Necropolis by Basil Copper (1980)
I did not read any "forgtten" books this week, concentrating instead on on recent books by favorite writers. So let me just mention briefly a wonderful book I read (mumble mumblety) years ago -- Necropolis, a 1980 gothic mystery by Basil Copper. Copper, who just turned 88 this month, is best known in America for his horror short stories and his continuing the Solar Pons series about Solar Pons, who was created by August Deleth as an homage to Sherlock Holmes. (Necropolis was first published by Arkhan House, the venerable firm founded by Derleth and Donald Wandrei.) In England, Copper is also known for his series of fifty-plus books about LA tough guy P.I. Mike Faraday.
Necropolis is set in the gas-lit London of Sherlock Holmes' time and even includes some characters from the Canon. Detective Clyde Beatty (no relation to the circus animal trainer of a later generation) investigates the death of wealthy Tredegar Meredith and encounters an evil doctor, a rash of robberies, and Brookwood, London's largest cemetery. Necropolis is a rich and atmospheric trip to a fog-shrouded time of danger, deception, and duplicity.
I've always enjoyed Basil Copper's work. His Solar Pons series was a credible pastiche of the Holmes Canon. I'll have to track down a copy of NECROPOLIS.
ReplyDeleteI really like the POns books he did, every bit as much as those by Deleth. This sounds interesting too.
ReplyDeleteCopper is an excellent horror-fiction writer, by my lights...haven't tried any of his novels yet. Probably past time. So, no Faradays reprinted in the US?
ReplyDeleteA number of the Faradays have been reprinted in large print editions and should be available through an interlibrary loan for anyone who wants to check them out. Caveat emptor, though, they can be outrageous -- a British take on a Hollywoodish L.A. Great fun methinks.
ReplyDelete