The Lost Valley

by J.M. Walsh

James Morgan Walsh (1897-1952) was one of Australia's most prolific authors, noted for his mysteries and thrillers. THE LOST VALLEY (1921) is set in Victoria, Australia's Western District. Other books of note include The Man Behind the Curtain (1927) and The League of Missing Men (1927). I came upon the place quite unexpectedly. Centuries of wind and wave had carved a little nook out of the foot of the cliff and fashioned it so cunningly that I did not see it until I was right on top of it. After the warmth of the open beach and the glare of the white road I had recently travelled its shade looked so inviting that I limped in under the overhang of the cliff and dropped joyfully on to the cool patch of sand. It was the first moment of contentment I had known for many weary months, and, needless to say, I set myself out to make the most of it. I was absolutely sick of tramping about. My left boot had burst and, by the feel of it, there wasn't too much left of my right sole. I had been crawling along the road since daylight-and for many days before for that matter-searching for a job that failed to materialise...

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

James Morgan Walsh also wrote as H. Haverstock Hill, Stephen Maddock, George M. White and Jack Carew.

Walsh was born in Geelong and educated in Melbourne and is best known as an extremely prolific writer of crime mysteries, mostly set in England. His first novel, Tap-Tap Island (1921), was first serialised in the Melbourne Leader, his second, The Lost Valley(1921), was a prize-winner in the C.J. De Garis competition; his third was Overdue (1925). After experience in auctioneering and book-selling, Walsh visited England in 1925 to negotiate with publishers, returned to Victoria but left for permanent residence in England in 1929. Pseudonyms he used include 'John Carew', 'George M. White' and 'H. Haverstock Hill'; he also wrote in collaboration with E.J. Blythe and Audry Baldwin. His first three novels, which are adventure romances, are set in New Guinea and western Victoria and he also wrote two Australian detective stories, The Man behind the Curtain (1927) and The League of Missing Men (1927). The five adventure stories that he wrote under the pseudonym 'H. Haverstock Hill', Anne of Flying Gap(1926), Spoil of the Desert (1927), The Golden Isle (1928), Golden Harvest (1929) and The Secret of the Crater (1930), range between New Guinea, the Northern Territory, Gippsland, WA and the South Seas.