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Web Site Showcases
American Detective Fiction

Posting all Detective Fiction
Prior to Conan Doyle

Fully Searchable

The mission of the Westminster Detective Library to catalog and make available online all the short fiction dealing with detectives and detection published in the United States before Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A Scandal in Bohemia” (1891).

This site grew out of research for the anthology Early American Detective Stories (McFarland 2008) that I edited with my mentor and colleague LeRoy Lad Panek (1943-2021), winner of two Edgar awards for his contributions to the scholarly field of detective criticism. We uncovered a treasure-trove of forgotten and previously unavailable detective stories, many more than could be included in a single anthology. And so this on-going project was born.

The site includes a working bibliography; full-text copy of entries are added as they are prepared. A few stories that were published in Britain but which appear to have been previously published in America have also been included and are indicated by an asterisk in the bibliography. I welcome comments and solicit both additional bibliographical entries and texts.

Mary M. Bendel-Simso, editor

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A Tale of the Theatre

A Detective’s Experience

“Some ten years ago,” said Mr. F., “one of the most beautiful women I ever met was a danseuse at one of our principal theatres. She was an English girl, named Nellie Gaspard. Petite and graceful, her lithe, elegant form was symmetry itself. She had long black hair, and eyes so fathomless, yet so soft and sad, that a glance from them woke involuntary pity in ones heart. She was a favorite with every one. The first glance of the fairy figure, the first movement of the beautiful creature as she flashed along the footlights, was always attended by the most flattering applause from the crowded theatre. Bouquets and flowers, not more beautiful than herself, were literally rained upon her; and diamonds and glittering jewels given her attracted the popular admiration for the beautiful actress. But no brilliant professional triumph (and she had many) ever incited her to pride—no ovation, and each night of her career was an ovation—could bring to her face a sign of joy; a sad, inexpressibly weary look was ever in her eyes. Whatever her life had been, a sorrow was upon it. All respected her—many loved her; but the fascinations of rank and wealth had no power to tempt her, nor cause her to forget the fever of unrest that blighted her life. Whatever her cause of sorrow, she did not reveal it. Secluded and retired, her only public appearance was in the theatre, where she reigned an undisputed favorite. It is not, therefore, surprising that she was an object of constant remark, and… Read More

Miscellany

The Detective of the Present -- Finn and Jourdan

Time was when a detective was a man who detected things. A detective is still that in some European countries; and he still detects things—in novels. There's Buckett in “Bleak House” who detects Lady Dedlook, and there's that detective in Collin’s story of the “Moon Stone,” quite a detector. New York used to have Old Hayes, who could detect a thing or two; Paris has had Vidocq, and Bow street has had Forster.* But the race has died out entirely in America, and is dying out in England.

Commissioner Jourdan, of Brooklyn, has been making an effort to raise up a detective or two and has actually produced Corr and Bill. Corr and Bill were raised to the Vidocquian task of tracing a mystic murder. Finnan is a hatter; and Finnan has been in States Prison. That ought to be enough for any detective such as Corr to concluded that Finnan did the deed. Edgar A. Poe could not reason out a conclusion clearer than that. So Corr went to where Finnan was making hats.

Is Finnan here? Yes—want to see him?