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THE EARLY 1900s
1900
“Terrapin” Rodgers appeared in Willa Cather’s short story “The Affair at Grover Station,” published in The Library in two parts: 1 (June 16, 1900) pp. 3-4 and (June 23, 1900) pp. 1-15. It was reprinted in Cather’s Early Stories (Dodd, Mead, 1957, pp. 239-56) and in Willa Cather’s Collected Short Fiction, 1892-1912 (Revised ed., U of Nebraska Press, 1970, pp. 339-52). Rodgers investigates a crime with supernatural elements as a novice-detective. Read more about why this story might be better left as a lesser known work by this revered author in “Is Willa Cather’s ‘The Affair at Grover Station’ a Work of Occult Detection?”
Jim Shorthouse appeared in Algernon Blackwood’s short story “A Case of Eavesdropping,” published in Pall Mall Magazine 22.92 (Dec., 1900) pp. 558-68. It and three more Shorthouse stories are part of Blackwood’s collection The Empty House and Other Stories (Eveleigh Nash, 1906). All four cases are reprinted in From Eerie Cases to Early Graves: 5 Short-Lived Occult Detective Series (Brom Bones Books, 2022). Shorthouse investigates supernatural mysteries, growing from a novice-detective into a specialist-detective. Read more about this character’s growth in “Putting Your Shorthouse in Order.”
1901
John Holcomb and Wilson Merle appeared in Ambrose Bierce’s “At Old Man Eckert’s,” first published in the San Francisco Examiner (Nov. 17, 1901). Holcomb and Merle investigate a supernatural mystery as novice-detectives.
1902
Lionel Dacre appeared in Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story “The Leather Funnel,” published in McClure’s Magazine 20.1 (Nov., 1902) pp. 17-25) and then in The Strand Magazine 25.150 (June, 1903) pp. 648-55. It was reprinted in Doyle’s short story collection Round the Fire Stories (McClure, 1908, pp. 3-19) and then in another of Doyle’s short story collections, The Black Doctor and Other Tales of Terror and Mystery (George H. Doran, 1919, pp. 31-46; John Murray, 1922). With an unnamed, clairvoyant narrator as assistant, Dacre investigates a supernatural mystery — namely, dream psychometry — as a divining-detective.
Diana Marburg appeared in L.T. Meade and Robert Eustace’s series of short stories, run in the US version of Pearson’s Magazine. The stories are “The Dead Hand” (13.74 [Feb., 1902] pp. 177-86); “Finger Tips” (14.80 [Aug., 1902] pp. 787-97); and “Sir Penn Caryll’s Engagement” (14.84 [Dec., 1902] pp. 1269-77). These are part of Meade’s collection titled The Oracle of Maddox Street (Ward, Lock, 1904). All three cases are reprinted in From Eerie Cases to Early Graves: 5 Short-Lived Occult Detective Series (Brom Bones Books, 2022). First identifying likely criminals via palm-reading, Marburg investigates crimes as a unique type of divining-detective.
1903
Professor Curjambi appeared in Rose German-Reed’s “The Ameer’s Revenge,” published in Phil May’s Illustrated Annual 15 (Winter 1903-1904) pp. 73-79. Curjambi investigates a supernatural mystery as a specialist-detective, revealed in his knowledge of Indian charms and the threats against which they protect.
1904
Andrew Latter appeared in Harold Begbie’s series of short stories, run in London Magazine. The six stories are “The Murder in an Omnibus” (June, 1904); “The Affair of the Duke of Nottingham” (July, 1904); “The Eye at the Drawn Blind” (Aug., 1904); “The Charge Against Lord William Grace” (Sept., 1904); “The Missing Heir” (Oct., 1904); and “The Flying Blindness” (Nov., 1904). The series was reprinted in The Amazing Dreams of Andrew Latter (Ash-Tree Press, 2002). Latter investigates crimes as a divining-detective.
1905
Alwyne Sargent and Jack Hargreaves appeared in Allen Upward’s series of short stories, run in The Royal Magazine. The five stories are “The Story of the Green House, Wallington” (15.86 [Dec., 1905] pp. 146-51); “The Tapping on the Wainscot” (15.87 [Jan., 1906] pp. 264-70); “The Secret of Horner’s Court” (15.88 [Feb., 1906] pp. 361-67); “The Two Roses” (15.89 [Mar., 1906] pp. 424-30); and “The Haunted Woman” (15.90 [Apr., 1906] pp. 543-50). All five cases are reprinted in From Eerie Cases to Early Graves: 5 Short-Lived Occult Detective Series (Brom Bones Books, 2022). The pair investigate supernatural mysteries with Sargent as a divining-, specialist-detective and Hargreaves as more of a novice.
1906
Westrel Keen appeared in Robert W. Chambers’ The Tracer of Lost Persons series. Two of the stories involve the supernatural: “Solomon’s Seal” (Saturday Evening Post 178.40 [Mar. 31, 1906] pp. 13-3, 16-19; The Idler 30.49 [Oct., 1906] pp. 3-19) and “Samaris” (Saturday Evening Post 178.45 [May 5, 1906] pp. 3-5, 24-31; The Idler 30.52 [Jan., 1907] pp. 435-50). The stories are collected in The Tracer of Lost Persons (D. Appleton, 1906). Keen investigates a supernatural mystery in the first story — and a crime with supernatural elements in the second — as a specialist-detective. Read more about the two stories and the author in “‘There Are Such Things’: Robert W. Chambers’ Westrel Keen.”
1907
An unnamed narrator appeared in Algernon Blackwood’s short story “The Woman’s Ghost Story,” a part of his collection The Listener and Other Stories (Eveleigh Nash, 1907, pp. 337-50; Alfred Knopf, 1917, pp. 337-50). It was reprinted in The Best Ghost Stories (Modern Library, 1919, pp. 108-17). This character investigates a supernatural mystery as a specialist-detective.
1908
John Silence appeared in Algernon Blackwood’s collection John Silence, Physician Extraordinary (Eveleigh Nash, 1908; John W. Luce, 1909). The stories are “Case I: A Psychical Invasion,” “Case II: Ancient Sorceries,” “Case III: The Nemesis of Fire, “Case IV: Secret Worship,” and “Case V: The Camp of the Dog.” Another John Silence story titled “A Victim of Higher Space” was printed in Occult Review (Dec., 1914) and then in Day and Night Stories (Cassell, 1917; Dutton, 1917, pp. 192-215). Multiple reprints are currently available. Assisted by Hubbard in some of the stories and by Barker in the last, Silence investigates supernatural mysteries as both a doctor-detective and a divining-detective.
1909
Lester, White, Meagle, and Jack Barnes appeared in W.W. Jacobs’ “The Toll-House,” first published in Sailors’ Knots (New York: McKinlay, Stone & Mackenzie, 1909, pp. 147-66). This is a noteworthy addition to the “dare to spend a night in a haunted house/room” tradition. The team investigates a supernatural mystery as novice-detectives.
“Mr. Perseus” appeared in Rudyard Kipling’s short story “The House Surgeon,” published in Harper’s Magazine 119.712 (Sept., 1909) pp. 489-97 and 119.713 (Oct., 1909) pp. 720-26. It was reprinted in Kipling’s collection Actions and Reactions (Doubleday, 1909, pp. 283-322). “Mr. Perseus” investigates a supernatural mystery as a novice-detective. Read more about this character and Kipling’s other occult detective in “Two Occult Detectives from One (Unexpected) Author: Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Mr. Perseus’ and Strickland.”
1910
An unnamed narrator appeared in C. Ashton Smith’s short story “The Ghost of Mohammed Din,” published in Overland Monthly 56.5 (Nov., 1910) pp. 519-22. It was reprinted in Other Dimensions (Arkham House, 1970). This character investigates a supernatural mystery with criminal roots as a novice-detective. Read more about this story in “Equal to All of the Ghosts”: Clark Ashton Smith’s Ghost Hunter Character.”
Dr. Ivan Brodsky appeared in H.M. Egbert’s series of twelve short stories, published in various newspapers. Eleven of these were reprinted in Weird Tales. The original sequence of the stories varied between newspapers, but Weird Tales arranged them in this order: “The Case of the Jailer’s Daughter” (Weird Tales 8.3 [Sep., 1926] pp. 337-44); “The Woman with the Crooked Nose” (Weird Tales 8.4 [Oct., 1926] pp. 473-80); “The Tenth Commandment” (Weird Tales 8.5 [Nov., 1926] pp. 677-84; “The Legacy of Hate” (Weird Tales 8.6 [Dec., 1926] pp. 819-26); “The Major’s Menagerie” (Weird Tales 9.1 [Jan., 1927] pp. 83-90); “The Fetish of the Waxworks” (Tensas Gazette, Dec. 23, 1910, pg. 3 and Weird Tales 9.2 [Feb., 1927]); “The Seventh Symphony” (Weird Tales 9.3 [Mar., 1927] pp. 331-36); “The Chairs of Stuyvensant Baron” (Weird Tales 9.4 [Apr., 1927] pp. 495-502); “The Man Who Lost His Luck” (Weird Tales 9.5 [May, 1927] pp. 615-20); “The Dream that Came True” (Weird Tales 9.6 [June, 1927] pp. 825-31); and “The Ultimate Problem” (Tensas Gazette, Mar. 17, 1911, pg. 6 and Weird Tales 10.1 [July, 1927]). The one story that was not reprinted in Weird Tales was “Homo Homunculus” (Tensas Gazette, Feb. 17, 1911, pg. 3). H.M. Egbert is the pen name of Victor Rousseau Emanuel. All twelve stories were collected in The Surgeon of Souls (Spectre Library, 2006). Assisted by the unnamed narrator, a fellow doctor, Brodsky investigates supernatural mysteries as a doctor-detective.
Thomas Carnacki appeared in William Hope Hodgson’s series of short stories, published in various magazines. The first stories are “The Gateway of the Monster” (The Idler 36.88 [Jan., 1910] pp. 403-16); “The House among the Laurels” (The Idler 36.89 [Feb., 1910] pp. 515-28); “The Whistling Room” (The Idler 36.90 [Mar., 1910] pp. 599-611); “The Horse of the Invisible” (The Idler 36.91 [Apr., 1910] pp. 696-713); “The Searcher of the End House” (The Idler 37.93 [June, 1910] pp. 996-1012); and “The Thing Invisible” (The New Magazine, Jan., 1912). These six stories reappeared in Carnacki, the Ghost Finder (Eveleigh Nash, 1913; reprinted in 1914). Hodgson, who died in 1918, had written three more Carnacki stories that were published posthumously. These stories are “The Haunted Jarvee” (The Premier, Mar., 1929); “The Hog” (Weird Tales 39.9 [Jan., 1947] pp. 6-28); and “The Find.” All nine of the stories reappear in Carnacki, the Ghost Finder (Mycroft & Moran, 1947). Multiple reprints are currently available. Carnaki investigates supernatural mysteries as a specialist-detective.
1911
Dr. Xavier Wycherley appeared in Max Rittenberg’s series of eighteen short stories, published variously in London Magazine, Blue Book, and New Magazine. Fourteen of the stories were reprinted, broken into chapters and given new title combinations, in The Mind-Reader: Being Some Pages from the Strange Life of Dr. Xavier Wycherley (D. Appleton, 1913; Bell & Cockburn, 1913) and in 2 Detectives: Astro, the Master of Mysteries/Dr. Xavier Wycherley, the Mind-Reader (Coachwhip, 2011). Wycherley investigates crimes as both a doctor-detective and a divining-detective.
1912
Semi Dual appeared in J.U. Giesy and Junius B. Smith’s novella “The Occult Detector,” serialized in Cavalier (Feb. 17, 24, Mar. 2, 1912). He reappeared in a long series of works published in Cavalier, starting with “The Significance of the High ‘D’” (Mar. 9, 16, 23. 1912), “The Wisteria Scarf” (June 1, 8, 15. 1912), “The Purple Light” (Oct. 5,12, 19, 1912), “The Master Mind” (Jan. 25, 1913), “Rubies of Doom,” (July 5, 12, 1913), “The House of the Ego” (Sep. 20, 27, Oct. 4, 1913), and “The Ghost of a Name” (Dec. 20, 1913). The series then moved to All-Story Magazine for four years, starting with “The Curse of Quetzal,” (Nov. 28, 1914), “The Web of Destiny” (Mar. 20, 27, 1915), “Snared” (Dec. 11. 18, 25, 1915), “Box 991” (June 3, 10, 17, 1916), and “The Killer” (Apr. 7, 14, 21, 28, 1917). The stories then appeared in various magazines: “The Storehouse of Past Events” (People’s Favorite, Feb. 10, 1918), “The Moving Shadow (People’s Favorite, June 10, 1918), “The Stars Were Looking” (Top-Notch, July 1, 1918), “The Black Butterfly” (All-Story, Sep. 14, 21, 28, Oct. 5, 1918), and “The Trail in the Dust” (People’s Favorite, Oct. 25, 1918). The series completed its run All-Story, which was renamed Argosy All-Story in 1920 and shortened to Argosy around 1930. These works are “Stars of Evil” (Jan. 25, Feb. 1, 8, 1919), “The Ivory Pipe” (Sep. 20, 27, Oct. 4, 1919), “House of the Hundred Lights” (May 22, 29, June 5, 12, 1920), “Black and White” (Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23, 1920), “Wolf of Erlik” (Oct. 22, 19, Nov. 5, 12, 1921), “Poor Little Pigeon” (Aug. 9, 16, 23, 30, Sep. 6. 13, 1924), “The House of Invisible Bondage” (Sep. 18, 25, Oct. 2, 9, 1926), “The Woolly Dog” (Mar. 23, 20, Apr. 6, 13, 1929), “The Green Goddess” (Jan. 31, Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28, Mar. 7, 1931), and “The Ledger of Life” (June 30, July 7, 14, 21, 1934). A reprinting of the entire series began with The Complete Cabalistic Cases of Semi Dual, the Occult Detector, Volume 1: 1912 and Volume 2: 1912-13, shifting to The Opposing Venus and The House of Invisible Bondange (Altus Press, 2013-2019). Assisted by Gordon Glace, Semi Dual investigates crimes, some with supernatural elements, as a divining-detective.
1913
Moris Klaw appeared in Sax Rohmer’s series of short stories, run in The New Magazine. The stories probably ran as follows: “The Tragedies in the Greek Room” (Apr., 1913); “The Potsherd of Anibis” (May, 1913); “The Crusader’s Ax” (June, 1913); “The Ivory Statue” (July, 1913); “The Blue Rajah” (Aug., 1913); “The Whispering Poplars” (Sept., 1913); “The Chord in G” (Oct., 1913); “The Headless Mummies” (Nov., 1913); “The Haunting of Grange” (Dec., 1913); and “The Case of the Veil of Isis” (Jan., 1914). The series was reprinted in the collection The Dream Detective (Jarrods, 1920) without “The Chord in G.” This story was reinserted into U.S. version of The Dream Detective (Doubleday, Page, 1925). All of the stories were reprinted in Supernatural Detectives 2: Aylmer Vance/Morris Klaw (Coachwhip, 2011). Sax Rohmer was a pen name used by Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward. Assisted by Mr. Searles and by Isis, Klaw’s daughter, Klaw investigates criminal and supernatural mysteries as a divining-detective.
1914
Aylmer Vance appeared in Claude and Alice Askew’s series of short stories, run in The Weekly Tale-Teller. The stories are “The Invader” (July 4, 1914); “The Stranger” (July 11, 1914); “Lady Greenselves” (July 18, 1914); “The Unquenchable Fire” (July 25, 1914); “The Vampire” (Aug. 1, 1914); “The Boy of Blackstock” (Aug. 8, 1914); “The Insoluble Bond” (Aug. 15, 1914); and “The Fear” (Aug. 22, 1914). All of the stories were reprinted in Aylmer Vance: Ghost-seer (Ash-Tree Press, 1998; Wordsworth, 2006) and in Supernatural Detectives 2: Aylmer Vance/Morris Klaw (Coachwhip, 2011). Assisted by Dexter, who is clairvoyant, Vance investigates supernatural mysteries as a specialist-detective.
1915
Lester Stukeley appeared in Jessie Douglas Kerruish’s short story “The Swaying Vision,” printed in The Weekly Tale-Teller (Jan. 16, 1915). The story was reprinted in The Ash-Tree Press Annual Macabre 1997 (Ash-Tree Press, 1997), and Multo (Ghost) offers a free .pdf copy. Stukeley investigates a supernatural mystery as a specialist-detective.
1916
Dr. Payson Alden appeared in Eustace Hall Ball’s novelization of the film serial The Mysteries of Myra, run in The Washington Times and other Hearst newspapers. Coinciding with the original releases of each episode of the movie serial, the novelization appeared as follows: Chapters 1-8 (Apr. 23, pp. 10-11), Chapters 9-12 (Apr. 30, pp. 12, 16), Chapters 13-16 (May 7, pp. 14, 16), Chapters 17-21 (May 14, pp. 14-15), Chapters 22-25 (May 21, p. 15), Chapters 29-32 (May 28, p. 11), Chapters 33-36 (June 4, p. 14), Chapters 37-41 (June 11, pp. 12, 18), Chapters 43-46 (June 18, p. 18), Chapters 46-48 (June 25, p. 10), Chapters 49-51 (July 2, p. 14), Chapters 52-54 (July 9, p. 7), Chapters 55-58 (July 16, p. 12), Chapters 59-61 (July 23, p. 12), and Chapters 62-65 (July 30, p. 14). (The mistakes in the chapter sequence match the newspaper publication.) As with the newspaper serial, Hereward Carrington was given authorial credit when the novelization was reprinted as a book (British Burma Press, 1917). There is also a more recent reprint with photos from and information about the film version (Serial Squadron, 2010). Alden has been called film’s first occult detective. Assisted by Professor Haji, Alden is a doctor-detective.
Dr. James Lewis appeared in Arthur Machen’s novel The Great Terror, serialized in the London Evening News (Oct. 16-31, 1916). It was then published as The Terror: A Fantasy (Duckworth, 1917) and as The Terror: A Mystery (New York: Robert M. McBride, 1917). An abridged version was published as “The Coming of the Terror” in Century Magazine 94.6 (Oct., 1917) pp. 801-25. Lewis investigates a supernatural mystery as a doctor-detective. Read more about the decision-making that determined why Dr. Lewis ultimately qualifies as an occult detective in “Arthur Machen’s Dr. James Lewis: Almost an Armchair Occult Detective.”
1917
Dr. John Durston appeared in William Le Queux’s collection The Rainbow Mystery: Chronicles of a Colour-Criminologist Recorded by His Secretary (Hodder and Stoughton, 1917). The stories were reprinted in Supernatural Detectives 5: The Colour-Criminologist/From Whose Bourne (Coachwhip, 2012). Durston investigates crimes as both a doctor-detective and a divining-detective.
Simon Iff appeared in Edward Kelly’s series of short stories titled The Scrutinies of Simon Iff, run in The International. The stories are “Big Game” (Sept., 1917); “The Artistic Temperament” (Oct., 1917); “Outside the Bank’s Routine” (Nov., 1917); “The Conduct of John Briggs” (Dec., 1917); “Not Good Enough” (Jan., 1918); and “Ineligible” (Feb., 1918). Edward Kelly was a pen name of Aleister Crowley, a name he dropped when Iff next appeared in the novel Moonchild (Mandrake, 1929). Iff reappears in three collections that were published posthumously: Simon Iff in America (twelve stories), Simon Iff Abroad (three stories extant), and Simon Iff, Psychoanalyst (two stories extant). The stories were reprinted in Simon Iff Stories and Other Works (Wordsworth, 2012) and many can be read online here. Iff investigates crimes as a specialist-detective.
Dr. Arnold Rhymer appeared in Uel Key’s series of short stories, run in the UK version of Pearson’s Magazine. Five of the stories were reprinted in The Broken Fang and Other Experiences of a Specialist in Spooks (London: Hodder & Stouchton, 1920). Those stories are “The Broken Fang,” “The Shrouded Dome,” “A Post-Mortem Reversal,” “A Prehistoric Vendetta,” and “A Spring of Sweet Briar.” Rhymer then appeared in a novel titled Yellow Death: A Tale of Occult Mysteries, Recording a Further Experience of Professor Rhymer the ‘Spook’ Specialist (London: Books Limited, 1921). At least two more Rhymer short stories were then printed in the UK version of Pearson’s: “The Inaudible Sound” (51.301 [Jan., 1921] pp.7-15) and “Buried Needles” (53.314 [Feb. 1922] pp. 143-51). Rhymer investigates supernatural mysteries as a doctor-detective.
1918
Solange Fontaine appeared in F. Tennyson Jesse’s series of short stories, run in Premier Magazine. I am still researching the original publication dates, but the first set of stories appear to be “Mademoiselle Lamotte of the Mantles,” “The Lovers of St. Lys,” “Emma-Brother and Susie-Brother,” “The Green Parrakeet,” “The Mother’s Heart,” “What Happened at Bout-du-Monde,” “The Sanatorium,” and “The Railway Carriage.” “Mademoiselle Lamotte of the Mantles” was also published in Metropolitan (Aug. 1918). “The Lovers of St. Lys” was also published in Metropolitan (Aug. 1919) and then reprinted in Ms. Murder: The Best Mysteries Featuring Women Detectives, by the Top Women Writers (Citadel, 1989). All six stories were reprinted in The Adventures of Solange Fontaine (Thomas Carnacki, 1995). Jesse next wrote another set of Fontaine stories: “The Black Veil,” “The Pedlar,” “The Reprieve,” “The Canary,” and “Lot’s Wife.” “The Black Veil” and “The Pedlar” both appeared in The London Magazine (respectively, Sept., 1929, and Dec., 1929). All five later works were reprinted in The Solange Stories (Heinemann, 1931; Macmillian, 1931.) Fontaine investigates crimes as a divining-detective.
Godfrey Usher appeared in Herman Landon’s series of short stories, run in Detective Story Magazine. The stories are “Twin Shadows” (Feb. 5, 1918), “A Post-Mortem Appointment” (Feb. 12, 1918) “Soundless Melodies” (Feb. 26, 1918), “Whispers from the Dead” (Mar. 5, 1918), “The Purple Terror” (July 16, 1918), “Told in Shadow” (July 23, 1918), and “Three Wishes” (July 30, 1918). Assisted by Inspector Sebastian, Usher investigates criminal and supernatural mysteries as a divining-detective.
1919
Lincoln Osgood appeared in Gerald Biss’s novel The Door of the Unreal (Eveleigh Nash, 1919; New York: G.P. Putnam, 1920.) Assisted by Fitzroy Manders, Osgood investigates a supernatural mystery as a specialist detective. Read about how the story’s supernatural foe makes this novel historically significant in “The Human and Every Other Point of View: Gerald Biss’s Lincoln Osgood.”
Norton Vyse appeared in Rose Champion De Crespigny’s series of short stories, run in Premier Magazine. The stories are “The Moving Finger” (Sept. 26, 1919); “The Shears of Atropos” (Oct. 10, 1919); “The Villa on the Bordereve Road” (Oct. 24, 1919); “The Witness in the Wood” (Nov. 7, 1919); “The Case of Mr. Fitzgordon” (Nov. 21, 1919); and “The Voice” (Dec. 5, 1919). The stories were reprinted in Norton Vyse, Psychic (Ash-Tree Press, 1999). Vyse investigates supernatural mysteries as a divining-detective.
1920
Shiela Crerar appeared in Ella M. Scrymour’s series of short stories, run in The Blue Magazine. The stories are “The Eyes of Doom” (May, 1920); “The Death Vapour” (June, 1920); “The Room of Fear” (July, 1920); “The Phantom Isle” (Aug., 1920); “The Werewolf of Rannoch” (Sept., 1920); and “The Wraith of Fergus McGinty” (Oct., 1920). The stories were reprinted in Shiela Crerar, Psychic Investigator (Ash-Tree Press, 2006) and in Supernatural Detectives 4: Shiela Crerar/Luna Bartendale & The Undying Monster (Coachwhip, 2012). They are also online here. Crerar investigates supernatural mysteries as a divining-detective.
Dr. Philip Fosdick appeared in Louis Joseph Vance’s novel The Dark Mirror (Doubleday, Page, 1920). Fosdick investigates a supernatural mystery with criminal roots as a doctor-detective. Read more about this novel in “A Case of Teleæsthetia: Louis Joseph Vance’s Dr. Philip Fosdick.”
Derek Scarpe appeared in two of A.M. Burrage’s short stories, run in Novel Magazine. The stories are “The Severed Head” (31.183 [June, 1920] pp. 61-66) and “The House of Treburyan” (31.184 [July, 1920] pp. 371-76). Scarpe investigates supernatural mysteries as a specialist-detective.
1921
John Barron appeared in W.J. Wintle’s short story “The Voice in the Night,” a part of his collection Ghost Gleams: Tales of the Uncanny (Heath Cranton, 1921; Ash-Tree, 1999). Barron investigates a supernatural mystery as a novice-detective.
1922
Luna Bartendale appeared in Jessie Douglas Kerruish’s novel The Undying Monster: A Tale of the Fifth Dimension (Heath Cranton, 1922; Macmillan, 1936). It was republished in Supernatural Detectives 4: Shiela Crerar/Luna Bartendale & The Undying Monster (Coachwhip, 2012). Bartendale investigates a supernatural mystery as a divining-detective.
Dan Dorety appeared in William Hamilton Osbourne’s short story “Hearsay Evidence,” published in Munsey’s 75.2 (Mar., 1922) pp. 223-35. Dorety investigates a criminal mystery as a divining-detective, though he is not the clairvoyant himself.
Dr. John Richard Taverner appeared in Dion Fortune’s series of six short stories, run in Royal Magazine. Eleven stories were then printed in the collection The Secrets of Dr. Taverner (Noel Douglas, 1926). However, there are twelve Dr. Taverner stories in all. They are “Blood Lust,” “The Return of the Ritual,” “The Man Who Sought,” “The Soul That Would Not Be Born,” “The Scented Poppies,” “The Death Hound,” “A Daughter of Pan,” “The Subletting of the Mansion,” “Recalled,” “The Sea Lure,” “The Power House,” and “Son of the Night.” Multiple reprints of the complete collection are available, and the stories can be download in .pdf format here. Dion Fortune was the pen name of Violet Mary Firth. Assisted by Dr. Rhodes, Taverner investigates supernatural mysteries as a doctor-detective.
Damon Vane appeared in Elliot O’Donnell’s series of short stories, which began in Novel Magazine. The first story is titled “The Seventh Stair” (May, 1922). Specifics on this story and the rest are difficult to find, and I am still investigating this character.
1925
Jules de Grandin appeared in Seabury Quinn’s long-running series of short stories, novellas, and one novel printed in Weird Tales. The series ran too long to detail here, but it begins with “The Horror on the Links” (6.4 [Oct., 1925] pp. 449-62) and ends with “The Ring of Bastet” (43.6 [Sept., 1951]). Ten of the stories were reprinted in the collection The Phantom Fighter: 10 Memoirs of Jules Grandin, Sometime Member of La Surete General, la Faculte de Medicine Legal de Paris, etc., etc. (Mycroft and Moran, 1966). Many of the stories — along with Quinn’s only novel featuring de Grandin — were reprinted in The Adventures of Jules de Grandin, The Casebook of Jules de Grandin, The Skeleton Closet of Jules de Grandin, The Devil’s Bride, The Hellfire Files of Jules de Grandin, and The Horror Chambers of Jules de Grandin (Popular Library, 1976-1977). The entire collection of de Grandin stories was published in a three volume set titled The Compleat Adventures of Jules de Grandin (Battered Silicon Dispatch Box, 2001). Another multi-volume set of the complete stories includes The Horror on the Links, The Devil’s Rosary, The Dark Angel, A Rival from the Grave, and Black Moon (Night Shade, 2017-2019). Assisted by Dr. Trowbridge, de Grandin investigates supernatural mysteries as a doctor-detective.
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