G.T. Fleming-Roberts (1910–1968)

The period before WWII was a sort of Golden Age for magicians, the public fascinated by illusion and slight of hand, and of course the daring, seemingly impossible escape. On radio, there was something of magic and illusion despite the medium not being visual. One has only to think of the famous Shadow or Chandu to see the influence. It found its way into the pulps most certainly, with pulp writers such as Lester Dent, Walter Gibson, Norvell Page, and Paul Ernst each creating a magician detective. G.T. Fleming-Roberts was no exception — he in fact created three of them.

Before creating George Chance — the Ghost (later Green Ghost) — and then, during the war while he served his country, the seven Dime Detective cases of Indianapolis magic shop owner Jeffrey Wren — Fleming-Roberts created Diamondstone. This was during the period when he was ghostwriting Secret Agent X. A striking figure with reddish-blonde eyebrows and blue eyes, Diamondstone’s size and stature masked his agility and elegance. He used his puzzle-solving abilities and craft to solve mysteries. He had a black manservant, Absalom, who was his only confidant; the relationship quite unusual for the time period.

The Murder of the Marionette story first appeared in Popular Detective in August of 1938. In it, Diamondstone has traveled to Mayfair Beach, Florida at the request of pretty Niki Charles, who fears for her life but doesn’t have any evidence to back up the claim. But the phone call Diamondstone receives upon arrival, warning him to leave, tells the detective/magician that she’s right. It seems Niki and her brother separately answered an ad for those “utterly alone in the world” and it turned into a job selling products door-to-door. But then her brother is killed in a strange accident.

What follows is typical of G.T. Fleming-Roberts’ stories in that there is some good plotting and the action moves swiftly without losing any atmosphere. There is a body at the bottom of a pool, a murdered marionette puppet, and then another murder before Diamondstone gets to the bottom of a complicated racket involving insurance. There is also a hint of a continuing romance between Diamondstone and Niki. This is good stuff, enjoyable to read because of the manner in which it is written by Fleming-Roberts, who was a cut above many pulp writers.

While I purchased this single story on Kindle, it is also included in a Kindle collection of all six stories titled, Diamondstone: Magician-Sleuth. The pulp stories are short and fun, the magician sleuth and the manner in which he is portrayed stylish. I immediately picked up the bigger collection after reading this Kindle single, and look forward to more fun reads about Diamondstone — and Niki.… (meer)

G.T. Fleming-Roberts isn’t a name which rolls off the tongue easily, nor is it as well known as some others who wrote for the pulps, but from 1933 -1955, when he last appeared in Manhunt, he wrote over 300 stories for various pulp magazines and digests. The Shrieking Pool first appeared in the February 1936 edition of Mystery Novels Magazine, and it’s about as much fun as any pulp fan will ever have in fourteen pages.

This one straddles the Weird Menace sub-genre with the Swamp Pulp sub-genre, and is tremendously well-written and entertaining. A mysterious message from Dean Wile at the Jordan Institute brings Larry Corrin to Black Pool Lodge to get the story on — according to Dean — something with an insatiable appetite for human flesh. It’s stormy and atmospheric as Larry nears Black Pool, and when his car gets bogged down in the swamp, he goes it afoot.

Fleming-Roberts does a terrific job of creating a fun and menacing atmosphere as Larry hears a strange woman singing in the darkness, and as he gets closer, a conversation between Dean’s wife, Bernice, and another man not long for this world. Out of the water rises a hideous, snake-like creature who kills the man in the most horrific manner. Larry is loathe to believe his eyes.

There is a lot happens, and very quickly, from this point forward. Dean believes the genus Brontozoum, a massive dinosaur known for its three-toed imprint is responsible for the menace, but Larry has other ideas. A bomb, a body from nowhere, and a thrilling pulp finish make this a fabulous little story. It’s so good that I’m eager to tackle some of his Ghost/Green Ghost pulp stories, about a magician detective. This one is a load of fun, about as much as you can pack into a pulp story of such short length. Fleming-Roberts has written it so well that despite its movement, it has wonderful atmosphere.

This one’s a real gem for fans of 1930s Weird Menace pulp. I purchased it as a single story on Kindle, but it appears to also be available as part of Wildside’s Pulp Fiction Megapack of 25 stories, which includes one by Robert Leslie Bellem. Great fun!… (meer)

A striking figure with reddish-blonde eyebrows and blue eyes, Diamondstone’s size and stature masked his agility and elegance. He used his background in magic and puzzle-solving abilities to solve mysteries, as well as his fists. Diamonstone had a black manservant, Absalom, who was his only confidant; a relationship quite unusual for the time period. One of the trademarks of Diamondstone was that he had a fondness for peanuts, and was always cracking the shells.

This collection contains all six of the Diamondstone stories penned by G.T. Fleming-Roberts, a top-drawer pulp writer of the era. Each of the stories in this collection is fun to read, often stylish, and extremely well written compared to other pulp from this era. Here is an overview of some highlights:

CRIME CONDUCTOR — This story first appeared in Popular Detective in March 1937. In it the persona of Diamondstone was set. Big yet agile, suave but always cracking peanut shells, Diamondstone was a wealthy, retired magician/illusionist who turned to crime solving as a hobby. Diamondstone’s relationship with his employee and confidant Absalom is introduced. Absalom will in fact get Diamondstone and the young and small Kitty Marris out of a jam in this tale. The story revolves around a stamp which seems to take the life of anyone who owns it. A ring Diamondstone wears which has a magnet in it comes in very handy in this one.

THE BROTHERS OF DOOM — A woman claims her husband, Jack Lowrey, is acting crazy, and Diamondstone soon discovers she’s not just whistling Dixie! But then he’s murdered, and Diamondstone must infiltrate the city’s underworld by going to work at the Gun Club as their new card man. There is some nice business about toy soldiers and an exciting finale to this one.

THE BUDDAH WHISPERS — The suicide of a young woman with child who has been swindled by a charlatan named Dal Rama. When attorney John Wren asks Diamondstone to lend a hand in Meadow City, he can hardly refuse. Before a man named Helm can change his will in this one, he’s murdered. But how does it all tie in with Dal?

THE MURDER OF THE MARIONETTE — This story first appeared in Popular Detective in August of 1938. Diamondstone has traveled to Mayfair Beach, Florida at the request of pretty Niki Charles, who fears for her life but doesn’t have any evidence to back up the claim. But the phone call Diamondstone receives upon arrival, warning him to leave, tells the detective/magician that she’s right. It seems Niki and her brother separately answered an ad for those “utterly alone in the world” and it turned into a job selling products door-to-door. But then her brother is killed in a strange accident.

There is some good plotting and the action moves swiftly without losing any atmosphere. There is a body at the bottom of a pool, a murdered marionette puppet, and then another murder before Diamondstone gets to the bottom of a complicated racket involving insurance. There is also a hint of a continuing romance between Diamondstone and Niki.

THREE WISE APES — This one is wonderful, with loads of exotic atmosphere, a ton of derring-do, and a truly romantic ending involving Diamondstone rescuing Niki, who has been mistaken for another girl. There is a loose end left in this one which promised more exploits for Diamondstone, and a heightening of the romance between Diamondstone and Niki which makes it a shame there were no further Diamondstone stories.

Overall, I found this to be a fabulous early pulp series that is colorful, action-filled, and very stylish. Great stuff for fans of early pulp that is well written. Definitely a cut above a lot of stuff out there, because G.T. Fleming-Roberts was one of the best pulp writers from this era. Highly recommended for fans of early pulp.… (meer)