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Roger Sheringham Cases #11
The Avenging Chance and Other Mysteries from Roger Sheringham's Casebook
Detection in the Golden Age!!! In 1930, Anthony Berkeley Cox (1893–1971) founded London’s Detection Club, whose members swore that their "detectives shall well and truly detect the crimes presented to them, using those wits which it may please you to bestow upon them." The Detection Club pledged "never to conceal a vital clue from the reader." Anthony Berkeley’s novels and short stories featuring Roger Sheringham and Inspector Moresby are among the finest examples of the fair play, challenge–to–the–reader tradition of the Golden Age. Berkeley punctiliously presented all the clues to the reader, but as Tony Medawar and Arthur Robinson point out in their introduction, he loved showing that clues could be interpreted in multiple ways — and Sheringham is often wrong in his conclusions. The title story in The Avenging Chance has long been considered one of the five or six greatest formal detective stories. This book also collects seven additional cases of Sheringham and Moresby, one of which ("The Mystery of Horne's Copse") is a recently discovered novelette. Also included are Berkeley’s own tongue–in–cheek satire of the Sheringham stories and a complete checklist of the Sheringham novels and tales. The Avenging Chance is the eleventh in Crippen & Landru’s Lost Classics series. Cover illustration by Gail Cross. Lost Classics design by Deborah Miller.
190 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1929
21 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Berkeley
121 books167 followersAnthony Berkeley Cox was an English crime writer. He wrote under several pen-names, including Francis Iles, Anthony Berkeley Cox, and A. Monmouth Platts. One of the founders of The Detection Club
Cox was born in Watford and was educated at Sherborne School and University College London.
He served in the Army in World War I and thereafter worked as a journalist, contributing a series of humourous sketches to the magazine 'Punch'. These were later published collectively (1925) under the Anthony Berkeley pseudonym as 'Jugged Journalism' and the book was followed by a series of minor comic novels such as 'Brenda Entertains' (1925), 'The Family Witch' (1925) and 'The Professor on Paws' (1926).
It was also in 1925 when he published, anonymously to begin with, his first detective novel, 'The Layton Court Mystery', which was apparently written for the amusement of himself and his father, who was a big fan of the mystery genre. Later editions of the book had the author as Anthony Berkeley.
He discovered that the financial rewards were far better for detective fiction so he concentrated his efforts on that genre for the following 14 years, using mainly the Anthony Berkeley pseudonym but also writing four novels and three collections of short stories as Francis Isles and one novel as A Monmouth Platts.
In 1928 he founded the famous Detection Club in London and became its first honorary secretary.
In the mid-1930s he began reviewing novels, both mystery and non-mystery, for 'The Daily Telegraph' under the Francis Isles pseudonym, which he had first used for 'Malice Aforethought' in 1931.
In 1939 he gave up writing detective fiction for no apparent reason although it has been suggested that he came into a large inheritance at the time or that his alleged remark, 'When I find something that pays better than detective stories I shall write that' had some relevance. However, he produced nothing significant after he finished writing with 'Death in the House' (Berkeley) and 'As for the Woman' (Isles) in 1939.
He did, however, continue to review books for such as 'John O'London's Weekly', 'The Sunday Times', 'The Daily Telegraph' and, from the mid-1950s to 1970, 'The Guardian'. In addition he produced 'O England!', a study of social conditions and politics in 1934.
He and his wife lived in an old house in St John's Wood, London, and he had an office in The Strand where he was listed as one of the two directors of A B Cox Ltd, a company whose business was unspecified!
Alfred Hitchcock adapted the Francis Isles' title 'Before the Fact' for his film 'Suspicion' in 1941 and in the same year Cox supplied a script for another film 'Flight from Destiny', which was produced by Warner Brothers.
His most enduring character is Roger Sheringham who featured in 10 Anthony Berkeley novels and two posthumous collections of short stories.
He died on 9 March 1971.
Gerry Wolstenholme
January 2012 (less)
Cox was born in Watford and was educated at Sherborne School and University College London.
He served in the Army in World War I and thereafter worked as a journalist, contributing a series of humourous sketches to the magazine 'Punch'. These were later published collectively (1925) under the Anthony Berkeley pseudonym as 'Jugged Journalism' and the book was followed by a series of minor comic novels such as 'Brenda Entertains' (1925), 'The Family Witch' (1925) and 'The Professor on Paws' (1926).
It was also in 1925 when he published, anonymously to begin with, his first detective novel, 'The Layton Court Mystery', which was apparently written for the amusement of himself and his father, who was a big fan of the mystery genre. Later editions of the book had the author as Anthony Berkeley.
He discovered that the financial rewards were far better for detective fiction so he concentrated his efforts on that genre for the following 14 years, using mainly the Anthony Berkeley pseudonym but also writing four novels and three collections of short stories as Francis Isles and one novel as A Monmouth Platts.
In 1928 he founded the famous Detection Club in London and became its first honorary secretary.
In the mid-1930s he began reviewing novels, both mystery and non-mystery, for 'The Daily Telegraph' under the Francis Isles pseudonym, which he had first used for 'Malice Aforethought' in 1931.
In 1939 he gave up writing detective fiction for no apparent reason although it has been suggested that he came into a large inheritance at the time or that his alleged remark, 'When I find something that pays better than detective stories I shall write that' had some relevance. However, he produced nothing significant after he finished writing with 'Death in the House' (Berkeley) and 'As for the Woman' (Isles) in 1939.
He did, however, continue to review books for such as 'John O'London's Weekly', 'The Sunday Times', 'The Daily Telegraph' and, from the mid-1950s to 1970, 'The Guardian'. In addition he produced 'O England!', a study of social conditions and politics in 1934.
He and his wife lived in an old house in St John's Wood, London, and he had an office in The Strand where he was listed as one of the two directors of A B Cox Ltd, a company whose business was unspecified!
Alfred Hitchcock adapted the Francis Isles' title 'Before the Fact' for his film 'Suspicion' in 1941 and in the same year Cox supplied a script for another film 'Flight from Destiny', which was produced by Warner Brothers.
His most enduring character is Roger Sheringham who featured in 10 Anthony Berkeley novels and two posthumous collections of short stories.
He died on 9 March 1971.
Gerry Wolstenholme
January 2012 (less)
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 25, 2022
The full-length novel of this story is considered one of classics of the Golden Age. The basic premise for both stories is that a man and woman are poisoned by a mailed box of chocolates. The woman dies. In the short story only one possible solution is offered. In the full length novel, six arm-chair detectives give their theories, including the solution in the short story but it is not correct one. It is interesting to compare the short story and the novel.
April 11, 2024
For lovers of golden-age crime fiction, where all clues available to the amateur sleuth used to be laid out before the readers, this book is a treasure trove. Apart from the eight plus one mysteries, it is Roger Sheringham's outlook and the witty descriptions that make these works very special. But the publication has been further boosted by editorial scholarship and discovery of hiterto lost items.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
September 9, 2019
This is a very enjoyable collection of short stories, from the British Golden Age of Detection and penned by one of its most influential members. I was a bit underwhelmed by "The Avenging Chance," which is considered one of the best detective short stories ever written. It is quite good, but I did not find it as superlative as I expected. Thankfully, I was very pleasantly surprised by several other stories included in this collection. So, if the title story does not meet your possibly very high expectations, just carry on!
October 7, 2017
Collection of short stories starring Roger Sheringham as mystery writer and detective, featuring the short story that has the longer, funnier variant The Poisoned Chocolate Case. Not all of these fairly give the reader a chance to solve with the detective, one or two have less-than-sneaky twists, but overall fun Golden Age of Mystery reads from a founding member of The Detection Club.
June 14, 2023
I've now reached the end of my very enjoyable journey through the Roger Sheringham canon, with these collected short stories. This is an excellent showcase of Berkeley's ability to experiment and surprise the reader. A few of the stories were variants of, or precursors to, novels featuring Sheringham, and worked better in novel form - but were still good to read here.
My four favourite stories:
- The title story, "The Avenging Chance", was the origin of "The Poisoned Chocolates Case", and is an enjoyable story in its own right - though I'm glad AB chose to write a novel to play a bit more with potential solutions
- "The Mystery of Horne's Copse" is one that has appeared in a number of multi-author collections, and rightly so - it's a great tale
- "Unsound Mind" offers a clever twist on the "suicide or murder" trope
- "The Wrong Jar" is an enjoyable variation on the plot of "Not To Be Taken"
There's also a previously lost story called "The Bargee's Holiday", which is a kind of wartime public information piece on the dangers of careless talk. As a story, it's not great, but as a piece of history, it's fascinating. And there are two appendices, as well as an excellent introduction by Tony Medawar and Arthur Robinson. If you enjoy Anthony Berkeley's work, you should definitely get hold of this.
My four favourite stories:
- The title story, "The Avenging Chance", was the origin of "The Poisoned Chocolates Case", and is an enjoyable story in its own right - though I'm glad AB chose to write a novel to play a bit more with potential solutions
- "The Mystery of Horne's Copse" is one that has appeared in a number of multi-author collections, and rightly so - it's a great tale
- "Unsound Mind" offers a clever twist on the "suicide or murder" trope
- "The Wrong Jar" is an enjoyable variation on the plot of "Not To Be Taken"
There's also a previously lost story called "The Bargee's Holiday", which is a kind of wartime public information piece on the dangers of careless talk. As a story, it's not great, but as a piece of history, it's fascinating. And there are two appendices, as well as an excellent introduction by Tony Medawar and Arthur Robinson. If you enjoy Anthony Berkeley's work, you should definitely get hold of this.
September 18, 2023
Een mooie verzameling kortverhalen van één van de grote namen uit de Golden Age of British Detective Fiction.
Roger Sheringham kan beschouwd worden als de evenknie van Hercule Poirot. Hij observeert, analyseert, deduceert en ziet wat iedereen - de lezer inbegrepen - had kunnen zien, maar niet op gelet heeft, net als in een goede goocheltruc.
Roger Sheringham kan beschouwd worden als de evenknie van Hercule Poirot. Hij observeert, analyseert, deduceert en ziet wat iedereen - de lezer inbegrepen - had kunnen zien, maar niet op gelet heeft, net als in een goede goocheltruc.
September 7, 2022
Though not a big fan of short stories Berkeley comes through with fun mysteries that you feel you should be able to solve. Wish more of his books were available on Kindle.
June 7, 2024
One of those books that are fun to read but quite easily forgotten. Perfect to take on a holiday, I guess. Roger Sheringham is so...forgettable.
April 23, 2020
For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
October 24, 2011
Who would know I would enjoy short story mysteries so much? These were very good. I guess if I want a face-paced detective story and there are no more Parker books, I need to read short stories. These were written between 1926 and 1934. Most of the stories involve writer Roger Barrister of Oxford helping Sir John Alfred of Scotland Yard solve the crimes. There is a bit of atmosphere and very good characters. An observation of Roger in 'Mr. Barrister Says': "All is redeemed that falls into a novelist's dustbin."
April 6, 2025
Read so far:
The avenging chance --3
Perfect alibi --3
The mystery of Horne's Copse --3
Unsound mind --2
White butterfly --2
The wrong jar --3
Double bluff (reworking of Direct evidence) --2
Mr. Bearstowe says (reworking of Razor edge)--3
***
[non-Sheringham stories]:
Dark journey (as by Francis Iles) --2
Outside the law (as by Francis Iles) --3
The avenging chance --3
Perfect alibi --3
The mystery of Horne's Copse --3
Unsound mind --2
White butterfly --2
The wrong jar --3
Double bluff (reworking of Direct evidence) --2
Mr. Bearstowe says (reworking of Razor edge)--3
***
[non-Sheringham stories]:
Dark journey (as by Francis Iles) --2
Outside the law (as by Francis Iles) --3
December 15, 2018
Very interesting short story. It was a fun reminder of The Poisoned Chocolates case (a full length novel) I read sometime ago.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews