Nighthawks!

John Gordon Joyce was born on the 8th March 1879 in Richmond, Victoria, Australia, to a family of touring actors. He led a remarkably varied early life, working as a professional heavyweight boxer and theatre actor before migrating to England around 1909.

After serving in the First World War, he settled permanently in Britain and began a career of full-time fiction writing. His debut thriller novel, ‘The Big Heart’, in 1923 helped to establish him as a runaway force in pulp fiction, who ultimately penned more than 120 novels and hundreds of magazine stories. He was most often credited as John Gordon Brandon.

In the 1930s alone, his writing pace was breathless; releasing 78 standalone and serialised novels. He also became a staple contributor to the Sexton Blake Library, writing 55 tales cantered around the iconic detective.

He was celebrated for his vivid, grit-and-glamour atmospheric depictions of London, which he used as a backdrop for his popular recurring series detective, Inspector Patrick Aloysius McCarthy of Scotland Yard. He continued writing right up until his death.

John Gordon Brandon died on the 21st May 1941. He was 62.

© 2026 Horse's Mouth (E-boek): 9781803549965

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E-boek: 25 juni 2026