24 June 2010

Forgotten author: Joan Fleming

This week's contribution to Pattinase's Friday's Forgotten Books

I must have liked Joan Fleming's book ALAS, POOR FATHER (Collins Crime Club 1973) when I read it in 1981. I followed it up two weeks later with another:  YOU WON'T LET ME FINISH (also published in 1973).

A Wikipedia article says this about Joan Fleming:
Joan Fleming (1908-1980) was a British writer of crime and thriller novels. She was born in Lancashire  and educated at Lausanne University. She married Norman Bell Beattie Fleming in 1932. The Turkish detective Nuri Bey Izkirlak features in two of her books, When I Grow Rich and Nothing is the Number When You Die. Her novel The Deeds of Dr Deadcert  was made into a film RX Murder. She won the Gold Dagger award twice, for When I Grow Rich in 1962 and for Young Man I Think You're Dying in 1970.

Both of these books are long out of print, and finding cover images is impossible. Good quality second hand copies appear to fetch good prices.

ALAS POOR FATHER
Joan Fleming, at the top of the form she always varies, engaging all your sympathies for a youthful widower with two youngsters he finds hard to handle but none for the rich woman for whom he works who would like to keep him permanently attached to her side. He is thought guilty of her murder while on the other hand one of his boys disappears--right in the middle of an I.R.A. arsenal. Miss...More Fleming manages a story of considerable terminal excitement this time (who's going to blow up who first) and you'll find it very aisy to like.

Joan Fleming was quite a prolific author, 33 published novels 1949-1978, but even so there is no mention of her in my favourite reference Fantastic Fiction.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kerrie - Thanks for reminding me of Joan Fleming. I think I read one or two of her books, but not in a while; nice to have my memory jogged : ).

Hannah Stoneham said...

I have never heard of this writer - what a great innovation "Forgotten Books Friday" is - thanks indeed!

pattinase (abbott) said...

Certainly forgotten by me. What a shame.

George said...

The KELLEY COLLECTION has 15 Joan Fleming books:

The man who looked back /1971

Young man, I think you’re dying /

1971

A daisy chain for Satan /1969

Midnight hag / 1969

The good and the bad / 1969

Nothing is the number when you die / 1969

Miss Bones / 1968

Maiden’s prayer / 1968

Malice matrimonial / 1967

Death of a sardine / 1967

The chill and the kill /1966

The deeds of Dr. Deadcert /1965

When I grow rich / 1965

In the red / 1966

The man from nowhere / 1966

The librarians have been known to supply cover scans.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Geez, George. I would sure like to see it.

George said...

The librarians are working to digitize all the paperback covers in the collection. Here's a link where you can look at the hundreds they've done: http://ubdigit.buffalo.edu/collections/lib/lib001_pulp.php

Anonymous said...

I was looking for a book to read amongst the thousands I seem to have accumulated and came across 'When I grow rich'. A book I don't remember aquiring which has a cover depicting a plump be-ringed hand held to the beak of a skeleton bird. I might have bought it years ago for the cover. I just read it. Absolutely superb. My new hero is Nure bey.

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