Sexton Blake Bibliography: 1935
Publishing: From issue 106 of DETECTIVE WEEKLY Sexton Blake regularly loses his front cover billing until, with issue 130, his stories are dropped completely. They would resume late in 1937 but mostly in the form of reprints and rewrites.
Blake author John W. Bobin (aka Mark Osborne) dies aged just 46.
John Hunter makes his debut as a Blake writer. Real name Alfred John Hunter, he was born in 1891 and had his first stories published when he was still a schoolboy. By the inter-war years he was so successful that his tales were appearing in practically all the story papers. His contributions to the world of Sexton Blake include Captain Dack, skipper of the Mary Ann Trinder. Hunter died in 1961, aged 69.
Blake: The super-crooks have dwindled into near extinction by this point, and Blake is becoming much more involved in "cozy crimes," with the SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY beginning to sport titles such as THE NURSING HOME CRIME, THE BATHING POOL MYSTERY and MURDER ON THE PIER.
DETECTIVE WEEKLY · Issue 98 · 5/1/1935 · Amalgamated Press · 2d
Illustrator: Unknown
Other content: The Round Table (ed.); Retribution! (article); The Flying Hat by Vincent Cornier; Tinker's Notebook; Mail-Order Murder! (article).
Notes: None at present.
Unrated
DETECTIVE WEEKLY · Issue 104 · 16/2/1935 · Amalgamated Press · 2d
Illustrator: J. H. Valda
Other content: The Round Table (ed.); The Crime in the Wood (article); The Six-Shooter's Centenary (article); Tinker's Notebook
Notes: None at present.
Unrated
DETECTIVE WEEKLY · Issue 105 · 23/2/1935 · Amalgamated Press · 2d
Illustrator: Unknown
Other content: The Round Table (ed.); Zeppelins Over England by Anon.; The Pool of Secrets by Gwyn Evans; Tinker's Notebook
Notes: None at present.
Unrated
DETECTIVE WEEKLY · Issue 107 · 9/3/1935 · Amalgamated Press · 2d
Illustrator: Unknown
Other content: The Round Table (ed.); You Want the Best Swindles (article); Can You Solve the Mystery of the Dinner Party Murder (quiz); Hot-House Poison by Anthony Ford; Tinker's Notebook.
Notes: None at present.
Unrated
DETECTIVE WEEKLY · Issue 113 · 20/4/1935 · Amalgamated Press · 2d
Illustrator: J. H. Valda
Other content: The Round Table (ed.); Menace! by Anon.; "Here is a Police Message ..." by Paul Urquhart; From Information Received.
Notes: None at present.
Unrated
DETECTIVE WEEKLY · Issue 115 · 4/5/1935 · Amalgamated Press · 2d
Illustrator: Unknown
Other content: The Round Table (ed.): From Information Received; Mogara's Curse by Geo. E. Rochester; The Case of the Howling Dog by Warren William
Notes: None at present.
Unrated
DETECTIVE WEEKLY · Issue 116 · 11/5/1935 · Amalgamated Press · 2d
Illustrator: Unknown
Other content: The Round Table; The Mystery of Plan B.6. by G. H. Teed; The Locked Garage Mystery (article); From Information Received
Notes: None at present.
Unrated
DETECTIVE WEEKLY · Issue 117 · 18/5/1935 · Amalgamated Press · 2d
Illustrator: J. H. Valda
Other content: The Round Table; From Information Received; The Gallant Murderer by Erle Stanley Gardner; Murder on the Heath (article)
Notes: None at present.
Unrated
DETECTIVE WEEKLY · Issue 121 · 15/6/1935 · Amalgamated Press · 2d
Illustrator: J. H. Valda
Other content: The Round Table (ed.); From Information Received; Spies in Singapore by G. H. Teed; The Great Pearl Robbery (article)
Notes: None at present.
Unrated
DETECTIVE WEEKLY · Issue 124 · 6/7/1935 · Amalgamated Press · 2d
Illustrator: Unknown
Other content: The Round Table; From Information Received; Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie; The Case of the Vanished Headmaster (article)
Notes: None at present.
Unrated
DETECTIVE WEEKLY · Issue 126 · 20/7/1935 · Amalgamated Press · 2d
Illustrator: Unknown
Other content: The Round Table (ed.); From Information Received; Who Killed the Sergeant-Major? by Paul Urquhart; Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Notes: None at present.
Unrated
DETECTIVE WEEKLY · Issue 129 · 10/8/1935 · Amalgamated Press · 2d
Illustrator: Fred Bennett
Other content: The Round Table (ed.); From Information Received; The Holiday Camp Mystery by H.E.H. Tracy; Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Notes: None at present.
Unrated
DETECTIVE WEEKLY · Issue 130 · 17/8/1935 · Amalgamated Press · 2d
Illustrator: J. H. Valda
Other content: The Round Table (ed.); From Information Received; The Legacy of Terror by Paul Urquhart; The Case of the Temple Dancing Girl by G.H. Teed
Notes: None at present.
Unrated
THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 2nd series · Issue 463 · Jan. 1935 · Amalgamated Press · 4d
Illustrator: Eric Parker
Other content: Unknown
Notes: Doctor Huxton Rymer and his companion Mary Trent stumble upon the scene of a murder. A man named James Townshend has been killed by Chinamen who seek possession of a map he keeps in his crimson-coloured belt. Rymer makes off with the belt and some documents. Meanwhile, Townshend's daughter, Sylvia, engages Sexton Blake. Her father, she explains, had been entrusted with jewels by descendants of the Manchu dynasty along with evidence pertaining to the correct line of descent, all of which he had buried in Australia. The map is the only clue to the treasure's whereabouts. When Blake and Tinker investigate the scene of the murder, Tinker gets onto the trail of one of the Chinamen and is led to Prince Wu Ling, the head of the Brotherhood of the Yellow Beetle. After narrowly escaping an attack by Wu Ling's henchman, San, Tinker reports back to Baker Street where Blake deduces that this affair is a three-cornered fight that will inevitably lead to Australia. Furthermore, he soon finds evidence that Huxton Rymer and Mary Trent occupy one corner of the triangle. Now all parties set sail for the southern continent — Blake, Tinker and Sylvia Townshend with Mademoiselle Yvonne aboard the Fleur-de-Lys, her yacht. Upon arrival, Blake is approached by Mary Trent who tells him that Rymer has been kidnapped by Wu Ling and will be killed unless she delivers the map. She begs Blake to act as go-between and rescue the doctor. He agrees to this but falls into a trap; Rymer and Wu Ling have actually joined forces. Blake's life is saved by Yvonne and Tinker who, suspecting that all is not as it seems, gather a force of men to rescue the detective. Tinker shoots Wu Ling in the shoulder and all the criminals are captured (though they are later — and rather inexplicably — released). Finally, the treasure is recovered and Blake becomes its guardian.
Trivia: This is a reprint of THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 1st series issue 307 (1923). The review is based on a reading of that issue.
Rating: ★★★★☆
THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 2nd series · Issue 467 · Feb. 1935 · Amalgamated Press · 4d
Illustrator: Unknown
Other content: Unknown
Notes: This is a reprint of THE VANISHED MILLION; OR, IN THE LAND OF THE LETTS which appeared in THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 1st series issue 330 (1924).
Unrated
THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 2nd series · Issue 471 · Mar. 1935 · Amalgamated Press · 4d
Illustrator: Eric Parker
Other content: The Mystery of the Vanished Diamonds (quiz); Consulting Room Chat (ed.); The Victims of the Villa (article).
Notes: Story features Granite Grant and Mlle. Julie. This is a reprint of THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 1st series issue 352 (1924).
Unrated
THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 2nd series · Issue 475 · Apr. 1935 · Amalgamated Press · 4d
Illustrator: Unknown
Other content: Unknown
Notes: Story features Granite Grant and Mlle. Julie. This is a reprint of THE SECRET OF THE BLACK WALLET which appeared in THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 1st series issue 318 (1924).
Unrated
THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 2nd series · Issue 476 · Apr. 1935 · Amalgamated Press · 4d
Illustrator: Eric Parker
Other content: Who Killed Chang Wu? (quiz); Consulting Room Chat (ed.); The Mail Train Robbery (article).
Notes: None at present.
Unrated
THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 2nd series · Issue 479 · May 1935 · Amalgamated Press · 4d
Illustrator: Eric Parker
Other content: Unknown
Notes: Story features Gunga Dass. This is a reprint of THE CASE OF THE RAJAH'S SON which appeared in THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 1st series issue 217 (1922).
Unrated
THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 2nd series · Issue 483 · Jun. 1935 · Amalgamated Press · 4d
Illustrator: Eric Parker
Notes: Consulting Room Chat (ed.); The Week-End Crime (article)
Notes: Story features Granite Grant and Mlle. Julie. This is a reprint of THE SECRET OF THIRTY YEARS from THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 1st series issue 377 (1925).
Unrated
THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 2nd series · Issue 486 · Jul. 1935 · Amalgamated Press · 4d
Illustrator: Eric Parker
Other content: Consulting Room Chat (ed.); The Clue of the Paper Packets (article).
Notes: My copy is missing the cover. Story features R. S. V. Purvale
Unrated
THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 2nd series · Issue 488 · Jul. 1935 · Amalgamated Press · 4d
Illustrator: Eric Parker
Other content: Consulting Room Chat (ed.); The Land of Temples (article).
Notes: Story features Gunga Dass. This is a reprint of THE SHRINE OF KALI which appeared in THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 1st series issue 317 (1924).
Unrated
THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 2nd series · Issue 491 · Aug. 1935 · Amalgamated Press · 4d
Illustrator: Eric Parker
Other content: Consulting Room Chat (ed.); The Riddle of the Two Dead Men (article)
Notes: Story features Granite Grant and Mlle. Julie.
Unrated
THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 2nd series · Issue 503 · Nov. 1935 · Amalgamated Press · 4d
Illustrator: Eric Parker
Other content: Consulting Room Chat (ed.); The Shot Policeman (article).
Notes: A stranger dressed in black has been lurking around outside Trencham Close, the secluded home Colonel Charles Rayner inherited from Lord Trench, his uncle. One night a message is thrown through a window. It reads: Put the book on the sundial. If you keep what is not yours you must pay the penalty. Rayner invites his friends Dick Farrell and Harry Glenn to come and stay. Late in the evening, they see Rayner's daughter, Mary, sneaking out into the darkness. In the morning they explore in the direction she had gone and discover the body of a well-known police informant hanging from a tree. In a nearby cottage, they find Sexton Blake. He has been commissioned by Lord Trench's ex-fiancee, Dorothy Lessinger, who lives nearby with her retiring brother, Alfred. Miss Lessinger feels sure that Trench's death was a case of murder. He had seemed fearful during the weeks prior to his death and it later emerged that, bit by bit, he had withdrawn his whole fortune. Blake telephones Inspector Coutts and asks him to trace Stephen Cripps, a man who had known the informant. Coutts later reports that Cripps has gone missing. Mary, who had been creeping out that night to meet her friend Isabel Leyton, is kidnapped by the man in black, to be held hostage until the book is handed over. She sends a note to her father revealing that the book is 'Bardelys the Magnificent' by Rafael Sabatini. However, the volume doesn't appear to be anywhere in Trencham Close. The detective, with Tinker, Rayner, Farrell and Glenn, sets a trap for the kidnapper by placing a different book on the sundial before lying in wait. The man in black arrives but, as he picks up the book, a shot rings out and he falls dead. Mary escapes and returns to Trencham Close. When Blake investigates the house where she had been held, he picks up the first clue to the villain's identity. A few hours later, near the local railway station, he sees Alfred Lessinger talking to the missing Cripps. He tasks Farrell with following Cripps while he himself returns to London to pursue inquiries there. They are fruitful — he learns that Trench had been converting his fortune into gold because he feared a communist revolution was imminent. That night, Farrell follows Cripps to an assignation with an unseen associate but is caught and knocked unconscious. Blake and Coutts arrive from London when they hear of his injury. The detective sets another trap and the criminal falls straight into it. His identity is, at last, exposed. Finally, the secret of the book is solved and the treasure is found.
Trivia: Before this case, Blake and Coutts have not seen each other for some time.
Rating: ★★★★☆
THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 2nd series · Issue 504 · Nov. 1935 · Amalgamated Press · 4d
Illustrator: Eric Parker
Other content: Consulting Room Chat (ed.); Under a Scoundrel's Will (article)
Notes: Story features Granite Grant and Mlle. Julie. This is a reprint of THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST BATTLESHIP which appeared in THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 1st series issue 363 (1925).
Unrated
THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 2nd series · Issue 505 · Dec. 1935 · Amalgamated Press · 4d
Illustrator: Eric Parker
Other content: Consulting Room Chat (ed.); Behind the Locked Door (article)
Notes: My copy is missing the cover. Story features R. S. V. Purvale.
Unrated
THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 2nd series · Issue 506 · Dec. 1935 · Amalgamated Press · 4d
Illustrator: Eric Parker
Other content: On the Night of the Ninth (article)
Notes: One time cotton king Telsen G. Harmer buys passage aboard a steamer to make a quick getaway from British Somaliland. As he departs, the words "The secret of Akwara!" are on his lips. Akwara — which is on the upper reaches of the Blue Nile — is also mentioned in London when a small-time crook known as Gentleman Jim is approached by an Italian Secret Service man named Luigini who tells him to take a post as a footman at the estate of David Swanlingham, a member of parliament. While there, Jim is to listen out for any mention of Akwara and report it to Luigini. Meanwhile, Sexton Blake is asked by the Foreign Office to investigate Harmer who is now staying in London. When Luigini is murdered an Abyssinian student named Theodore is blamed. Meanwhile, at the Swanlingham house, Gentleman Jim discovers that David Swanlingham's new wife is a woman he knows — a woman with a criminal past. He uses this to blackmail her into opening the safe in the study so he can examine the politician's papers. However, she is interrupted by the arrival of Theodore who shocks her by appearing at the window. She shoots at him, misses, and faints. Sexton Blake, who has followed Theodore, arrives just after the shooting and questions everyone present, including Harmer, who is Swanlingham's guest. Before he can get any meaningful information, he is knocked unconscious by Yoki, Harmer's Japanese valet. Revived by Tinker, he and his assistant set off in the Grey Panther to pursue Harmer, who has driven away. They see him pick up Theodore but he then shoots their tyres flat and speeds away. Blake starts on another track: contacting MacPherson, the engineer of the ship that had brought Harmer from Somaliland. MacPherson tells him that the ship has been chartered by Harmer to return to Africa — carrying a cargo of explosives that have been supplied by Swanlingham, who owns a munitions company. When Harmer sets sail, he is followed by Blake and Tinker, Swanlingham and his wife, and Gentleman Jim. As the American's intentions become clear, Swanlingham realises that he's been conned — and when his wife is then kidnapped by Harmer, the politician begins working with Blake, as does Gentleman Jim. They follow the villain into central Abyssinia — to the Akwara tribe — where he intends to blow up a cliff to block the flow of the Blue Nile. This will destroy Egypt's cotton industry and allow him to make a fortune by backing the American competitors. With help from his allies, Sexton Blake foils the scheme and Harmer is killed by one of the many enemies he has made.
Trivia: My copy is missing the cover.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 2nd series · Issue 508 · Dec. 1935 · Amalgamated Press · 4d
Illustrator: Eric Parker
Other content: Consulting Room Chat (ed.); The Mystery of the Two Masked Men (article)
Notes: Story features Granite Grant. This is a reprint of THE MYSTERY OF THE PLATINUM NUGGET, THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 2nd series issue 5 (1925).
Unrated