A Detective's Triumphs: 'At first no uneasiness was felt by the guests''

James Edward Preston Muddock was born near Southampton, England on the 28th May 1843, the third of four children.

His father made several poor investments which necessitated the need for him to work abroad and so he was rarely about for his son’s formative years.

By 1870 Muddock had begun publishing his own serialised stories in the plethora of English newspapers that had sprung up in Victorian England to feed the growing entertainment appetites of its workforce.

He wrote almost 300 detective and mystery stories, most of them featured the Glaswegian detective, Dick Donovan. At the height of his literary career he was as equally popular as Arthur Conan Doyle. In fact so popular did the character become that Muddock actually released stories and novels with Dick Donovan credited as the author. He published the great bulk of his writings between 1889 and 1922. He also wrote true crime stories and horror, as well as 37 novels, 4 history books, 7 guidebooks and his autobiography.

Tragically 3 of his sons (out of the 10 children that survived childbirth) died during World War 1.

After the early 1920’s he rarely wrote or published and was supported by his daughters.

James Edward Muddock died on 23rd January 1934. He was 91.

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