Anthony Berkeley Cox
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Anthony Berkeley Cox (5 July 1893 – 9 March 1971) was an English
crime writer Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...
. He wrote under several pen-names, including Francis Iles, Anthony Berkeley and A. Monmouth Platts.


Early life and education

Anthony Berkeley Cox was born 5 July 1893 at
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
, son of medical practitioner Dr Alfred Edward Cox (1861–1936), of Monmouth House and The Platts, two adjoining properties on Watford High Street, and Sybil Maud (died 1924), née Iles, who ran a school at Monmouth House. His paternal grandfather was a
Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
wine merchant. Cox had two younger siblings: Stephen Henry Johnson Cox (1899–1960), who became a schoolmaster, and Cynthia Cicely Cox (born 1897). With his brother, Cox was educated at Rose Hill School, Banstead, Surrey, and from the age of 14 was educated at
Sherborne School Sherborne School is a full-boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18 located beside Sherborne Abbey in the Dorset town of Sherborne. The school has been in continuous operation on the same site for over 1,300 years. It was founded in 705 AD by Ald ...
and then
University College, Oxford University College, formally The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University commonly called University College in the University of Oxford and colloquially referred to as "Univ", is a Colleges of the University of Oxf ...
.


Career

As an ex-cadet of the Officer Training Corps, Cox was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant in the
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
on 19 September 1914. He was promoted to temporary
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
on 4 November 1915. He served in 7th Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment during the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. He suffered from a gas attack in France, which caused long-term damage to his health. Following the attack, he was invalided back to England and then worked a number of desk jobs for the Army. On 15 April 1919, he was transferred to the unemployed list, therefore ending his military service. Following the war, he worked as a journalist for many years, contributing to such magazines as '' Punch'' and ''The Humorist''. His first novel, ''The Layton Court Mystery'', was published anonymously in 1925. It introduced Roger Sheringham, the amateur detective who features in many of the author's novels including the classic '' Poisoned Chocolates Case''. In 1930, Berkeley founded the
Detection Club The Detection Club was formed in 1930 by a group of British mystery writers, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ronald Knox, Freeman Wills Crofts, Arthur Morrison, Hugh Walpole, John Rhode, Jessie Louisa Rickard, Baroness Orczy, ...
in London along with
Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...
, Freeman Wills Crofts and other established mystery writers. His 1932 novel (as "Francis Iles"), '' Before the Fact'' was adapted into the 1941 classic film '' Suspicion'', directed by
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...
, starring
Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...
and Joan Fontaine. ''Trial and Error'' was turned into the unusual 1941 film ''
Flight from Destiny ''Flight from Destiny'' is a 1941 American drama film noir directed by Vincent Sherman and written by Barry Trivers. The film stars Geraldine Fitzgerald, Thomas Mitchell, Jeffrey Lynn, James Stephenson, Mona Maris and Jonathan Hale. The f ...
'' starring Thomas Mitchell. He was a friend of EM Delafield and they each dedicated a book to the other (''Jill'' and ''The Wychford Poisoning Case''). She gently ragged him in her ''Provincial Lady Goes Further'' by having people tell her that "Francis Iles" is really
Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley ( ; 26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. His bibliography spans nearly 50 books, including non-fiction novel, non-fiction works, as well as essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the ...
or Edith Sitwell. The opening sentence of ''
Malice Aforethought Malice aforethought is the "premeditation" or "predetermination" (with malice (law), malice) required as an element of some crimes in some jurisdictions and a unique element for first-degree or aggravation (law), aggravated murder in a few. Insof ...
'' has been described as "immortal": "It was not until several weeks after he had decided to murder his wife that Doctor Bickleigh took any active steps in the matter." In 1938, he took up book reviewing for '' John O'London's Weekly'' and ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'', writing under his pen name Francis Iles. He also wrote for the ''
Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' in the 1940s and for the ''Manchester Guardian'', later ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', from the mid-1950s until 1970. A key figure in the development of crime fiction, he died in 1971 in St John's Wood, London. His estate was valued at £196,917 (£2,321,878 in 2023).


Bibliography


Published as Anthony Berkeley


Roger Sheringham

* ''The Layton Court Mystery'' (Herbert Jenkins, 1925) (Published as by "?") * '' The Wychford Poisoning Case'' (Collins, 1926) (published as by "The Author of "The Layton Court Mystery"") * ''Roger Sheringham and the Vane Mystery'' S title: ''The Mystery at Lovers' Cave''(1927) * ''The Silk Stocking Murders'' (1928) * '' The Poisoned Chocolates Case'' (1929) * ''The Second Shot'' (1930) * ''Top Storey Murder'' (1931) * ''Murder in the Basement'' (1932) * ''Jumping Jenny'' S title: ''Dead Mrs. Stratton''(1933) * ''Panic Party'' S title: ''Mr Pidgeon's Island''(1934) * ''The Roger Sheringham Stories'' (1994); limited edition of 95 copies: ''The Avenging Chance'', ''White Butterfly'', ''Perfect Alibi'', ''The Wrong Jar'', ''Mr Bearstowe Says...'', ''The Body's Upstairs'' (a brief parody), ''Double Bluff'', ''Razor-Edge'' and ''Red Anemones'' (These are earlier versions of "Mr. Bearstowe Says...". "Red Anemones" is a radio script.), ''Temporary Insanity'' (a stage play adapted from ''The Layton Court Mystery'', ''Direct Evidence'' (an earlier version of "Double Bluff") * ''The Avenging Chance and Other Mysteries from Roger Sheringham's Casebook'' (2004); 2nd edition with an additional story,
Crippen & Landru Crippen & Landru Publishers is a small publisher of mystery fiction collections, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1994 by husband and wife Sandi and Douglas G. Greene in Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an indepen ...
, 2015: ''The Avenging Chance'', ''White Butterfly'', ''Perfect Alibi'', ''The Wrong Jar'', ''Mr Bearstowe Says...'', ''The Body's Upstairs''(a brief parody), ''Double Bluff'', ''The Mystery of Horne's Copse'', ''Unsound Mind'', ''The Bargee's Holiday'' (First published Diss Express, 5 February 1943)


Other novels

* ''Professor On Paws'' (1926) * ''Mr Priestley's Problem'' (first published as by A.B. Cox) S title: ''The Amateur Crime''(1927) * '' The Piccadilly Murder'' (1929) * '' The Floating Admiral'' (1931) (written in collaboration with eleven members of the
Detection Club The Detection Club was formed in 1930 by a group of British mystery writers, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ronald Knox, Freeman Wills Crofts, Arthur Morrison, Hugh Walpole, John Rhode, Jessie Louisa Rickard, Baroness Orczy, ...
) * ''
Trial and Error Trial and error is a fundamental method of problem-solving characterized by repeated, varied attempts which are continued until success, or until the practicer stops trying. According to W.H. Thorpe, the term was devised by C. Lloyd Morgan ( ...
'' (1937) * '' Not to Be Taken'' S title: ''A Puzzle in Poison''(1938) * '' Death in the House'' (1939) * '' The Scoop and Behind the Screen'' (1983) (Originally published in '' The Listener'' (1931) and (1930), both written by members of the
Detection Club The Detection Club was formed in 1930 by a group of British mystery writers, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ronald Knox, Freeman Wills Crofts, Arthur Morrison, Hugh Walpole, John Rhode, Jessie Louisa Rickard, Baroness Orczy, ...
)


Uncollected short stories

* "Mr Simpson Goes to the Dogs" (1934) * "The Policeman Only Taps Once" (1936) * "Publicity Heroine" (1936) * "Hot Steel" (Sheringham)


Published as Francis Iles


Novels

* ''
Malice Aforethought Malice aforethought is the "premeditation" or "predetermination" (with malice (law), malice) required as an element of some crimes in some jurisdictions and a unique element for first-degree or aggravation (law), aggravated murder in a few. Insof ...
'' (1931) * '' Before the Fact'' (1932) * '' As for the Woman'' (1939)


Short stories

* "Outside the Law" (1934) * "Dark Journey" (1935) * "It Takes Two to Make a Hero'" (1943)


True crime essays

* "The Rattenbury Case" (1936)


Published as A. Monmouth Platts

* ''
Cicely Disappears ''Cicely Disappears'' is a 1927 mystery novel by the British writer Anthony Cox, written under the pen name of A. Monmouth Platts. Cox used a variety of pseudonyms during his career, in this case based on two properties he was associated with i ...
'' (1927) (Also known as The Wintringham Mystery)


Published as A. B. Cox

*''Brenda Entertains'' (1925) *''Jugged Journalism'' (1925)


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Anthony Berkeley English crime fiction writers Alumni of University College London People educated at Sherborne School People from Watford 1893 births 1971 deaths Members of the Detection Club 20th-century English novelists British Army personnel of World War I Northamptonshire Regiment officers Military personnel from Hertfordshire Writers of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction