博客來You know Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street.
Now meet . . . . Max Carrados of The Turrets, Richmond
＂Together with those of Conan Doyle and R. Austin Freeman, [Max Carrados] are the only detective stories since Poe that are worth re-reading.＂
George Orwell - A Kind of Compulsion (1903-1936)
In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, the usefulness of consulting detectives in the war against crime was very well established by Mr. Sherlock Holmes. By the early Twentieth Century, Holmes had retired to Sussex, and the void he left behind in London was capably filled by a number of other noted criminal specialists: Solar Pons, Hercule Poirot, Dr. John Thorndyke, Father Brown, Albert Campion, and Lord Peter Wimsey, to name a few. But another who made a name for himself with his unique skills tends to receive less attention today: Max Carrados.
The first Carrados short story, ＂The Coin of Dionysius＂ was published in the August 17th, 1913 issue of News of the World - and the world was introduced to the masterful blind sleuth.
From 1913 to 1934, mystery readers were treated to Carrados’ published adventures in the form of twenty-six short stories and one full-length novel. In his time, Carrados was one of the most popular detectives in literature. The July 1924 issue of The Strand contained a new Sherlock Holmes story - but it was the announcement of a new Carrados adventure that decorated the magazine’s cover.
As a young man, Carrados was blinded in an accident, but instead of retreating from life, he trained himself so that his remaining senses were more powerful and discerning than those around him. Additionally, Carrados had a keen understanding of his fellow man, and the ability to make deductions from the data he perceived in a Holmesian manner that always led to successful solutions.
Inheriting a fortune from a distant relative, Carrados could afford to pursue his investigatory interests. Like Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple, his unassuming manner caused his foes to ignore and underestimate him as harmless and helpless. That was their foolish mistake.
Along the way, Carrados assembled a small cadre of associates, including his old friend, private inquiry agent Louis Carlyle (who often involved him in interesting cases), his butler Parkinson (who acted as his ＂eyes＂ when necessary), and his private secretary Greatorex (young and impetuous, but always successful).
Over the course of twenty-seven adventures that range from before, during, and after World War I, we see the blind detective solve some truly puzzling crimes, as well as finding himself in deadly personal danger where he must cleverly turn the tables.
Now, all the stories are together in one collection: The two-volume set of The Complete Max Carrados.
＂I have no blundering, self-confident eyes to be hoodwinked.＂
- Max Carrados
Volume I:
Max Carrados (1914)
The Coin of Dionysius
The Knight’s Cross Signal Problem
The Tragedy at Brookbend Cottage
The Clever Mrs. Straithwaite
The Last Exploit of Harry the Actor
The Tilling Shaw Mystery
The Comedy at Fountain Cottage
The Game Played in the Dark
The Eyes of Max Carrados (1923)
The Virginiola Fraud
The Disappearance of Marie Severe
The Secret of Dunstan’s Tower
The Mystery of the Poisoned Dish of Mushrooms
The Ghost of Massingham Mansions
The Missing Actress Sensation
The Ingenious Mr. Spinola
The Kingsmouth Spy Case
The Eastern Mystery
The Specimen Case (1924)
The Bunch of Violets
