J. S. Fletcher

Joseph Smith Fletcher (7 February 1860 – 30 January 1933) was a British journalist and author. He wrote more than 230 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction, and was one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the "Golden Age".

Early life and education

Fletcher was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, the son of a clergyman. His father died when he was eight months old, and after which his grandmother raised him on a farm in Darrington, near Pontefract. He was educated at Silcoates School in Wakefield, and after some study of law, he became a journalist.

Writing career

At age 20, Fletcher began working in journalism, as a sub-editor in London. He subsequently returned to his native Yorkshire, where he worked first on the Leeds Mercury using the pseudonym A Son of the Soil, and then as a special correspondent for the Yorkshire Post covering Edward VII's coronation in 1902.

Fletcher's first books published were poetry. He then moved on to write numerous works of historical fiction and history, many dealing with Yorkshire, which led to his selection as a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Fletcher wrote several novels of rural life in imitation of Richard Jefferies, beginning with The Wonderful Wapentake (1894). Michael Sadleir stated that Fletcher's historical novel, When Charles I Was King (1892), was his best work.

In 1914, Fletcher wrote his first detective novel and went on to write over a hundred more, many featuring the private investigator Ronald Camberwell.

Personal life

He was married to the Irish writer Rosamond Langbridge, with whom he had one son, Rev Valentine Fletcher, who has subsequently held various ministries across Yorkshire, including Bradford and Sedburgh.

Death

Fletcher died in 1933, at age 73. He is survived by his wife Rosamond and son Valentine.

Popular works

• Historic York: 34 Water Color Facsimiles of England's Most Picturesque City c.1909
• The Borough Treasurer, 1921
• The Charing Cross Mystery, 1923
• The Chestermarke Instinct, 1921
• Dead Men's Money, 1920
• The Herapath Property, 1921
• In the Days of Drake, 1897
• In the Mayor's Parlour, 1922
• The Ivory God, 1907
• The Matheson Formula, 1929
• The Middle of Things, 1922
• The Middle Temple Murder, 1919
• The Orange-Yellow Diamond, 1921
• The Paradise Mystery, 1921
• Ravensdene Court, 1922
• The Rayner-Slade Amalgamation, 1922
• The Safety Pin, 1924
• Scarhaven Keep, 1922
• The Talleyrand Maxim, 1920

External links

• Works by J. S. Fletcher at Project Gutenberg
• Works by J. S. Fletcher at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)