Joseph Smith “J. S.” Fletcher (1863-1935) was one of the most popular English authors of the “Golden Age of Mysteries” and a prolific writer who published a total of 237 books, 120 of them mystery and detective novels. As a young journalist Fletcher reported on numerous police court and coroner’s inquest proceedings and became an authority on the old Yorkshire dialect and the many villages and towns of Northern England, publishing a history of Halifax and a six-voulme history of Yorkshire. Later, working in London, Fletcher immersed himself in the daily affairs of the various social classes and institutions of the city. This background gave Fletcher’s many novels a uniquely detailed and colorful depiction of the varied settings and local characters in his stories, which were characterized by intricate plots with unexpected but plausible twists and a sprinkling of red herrings. Continue reading “J.S. Fletcher eBook Collection – Twelve Very British Mysteries”
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In The Mayor’s Parlour (Annotated)
In The Mayor’s Parlour
by J. S. Fletcher
Original Classic Edition, Annotated
This Apex Classic Mysteries Edition is not an electronic scan or reproduction. The text has been formatted and edited by human editors faithfully following the second edition published in London in 1922. With a generous 6×9 page size, it is printed on heavyweight bright white paper with a fully laminated cover featuring an original design.
Fletcher’s writings often contain “phonetic” spellings intended to convey a character’s manner of speech, as well as actual words from the old northern English dialect and Latin legal terms. Apex editors have annotated dialectical or legal terms where the meaning may be unclear or confusing, or particularly obscure to the modern reader. Continue reading “In The Mayor’s Parlour (Annotated)”