Sexton Blake Bibliography: 1914

Notes: None at present.

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Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. This was based on the Sexton Blake film of the same name.

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Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. This was based on the Sexton Blake film of the same name.

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Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. This was based on the Sexton Blake film of the same name.

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Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. This was based on the Sexton Blake film of the same name.

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Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. This was based on the Sexton Blake film of the same name.

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Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. This was based on the Sexton Blake film of the same name.

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Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. This was based on the Sexton Blake film of the same name.

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Notes: This is a reprint of SEXTON BLAKE IN AMERICA, which appeared in THE BOYS' FRIEND issues 252 to 268 in 1906 ((see those issues for the story review)..

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Notes: This is a reprint of SEXTON BLAKE IN AMERICA, which appeared in THE BOYS' FRIEND issues 252 to 268 in 1906 ((see those issues for the story review)..

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Notes:None at present.

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Notes: This is a rewrite of chapters 3 to 8 of UNION JACK issue 217 THE SLATE CLUB SCANDAL (1907).

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Notes: Stanley Strand has inherited Strandgap Priory only to find that it's haunted and he can't get any staff. He appeals for Sexton Blake's help. Blake and Tinker take up residence in the priory and, before many hours have passed, the detective is warned away by a ghostly figure. The next day, Squire Roscar, who lives nearby, suggests that Blake, Tinker and Strand come to stay with him. They politely decline. He also reveals that there have been a number of burglaries in the area; a fact of great interest to Blake. The following night, the ghost appears again and Blake, while chasing it, plummets over a cliff and falls into the sea. Swimming ashore, he climbs the cliff and rests on a ledge. Meanwhile, Tinker has discovered a secret passage that leads to hidden rooms carved into the rock beneath the priory. One of these opens onto the ledge, where Tinker finds Blake. Investigating the rooms further, they discover ghostly shrouds and luminous paints ... the materials by which a man can be made up as a ghost. When the apparition next appears, Blake pursues it. The villain abandons his shrouds and takes to horseback. The detective gives chase on a bicycle (this scene really dates the tale, seeming much more a part of 1899 — when the original version was written — than 1914). He loses his quarry but in the morning is able to identify the criminal. The latter has been using the secret chambers to store the proceeds of the burglaries and used the 'ghost' to keep people away. Blake sets a trap and the villain pays the ultimate price for his crimes.

Trivia: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK first series issue 250 THE GHOST OF STRANDGAP PRIORY (1899).

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 243 DRINK! (1908).

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Notes: Herbert Fillingdon, a lowly clerk at the Bank of England, is delivering a wallet containing twenty thousand pounds to a cashier when he is distracted by a Frenchman who, standing behind him, makes a fuss after burning his fingers on his cigarette. The money is, in this brief moment, stolen. Fillingdon consults Sexton Blake who recovers the Frenchman's cigarette stub and identifies it as a rare brand. This leads to him to the only supplier, who identifies his customer as Monsieur Pierrot. Blake traces this man to a lodging house and takes a room in the premises next door. The window of his room faces that belonging to Pierrot. Fillingdon joins him and, when they see the chamber opposite is unoccupied, Fillingdon crosses to it by means of a plank placed to span the windows. He recovers the stolen wallet but when the Frenchman unexpectedly returns Fillingdon rushes back and falls from the plank. Blake saves him. While he is thus occupied, Pierrot clears his room and escapes. The wallet, it turns out, contains nothing but folded newspaper. However, pencil marks on the sports pages suggest that Pierrot is interested In a particular race meeting. Fillingdon goes to it and there spies the villain betting with the stolen bank notes. The clerk attempts to apprehend the man but only succeeds in angering the crowd with the result that he is forcibly ejected from the race course. Meanwhile, Sexton Blake has spotted the word "catacombs" in the newspaper. It's a clue he's unable to fathom until a chance event makes him think of London's sewers. While scouting the horrendous tunnels, he and Fillingdon witness Pierrot with another man, the two discussing a meeting of their criminal gang, which will occur the next Sunday in the sewer tunnels. On the appointed day, Blake and Fillingdon again descend into the sewers and there watch as Pierrot meets with his gang in a secret chamber. The villains discuss how the stolen money is to be distributed. Unfortunately, Blake and Fillingdon are detected and attacked. Just as all appears lost, a flash flood roars through the tunnels. The criminals are swept away and drowned. Blake and Farringdon manage to escape with the stolen money in their possession.

Trivia: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK first series issue 245 THE CIGARETTE CLUE (1898).

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 220 SEXTON BLAKE, CHEMIST (1907).

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Notes: This is an abridged rewrite of a story (from UNION JACK issue 26) which, originally, was not a Blake tale but, rather, featured a detective named Herbert Trackett.

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Notes: While taking an early morning stroll, Sexton Blake witnesses a car going out of control. He leaps to the assistance of the two young men aboard the vehicle. After they are safe, one of them, Harold Fenfield, asks the detective to help him with another matter, so they retire to Blake's apartments after bidding the other man, Slipton Bale, farewell. Fenfield reveals that he is soon to be married to Miss Ethel Challoner, who Bale had also been pursuing. Even though she chose Fenfield, the two men have remained friends. Fenfield, who is rather irresponsible, has bet more than £30,000 on 'Spinaway', a horse that'll be running in the Fenfield Stakes in two weeks time. This, however, is not what Fenfield wants to consult Blake about. He has inherited his family's famous diamond tiara — currently in a safe at his home — and has received a note from a crook named Sam Shise informing him that he'll lose it unless he pays £50. Sexton Blake goes to meet Shise and learns from him that there's a scheme afoot to steal the tiara. Three men are involved; Shise (who is happy to betray his companions for £50), a cracksman, and the leader, a 'man about town'. Blake and Shise are interrupted by the arrival of the cracksman, Egbert Trewolf, a criminal who Blake had dealt with during his first ever case (see HOW SEXTON BLAKE WON HIS SPURS, UNION JACK, 1st series, issue 125, 1896). Trewolf attempts to shoot the detective but Blake flees to the roof and slides down telephone wires to make his escape. He goes with Tinker to stay at Fenfield Abbey where the race meeting is to be held. Discovering clues that suggest an attempt on the safe will be made soon, Blake lies in wait and catches the three crooks in the act. They make a rapid getaway but, in the Abbey's grounds, capture Tinker and try to hang him. The lad escapes without being able to identify the third man — the leader. Some days later, Tinker overhears Shise and Trewolf plotting to nobble Spinaway. The youngster watches them place drugged straw in the horse's manger. When they depart, he removes it. The next day — the day of the race — the crooks attack and wound Fenfield's jockey. Tinker takes over and rides Spinaway to victory. Blake spots Slipton Bale returning to the Abbey in company with Shise and Trewolf. He and Fenfield follow and upon arriving at the house discover that the tiara is missing — except it isn't ... because some time previously Sexton Blake had secretly removed it from the case and hidden it in a hat box. The thieves have stolen an empty case! From the next room, Trewolf leaps to attack the detective and is promptly shot dead. Slipton Bale is exposed as the leader and is banished from society. Shise is taken into custody.

Trivia: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK first series issue 228 THE THIRD MAN (1898). The review is based on a reading of that issue.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Notes: A young heiress, Maud Mercombe, cousin to Ethel Challoner from THE THIRD MAN (see previous issue), commissions Sexton Blake to locate her missing fiancé, Algar Atheling. He had stepped out of his lodgings, gone off arm in arm with an unidentified man, and never returned. The only clue Blake can find is that Atheling was fascinated by Saga Shaboral, a mesmerist currently performing at the Hall of Isis. The detective visits this location and there spots a man who matches the description of Atheling's mystery companion. He gives chase but the individual eludes him. The next day, as prearranged, Blake calls on Miss Mercombe in the guise of an elderly German professor. To his surprise, there is another visitor: the man he had pursued! This proves to be Ralph Danvers, the nephew of Miss Mercombe's chaperon. He has come to invite the young lady to the theatre but Blake interjects, telling her that there are "udder arrangements for you that I haf made," and so Danvers departs in a huff. The other arrangements, the detective reveals, involve a visit to the Hall of Isis. There, they watch the show which culminates in a stunt whereby a hypnotised young man performs a dangerous trapeze act of which he would be incapable under ordinary circumstances. The subject proves to be Atheling who, at Miss Mercombe's cry of alarm, loses his handhold and plunges into a safety net. The hall's lights go out and the audience panics. Amid the tumult, Blake intercepts Shaboral and the mesmerised Atheling as they make their getaway. He tries to stop them but is rendered unconscious by a red powder thrown by the hypnotist. With his quarry gone, Blake switches his attention to Danvers, who is trying to seduce Miss Mercombe. The detective arranges matters so that Tinker becomes that man's valet. The lad reads a telegram received by his new master. It reveals that Shaboral is in Holland. Blake travels to Rotterdam where he encounters the missing duo on a bridge. When he tries to convince Atheling to accompany him back to Britain, Shaboral causes the young man to leap into the river below. Blake dives in and rescues him but the Dutch police interfere and Atheling once again slips out of the detective's grasp. Tinker intercepts another message, this summoning Danvers to Rotterdam. However, he is caught reading the missive and Danvers frames him for theft. Tinker escapes, follows Danvers to Holland, then leads Blake to the man's destination, an isolated house. Here, Blake finds Shaboral and demands that he hands Atheling over. Shaboral shows the detective a coffin in which the young man lies deceased. Protesting that he's innocent of any crime, Shaboral suffers a brain haemorrhage and drops dead. Danvers confesses that he paid the mesmerist to keep Atheling out of the way so he could pursue Miss Mercombe with a view to marriage. Atheling recovers from what is, in fact, a cataleptic trance. Danvers isn’t charged with any crime and steps aside to allow his rival to marry the heiress.

Trivia: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK first series issue 238 THE MYSTERY MAN (1898).

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Notes: Sexton Blake takes a month-long holiday with Tinker in Brighton. At its conclusion, as he's packing to leave, an American banker named Silas P. Hobart pleads for his help. This man believes his considerable riches owe themselves to his possession of a ruby known as the "Fortune Stone." Last night, it was stolen from his hotel room and now he fears that his luck will change for the worse. Blake examines Hobart's room and is able to cleverly piece together a rough description of the thief from tiny clues left behind. The profile matches Seth Hulbert, Hobert's nephew, but Hulbert expresses suspicion of Macy, his uncle's secretary, who also fits the description. It soon becomes apparent that the two men hate each other and are competing for the hand of Hobart's daughter, Kate. Tinker overhears Hulbert arranging to sail to New York on the Lucania. The detective and his assistant book passage on the same ship but, on arrival in America, they lose track of their suspect. A newspaper report announces the return to New York of Silas P. Hobart from a tour of South America. Puzzled, Blake visits him, wondering how the banker could be in two places at once. Astonishingly, Hobart, who has the Fortune Stone with him, doesn't recognise Blake at all. He suggests that the man in Brighton is an imposter and the whole case has been a ruse to get Blake out of the country. Meanwhile, the other Hobart is suffering a reversal of his fortunes, which he blames on the theft of his lucky ruby. Hulbert, who can't possibly be in England and America at the same time, yet appears to be, proposes to Kate and is turned down. She prefers Macy but, before they can deepen their relationship, her father sends his secretary across the Atlantic to attend to the worsening financial crisis. In New York, Blake and Tinker are captured by a gang. Its leader tells them he wants them out of the way ... along with Macy, who upon his arrival in the city was immediately seized and is now produced. Bound hand and foot, the three captives are thrown into the river. Blake has broken his bonds, though, and the attempted triple murder fails. The next day, Hobart arrives, having sailed from England, and is taken to Blake to confront his double. The banker with the Fortune Stone is Hulbert in disguise ... and he is also the leader of the gang. Posing as Hobert, he has been funnelling money from the bank, causing the crisis, while another man, masquerading as Hulbert, has kept the real Banker distracted.

Trivia: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK first series issue 375 FORTUNE STONE (1901).

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Notes: Gerald Buckley, an old school friend of Sexton Blake's who went on to Oxford with him, sends a telegraph asking the detective to come and see the body of his uncle, Sir Edward, who has just died from apparent heart failure. The cause of his concern is Sir Edward's eyes, which don't seem to be his own. Upon examining the body, Blake discovers that, in addition to the strange eyes, a scar has vanished. He suspects that a certain Doctor Bulasco is up to no good and, after investigating the man, concludes that an Indian, Abdul Kali, is behind the mystery. After surviving a train wreck caused by Bulasco, Blake travels to India in search of Abdul. He is attacked by natives, nearly thrown into a pool of crocodiles, almost burned at the stake, then locked in a dungeon full of starving rats. Making his escape, he discovers a scroll which solves the case then returns to England - though not before being attacked by a leopard and nearly crushed by a giant snake. The scroll describes a technique whereby two men's faces can be altered so that they look like one another. It seems, then, that Sir Edward isn't dead at all, merely replaced by a lookalike corpse. Blake rescues the real Sir Edward and brings Bulasco to justice.

Trivia: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK first series issue 72 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD EYES (1895).The review is based on a reading of that issue. It was also included in the 1976 compilation, SEXTON BLAKE'S EARLY CASES.

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Notes: Professor Murgatroyd visits Sexton Blake and brings with him a young bank clerk named George Dingle. The previous evening £10,000 had gone missing from the bank. The professor's nephew, Ralph Henderson, is the top suspect and Murgatroyd wants Blake to find him. The detective doesn't trust the professor and so orders Tinker to follow him when he leaves. Tinker does so and reports back that Murgatroyd had gone to the Ology Club, a meeting place for inventors. Later, Georgle Dingle disappears and is suspected by the police of complicity in the crime. The following morning the papers report that Ralph Henderson has been arrested in the village of Battersby-Denton for the attempted murder of a young woman named Mary Aylin. Blake is able to prove that the young man was nowhere near the scene of the crime; he had been with Rose Denton, his fiancee. Henderson, however, remains under arrest, suspected of the bank robbery. He escapes and meets Rose at Blake's office. The detective promises to protect him and sends Rose for safekeeping to his wife. The two men then travel to Brussels to search for George Dingle and, after a week, track him to Bruges where he is killed by an escaped lion. In his bag, there is evidence that he committed the bank robbery, though Blake remains convinced that Murgatroyd was the brains behind the crime. Back in England the detective discovers that Rose had been the target for murder but Mary Aylin had been killed by mistake instead. This, and the robbery, were all part of the professor's attempt to blacken Henderson's name in order to profit from a relative's Will. With the scheme exposed, Ralph Henderson inherits a fortune and marries Rose. Murgatroyd remains free, to be confronted another day (see THE MARVEL LIBRARY stories published in 1901).

Trivia: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK first series issue 396 SEXTON BLAKE'S LOST CLUE (1901).

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Notes: One night, while crossing Hyde Park, Sexton Blake splits up a fight between two men. His suspicions aroused, he sends Tinker to investigate one of the participants. His assistant discovers that the man, Handel Glossop, is apparently a well-to-do photographer, though none of his work has ever been seen. Later, Blake spots Glossop in the company of his former attacker and a criminal known as Big Frank. He begins to suspect that this gang might be responsible for a recent flood of counterfeit money but, before he can get on their trail, Frank drops an 'infernal machine' into the detective's pocket and warns him that, should he move within the next fifteen minutes, the device will explode. Blake remains frozen while the three men make their getaway. Over the next few days, the detective shadows Glossop and, when the latter is involved in a road accident, manages to get proof that he is a forger. Blake gets a warrant from Scotland Yard and arrests the crook but makes the mistake of turning his back. Glossop pushes the detective into a large safe, locks the door and makes his escape. Tinker rescues his master and informs him that his quarry has taken a train to Hammerton. Blake follows and finds Glossop at a circus. The forger releases a lion and vanishes amidst the panicked crowd. Two days later, Blake traces him to a Scottish town and sets off in pursuit. Glossop races away on a bicycle but the detective chases after him in a fire engine, only to lose him when the crook dives over a high wall. Two more days pass before he re-emerges in another town where he has boarded a foreign ship with Big Frank. Blake arrives in a seething storm and helps a lifeboat crew as they struggle to assist the stricken vessel. Big Frank falls into the sea and drowns. Glossop is captured.

Trivia: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK first series issue 208 THE PHANTOM PHOTOGRAPHER (1898). The review is based on a reading of that issue.

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Notes: Alice Seldon consults Sexton Blake after valuable government documents are stolen from her father, General Seldon. A spy named Nightsdale is the chief suspect. A policeman who tracked him to a ruined castle in Ireland has been murdered and now Alice wants Blake to take up the hunt. He travels to the murder scene and manages to recover some of the papers. He also finds details of an address in Liverpool. There, he tracks down Nightsdale but is attacked and left for dead. The spy boards a ship bound for New York, not realising that Blake is still hot on his tail. At the voyage's end, Blake confronts him and is once again overpowered. He is incarcerated in a barrel and taken back aboard the ship. When it sets sail, the villain pushes the barrel overboard, unaware that it only contains ballast, Blake having escaped. Now the detective settles into life as a stowaway on a voyage that promises to be lengthy ... for he learns that their destination is Australia. One night, seeing Nightsdale in a drunken sleep, the detective emerges from hiding and steals the remaining plans from him. He sews them into the lining of his coat for safekeeping. After many days have passed, the ship nears Australia but is wrecked by a storm. The survivors, including Blake, fight through the heaving waters to the shore. When Nightsdale sneaks away from the small band of sailors, Blake, who has remained hidden from the group, follows. The villain makes his way to nearby Sydney and books passage back to England. Blake stays on his tail all the way to Ireland where they have their final confrontation in the ruined castle where the story began. The detective triumphs and Nightsdale is brought to justice.

Trivia: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK first series issue 43 TRACKED AROUND THE WORLD (1895). The review is based on a reading of that issue.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Notes: Will Fickling is being hunted by the police for the murder of his grandfather. He protests his innocence to Sexton Blake, telling him that he had returned home and, despite the housekeeper &mdash: Mary Mellish — trying to stop him, had entered his guardian's study to find the safe open and his grandfather dead upon the floor. In a panic he had flown from the scene and now the police take that as a sign of guilt. Blake promises to help and shelters the young man in his own chambers. Later, while walking along the Embankment, the detective saves a woman from suicide. She turns out to be Mary Mellish. He takes her back to the house where the murder had occurred. Inside is Weevil of Scotland Yard. He informs Blake that £20,000 is missing from the safe. Joining Mellish in the kitchen, Blake spots clues which tell him that her lover is the murderer. She exclaims: "Who are you? How can you know these things?" "I'm Sexton Blake," was the quiet rejoinder. "I know all this, and much more." She refuses to tell him anything, then drugs his drink. As he falls into unconsciousness, he sees the murderer enter the room and hears his name: Stephen Darkfold. When he recovers, the man has gone and the woman remains tight-lipped. The next day, the detective rents the house opposite and from here starts a long vigil, waiting for Darkfold to visit Mellsih again. When this eventually happens, Blake tries to catch the killer but is once again foiled by the housekeeper. But he then learns that two men — Flash Jack and Curly Pet — intend to visit Darkfold, so he tails them as they journey to the midlands by train. They disembark at Ironfields and here Blake joins forces with a detective named Stafford. They find that the two men are attending Darkfold's wedding — a sham arrangement whereby he will claim a widow's fortune. The detectives, with the help of the police, break up the ceremony and arrest the three men. Sexton Blake escorts the prisoners back to London on the evening mail train but it crashes and Darkfold escapes. This is where Blake comes up with his stratagem: he introduces the widow to Mary Mellish (and discovers that, by an unbelievable coincidence, they know each other) and the two women realise they have been betrayed by a liar and a cheat. Mellish doesn't hesitate to reveal that Darkfold's hideout is a barge. Blake gathers Weevil and a squad of policemen, raids the vessel and captures the villain.

Trivia: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK first series issue 65 SEXTON BLAKE'S STRATAGEM (1895). The review is based on a reading of that issue.

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Notes: Squire Tredgar of Gedlit Manor is hot-air ballooning with his nephew, Rupert Grey, when they are caught in a fierce storm. They crash into a stream at the bottom of Aberglaslyn Pass and the balloon's basket is struck by lightning. Tredgar is killed but, at the subsequent inquest, it is revealed that his death was from a shot to the head. Rupert, heir to his uncle's fortune, is accused and gaoled. His old tutor, Professor Bhryl, commissions Sexton Blake to investigate and informs him that, five years ago, an attempt had been made to poison the youth. Bhryl had suspected Owen Williams, the butler. The detective interviews Doctor Padget — the man who had declared murder at the inquest — and learns that the incident had involved Rupert Grey being injected with cocaine. The finger of suspicion points at Williams ... but Blake feels that it is being directed by another party: Doctor Padget. When he attempts to corner the medical man, Padget flees, leaving behind Tredgar's solicitor, who he had been torturing. Williams goes with him and Blake deduces that the two men have an uneasy alliance to protect a third party — Tredgar's killer; his secret son. The papers the solicitor had been hiding prove that this youth, named Edward, was born in Java. It was he who had attempted to poison Rupert. He had also aided Padget in blackmailing Tredgar over the indiscretion which led to his, Edward's, birth. To make matters worse, Edward is a wanted criminal; a forger and murderer. Sexton Blake catches Williams and has him arrested. The butler reveals that he had been duped into cooperating with Padget and setting up Rupert Grey to look like his uncle's killer. Grey is released from gaol. Blake sets off in pursuit of Edward, as he sails for Java. Thirty-two days later, the ship docks and the detective tracks the villain to the famous Death Valley. In this poisonous environment, Edward dies after slipping from a rockface. Returning to England, Blake hunts for Padget and discovers that the Doctor experienced a particularly nasty form of natural justice.

Trivia: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK first series issue 75 TRACKED TO DEATH VALLEY (1895). The review is based on a reading of that issue.

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Notes: Amy Bathurst's father has vanished. Sexton Blake visits the missing man's house and breaks into the locked study where he finds signs of a struggle. Evidence suggests that Bathurst was a miser and a moneylender. A document reveals that a man named Jasper Carew (who, unknown to Miss Amy, is her cousin) was the last person to see him. Meanwhile, that selfsame personage is awaiting the death of his sick father, Bathurst's brother. Carew is a forger, a fact his parent has just discovered, and the old man wants to cut him out of his Will. That is something the wicked youth is keen to prevent, so he goes to visit Doctor Zebra, an occultist, mesmerist and practitioner of the Eastern Arts. Zebra had witnessed Carew throttle Miss Amy's father to death after a dispute over a debt. In return for £5,000, he agreed to help cover up the crime. He now has the corpse in his laboratory and assisted by Nick, his pet gorilla, he removes the strangulation marks from the dead man's neck. Carew explains that his uncle must die before he can change the Will. So Doctor Zebra, in the guise of a medical man, visits the patient and frightens him to death by means of a giant cobra. For this service, he charges Carew £250,000. Three days later Sexton Blake revisits the house of the missing Mr. Bathurst. And there, seated at his desk in a room that shows no signs of a struggle, is the man himself ... or, rather, the corpse of the man. But the detective quickly asserts that Bathurst had been killed days earlier then brought here. 48 hours pass. Amy receives notice that her uncle has died, leaving her half his fortune. Through this, Blake discovers who and where the co-inheritor is: Jasper Carew. And by following the lad, Blake is led to Doctor Zebra. Suspecting the occultist of involvement with the murder, the detective, disguised as an old man, pays him a visit and finds a ledger which had belonged to Bathurst. Afterwards, he confronts Carew and tells him he knows how the murder was committed. The next day, the youth once again visits the Doctor. But Zebra is furious because has yet to receive his money. He sends Carew into a hypnotic sleep and releases his animals to kill him. The gorilla strangles the young criminal to death. A police raid led by Blake takes Zebra by surprise and he accidentally thrusts his hand into the cobra which bites him, killing him with its venom.

Trivia:This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK first series issue 88 THE LIVING PICTURE (1895). The review is based on a reading of that issue.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK first series issue 88 THE LIVING PICTURE (1895).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 200 THE CASE OF THE CORONER'S COURT (1907).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 200 THE CASE OF THE CORONER'S COURT (1907).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 208 SEXTON BLAKE, PRIVATE SECRETARY (1907).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 208 SEXTON BLAKE, PRIVATE SECRETARY (1907).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 214 SEXTON BLAKE ON DEVIL'S ISLAND (1907).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 214 SEXTON BLAKE ON DEVIL'S ISLAND (1907).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 226 THE MYSTERY OF THE MINT (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 226 THE MYSTERY OF THE MINT (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 240 THE SECRET SOCIETY (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 240 THE SECRET SOCIETY (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 241 THE BLACK TYRANT (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 241 THE BLACK TYRANT (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 247 BANKRUPT! (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 247 BANKRUPT! (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 249 CARAVAN AND CANVAS (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 249 CARAVAN AND CANVAS (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 250 THE APACHES OF PARIS (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 250 THE APACHES OF PARIS (1908).

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Notes: Sexton Blake is on holiday in Cornwall. While walking along a beach, he finds a message in a bottle. It reveals that Lord Dallington came into his title by murdering his cousins aboard a yacht. The detective sets out to bring Dallington to justice. He discovers that a crooked policeman is assisting the criminal. Blake follows the henchman to Antwerp then to Chili, where he finally corners Dallington. Essentially, this tale is little more than a chase by bicycle, train and steam ship involving multiple disguises along the way.

Trivia: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK first series issue 62 A CLUE FROM THE DEEP (1895). The review is based on a reading of that issue. The story was included in the 1976 compilation, SEXTON BLAKE'S EARLY CASES.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 253 THE CASE OF THE NAVAL MANOEUVRES (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 253 THE CASE OF THE NAVAL MANOEUVRES (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 252 SPEARING'S DISGRACE (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 252 SPEARING'S DISGRACE (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 259 THE TRAMP DETECTIVE (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 259 THE TRAMP DETECTIVE (1908).

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Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 254 THE MYSTERY OF MOORSIDE (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 260 THE MOTOR BOAT MYSTERY (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 260 THE MOTOR BOAT MYSTERY (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 262 THE MOUNT STREET MYSTERY (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 262 THE MOUNT STREET MYSTERY (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 263 THE WILLOW COURT MYSTERY (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 263 THE WILLOW COURT MYSTERY (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 265 SEXTON BLAKE, GYPSY (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 265 SEXTON BLAKE, GYPSY (1908).

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Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 266 THE STOLEN BLOODHOUND (1908).

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Notes: Story features The Scorpion.

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Notes: Nathan Waldervell, one of the richest men in America, is en route to England where he intends to fake his own death in order to influence the stock market. During the voyage, he promises Professor Kew a share of the profit in return for his help in arranging a convincing demise. Kew agrees and soon has the millionaire holed up in a monastery from whence his death and burial is subsequently reported. Some days later, Sexton Blake is visited by Waldervell's business partner who is suspicious of the millionaire's apparent death. The detective agrees to investigate and travels to the monastery. Staying there overnight, he recognises Kew who, in turn, makes an attempt on his life, which seems to succeed. With the professor believing him dead, the detective dons the garb of a monk and blends into the daily life of the monastery. When Tinker arrives to join his master, he is captured by Waldervell, who is also disguised as one of the monks. Blake comes to the rescue and Waldervell is brought to the ground by Pedro. The criminals' scheme is exposed but Blake can't press charges without bringing the monastery into disrepute; something he has promised not to do. Kew and Waldervell walk free.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Notes: My copy is missing a cover. Story features actor Lionel Vale.

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Notes: In Bleakmoor Prison, a convict named James Brakit pulls George Marsden Plummer out of the way when, while breaking stone, a boulder plummets toward him. The master crook recognises his saviour as an innocent man who was blamed for a crime that he, Plummer, had committed. He confesses this to the prison governor and agrees to stand as a witness at Brakit's re-trial. Sexton Blake sets out to catch a fence named Lewis Fagar, who can prove Plummer's assertion. With assistance from Detective-Inspector Martin, he succeeds in catching this criminal. Plummer is sent to London to testify but, en route, he escapes and makes his way to London. Two weeks later, Sexton Blake follows a trio of crooks who he thinks want to kill Plummer, believing that it was he who betrayed Lewis Fagar to the police. He sees them snatch a hunchbacked man from the street and realises that it was, in all probability, Plummer in disguise. Unfortunately, though, the abductors elude him. The next morning, one of the three ruffians — Smith — visits Baker Street and demands payment in return for Plummer. Blake offers £100 for fifteen minutes with the master crook. This is agreed to and, that evening, Plummer is brought to him in shackles. Blake demands that he put his signature to a confession concerning the Brakit crime and, in return, he swears not to have the house where Plummer is being held raided by the police until twenty-four hours have passed, giving Plummer the chance to escape by his own wits. This is agreed to. With the document signed, Smith takes him away. Tinker, however, has painted creosote onto the tyres of Smith's car, and Pedro is able to lead Blake to the residence where Plummer is incarcerated. While the detective waits for the deadline to pass, Plummer convinces Smith that he'll hand over £2,000 pounds to be liberated. Smith makes the deal. The master crook flees knowing that Smith and his cohorts will be arrested. Blake's most persistent enemy is at large again ... but, at least, James Brakit is released.

Trivia: There are many nice references to Plummer's back-story in this tale, including his skull having been trepanned, his falling in love with Nell Flayl in Switzerland (see Plummer in Society, UNION JACK issue 490, 1913), and the fact that his old partner John Marsh has reformed and is living in America.

Finally, an explanation for how Blake survives the many, many blows to the head he suffers! He covers his own hair with a wig that is stretched over a helmet of finest steel, padded inside with leather!

The events of this issue occur in late December.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Notes: Story features The Scorpion.

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Notes: Story features Henri Garrock.

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Notes: Issue includes ad for SEXTON BLAKE, DETECTIVE at the Shakespeare Theatre, Clapham Junction (Trams and Buses pass the doors, go in your thousands!).

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Notes: Britain’s boxing champion, Will Leeds, is fighting a rematch against Alphonse Duprez, who had previously shocked the sporting world by taking his title. In the minutes prior to the fight, there is heavy betting against Leeds, except from one man, who backs the Britisher. Blake, in the audience, pierces this individual’s disguise and recognises George Marsden Plummer. A display is made of paying Duprez the £3,000 that he demanded for the fight, win, lose or draw. The bell signals the first round and, just a few minutes into it, Duprez knocks Leeds out and is declared the winner. There’s turmoil in the audience and, amid the bedlam, Blake loses track of Plummer. Later the same evening, Plummer is dining at the Continental Hotel when the table next to his is taken by Duprez and his manager. Infuriated by their conversation, Plummer tells them that he will put up a man to fight Duprez and will, two days hence, pay the necessary £3,000. He has one stipulation: his contender’s identity will remain a secret until the match (this because, in fact, he himself intends to fight). The challenge is accepted. Now, however, Plummer needs to find the money. During the night, undisguised, he breaks into Duprez’s room and replaces the banknotes from the Leeds fight with counterfeits. The next morning, Blake reads in a newspaper about the new challenge to Duprez. A later edition carries even more startling news: the boxer has been arrested for possession of forged banknotes. When suspicion falls upon sports patron Lord Malham, who had paid Duprez to fight Leeds, he asks Blake to investigate. The detective visits Duprez’s hotel room, as does Detective-Inspector Martin, and there finds clear evidence that Plummer had broken into it. When the crook travels to Paris to change the stolen money, Blake follows, as does Tinker, who is acting without his guv’nor’s knowledge. Plummer captures the lad to ensure that the detective will remain in Paris searching for his assistant while he himself returns to England to hand the money to Duprez’s manager. The bout is scheduled and will take place in France. Plummer returns to Paris. He has a month to train but Blake is by now wise to the scheme and corners him. The crook suggests a deal: if Blake will allow him to fight Duprez, Plummer will afterwards hand himself over to the law. It is agreed, and for the month that follows, Blake becomes Plummer’s sparring partner. On the night of the fight, Plummer’s car crashes and he’s taken to hospital. Blake steps in and fights Duprez, winning the bout by a knockout. He then rushes to the hospital only to find that Plummer has gone. The crook sends a congratulatory letter.

Trivia: At this stage in his career, “There is no more patriotic man living” than Plummer, and “If there had been a war where men were wanted, he would have been one of the first to volunteer in any capacity, and there can be little doubt that his brain and pluck would quickly have brought him into prominence.” (Five months after this tale was published, the First World War began).

In The Swell Mobsman (UNION JACK issue 315, 1909) it is stated that stress has turned Plummer’s hair white, a fact that is reaffirmed in The Great Bank Fraud (UNION JACK issue 473, 1912). Now, however, his hair is black. Presumably, then, he is dying it. Also, for the first time, it is described as receding a little at the temples.

It’s incredible to think that Blake and Plummer spent an entire month together!

Detective-Inspector Martin has a handlebar moustache.

Rating: ★★★★★

Notes: Story features Henri Garrock.

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Notes: My copy is missing a cover. Story features Mlle. Yvonne Cartier.

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Notes: In the coastal village of St. Anton, Dan Tremar lives in dire poverty with his wife, Mary. Dan's socialist politics have made him virtually unemployable and so, in desperation, he accepts a commission from a secret brotherhood headed by Professor Kew to murder a rich American named Walter Bargrave. Unknown to Dan, Bargrave has employed Sexton Blake to trace his long lost English niece — and Mary is that person! While Dan travels to London to perform the evil deed, Blake journeys to St. Anton and meets with Mary. At the Tremars' cottage, he is surprised to find a photograph of Bargrave hidden in Dan's room. He is even more surprised when he sees Kew at the local railway station. He follows him but is spotted by the criminal. Kew is with Raymond Bargrave, Walter's stepson, who is the motivating force behind the plot to murder the millionaire. Bargrave senior's death would mean that he, Raymond, would inherit the fortune rather than it going to Mary. Knowing that Blake stands in the way of the scheme, Raymond attempts to kill him but, of course, fails. Tinker traces Dan Tremar to a flat above that in which Walter Bargrave is lodging. When Raymond visits his father to persuade him to change his will, he is shocked to find that he is, in fact, speaking to a disguised Sexton Blake. The detective ties him up and leaves him on the bed. Tinker witnesses Tremar exposing a hole in the floor leading through to the flat below, above the bed in which Raymond lies. Tremar opens a small cylinder and from it empties a deadly spider through the hole. Kew arrives at the upper flat; Walter Bargrave at the lower. After Blake destroys the spider, Raymond is revealed to have lost his mind from fear. The two parties meet in a desperate tussle. Kew and Tremar are captured and Kew is sentenced to six years imprisonment at Port Vale Gaol (where he immediately recognises Count Ivor Carlac). Dan Tremar is released, having been judged to have been tricked by Kew.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Notes: My copy is missing a copy. Story features The Scorpion.

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Notes: When George Marsden Plummer learns that Sir Justin Kerford is selling his estate—for reasons unknown—the crook senses an opportunity. By disguising himself as the man’s butler, he inveigles his way into the household. Then, on the day that the deeds are to be handed over, he chloroforms Sir Justin and masquerades as him. Plummer pockets a deposit of a hundred thousand pounds in cash plus a cheque for a further seven hundred thousand. He then discovers why Sir Justin had wanted to sell. The estate, it turns out, rightfully belongs to his long lost nephew. Upon learning of this person’s existence, Sir Justin had decided to sell to secure the future of his daughter, Fay. Plummer enjoys an indulgent meal at a club but, upon leaving, is pounced on by a mugger. A police constable comes to his assistance but in the affray Plummer’s wig is knocked off. He makes his getaway. The next morning, the newspapers report the incident, and the fact that someone had been impersonating Sir Justin comes to Sexton Blake’s notice. He then receives a visit from Fay, starts his investigation, and discovers her father bound and gagged in an oak chest. Plummer sends a note to the old man in which he threatens to expose the existence of the nephew. Sir Justin tells Blake to drop the case. Blake, however, doggedly tracks Plummer and, during a desperate chase, rips the coat from his back. The crook escapes but the stolen money, in the coat pocket, is returned to Sir Justin. The latter forbids his daughter to reveal the truth but agrees to let her search for the lost nephew. Plummer sends another note, demanding the return of the money. Upon receiving it, Sir Justin dies from shock.

Trivia: This story is continued in the next issue.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Notes: This story is a continuation of the one featured in the previous issue. While Fay Kerford continues to refuse to share the truth with Sexton Blake, George Marsden Plummer breaks into her home and steals the papers that prove her late father cheated her lost cousin—Neil Wilson—out of his rightful inheritance. Fay determines to find her cousin and to plead with him to show mercy. She sets out for the town of Great Moose in America, unaware that the kindly old gent and his valet that she meets en route are, in fact, a disguised Sexton Blake and Tinker. Plummer, also in disguise, sails on the same ship. Upon arrival in New York, Plummer gambles away his money. When he sees John Marsh and his wife Hilda living in luxury, he attempts to rob them but is driven off by his former partner, escaping with just a few dollars. He heads south, in search of Neil Wilson, to whom he intends to sell the papers. All the protagonists arrive at Great Moose, where Blake reveals his identity to Miss Kerford and she finally tells him the truth about her father’s deceit. Plummer disguises himself as Wilson’s guardian but his ruse is detected by Blake. The criminal is exposed and arrested. Wilson arrives, hears Miss Kerford out, and is sympathetic. Plummer is taken by American detectives by train to New York but, en route, it is held up by bandits, and the master-crook escapes. Some weeks later, Wilson and Kerford marry.

Trivia: This marks the final appearance (just a cameo) for John Marsh and his wife Hilda.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ A story that involves multiple disguises, pushing credibility right over the edge!

Notes: Spring double issue. Story features Mlle. Yvonne Cartier and Dr. Huxton Rymer.

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Notes: This marks the first appearance of Aubrey Dexter. Justus P. Jackson is an utterly ruthless millionaire who doesn't care who he walks over in pursuit of further riches. His latest victim is a bank clerk named Valentine Pelford, who was Sexton Blake's fag at school. Pelford intends to marry Hazel Mapleton but Jackson wants her for himself and so sets out to destroy the young man. He tempts him into a gambling set then sees to it that Pelford loses a fortune. Later, at Hazel's coming out party, Jackson presses his unwelcome attentions on the girl and is punched to the ground by Pelford. The millionaire swears vengeance and — when he catches a gentleman crook named Aubrey Dexter breaking into his house — he immediately sees a means to bring about the young clerk's downfall. The following day, Pelford rushes out of the bank after receiving a call informing him that Hazel has been hit by a truck. He walks straight into a trap and is knocked unconscious by Jackson. That evening, while Pelford remains senseless, the millionaire and the gentleman crook rob the bank. In the morning, the theft is discovered and Detective-Inspector Martin and Sexton Blake attend the crime scene. They find plenty of evidence that Pelford committed the heist and, when the young man turns up in a bedraggled condition, he is arrested. However, Sexton Blake is convinced of his innocence and begins a thorough investigation which leads him to the offices opposite, from which Dexter had entered the bank. Here he is confronted by the crook. They fight and Dexter flees only to be followed by Tinker. The lad trails him to his house but is captured by Roberts, Dexter's servant. Two days later, Blake receives a letter from Dexter who reveals Tinker's whereabouts, Jackson's plan and Pelford's innocence. The detective drives the millionaire from the country and Pelford is freed from police custody. As for Dexter ... he lives to fight another day.

Trivia: Hazel's father's residence is in Berkeley Square, where Blake would one day have offices. Back in his schooldays, Valentine Pelford had fagged for Blake.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Notes: Senor Harlvez, the Ambassador of the South American country of Veitamala, is attempting to buy a British battleship to help his country's fight against its neighbour, Culom. But he is drugged by his counterpart, the ruthless Ambassador Senor Sango, robbed of documents pertaining to the purchase, and dumped in a quiet London square in the early hours of the morning. He is found by a young adventurer, the Honourable John Lawliss, and escorted to his home near to where Lawliss lives. The young baron promises to help and later the same day gains entry into Sango's house — which is nearby — in the guise of a plumber. He begins to break into the safe but his servant, Pete, finds the papers hidden in a book. They make their getaway, leaving the safe-cracking tools behind. That evening, Sexton Blake is commissioned by Sango to investigate the robbery but his client's evasive attitude makes him suspicious. He puts Pedro on the scent, is led to Lawliss's house, and breaks in. Blake knows Lawliss and, after the latter explains the situation, the two men visit Harlvez and find Sango attacking him. They separate the men and Sango leaves, threatening revenge. Blake returns the papers to the Vietamalan Ambassador. Harlvez asks his rescuers to deliver the documents, authorising the purchase of the battleship, to the French port where it is being built. Blake and Lawliss must race to get there before Sango's representatives, so they take a biplane across the Channel. Unfortunately, Sango has beaten them to it and events conspire in such a way as to make the country which launches the ship first the owner. Blake tells Lawliss to sneak aboard during the night. He then flies back to Southampton where he hires a tugboat and crew. They steam back to France and, helped by Lawliss, attach a steel cable to the battleship by means of which they pull it off the launchway. Having successfully put it to sea, they win they day: the ship belongs to Veitamala.

Trivia: Although this is the first Hon. John Lawliss story to be published, it was actually the second story written. Blake's first ever encounter with the young adventurer is recounted in UNION JACK issue 554, THE BOUNDARY RAIDERS. Later in the saga, from 1916 onwards, Lawliss would be renamed 'Lawless'. Further details emerge in this issue concerning Sexton Blake's Baker Street quarters: He has a cabinet filled with ancient weapons — antique pistols and daggers — in his study. Just prior to this story, we are informed, he and Tinker were on a case in Scotland. When they are away from Baker Street, Pedro is looked after by an 'old vet'.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Notes: James Colby, of the Colby & Co. Bank, receives a late night visit from the Emperor of Westphalia. His Majesty has run up gambling debts and wishes to secure a loan. As security, he leaves the virtually priceless Westphalia Coronet. But Colby's footman, Roberts, betrays the presence of the treasure to Aubrey Dexter, who wastes no time in removing it from Colby's safe. Sexton Blake is called and immediately recognises the ace cracksman's handiwork. Knowing Blake is on his trail, Dexter flees to America. Months later, in Mexico, two English ranch owners — cousins Chris Harding and Philip Morton — fall out over a beautiful woman; Dolores, the daughter of a rebel leader, General Carlos Alvarez. Morton plots with Alvarez to frame Harding, whom Dolores loves, and their plan succeeds: Harding is falsely accused of attempted murder and is sentenced to death. The girl turns for help to another Englishman living in the town: Aubrey Dexter, who has gone to ground there to escape the pursuing Blake. Dexter kidnaps the General and, in disguise, replaces him. He arranges things so that Harding appears to be executed while, in reality, he is saved and placed in the care of Roberts. The latter, though, knocks him out and holds him captive with the real Alvarez in a shanty on the plains, hoping to extort money from Morton. A few days later, the American press reports that Chris Harding has been executed. The British Ambassador commissions Sexton Blake to investigate. Travelling to the Mexican town, the detective learns from Dolores that Harding's execution was faked but that her lover has not been seen since. Furthermore, he discovers the Westphalia Coronet in the hotel room where Dexter had resided. Tracking his opponent to the shanty, he captures Roberts and Dexter and frees the prisoners. Later, upon seeing his cousin alive, Philip Morton dies of fright. That night, Dolores, in gratitude to Dexter, sets him and Roberts free.

Rating: ★★★★★

Notes: An Arab, Fellad Bey, pays a shipping agent named Jasper Craig to organise a gun-smuggling operation. However, his plans are overheard by a member of The Brotherhood of the Yellow Beetle and, on the night the Katie M sets sail, it is captured by the Brotherhood. After its disappearance, it emerges that a number of other vessels have vanished under similar circumstances, all of them carrying a cargo of weaponry. Sexton Blake is hired to investigate. He goes to Liverpool to interview Craig but upon arrival finds that the shipping agent has been murdered by a vengeful Fellad Bey, who subsequently commits suicide. Blake and Tinker voyage to China to search for the missing ships. After narrowly avoiding being killed by a venomous snake in Blake's bed and by poison in Tinker's coffee, the duo hires a tramp steamer from a mysterious individual named John Davidson and they travel to Kaitu, once a pirate stronghold, now the headquarters of the Brotherhood of the Yellow Beetle. Under a flag of truce, Sexton Blake goes ashore and is taken to meet with Prince Wu Ling. His demand that the Prince should give up the pirated ships and their cargo is refused and the detective is taken prisoner. However, when a British warship arrives on the scene, Blake escapes and helps the Navy as it attacks the criminal stronghold. The Brotherhood is defeated and, in hand to hand combat, Blake kills Wu Ling. Davidson is revealed to be a government agent and he claims Kaitu as British territory.

Rating: ★★★★★

Notes: None at present.

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Notes: The Colonial Office is concerned that there's been no word from Sir Godfrey Haverleigh, who is en route to Tatua, an island near Australia, where he is to take over Governorship from General Rudolph Mantley. Tatua is half owned by Britain and half by Germany. Sexton Blake is asked to investigate. He visits Sir Godfrey's chambers and discovers signs of a struggle. Upon leaving, he is shadowed by a man who turns out to be butler to the Duchess of Warlowe. Blake then discovers that Sir Geoffrey's luggage was loaded at Marseilles onto the Marga, a yacht owned by the Duchess. Realising that the woman's son, the Hon. John Lawliss must be behind Sir Godfrey's disappearance, the detective books passage aboard a liner and sets off in pursuit. Meanwhile, the Marga, with Sir Godfrey locked in one of its cabins, arrives at Tatua and Lawliss goes ashore in the guise of his prisoner. There he finds that General Rudolph is a hopeless drunkard, thanks to brandy supplied in bulk by the Germans. Much to the General's displeasure, Lawliss immediately usurps his position. The next day, the new Governor heads off to inspect the boundaries of the British territory. When Blake arrives on the island, he quickly realises that the new man is an imposter. He also surmises that the Marga must be hidden nearby and so sets off in search of it. He finds it anchored in an inlet, rescues Sir Godfrey, and then learns from the yacht's captain that Lawliss is somewhere upriver. While the detective searches for him, Lawliss meets with a Tatuan tribe who are officially under the guardianship of the British Empire. However, since a landslide altered the course of a river, the Germans have expanded their border and incorporated the tribe into their territory. They are now levying heavy taxes. Lawliss plants charges to destroy the dam — a direct solution to the problem that would never happen were he to leave it to the red tape of officialdom (as represented by Sir Godfrey). However, before he can detonate the explosives, Blake arrives. Lawliss explains the situation and the detective, approving of the young adventurer's good intentions, sets off the explosion himself, thus restoring British territory.

Trivia: Although this is the second published story featuring the Hon. John Lawliss, it actually recounts his and Blake's first encounter (it's very apparent that the two men are not acquainted previous to this). Either due to an error or to the fact that the second-written tale (A BID FOR A BATTLESHIP, UNION JACK issue 550, 1914) was submitted first, the two were published in the wrong order. An attempt to cover this fact is made in the last sentence, which reads 'And so ended the second enterprise of the Honourable John Lawliss.'

Trivia: This was anthologised in THE CASEBOOK OF SEXTON BLAKE (2009).

Rating: ★★★★★

Notes: This story marks the first gathering of the Council of Eleven. The group — made up of powerful, well-organised criminals — pulls off an amazing bank heist that leaves the police baffled. The bank manager calls in Sexton Blake who, after discovering that the criminals burrowed into the vault from an adjoining antiques shop, finds a ring inscribed with a crest designed from the letters of the French word for 'eleven'. After an attempt is made on his life, Blake again encounters the number eleven among the clues. Good solid investigative work leads to the Baron de Beauremon, a man who frequents one of Blake's high society clubs. De Beauremon has as his base a chateau in France. Blake follows the trail to Paris where, again, the Council tries to murder him. Believing that they have successfully done away with the detective, the villains begin to move their stolen bullion. But Blake intercepts the shipment and, with Tinker's help, makes off with it. He returns the fortune to the bank having won this, his first encounter with the Eleven.

Trivia: This was reprinted under the same title in DETECTIVE WEEKLY issue 360 (1940).

Rating: ★★★★☆ G. H. Teed presents us with a very entertaining tale here, though one that seems to end rather too suddenly. The first two chapters are entirely given over to the heist and predate the film Ocean's Eleven in intricacy, gadgetry and style (what is it about the number eleven?). As an introduction to a new super-opponent for Blake, it works really well, leaving the reader eager for the Council of Eleven's next appearance.

Notes: None at present.

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Notes: Story features actor Lionel Vale.

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Notes: Summer double issue. Herbert Channing, who looks after the finances of Mademoiselle Yvonne, reports to her the odd behaviour of Gilbert Jefferson, who runs a silk company she has invested in. Jefferson had been personally overdrawn to the tune of £40,000 due to his gambling on the stock exchange. However, seven months ago his account had started showing large credits and he had made out a will and an insurance policy both of which leave large amounts of money to the wealthy financier named Hammerton Palmer. With his finances apparently stable again, he has now drawn out a further £20,000 in gold for some unknown purpose. This places his niece's inheritance in jeopardy and prompts Yvonne to investigate, despite warnings from her Uncle Graves. She breaks into Jefferson's house that night but discovers him in his study stabbed to death and with his face and hands burnt beyond recognition with acid. Meanwhile, Detective-Inspector Thomas is visiting Sexton Blake to ask advice about a number of strange disappearances and murders. While he is there, a call comes from Scotland Yard: they have received a note telling them to get to Jefferson's house as soon as possible; they have already sent three policemen ahead. These three constables arrive just in time to see Yvonne — who is dressed as a man — escaping. They therefore assume that the fleeing figure is the murderer. They report this to Blake and Thomas who arrive at the scene a few minutes later. The detectives learn that Jefferson had a visitor earlier that same evening, who evidence suggests may be the person who sent the anonymous note to Scotland Yard. Next day, Miss Jefferson — the niece — consults Blake and tells him of the £20,000 which has gone missing. The detective re-examines the scene of the crime and discovers a small skull carved from ebony. This is the same as one found in the possession of another strangely murdered man. Hammerton Palmer learns that Blake is on the case and visits the detective to offer help. When he departs, he leaves behind him one of the carved skulls. Blake sends Tinker to keep watch on the Jefferson house. Unknown to Tinker, Yvonne is also watching. The youngster spots a man who matches the description of the individual who had visited Jefferson and follows him to a riverside tenement building where he finds evidence from the crime scene plus the £20,000 of gold. Unfortunately, he is caught in the act of snooping and badly beaten. Meanwhile a bomb is thrown at Sexton Blake in Baker Street and he narrowly misses being killed. Having realised that Yvonne is watching the Jefferson house, Blake visits her and learns that it was she whom the police had spotted leaving the crime scene. He tells her that he thinks Gilbert Jefferson is still alive; that the body was disfigured to hide the fact that it wasn't him. The two of them then intercept a letter meant for Uncle Graves in which his presence is demanded at the 'Death Club'. Blake disguises himself as the old man and goes in his stead, unaware that Yvonne is also attending the meeting in disguise. The Death Club meets at Palmer's house but most members are killed when a bomb, planted by Jefferson, goes off. Blake, Yvonne and Hammerton Palmer survive. Palmer races to Jefferson's hide-out and shoots him. Blake and Yvonne arrive shortly afterwards and Jefferson, with his dying breath, confesses that he killed a man in order to fake his own demise. Blake exposes the purpose of the Death Club and the crimes of Hammerton Palmer. With his schemes in tatters, the villain flees.

Rating: ★★★★★

Notes: The country adjoining the Eastern European kingdom of Barania looks upon its neighbour with envy and plots to overthrow it. Employing Baron de Beauremon of the Council of Eleven, and aided by Barania's own chancellor, Count Mitzen, it organises the abduction of the young king-in-waiting. The youth is taken for safekeeping to a remote mountain tribe. The Queen of Barania commissions Sexton Blake to find her son. He travels to the country in the guise of a diplomatic messenger named John Carter, with Tinker, playing the role of an American tourist, travelling separately. But Mitzen's spies are everywhere and Blake's arrival does not pass unnoticed. Foremost among these agents is Captain Konditch of the Imperial Guard. He invites the detective on a hunting expedition during which an assassination attempt is made. Blake avoids death by hiding in the 'King's Oak', an ancient and hollow tree. Inside he finds the entrance to a secret passage but when he ventures into its depths he is captured by mountain men in Konditch's hire. Tinker arrives in Barania and learns that Blake has gone missing. Tracking him with Pedro, he discovers the secret of the oak and enters the underground passage. He finds Sexton Blake bound and gagged in a cave at its end. The detective vows to remain in the country, find the king and expose the plotters.

Trivia: John Carter is Blake's favourite nom de plume.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ This is the first instalment of a two-part story and, as such, suffers rather from a sense of incompleteness — especially as Blake doesn't discover the Council of Eleven's involvement in this issue.

Notes: My copy is missing the cover. This story follows on directly from the previous issue's. Disguised as one of the mountain villagers, Sexton Blake continues his investigations and sets out on the trail to the village where the boy-king is being held captive. Tinker, meanwhile, returns to town unaware that his movements are being followed by Count Mitzen's spies. When Baron de Beauremon, head of The Council of Eleven, learns of the detective duo's presence in Barania, he vows to do away with them. He sets a trap for Tinker who walks right into it and is captured. The Baron threatens to kill him unless he reveals the whereabouts of Sexton Blake. Tinker refuses and Beauremon has him thrown out of a window sixty feet above the ground. Thanks to a half-filled moat, the lad makes a miraculous escape and sets off on the long trek to reunite with his guv'nor. In the mountain village, a strange girl named Aida, who is blonde and beautiful and totally unlike her fellow mountain folk, has fallen in love with the king. When Blake arrives she vows to aid him in freeing the youth. The detective instructs them to prepare an escape bid for the following night. He then returns to the Queen's castle and informs her that her son is alive. The next evening, Aida and the king make a break for it and are pursued by the villagers, led by de Beauremon. Blake and Tinker hold off the enemy with their pistols and the president of the Council of Eleven is one of the men hit by a bullet. Later that day, the Queen of Barania holds a Cabinet meeting. Count Mitzen proposes a motion that the regent be made king (thus completing his coup). At that moment, as Blake has planned, the real king presents himself. He banishes Count Mitzen from the country and declares that Blake has been made a Baron of Barania. Aida, it emerges, is the long lost daughter of the Queen's lady-in-waiting. They are reunited and the king announces that he is to marry the girl. De Beauremon escapes, wounded but free.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Notes: While visiting London, an American millionaire hires a new captain for his steam yacht, The Dirondak. Between the old crew leaving and the new crew arriving, his daughter Maisie sneaks aboard to sleep in her cabin. When she awakes, she finds that the yacht is at sea. After her disappearance, her father visits Sexton Blake. He has received a ransom note from 'Yellow Glove', who claims to have abducted the girl. Blake runs the kidnapper to earth only to find that he's merely a hotel employee who took advantage of the situation after overhearing the girl plan to secretly visit to the vessel. The detective, upon learning Maisie's location, discovers that the yacht has vanished. He also deduces that its new captain is none other than Hon. John Lawliss, who is running the yacht with a skeleton crew of just himself, his manservant Pete and his chauffeur, Paul. Lawliss intends to intercept a German ship, the Karl, which is running guns to Ulster, and is dismayed to find Maisie onboard. Blake, on a man o' war, catches up with the yacht and has himself and Tinker transferred aboard. Once he hears Lawliss's plan, he decides to join the fun. At night, with the yacht partly disguised as a gunship, they catch the Karl and force the captain to throw his cargo of rifles overboard. But their ruse is discovered before all the weapons are discarded and the detective is forced to flee, leaving Lawliss and Tinker as prisoners of the Germans. The Karl is purposely beached on the coast of Ireland where the remaining guns will be hidden and the cargo ship blown up while the crew make their way back to their homeland as best they can. But before they can carry out their scheme Lawliss lets off a flare which attracts a man o' war. Blake and Maisie are aboard it and watch as the Germans run away and the Karl, after Lawliss and Tinker are rescued, is torpedoed out of the water.

Trivia: John Lawless is still 'Lawliss' in this, his third appearance.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Notes: When Sir Archibald Treen wins the bidding for the Vere Dunholm collection of art treasures and antiquities, he incurs the wrath of Prince Frederik of Saxburg, who had wanted the collection himself. Furthermore, he insults His Royal Highness. The enraged Prince commissions Aubrey Dexter to steal the collection from Treen. Days later, Sexton Blake, Tinker and Pedro are having a holiday in the Sussex village of Lowley Downs. There they bump into a disguised Detective-Inspector Martin, who is hunting for a thief who has been stealing sheep in the region. When the Scotland Yard man receives a dead sheep in a parcel with a note warning him away, Blake recognises the handwriting as Dexter's. The detective begins investigating the thefts, puzzled as to why the gentleman cracksman would involve himself in such affairs, unaware that Treen Manor is but two miles away. He is spotted by Dexter's valet, Roberts, who warns his master of the detective's presence. Aubrey Dexter sends an anonymous letter to the local police warning that a huge number of sheep will be stolen during the coming night. This is to divert the forces of law away from Treen Manor, which he intends to rob that evening. He then visits Sexton Blake while disguised as a prospective client and tries to send him on a wild goose chase out of the country. But Blake pierces the disguise and uses Pedro to track the criminal to Treen Manor where, with the aid of a squad of policemen, he interrupts Dexter in the middle of the robbery. Unfortunately, the cracksman and his valet make a hair's breath escape, though empty-handed.

Trivia: There's mention of Arsene Lupin in this story, though he is stated to be 'fictitious'.

Rating: ★★★★★

Notes: At a costume ball, Hon. John Lawliss is mistaken for Prince David of Bouvania — whom he physically resembles — by a girl who warns him that he's in danger. He is attacked by Prince Gustav and Count Sparzi but wins through and comes away from the fight in possession of a peculiar jewelled badge; the emblem of the royal house. Two days later Sexton Blake is commissioned by Sparzi to find the badge. Meanwhile, Pedro is stolen from his kennels. Lawliss is responsible — he has learned from the girl, who is Sparzi's stepdaughter, that Gustav and the Count have kidnapped the Prince to prevent him from returning to his country for a crucial vote. Using Pedro to track him, Lawliss and his servant, Pete, find his Highness's valet tied up. The man reports that Prince David has been taken away on a houseboat. Lawliss tracks it and arrives at the same time as Blake. They join forces and free the Prince but he is badly wounded by his enemies. With the vote just hours away, Lawliss impersonates him and travels to Bouvania with the detective. They successfully represent the Prince at the political meeting and are able to leave the country despite a last ditch attempt at murder by Gustav's allies.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Notes: This is a double holiday issue. A young man is given the task to transport a priceless crimson pearl from the South Pacific to London. En route aboard the Kara Maru he is killed for the pearl by a chinaman who, in turn, is robbed of the treasure by Dr Huxton Rymer. The ship is struck by a storm and Rymer escapes to the island of Rubilinga in the Solomon Islands. By coincidence, Sexton Blake is there pursuing through the jungle a criminal named Black McCabe. When the detective is attacked by cannibals, McCabe escapes back to the trading outpost where he falls in with Rymer. The two criminals depart in the detective's schooner, leaving Blake stranded. From the shore, Blake observes as a Chinese junk arrives and sends a diver down to the sunken Kara Maru. He recognises the leader of the new arrivals as San of The Brotherhood of the Yellow Beetle. The Orientals fail to discover anything in the wreck and sail away when a steam yacht arrives. It is the Fleur-de-Lys; the yacht belonging to Mademoiselle Yvonne. She has been hired by the company which discovered the pearl to recover it from the Kara Maru. Blake joins them and dives to the wreck where, after fighting off a giant shark, he discovers evidence that the lone survivor of the wreck has possession of the pearl. The Fleur-de-Lys sets sail in pursuit of the stolen schooner. The latter has delivered the two villains to Thursday Island where Rymer approaches a fence named Charlie Wong hoping to sell the pearl. Wong immediately sends a boat to fetch San. The criminals gather to do their business but, unknown to them, Blake has arrived and has realised who he's up against. Organising a band of sailors for support, the detective confronts his quarry and a huge fight breaks out. He knocks out Rymer and claims the pearl. San surrenders and leads the detective to McCabe in return for his own freedom. The Oriental departs, vowing revenge at a later date. Huxton Rymer is left to fight another day.

Rating: ★★★★★ This is a long and absolutely superb story; well-written, well-plotted and offering a thrill on every page. One of the best.

Notes: Sexton Blake and Tinker are taking a holiday with Sir Richard Losely off the coast of West Africa when they're met by Lobangu, who dreamed they would be there. He asks them to help him come to the aid of a white man named Buchan who has been abducted by the secretive Wassulu tribe who are known to worship a golden beetle. The team head inland and enter unknown territory where they encounter the witch doctor of the Snake People from whom they rescue a man named Jim. He explains that the Snake People are the servants of the Wassulu. He leads them to a mountain range where they meet another witch doctor; a head-shrinker of the Wassulu. Having captured this man, they are guided through a pass to Looma, the Head Priest of a hidden city. He pretends friendliness but traps the group and imprisons them, intending to learn the secret of their rifles before killing them. A nobleman named Kala comes to their rescue. He tells Blake that the priests rule the city but are hated by the populace who are ready to rebel. Kala's escape route takes them to an amphitheatre where they witness men being killed by a gigantic beetle. Lobangu challenges the creature and wins the battle, sparking off a city-wide rebellion. Prisoners are freed — Buchan among them — and they join with the noblemen to overthrow the priests. The beetle is revealed to be a cunning costume worn by three human operators. With the adventure at an end, Lobangu and the Englishmen head back to the coast.

Rating: ★★★★★

Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer.

Unrated

Notes: None at present.

Unrated

Notes: This tale features the real-life personality Sir Thomas Lipton (pictured), the Scottish grocery mogul who is mostly remembered today for his brand of tea. A keen yachtsman, Lipton first challenged for the America’s Cup in 1899, with his yacht, Shamrock I. He made five attempts to win the cup, but was never successful. This story is based around his fourth attempt. It begins during Cowes Week with Hon. John Lawliss and his servant Pete chartering a small yacht named Firefly. They have a run in with an American named Bowker who, with a number of colleagues, is aboard the Magda. Bowker employs Lawliss and Pete as his crew — a position Lawliss accepts due to his suspicion of the men. Meanwhile, Sir Thomas hires Sexton Blake to keep an eye on his racing yacht — Shamrock IV — in the lead up to the America's Cup race. A letter has warned Lipton that spies will attempt to steal the yacht's design secrets. Blake goes to Southampton in the guise of a Scot named George Stewart and takes possession of the Firefly when he finds it abandoned. That night, while moored near the Magda, he and Tinker witness a scuffle aboard their neighbour and watch as someone is thrown overboard. They rescue the man and discover that it is Pete. Blake learns from him that Lawliss is being held captive after he was caught eavesdropping. He had overheard the Americans planning to use diving suits to plant a mine beneath Shamrock IV. Blake goes to the Royal Navy and commandeers two diving suits and a diver named Garvan. When Lawliss escapes and warns that the attempt on Lipton's yacht is to be made, Blake and Garvan don their suits and dive into the sea. There, Garvan disables one of the two American divers while Blake follows the other, Bowker. However, Bowker manages to lose his pursuer and makes it back to the Magda while Blake becomes disorientated and lost on the sea bed. While he uses an anchor chain to haul himself aboard a yacht, Lawliss and Tinker sail in pursuit of the Magda which, inexpertly handled, runs aground. They chase their quarry ashore and follow the men to London. Blake, meanwhile, reaches the city ahead of them. Having identified the house where the villains are staying, Blake, Lawliss and Tinker raid it in the guise of policemen and charge the occupants with illegal gambling. Blake allows them to bribe him into letting them go on the condition that they leave the country at once. They agree to his terms.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Notes: At "Ye Myrtle Bough" inn, situated in the depths of Epping Forest, the Hon. John Lawliss (later to be "Lawless") and his man, Pete, encounter Admiral Prince Heindrich who, on the eve of war, appears to be spying for Germany. Meanwhile, in London, the Foreign Office asks Sexton Blake to trace this same man. The trail leads the detective to the inn but, by this point, Lawliss and the enemy agent have both vanished. Heinrich had on him papers, which Lawliss saw, that identified a nearby tower as a rallying point for at least 200 Germans who are in the country awaiting the start of hostilities. Lawliss takes Heinrich captive and examines the building, finding it filled with weapons and uniforms. Soon he is defending the stronghold as hordes of Germans attack. Behind their lines, Blake and Tinker approach, eventually breaking through and joining their friends in the besieged tower. Taking their prisoner with them, they make a getaway, blowing up the building behind them. They return to the inn but, during the night, are attacked and captured. Only Tinker and Pete manage to escape the enemy who they then follow as far as London before employing Pedro to pick up the trail. It leads them to a house in which Blake and Lawliss have been held. However, the two men make their escape just as the detective's assistant arrives and they manage to take Heinrich captive once again. After a terrific fight with the Prince's cohorts, the police, fetched by Tinker, raid the premises. Heinrich pleads diplomatic immunity but is told that war has just been declared so he will be treated as a spy. Finally, a few stragglers who intend to blow up an army magazine in Hyde Park are defeated and Sexton Blake thus completes his initial assignment of the First World war.

Rating: ★★★★★

Notes: When the Earl of Glenmead dies, his brother, the Hon. Curtis Deming, will inherit the family estates. Only one thing might prevent this: the discovery that the Earl's son, Lord Deming, still lives. Presumed dead for many years, a rumour has arisen that he is alive and living in Arizona. Curtis Deming commissions The Council of Eleven to find this man and ensure that he never claims his inheritance. Meanwhile, the Earl asks Sexton Blake to find his son and bring him home. Since the detective wants to visit the States anyway, to investigate a mining company he owns shares in, he accepts the mission. Weeks later, on the Triple Bar Ranch in Arizona, the foreman, Curly Taylor, reports that a bandit leader named 'Hair-Trigger' Deering is responsible for recent cattle rustling. This is of great interest to two guests on the ranch, Baron de Beauremon and Duke Paul Servitch, who believe that Deering is Deming. Sexton Blake has also encountered the bandit, who he discovers is controlling a swindling operation at the mine. Endangered by the gang, he and Tinker escape, crossing into Triple Bar Ranch territory where they meet Taylor. After catching site of Beauremon and Servitch, the detective confides in the foreman and they decide to work together. Tinker discovers that Deering is using the silver mine to fund Mexican revolutionaries. Taylor rounds up his men and sets off to confront the bandits. The group is joined by Blake, Tinker, and the two men from the Council of Eleven. The latter hear the detective's revelation that Deering isn't the man they are looking for. Lord Deming is, in fact, one of the ranch-hands, a man who calls himself Wilson. During the subsequent gunfight with the Deering gang, de Beauremon takes a shot at Wilson and Blake responds by shooting the Baron in the arm. The fight against the bandits is won and Deering is trampled to death. Under threat from Blake, de Beauremon and Servitch leave with their mission unfulfilled. Blake and Tinker return to England with Lord Deming. So much of their success has been due to Tinker's scouting ability that the detective names this adventure 'Tinker's Triumph'.

Trivia: When Blake instructs Tinker to book passage to America he advises him to make it under an assumed name ... and suggests Carter. This is one of the earliest references to the surname which would one day be revealed as Tinker's true name.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Notes: My copy is missing its cover. Sexton Blake and Tinker are in New York having just finished a case with Fenlock Fawn. The American detective takes them to dinner but as they enter the hotel Blake spots an old enemy, Count Franz von Stoltz. The German spy is in conference with two crooks Blake has never met before but who Fawn knows well: Ezra Q. Maitland and his wife Broadway Kate. The detectives send Tinker in to eavesdrop while they, concerned that they'll be recognised, go elsewhere for their meal. The lad follows the three villains to a house where he overhears von Stoltz pay the Maitlands to board the S.S. Muratana which is due to carry £1,000,000 to England. They are to betray the ship's position to the German navy so that it can be captured. Tinker is caught listening and is imprisoned in a wireless room on the roof of the house. He manages to free himself long enough to send a signal for help before being knocked out by Grant, a murderer left to guard him by the now departed Maitlands. Blake gets the message and, with Fawn, raids the house, capturing Grant. After learning of the plot from Tinker, Blake borrows Fawn's seaplane and, with his assistant, sets off to catch up with the S.S. Muratana which had left port a couple of hours earlier. On board the ship, the Maitlands are double-booked — as an invalid named John P. Blundel and his daughter and as Silas Morgan and his son. Ezra gains entry to the wireless room and sends his message but is interrupted and forced to make a desperate getaway. Blake arrives in the seaplane and clues lead him to the Blundels but he finds them vanished. Two German warships hove into view and panic is started among the passengers by Silas Morgan and his son. Blake recognises them as the Maitlands and, after a fight, captures and arrests them. British warships respond to the liner's distress calls and come to the rescue. However, the adventure ends badly for Blake when the Maitlands escape in the seaplane.

Trivia: In A Word from the Skipper, the Editor reveals that he has been receiving hate mail from a "pro-German" reader. This individual, a Canadian, also posted him a box of bees in the hope that, upon his opening of it, they would sting him!

Rating: ★★★★★ An excellent war-time tale with Sexton Blake at his most patriotic. This is a superb debut for the Maitlands.

Notes: Story features Mlle. Yvonne Cartier.

Unrated

Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer.

Unrated

Notes: While in Folkestone, Sexton Blake saves a man from an attack by two German spies, Haltzfeld and Vonberg. Helped by Hon. John Lawliss, who has come to the seaside town in search of the detective, Blake captures the two assailants and hands them over to the police. The intended victim, Hugh Ross, explains that he had uncovered a Fake Press Bureau which, though its headquarters are in Berlin, also has a branch in London. From this, false reports about the allied war effort are issued to give the impression that the German forces are winning. Blake leads a police raid on the London premises and rounds up a large espionage ring. He and Lawliss then disguise themselves as Haltzfeld and Vonberg and travel to Berlin to bring the Bureau to an end. Their secondary mission is to rescue Lawliss's mother, who is trapped in Germany. After preventing a spy ship from laying mines, they arrive in the city and quickly free Lawliss's mother from captivity. They then plot to blow up the Fake News Bureau. This is achieved by means of a stolen plane and a few well-aimed bombs. Fleeing through the night sky, they eventually crash land only to discover that they've flown 200 miles in the wrong direction and are now on the Prussian Front. After foiling a German ambush on the Russian troops, the two men are taken prisoner and sentenced to death. At the very moment a firing squad is about to end their lives, they are saved by Dr. Hamann, the head of the Fake News Bureau. He takes charge of the two prisoners and escorts them back to Germany where he forces them to undertake a mission to guide a spy boat through the English channel to deliver false reports to England. They embark on the nefarious voyage but manage to overwhelm the crew and run the ship aground. With the reports destroyed and the Germans captured, their adventure ends.

Trivia: This is an unusual story in that absolutely no mention is made of Tinker.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Notes: The war is raging in Europe and Sir William Gregory, head of the British Secret Service, has a dangerous mission for Sexton Blake. The detective must go behind enemy lines to find a captured British agent named Thorne. This man has vital documents pertaining to the part Turkey and Italy might take in the war. If he is already dead, the information may be found tattooed on the soles of his feet. Blake leaves for the continent with Tinker, who has been given an unattached commission to join troops at the Front. In Dieppe, Blake is approached in his hotel by Baron Robert de Beauremon, the head of The Council of Eleven. De Beauremon knows the detective's mission and states that Thorne is dead and that he, de Beauremon, has the documents which he will sell for £20,000. He had gained the papers via one of the Eleven, Madame Renee Montera. Blake says he will consider the offer. He then discovers that M. Montera is living in the room next door. He searches it and finds the documents but realises that they aren't genuine. When he confronts de Beauremon with this information, a terrific fight breaks out and he leaves the criminal unconscious. Days later, in the guise of an old man, Blake pierces the enemy lines with Pedro at his side. He hears of a Britisher who has been caught and tortured — his feet badly burned — and realises that the man is probably Thorne. At that moment, the object of his quest is being nursed by a disguised M. Montera. She discovers from him where the documents are hidden and races to fetch them but is beaten to it by Blake. She denounces him to the Germans but before he is captured the detective hides the papers in Pedro's collar and sends him to find Tinker. The bloodhound makes a heroic journey across the Front lines, receiving many bullet-wounds, and eventually finds Tinker. The documents are handed over to the authorities and then Tinker and a group of Hussars mount a successful rescue mission, saving Blake and Thorne from a firing squad.

Rating: ★★★★★ Pedro gets a whole chapter to himself — and what a chapter it is! Possibly the bloodhound's finest moment in the whole Blake saga!

Notes: Henry Masters and Tom Powers discover a vein of gold running through their plantation in Togoland. They mine thirty cases but, after learning of the outbreak of war in Europe, they vow to keep their treasure hidden until it is safe to ship it from the country. They take it into the jungle and bury it but the effort is too much for the fever-ridden Masters and he drops dead. Powers makes a map of the hiding place which he conceals in his belt. At that moment, a servant who has followed the men stabs Powers in the back. He is about to strike a second blow when a lion kills him. The wounded Powers succumbs to fever and staggers deliriously through the jungle until he reaches the coast. He steals a canoe and paddles out to sea where, eventually, he is picked up by a merchant vessel. He is taken to Liverpool and lodged in a hotel at the captain's expense; by this time, he has recovered but his memory is a blank. When the captain tells the hotel manager that Powers had feverishly ranted about hidden gold during the voyage, he is overheard by one of the hotel guests: Broadway Kate. She immediately informs her husband, Ezra Q. Maitland and, that night, he attacks Powers and steals the belt. Meanwhile, a series of robberies carried out by the Maitlands' Chinese servant, Wang, has brought Sexton Blake to Liverpool. Pedro's nose leads the detective to the hotel and he begins to suspect the Maitlands' presence. But too late — they have departed. Blake hears Powers' story and sets off after the criminals. The chase leads across the sea to Togoland where, at the site where the treasure is buried, Blake manages to capture Ezra, Kate and Wang. Unfortunately, a troop of German soldiers arrives and Blake himself becomes a prisoner. Maitland cuts a deal with the German Commandant — a quarter of the gold — and gains his liberty. During the night, Tinker escapes and races away to fetch British soldiers. They arrive in force and the German troops are captured. Blake is released but, to his chagrin, he finds that the Maitlands have escaped — though empty-handed.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Notes: After receiving an arm injury while working for the Intelligence Department, Hon. John Lawliss goes to the sleepy fishing village of Larsby for some R&R. He puts up in a hotel, the Larsby Hydro, which had originally been run by Germans until they mysteriously vanished three days before war was declared. Only their cook remains, now working for the new owners, Michael Brown and his wife. Lawliss quickly befriends the Browns, their daughter Lucy and her admirer, the local coastguard, Jack Bryce. However, during his first night in the hotel, Lawliss awakens at night and sees three men burying a corpse in the grounds — and they are wearing German uniforms! Next day, he plans with Bryce to dig up the corpse but is overheard by the cook who slips him a sleeping draught. When he awakens, the coastguard has vanished. Lawliss sends for Sexton Blake who soon arrives with Tinker and books into the Hydro. That night, Tinker receives one of the cook's narcotics and falls into a deep sleep. Blake, though, remains awake and sees the cook descend into the hotel's cellar. He follows only to find that she has mysteriously disappeared. Lucy discovers — and takes to Blake — a message from Bryce in which he claims he is being held prisoner. Tinker witnesses the cook moving oil-drums into the cellar and follows her but is attacked, knocked senseless and left for dead. When he recovers, he finds himself in a cave with Bryce, who is chained to a wall. The cave slopes into a pool which is connected to the sea via a submerged tunnel. Bryce explains that divers have been using this to come ashore from a German submarine which has been harassing British ships around the East Coast. They have been stealing the hotel's stores with help from the cook. Tinker swims out through the tunnel and alerts Blake and Lawliss. They capture the cook and leave her tied up in the cave before then setting a trap in the cave. When the divers arrive they are captured and their suits are appropriated. Blake, Lawliss and Bryce use them to board and capture the submarine. They learn that the buried corpse was its former commander, killed in action. Meanwhile, in the cave, Tinker closes the entrance not realising that the cook is in the way of the secret door. It crushes her to death.

Rating: ★★★★★

Notes: After the death of Prince Wu Ling, his right-hand man — San — takes over as head of The Brotherhood of the Yellow Beetle. His first mission as leader is to recover an ancient treasure of gemstones which is hidden in an idol in the possession of a collector named Henry Chapland. Before San gets to the jewels, Professor Bray, who works for Chapland, finds thems and notifies his employer. Later, when they enter the house vault to look at the rubies and diamonds, they find that they've vanished from the idol. Sexton Blake is called in and suspects the robbery was commited through means of an Egyptian mummy which Bray had temporarily stored in the vault for his friend, Professor Collins. When Collins is found dead, Blake discovers that he was killed by a yellow beetle. He heads to the Limehouse district to see whether he can pick up any information but, unknown to him, his movements are followed and he is captured and taken to San. Bound hand and foot and placed into a sarcophagus, Blake is taken aboard a ship where San tells him that he'll to be taken to China and tortured. Tinker, meanwhile, realises that his guv'nor is missing and tracks him with Pedro. He rescues Blake and they make away with the jewels, leaving San to escape on the ship.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Notes: With help from his friends Lord Glenton and the actor Lionel Vale, ace-cracksman Aubrey Dexter escapes from police custody. Eventually, he ends up in a remote region of Scotland with his valet, Roberts. There he witnesses the test of a secret explosive — Petronite — which has been invented by a Russian named Trevovitch. The scientist has with him his two assistants, Howard Fenton and Raymond Carr. Both men are in love with the Russian's daughter, Olga, but it is Fenton who has won her heart. The explosive, when demonstrated, proves too shockingly destructive for the government inspectors sent to watch the test. Much to Trevovitch's disgust, they refuse to purchase the invention. All this is observed by Dexter ... but also by another man: Baron Von Gluck, a German agent. Dexter follows this man and, later, sees him conspiring with Carr. That night, Trevovitch is murdered, the explosive's formula is stolen from his safe, and the evidence suggests that Fenton is to blame. Sexton Blake is called to Whitehall where Earl Kitchener and Sir Henry Fairfax commission him to investigate the killing. The detective travels to Scotland with Tinker and Detective-Inspector Martin. Blake quickly recognises that Trevovitch's safe was cracked by Aubrey Dexter and Pedro leads him to a nearby farmhouse, the home of Von Gluck. Here he finds proof that the German killed the inventor. He also finds Dexter in the process of robbing Von Gluck's safe. Captured, the cracksman explains that he had attempted to steal the formula from Trevovitch's safe in order to prevent it falling into enemy hands. However, Von Gluck had interrupted him, gained possession of the documents and made off after killing the Russian. Suddenly, the German appears and a struggle ensues. The spy is captured but Dexter takes the opportunity to escape. Sexton Blake delivers the explosive formula to Earl Kitchener and, for his reward, he requests that Petronite is never used.

Trivia: This is the third story to feature the actor Lionel Vale. The first was THE WORKINGS OF CHANCE (Union Jack 536); the second THE GREAT TRAIN MYSTERY (Union Jack 557), both published this year.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Notes: None at present.

Unrated

Notes: Story features Mlle. Yvonne Cartier.

Unrated

Notes: Aboard the liner Melrose, arriving in England from Australia, are a disguised Ezra Q. Maitland, Broadway Kate and their servant Yang. There are also five cases of gold which have been collected by philanthropists as aid for the Belgians. Maitland learns that this is to be transferred to Sir Thomas Carstairs' steam yacht, the Sea Queen, before being taken to Belgium by Carstairs, his daughter Grace, and her beau, Lord Hugh Lymington. The criminal plans to get his hands on the fortune but is dismayed to find that Sexton Blake has been commissioned to guard the gold during the transfer. He visits the detective at Baker Street and attempts to murder him. Their fight practically wrecks the house but Maitland, who fails in his mission, gets away. He and Kate capture and imprison the Carstairs and Lymington. With Ezra impersonating Sir Thomas and Kate done up as Lord Hugh, they board the Sea Queen, overpower Detective-Inspector Martin, who is guarding the safe, steal the gold and make their getaway. Blake and Martin find and release Maitland's prisoners then the Baker Street detective traces his foe and purposely walks into a trap. Tinker follows with Martin and a squad of policemen. Blake is rescued and the gold is recovered but the Maitland's escape and vow vengeance upon the detective.

Trivia: Mrs Bardell keeps a pet tabby cat which is killed during this story. The author states that there is a gate at the bottom of the steps which lead up to the Baker Street house's front door.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Notes: My copy is missing a cover. Double Christmas issue featuring Mlle. Yvonne Cartier.

Unrated

Notes: None at present.

Unrated