of seeing more than the obvious, I should have seen robbery, and murder, and the very devil himself coming in close attendance upon him as he crossed the pavement. But as it was, I saw nothing but a stranger, and I threw open the window and asked the man what he might be wanting.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.