J.S. Fletcher

J.S. Fletcher (1863 - 1933), prolific English author of poetry and historical works, also wrote many Golden Age detective crime novels including The Middle Temple Murder (1918);

"You're in luck," he said. "Tisn't five minutes since they found a bit of grey writing paper crumpled up in the poor man's waistcoat pocket--it had slipped into a crack. Come in, and you'll see it."

Spargo went into the inspector's office. In another minute he found himself staring at the scrap of paper. There was nothing on it but an address, scrawled in pencil:--Ronald Breton, Barrister, King's Bench Walk, Temple, London.--Ch. 1

Considered one of his finest works, at the time it was published The Middle Temple Murder was read by fans all over Europe and North America, including American President Woodrow Wilson. His novel The Root Of All Evil was first adapted for the screen in 1947. The black and white movie was first shown in London, England.

Joseph Smith Fletcher was born on 7 February, 1863 the son of a clergyman in Halifax, Yorkshire, England. After studying law, he turned to journalism, for a time with the Yorkshire Post. He also wrote many historical reference works including Memorials of a Yorkshire Parish: An Historical Sketch of the Parish of Darrington (1914), dedicated to his son Wilfrid John Liddon "who gave his life for his country" during World War I at a battle in the village of Gheluvelt, near Ypres, Belgium. A Picturesque History of Yorkshire; Being an Account of the History (1900) and A Book About Yorkshire (1908) are among works about his beloved home county which was also inspiration for many of his fictional novels. With his background in criminology he also turned his pen to writing thrilling crime mysteries, for which he is most famous for today.

Fletcher's prodigious output includes over 230 titles in fiction and non-fiction. Further titles include A Short Life of Cardinal Newman (1890), When Charles the First Was King (1895), Where Highways Cross (1895), Life in Arcadia (1896), The Making of Matthias (1897), Baden-Powell of Mafeking (1900), The Diamonds (1903), and Mothers in Israel: A Study in Rustic Amenities (1907). He contributed sketches of rural life to the newspapers Leeds Mercury and London Star under the pseudonym "A Son of the Soil", published as a collection in The Wonderful Wapentake; By a Son of the Soil (1894). His collections of poetry include The Juvenile Poems of J.S. Fletcher (1879), Poems, Chiefly Against Pessimism (1893), and Ballads of Revolt (1897). Fletcher married Irish novelist Rosamond Langbridge (1880-1964). A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Fletcher died in 1935.

Biography written by C.D. Merriman for Jalic Inc. Copyright Jalic Inc 2013. All Rights Reserved.

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