Sexton Blake's Allies

Sexton Blake Library Anthologies #3

by Mark Hodder (Editor), W.W. Sayer (Contributor), Gwyn Evans (Contributor)

"SPIES, PRIVATE EYES AND DANGEROUS WOMEN Every hero has allies; men and women of great ability and character, drawn into their orbit by circumstance and adventure. This was never truer than for Sexton Blake, Britain’s greatest detective From the splendour of the Orient Express to the quite countryside of the Chilterns and the vast Australian outback, Sexton’s allies battled the worst criminals of their age. James ‘Granite’ Grant, The King’s Spy, steps in to save the Crown Jewels. Ruff Hanson, the dynamic American Gunsmith teams up with Splash Page, ace reporter, to investigate a mysterious Ghostmobile in Buckinghamshire, while the formidable Mademoiselle Yvonne Cartier seeks vengeance Down Under, in a fight not just for justice, but her own future. “Makes Jack Reacher look like a bungling amateur...definitely not be missed.” — The Crime Review"

Genres: Mystery

220 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 4, 2020

About the author

British author living in Valencia, Spain.

Burton & Swinburne Novels:
THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF SPRING-HEELED JACK (Winner of the Philip K. Dick Award 2010)
THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE CLOCKWORK MAN
EXPEDITION TO THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON
THE SECRET OF ABDU EL YEZDI
THE RETURN OF THE DISCONTINUED MAN
THE RISE OF THE AUTOMATED ARISTOCRATS

Other Novels:
A RED SUN ALSO RISES
THE SILENT THUNDER CAPER
A DARK AND SUBTLE LIGHT

Novels in Collaboration with Michael Moorcock:
CARIBBEAN CRISIS/VOODOO ISLAND
THE ALBINO'S SECRET (forthcoming)
THE ALBINO'S HONOUR (forthcoming)
THE ALBINO'S EYE (forthcoming)

As Editor:
SEXTON BLAKE AND THE GREAT WAR
SEXTON BLAKE VERSUS THE MASTER CROOKS
SEXTON BLAKE'S ALLIES
SEXTON BLAKE ON THE HOME FRONT
SEXTON BLAKE'S NEW ORDER

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

Entertaining pulp tosh, selected and with the more egregious overt racism edited out. Kind of weird to consider what a huge grip Sexton Blake had on British genre fiction and how mostly forgotten he is.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Adventure and the British sense of justice hold sway in this anthology starring the long running detective/agent of justice Sexton Blake who was written by a multitude of authors from 1893 - 1978/9. The three stories in the anthology spanning from 1925 – 1932 share the theme of Sexton Blake’s allies who reoccur in a number of stories of which these are some. The introduction by Mark Hodder puts the stories in prospective of the time but also point out some of the unusual qualities of these characters, especially Mademoiselle Yvonne who was a woman ahead of her time and was both a foe and friend.
I had never read any of Sexton Blake’s adventures before and had no idea that he had been around for so long or had so many stories, movies and even a cartoon strip starring him. In these stories he seems a bit like the Saint, but not as violent. These are rollicking tales that have a nostalgic attraction to them. At times a bit dated but others tales weather time well and are a fun way to spend an afternoon.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a free copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recognised the name Sexton Blake, although I had not read any of the books or seen the 1960s tv series, and so I took a chance and requested an ARC as I am a fan of late 19th/early 2oth century detective novels.

What I hadn't appreciated was that the Sexton Blake 'franchise' (for want of a better word) spanned 85 years, 4,000 stories and around 200 different authors (thank you Wikipedia). This book is a collection of three short stories featuring three of Sexton Blake's allies.

The first story, featuring James 'Granite' Grant involves a trip on the Orient Express, a cockney criminal, stolen jewels and a secret society. I quite enjoyed it, but I actually thought it would have been better as a full-length novel because it relied quite heavily on two different people having the same 'thing' in order to unravel the mystery. It also felt as though the story was over before it was begun, too much 'cor blimey guv' dialogue and desperate chases across Europe and not enough detection. I also found it telling that the editor felt it necessary to tell the reader that he had excised numerous repetitions of 'Sonny' from Granite Grant's dialogue.

I'm afraid I gave up on the second story as it featured a mysterious murder by what appears to be death driving a truck, and then inexplicably cut to a criminal being released from Sing-Sing after spending 7 years in jail for robbery. The difference between the two writing styles was too jarring and as an entry into Sexton Blake's world I found it all a bit bewildering.

Overall, this felt a bit like fan fiction, featuring minor characters, set the story in any place at any time, change up the writing style and just tag it 'Allies of Sexton Blake'. I would say this is aimed more at fans of Sexton Blake who want something more. I certainly didn't get any indication that Sexton Blake was as brilliant as Sherlock Holmes or as daring as James Bond in what I read, in fact he seemed incidental to the plots.

Lovely cover though.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Rebellion Publishing for an advance copy of Sexton Blake’s Allies, the third anthology of Sexton Blake stories edited by Mark Hodder.

Another three adventures featuring our intrepid hero. In The Case of the Seventh Key (written by W. W. Sayer, published in 1925) Sexton Blake teams up with British spy, “Granite” Grant in a chase across Europe to save some Crown Jewels. In Ghost Mobile (written by Gwyn Evans, published in 1931) he teams up with reporter “Splash” Page and American PI Ruff Hanson to investigate an apparently ghostly lorry. In The Mystery of Walla-Walla (written by G. H. Teed, published in 1913) he teams up with Yvonne Cartier to resolve a bush feud.

I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology which has three very different stories but which are all equally entertaining in their own way. The Seventh Key is a straightforward chase novel with Blake chasing across Europe to save the day and the bad guys chasing him. It ends rather quickly but it’s a fun example of British resourcefulness and smart thinking. Ghost Machine is an extremely high tech affair that wouldn’t look out of place in today’s world mixed in with American gangsters. This is by far the most ingenious of the stories, not just in the tech but in the way it comes together. The Mystery of Walla-Walla is the longest of the three and my least favourite. It’s more serious in its approach and more easily guessable as much of it is laid out at the beginning.

These are fun reads, intended for entertainment and they do it admirably. To a certain extent they have the stiltedness and attitudes of their era but if the reader accepts that they are ripping yarns, full of adventure, derring-do and a very British sense of justice and fairness. I like that each story is prefaced by a conversation between Sexton Blake and the editor to put it in context.

Sexton Bake’s Allies is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sexton Blake stories never disappoint and this one was a lot of fun.
The stories are well written, witty and highly entertaining.
Can't wait to read other stories, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[C.A. A. Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed these stories. A collection that is set, I think, in the 1920s. Fast paced and very exciting from a retro point of view. Great fun and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys the nostalgic feel of Britain in the old days. Lots of over the top dash and dare.