Uel Key was the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

of British author Samuel Whittell Key (1874–1948), who wrote

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

regarding Prof. Arnold Rhymer, the Spook Specialist. These tales appeared in ''

Pearson's Magazine ''Pearson's Magazine'' was a monthly periodical that first appeared in Britain in 1896. A US version began publication in 1899. It specialised in speculative literature, political discussion, often of a socialist bent, and the arts. Its contribu ...

'' in

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary For ...

and

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

and were later collected in ''The Broken Fang and Other Experiences of a Specialist in Spooks'' (

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own m ...

). A novel concerning Prof. Rhymer, entitled ''The Yellow Death'', was published the following year.

Prof. Arnold Rhymer, M.D.

Key's recurring

occult detective Occult detective fiction is a subgenre of detective fiction that combines the tropes of the main genre with those of supernatural, fantasy and/or horror fiction. Unlike the traditional detective who investigates murder and other common crimes, ...

, Prof. Arnold Rhymer, is an English

medical doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the ...

and lecturer who works closely with Scotland Yard on various cases involving the unusual, weird and/or exotic. Portrayed as a tall, lean, agile and young man, Rhymer is a

ghostbuster ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, t ...

who depends on his Holmes-like deductive mind and cunning wits to defeat supernatural opponents.

Bibliography

*''The Broken Fang and Other Experiences of a Specialist in Spooks'' (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1920) *''The Yellow Death (A Tale of Occult Mysteries): Recording a Further Experience of Professor Rhymer the "Spook" Specialist'' (London: Books Limited, 1921)

References

External links

*
The Supernatural Fiction Database: Uel Key

Samuel Whittell Key
in

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...

library records {{DEFAULTSORT:Key, Uel 1874 births 1948 deaths English horror writers 20th-century English novelists English short story writers English male short story writers English male novelists 20th-century British short story writers 20th-century English male writers