Grant Allen

[poliphilo]

I 'm reading The African Millionaire by Grant Allen- a picaresque novel in which a rapacious South African Diamond King millionaire of the title gets scammed again and again (hooray!) by an ingenious con man.  Grant Allen, who he? Well I'd never come across him before but a week or two back I happened upon a short story of his about a jewel robbery and it was funny, astute, wry- and very, very clever. His Scotland Yard detective says the criminal always turns out to be the least likely person and, by gum, that's exactly what happens. Had Agatha Christie read Grant Allen's stories? I bet she had, because I'm pretty damn sure that she- ahem- borrowed- the twist in the tail of The Great Ruby Robbery for one of her most celebrated plots.

Grant Allen (1848-1899) was a Canadian scientist turned writer of fiction, well known in his day and a friend of H.G Wells and Conan Doyle. He was in at the birth of modern crime fiction and as inventive as any subsequent practitioner. Here he is; what a likeable face it is!

Comments

[paserbyp]

https://gutenberg.org/files/4715/4715-h/4715-h.htm

http://www.famous-and-forgotten-fiction.com/writings/allen-an-african-millionaire.html

[poliphilo]

One of the blessings of the Internet that it makes texts like this accessible.