The Silent Bullet

Craig Kennedy, Scientific Detective #1

by Arthur B. Reeve

First of the Professor Kennedy Mysteries, and first novel by Reeve.

Genres: Mystery, Classics, Fiction, Short Stories, Amazon, Crime, Audiobook

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1910

About the author

Arthur Benjamin Reeve (October 15, 1880 - August 9, 1936) was an American mystery writer. He is best known for creating the series character Professor Craig Kennedy, sometimes called "The American Sherlock Holmes", and Kennedy's Dr. Watson-like sidekick Walter Jameson, a newspaper reporter, in 18 detective novels. The bulk of Reeve's fame is based on the 82 Craig Kennedy stories, published in Cosmopolitan magazine between 1910 and 1918. These were collected in book form; with the third collection, the short stories were stitched together into pseudo-novels. The 12-volume Craig Kennedy Stories were released in 1918; it reissued Reeve's books-to-date as a matched set.

Reviews

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I picked this up, I did not realize it is a collection of 12 short stories originally published as a series for Cosmopolitan. As is my usual practice with short stories, I started to read them interspersed with other readings. It wasn't long before I realized they could be read one after the other without their seeming repetitious. I don't think of myself as a mood reader, but I came to have the right mindset for them.

This is the first of such collected stories featuring Craig Kennedy, scientific detective. They are told in the first person by Walter Jameson who was Kennedy's roommate in college and they have continued to share living quarters. Kennedy has become a professor of chemistry, while Jameson is a reporter for the Star newspaper. Jameson, of course, knows only what Kennedy allows him to see and know, but helps in the crime-solving in many ways. A third recurring character is O'Connor, a policeman on the NYPD.

Not all of the crimes involve a murder, but most of them are greed/financially driven. Kennedy doesn't ask the question, but we readers of mysteries have learned to ask: who benefits? The solutions are sometimes thinly veiled but, for me, that did not interfere with my enjoyment. The "science" is old and sometimes inaccurate. No matter, the stories were just good fun. I imagined the readers of Cosmopolitan looking forward to them in every issue.

At first I thought these would have made wonderful films, but the science is so early that those would have needed to be silent film and these needed to have some sort of narrative. Aha! they would have made absolutely wonderful radio plays. I don't know if that happened with them.

I'm not going to rush out and get others in the series, but I also wouldn't turn my nose up at another should I find myself wanting to read another very early 20th Century series of mysteries. This is at the higher end of my 3-star group.

[Rose]

Didn't really like this to start off with, but got more into it towards the end. Kennedy is so charming. He reminds me a bit of the guy on British TV who used to ride around in DayGlo colours on a bike and tell you about scientists and adventures. He's always whipping out some piece of equipment or other that is very commonplace today but astounds all the other characters every time. Mind you, if he announced that the little-known potato peeler was just the thing for this case, or something, everyone would still fall over him for being so awesome and a Scientific Detective.

Below, some nits to pick.

Firstly, I'd only just begun, and we've already hit some racist pseudoscience:

"...I had a feeling that the murder was committed by either a Sicilian labourer on the links or a negro waiter...One of the things they [the Carnegie Institute:] showed was that the blood of a certain branch of the human race gives a reaction much like the blood of a certain group of monkeys, the chimpanzees, while the blood of another branch gives a reaction like that of the gorilla...The blood on the handkerchief conformed strictly to the latter test. Now the gorilla was, of course, out of the question--this was no Rue Morgue murder. Therefore it was the negro waiter."

We have some especially convincing dialogue in "The Deadly Tube" between a suspect and his attorney, secretly recorded by Kennedy (in a room full of people):

"'Well, he's very clever, but he has nothing against me, has he?'

'No, not unless he can produce the agent who bought the radium for
you.'

'But he can't do that. No one could ever have recognised you on
your flying trip to London disguised as a diamond merchant who had
just learned that he could make his faulty diamonds good by
applications of radium and who wanted a good stock of the stuff.'"

And let's hear it for a Basic Science Fail here, in "The Azure Ring":

"You see," he explained, "carbon monoxide combines firmly with the
blood, destroying the red colouring matter of the red corpuscles.

Uh, no. If you suffer carbon monoxide poisoning, your blood actually becomes more bright red than usual due to the formation of carboxyhaemoglobin.

I'm also none too sure about this, also from "The Azure Ring":

"If it had been cyanide," replied Craig, looking reflectively
at the two jars before him on the table, "these blood specimens
would be blue in colour and clotted."

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor Craig Kennedy and his friend Jamerson solve some of the most difficult of cases employing a range of scientific methodologies...

[Tim Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is interesting to see what was cutting edge technology in the years before WWI. Ricin, radium, thermite, electric drills and furnaces, gyroscopes and aircraft. Electronic eavesdropping was possible, but not recording, and I'm not sure it would be accepted as evidence in court.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting series of short stories featuring Professor Craig Kennedy — who uses his scientific skills in a manner similar to Sherlock Holmes, in the solving of mysteries — and as Kennedy's Dr. Watson-like assistant, newspaper reporter Walter Jameson.

Each brings into prominence a bit of science and or technology that I found myself looking up to see if it was real. And each story is rich in detail and a satisfying read.

The author is as interesting as his main character, having attended Princeton, attended New York Law School and worked as an editor and journalist. He was also a screenplay writer and is credited with seven movies, three of which featured Harry Houdini. Not wanting to leave his native New York City, Reeve moved onto fiction in newspapers and magazines and eventually to the pulp magazines. He would go on to become an anti-rackets crusader and hosted a national radio program 1930-31.

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a lot of fun, and if you've read my Sherlock reviews, you'll know I love short story mysteries! The last short story in this one brought the rating down a little bit for me. It was by no means bad, but the middle had so much mathematical theory that distracted from the mystery that it wasn't as enjoyable as the rest. One thing I want to definitely point out is, to me, the "American Sherlock" comparisons are a bit unfair to the author and the character. Saying Craig Kennedy is a Sherlock rip off is like saying someone who can throw a football is Tom Brady. My point is, sure are there similarities? Absolutely. But they're entirely different personalities, with different approaches to problems and solutions. I will say the format is very similar for how the short story is told, but every story has a beginning, middle and end. So don't go into this thinking this is American Sherlock. Go in expecting a fun set of stories with two likable main characters!

Quick hits:
+ Craig and Walter have great chemistry and are fun characters to be around. They're very personable and how they approach cases is fresh.
+ Very varied cases with topical stories of the time (Typhoid Mary, The Black Hand).
+ The middle sections of the short stories are the best as you learn about inventions of the time and how he uses science to solve the case.
- 1 or 2 instances of racist language. Not excusable but this was from the early 1900s and the Library of Congress Crime Classics edition keeps it in.
- Last story was more meh.

Overall, a very enjoyable experience. The late 19th and early 20th century authors really know how to write great short story mysteries. It's something I wish there was more of today. I would highly recommend if you like classic mysteries and want some stories that were very topical for the time! 4/5 stars. I'll definitely check out the novels. Now I'm off to find more short stories!

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silent Bullet is a series of short stories by Arthur Reeves that focuses on two roommates: Walter Jameson, the first-person narrator, and Craig Kennedy, the main detective. Jameson is a newspaper reporter, and Kennedy a professor of chemistry at Columbia University. The two have a repartee a bit like Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, though the cases are solved more by science than deductive reasoning, I’d say. The first half of stories fell into a similar pattern: a distressed person comes to Kennedy looking for help with a case; a small handful of suspects are introduced; Jameson & Kennedy gather evidence; Jameson calls everyone together for a demonstration in his lab where, by using chemistry, physics and other sciences, he proves who did it. The second half, which I enjoyed more, still employed science, but the cases were a bit more varied and took K&J further afield.

Overall, I definitely liked the collection. That said, each story certainly had some elements that the last 100 years has made obscure, obsolete or irrelevant, especially some of the science behind the various reveals. There also were a few objectionable phrases here and there. The worst example is in the first chapter: Kennedy proves his credentials by indicating certain human blood pertains similarities to gorillas, and as a result he confirms that an African American suspect is guilty. Other very brief racist language includes references to “Negros,” “Wops,” “Redman” and “Hebrew banker,” but for the most part they are in passing and there aren’t any offensive portrayals of characters. Also, a cat is asphyxiated “offpage.”

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short storys featuring Craig Kennedy as a scientific detective and college professor, and his friend, a reporter Walter Jameson. Set in the USA. Originally published in 1912.
1. The Silent Bullet - Broker Kerr Parker is shot but how and by whom.
2. The Scientific Cracksman - Steel magnate John Fletcher is found dead by apoplexy next to a forced open safe, the will missing but money untouched.
3. The Bacteriological Detective - Eveline Bisbee is frightened that she will be next to die from typhoid.
4. The Deadly Tube - Dr James Gregory, X-Ray specialist, has had a suit filed against him.
5. The Seismograph Adventure - Investigated the death of Mrs Mary Vandam.
6. The Diamond Maker - An insurance policy investigation involving a death and a robbery
7. The Azure Ring - An engaged couple are found dead, but how did they die.
8. Spontaneous Combustion - an old school friend is concerned as his uncle died in mysterious circumstances.
9. The Terror in the Air - Suspicious plane accidents at Belmore Park are investigated.
10. the Black Hand - Gennaro, tenor, his daughter has been kidnapped by 'The Black Hand'.
11. The Artificial Paradise - Miss Gerrero's father has gone missing along with government funds.
12. The Steel Door - Deputy Commissioner wants to raid crooked gambling joint The Vesper Club.
Enjoyable historical short stories.

[Darius Ostrowski · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although I've read many, many books from the early 1900's, I did not enjoy this one at all. And, for the record, calling the character Craig Kennedy the 'American Sherlock Holmes' is an insult.

This is a collection of short stories from 1910 by Arthur B. Reeve. We have a journalist narrator Walter James who lives with a scientist Craig Kennedy who is called upon to solve mysteries using science. The twelve stories all pretty much follow the same format: James and/or Kennedy hear about some mystery, they go to investigate, Kennedy then goes and hides in his lab from which he comes out with some scientific apparatus, they take this apparatus and solve the mystery as Kennedy spouts some science.

And that's it. I can forgive the pseudo-science (this was a time where there were many false theories floating around), I can tolerate the ethnic stereotyping (I understand that this was written in a different era), but I have a hard time forgiving cardboard characters, rote plotting, and no character development. I end up not caring about the mysteries, not caring about the solutions, and not caring about Kennedy and James. You will too.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking down from the lofty heights of the advanced technology of the early 21st century, it is difficult for readers of detective fiction to realise that technology and science of various degrees of credibility have long played their parts in the detection of fictional crime. These 12 tales of Craig Kennedy, the Scientific Detective, narrated by his partner, Walter Jameson, and first published in 1910, are a salutary reminder of that fact.

Of interest too is the structure of the stories almost all of which end with a gathering of the suspects, an exposition of the crime and its solution, and the unmasking of the perpetrator. Are these the earliest examples of what was later to become a staple of GAD fiction?

Although I read these all in a short space of time, I would recommend smaller doses. There is some racial stereotyping and many of the class and gender assumptions prevalent at the time of first publication are present.

Nevertheless these are important in the history of the genre and are, therefore, essential reading for anyone with an interest in its development .

[Darsie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not realise that this was basically a collection of short stories linked by a couple of main characters. Because of this format, there is no time for developing the characters involved in each of the mysteries and therefore no opportunity for me to care about the outcome.

However, I particularly liked the story named "The Azure Ring". I could imagine that tale becoming a full length novel and really enjoying it. The character development would have to be much better but the inherent drama of the relationships involved and the different locations of the story might also lend itself to the big screen rather well.

I was also intrigued by the level of detail on the scientific procedures Kennedy performed to prove his theories. Of course, much of this effort would be negated by modern modes of detection but I found his ingenious methods absolutely fascinating.

Craig Kennedy is an interesting protagonist and the cases he investigates have the potential to be great novels but overall, the brevity of these tales spoil it for me.

I would definitely be interested in a proper, novel length, story by this author.

[Summer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't bother. In the very first chapter, you run into this:

“In fact, they have been able to reclassify the whole animal kingdom on this basis, and have made some most surprising additions to our knowledge of evolution. Now I don't propose to bore you with the details of the tests, but one of the things they showed was that the blood of a certain branch of the human race gives a reaction much like the blood of a certain group of monkeys, the chimpanzees, while the blood of another branch gives a reaction like that of the gorilla. Of course there's lots more to it, but this is all that need concern us now.
“I tried the tests. The blood on the handkerchief conformed strictly to the latter test. Now the gorilla was, of course, out of the question—this was no Rue Morgue murder. Therefore it was the negro waiter.”

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wavered on this rating. As a rule, I like Sherlockian-type mysteries and since these were also supposed to be the "first type of criminal investigation based on scientific methods", I thought I would really enjoy them. First this is a set of 11 (?) mini mysteries based on a professor who thinks that scientific methods can and should be employed to solve murders and crime in general. The stories are fun little ditties and have lots of cool information about using "new" devices and techniques but are so short that they feel too easily solved and therefore not as interesting as they could be. I would have given it a 2 rating except for the fact that I liked the methods employed in the story, not necessarily the writing.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read. Are there outdated terms and science? Yes. Are there not socially acceptable phrases, words, and sentiments? Also yes. I expected these things based on when these stories were written, but they weren't overwhelming for me. Of course, your mileage may vary there.

I put this at 3 starts because I did enjoy reading the stories, but nothing jumped out as amazing to me. The time frame lends itself to my own enjoyment of seeing what people at the time enjoyed. I probably won't keep this one to reread again at a later date, but I will pass it on to friends/family who enjoy detective stories.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kraig Kennedy, the hero of this book, was touted as America’s answer to Sherlock Holmes back in the 1920s. The short stories in this collection or all puzzle style mysteries such as locked rooms or messages that disappear. The stories are a lot of fun, even if some of the science sounds a little ridiculous now. The author was writing during a time of great expiration when radio, moving pictures, and other technologies were brand-new. Television did not yet exist. The stories were a lot of fun to read.

[Hrishikesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very engaging set of short stories about a scientist-detective Kennedy, set in 1920s New York. Much like his British namesake Arthur Conan Doyle, Arthur Reeve has a remarkable way of unraveling the plot of a mystery through the eyes of the narrator, Walter Jameson. Kennedy, much like Holmes, has quite the systemic scientific approach to solving seemingly impossible puzzles. He also shares the same flair for drama as Holmes. Unless you have a very strong loyalty to Victorian era English imagery, this should be as enjoyable as Sherlock Holmes.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume, part of the Library of Congress Crime Classics, introduces the once-popular professor Craig Kennedy, who uses scientific advances to solve crimes. Although the stories are dated--and many of the advances are bad science--I commend Reeves for a more enlightened view on minority groups than is common in books of his period. Personally, I found the stories relaxing, and enjoyed watching Kennedy's "Watson," a journalist named Walter Jameson, who is susceptible to female charms.

[Ryan Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of detective stories form the early 1900s. The sleuth, Craig Kennedy, is described as "America's Sherlock Holmes". This is a good description as Craig Kennedy is a chemistry professor at Columbia University, and solves these 12 cases in a scientific and analytical manner. He has his own Waston in the form of Walter Jameson, a newspaper reporter. They were well crafted and written for the time.

[Robyn Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very readable set of short stories featuring forensic scientist Craig Kennedy and his Watson, newspaper reporter Walter Jameson. Although the action slows down here and there when Kennedy launches into one of his scientific explainations, overall the stories move well and are an interesting look into the mindset of that period just after WWI when so many technological breakthroughs were taking place.

[Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A math and science lesson

Like Sherlock Holmes, a series of lessons against committing crime. Different from Sherlock Holmes, these stories include a science lesson and tools well advanced for times.
A fun walk thru the use of science as a crime solving tool. Calling it an interesting read is a severe understatement. Enjoy!

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the Library of Congress come the Adventures of Craig Kennedy, Scientific Detective. This particular novel features 12 separate stories showing Kennedy's use of new advances in crime solving.

These historical mysteries are fun to read and show us how far we've come in forensic science.

Dodd, Mead and Company, 1912

[Izzati · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this. I didn't buy it for cheap, after all. But even after putting it on hold before picking it up again when I was in a better mood, I really struggled to finish it. I pretty much had to force myself to finish it, because I'm silly about DNF-ing books and because did I mention I spent quite a bit to purchase the book?

Craig Kennedy is a university professor who uses science to help catch criminals. So, something like Professor Galileo by Keigo Higashino. And a bit like Detective Conan by Gosho Aoyama, Craig Kennedy focuses more on the hows than the whodunnits. So here's where my biases come into play - I always prefer the whos and the whys. That being said though, I do love me some Professor Galileo and Detective Conan, because the explanations were at least plausible enough to be satisfying. In the case of Kennedy, his reasonings were often flawed and proven incorrect in modern days. It was a little hard to enjoy the hows when the hows were not based on known facts of today.

The prejudices of the author of his time was also apparent in his stories. In short, the book really did not age well. At all. It did not help that the characters themselves were not exactly well-sculpted. Granted these were short stories, but the recurring characters appeared to be no more than caricatures to carry the plots.

It's a shame because sometimes it felt like the author had something good going on. But perhaps some books are meant to be left behind. Archived, so we'd have more time to read actually satisfying books.

[Rhys Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is of twelve stories that apparently are the first mysteries that Craig Kennedy solved. The detective fiction features deduced clues obtained by scientific principles as understood in the early twentieth century. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys science based mysteries.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite one was definitely the azure ring. These were really well written and it's obvious Reeve knew what he was talking about in a variety of subjects. I found myself a little bored at times, but not at the fault of the stories. They were wonderfully crafted

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories aren’t too bad but Thorndyke’s like a cardboard cut-out
Took me 2 weeks to get through the stories

[Janet Estrada · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright.

[Carolyn]

Not for me
Perhaps my problem was with the edition, which was heavily weighed down by notes and annotations. Reading it felt like course work for a class called, "How to write a mystery novel"

[Ron Kastner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but unhappily a bit dated.

[mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

sadly didn't age well, characters extremely one dimensional, last story was the best