Leaves from the Note-Book of a New York Detective: The Private Record of J.B.

by John Babbington Williams

Private Detective James Brampton's Casebook

A welcome link to the chain connecting the early masters of detective fiction.... The collection offers a window into the early days of American detective fiction and the power of deductive thinking."—Sarah Weinman, Los Angeles Times"This story collection featuring New York City private detective James Brampton will intrigue Sherlock Holmes fans, given the number of eerie parallels between the two characters."— Publishers Weekly
"It is the observation of small things that makes a good detective, for it is often the most trivial circumstance which supplies the first link in the chain." —James BramptonTwenty years before the Sherlock Holmes mysteries were written, a fictional New York private investigator was celebrated for his ability to solve crimes based on the principles of observation and deductive reasoning that later became Holmes' hallmark. Originally published in 1864 and never before reprinted, Leaves from the Note-Book of a New York Detective features twenty-nine cases of James Brampton, the first American detective hero to appear in fiction. The book opens with a chance meeting between a medical doctor, John Babbington Williams (the actual author of the stories), and detective James Brampton. They become acquaintances, and after Brampton has retired after twenty years of service, he sends his case notebooks to Dr. Williams to be edited and published. The result is a stunning collection of intriguing mysteries, including "The Defrauded Heir," "The Phantom Face," "A Satanic Compact," and "The Walker Street Tragedy." In case after case, using his power of observation, detective Brampton is able prove the innocence of the wrongly accused. Never before reprinted, this first modern edition of this important work now takes its place once more in the development of detective fiction between Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle, the casebook of the original American detective hero.

Genres: Mystery

360 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2008

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are detective stories from the mid 1800s. They even predate the Holmes novels. They are well-written and charming. However, they are pretty obvious most of the time. Without the sophisticated forensics that we've grown accustomed to seeing in modern murder stories, the evidence tends to be rather blatant. People in the stories also have a ridiculous tendency to confess when confronted with evidence by the arresting detective! He is, at least, a good character, and it is educational to read something from the beginning of the genre.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

i prolly would have liked it more if i hadn't read all the sherlock holmes books last year or gotten into wilkie collins this year. the mysteries in this book are to often solved by pure chance and i just got bored halfway through.

[Elizabeth Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times these stories became a bit repetitive (how many rich old men with nubile nieces were there in the Big Apple?!) but it was fascinating not only to read mysteries from before the tropes were established, but also to catch a glimpse of 19th century New York in these pages.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful look at the early American Detective novel. Very good!