J. Jefferson Farjeon

Joseph Jefferson Farjeon was an English crime and mystery novelist, playwright, and screenwriter, born in London in 1883. He was the son of Benjamin Leopold Farjeon, a well-known novelist, and came from a family of writers, including his sister Eleanor Farjeon, a children's writer, and his brother Herbert Farjeon, a playwright. His maternal grandfather was the American actor Joseph Jefferson, after whom he was named.

Farjeon's writing career began in 1924 with the publication of 'The Master Criminal' by Brentano's. This novel marked the beginning of a prolific career that would span over 80 published novels, ending with 'The Caravan Adventure' in 1955. His works were known for their "ingenious and entertaining plots and characterization," as noted in his obituary in The Times. Farjeon was recognized for his ability to intertwine romance with crime, and for his keen humor and flashing wit. He also used sinister and terrifying storylines freely, making his works popular and well-received.

In addition to his novels, Farjeon wrote plays and short stories, many of which were adapted for the screen. His play 'Number 17' was made into a number of films, including a 1932 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. He also wrote the screenplay for Michael Powell's 'My Friend the King' (1932) and provided the story for Bernard Vorhaus's 'The Ghost Camera' (1933). Farjeon's crime novels were admired by Dorothy L. Sayers, who called him "unsurpassed for creepy skill in mysterious adventures."

Despite his success and popularity during his lifetime, many of Farjeon's works were forgotten after his death in 1955. However, there has been a resurgence of interest in his novels in recent years, with the British Library reissuing several of his novels, including 'Mystery in White: A Christmas Crime Story' in 2014, 'Thirteen Guests' and 'The Z Murders' in 2015, and 'Seven Dead' in 2016. His works have also been translated into several languages, including Italian, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, and Russian.
Ben The Tramp Books
# Title Year
1 No. 17 1926
2 Murderer’s Trail / Phantom Fingers 1931
3 Ben on the Job 1932
4 Ben Sees It Through 1932
5 Little God Ben 1935
6 Detective Ben 1936
7 Number Nineteen 1952
Standalone Novels
# Title Year
1 The Confusing Friendship 1924
2 The Master Criminal 1924
3 Uninvited Guests 1925
4 The Crooks' Shadow 1925
5 Little Things That Happen 1925
6 At the Green Dragon / The Green Dragon 1926
7 The House of Disappearance 1928
8 More Little Happenings 1928
9 Shadows by the Sea 1928
10 Mystery Underground / Underground 1928
11 The Appointed Date 1929
12 The Person Called Z 1929
13 The 5:18 Mystery 1929
14 Following Footsteps 1930
15 The Mystery on the Moor 1930
16 The Z Murders 1931
17 The House Opposite 1931
18 Trunk Call / The Trunk Call Mystery 1932
19 Old Man Mystery 1933
20 Death in Fancy Dress / Fancy Dress Ball 1933
21 The Mystery of the Creek / The House on the Marsh 1933
22 Sinister Inn 1934
23 The Mystery of Dead Man's Heath / Dead Man's Heath 1934
24 Holiday Express 1935
25 The Golden Singer 1935
26 His Lady Secretary 1935
27 Mountain Mystery 1935
28 The Adventure of Edward 1936
29 Dangerous Beauty 1936
30 Mystery in White 1937
31 Holiday at Half Mast 1937
32 Yellow Devil 1937
33 The Compleat Smuggler 1938
34 Dark Lady 1938
35 End of An Author / Death in the Inkwell 1938
36 Thirteen Guests 1938
37 Seven Dead 1939
38 Exit John Horton / Friday the 13th 1939
39 Aunt Sunday Takes Command / Aunt Sunday Sees It Through 1940
40 Room Number Six 1941
41 Interrupted Honeymoon 1941
42 The Third Victim 1941
43 The Judge Sums Up 1942
44 The House of Shadows 1943
45 Murder at a Police Station 1943
46 Greenmask 1944
47 November the Ninth at Kersea 1944
48 Black Castle 1944
49 Rona Runs Away 1945
50 Peril in the Pyrenees 1946
51 The Oval Table 1946
52 Back to Victoria 1947
53 The Works of Smith Minor 1947
54 The Adventure at Eighty 1948
55 Benelogues 1948
56 Death of a World 1948
57 Prelude to Crime 1948
58 The Llewellyn Jewel Mystery 1948
59 The Disappearances of Uncle David 1949
60 The Impossible Guest 1949
61 The Lone House Mystery 1949
62 The Shadow of Thirteen 1949
63 Cause Unknown 1950
64 Change with Me 1950
65 Mother Goes Gay 1950
66 Adventure for Nine 1951
67 The House Over the Tunnel 1951
68 Mystery on Wheels 1951
69 Money Walks 1953
70 The Mystery of the Map 1953
71 The Double Crime 1953
72 Castle of Fear 1954
73 Bob Hits the Headlines 1954
74 The Caravan Adventure 1955
British Library Crime Classics Books
# Title Year
1 The Notting Hill Mystery 1862
2 The Poisoned Chocolates Case 1929
3 It Walks by Night 1930
4 The Secret of High Eldersham / The Mystery of High Eldersham 1930
5 Castle Skull 1931
6 Mystery in the Channel 1931
7 The Incredible Crime 1931
8 Murder of a Lady 1931
9 The Lost Gallows 1931
10 The Z Murders 1931
11 The Corpse in the Waxworks / The Waxworks Murder 1932
12 The Division Bell Mystery 1932
13 Portrait of a Murderer 1933
14 Death in Fancy Dress 1933
15 Family Matters 1933
16 The Hog's Back Mystery 1933
17 Murder Underground 1934
18 Scarweather 1934
19 Death of an Airman 1934
20 The Spy Paramount 1934
21 The 12.30 from Croydon 1934
22 The Chianti Flask 1934
23 The Lake District Murder 1935
24 Death on the Cherwell 1935
25 The Cornish Coast Murder 1935
26 The Traitor 1936
27 The Santa Klaus Murder 1936
28 The Sussex Downs Murder 1936
29 Death in the Tunnel / Dark in the Tunnel 1936
30 Mystery in White 1937
31 Bats in the Belfry 1937
32 The Cheltenham Square Murder 1937
33 Excellent Intentions 1938
34 Murder in the Museum 1938
35 Antidote to Venom 1938
36 Thirteen Guests 1938
37 The Port of London Murders 1938
38 The Arsenal Stadium Mystery 1939
39 Seven Dead 1939
40 Verdict of Twelve 1940
41 A Scream in Soho 1940
42 Death of a Busybody 1942
43 The Dead Shall be Raised & Murder of a Quack 1942
44 Somebody at the Door 1943
45 Murder's a Swine: A Second World War Mystery 1943
46 Checkmate to Murder 1944
47 Fell Murder 1944
48 Murder by Matchlight 1945
49 Trouble on the Thames 1945
50 Fire in the Thatch 1946
51 Death Makes a Prophet 1947
52 Smallbone Deceased 1950
53 Calamity in Kent 1950
54 Death Has Deep Roots 1951
55 The Danger Within / Death in Captivity 1952
56 Murder in the Mill-Race 1952
57 Crossed Skis 1952
58 Death on the Riviera 1952
59 The Colour Of Murder 1957
60 The Christmas Egg 1958
61 The Progress of a Crime 1960
62 The Spoilt Kill 1961
63 The Body in the Dumb River 1961
64 Due to a Death 1963
65 Surfeit of Suspects 1964
66 The Belting Inheritance 1965
67 The Last Best Friend 1967
68 The End of the Web 1976
69 Capital Crimes: London Mysteries 2015
70 Resorting to Murder 2015
71 Silent Nights 2015
72 Murder at the Manor 2016
73 Serpents in Eden 2016
74 Crimson Snow 2016
75 Foreign Bodies 2017
76 The Long Arm of the Law 2017
77 Miraculous Mysteries 2017
78 Continental Crimes 2017
79 Blood on the Tracks 2018
80 The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories 2018
81 Golden Age of Detection Puzzle Book 2018
82 Deep Waters: Murder on the Waves 2019
83 The Measure of Malice 2019
84 Settling Scores: Sporting Mysteries 2020
85 A Surprise for Christmas and Other Seasonal Mysteries 2020
86 Two-Way Murder 2021
87 Guilty Creatures: A Menagerie of Mysteries 2021
J. Jefferson Farjeon Anthologies
# Title Year
1 Capital Crimes: London Mysteries 2015
2 Resorting to Murder 2015
3 Silent Nights 2015
4 Murder at the Manor 2016
5 Serpents in Eden 2016
6 Crimson Snow 2016
7 Foreign Bodies 2017
8 The Long Arm of the Law 2017
9 Miraculous Mysteries 2017
10 Continental Crimes 2017
11 Blood on the Tracks 2018
12 The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories 2018
13 The Measure of Malice 2019
14 Settling Scores: Sporting Mysteries 2020
15 A Surprise for Christmas and Other Seasonal Mysteries 2020
16 Guilty Creatures: A Menagerie of Mysteries 2021