The Exploits of Fidelity Dove

Synopsis:
“The smartest crook in London, in the world, in history.” ~Detective-Inspector Rason, The Great Kabul, 1924

Charming, angelic-looking, and always dressed in grey, the strict, puritanical Fidelity Dove is hardly what she seems. Head of a gang of highly skilled men, consisting of a lawyer, an actor, a scientist, and other devoted servants, Fidelity rights the wrongs committed against those unable to help themselves, generally turning a handsome profit.

The twelve tales in this volume were first published in 1924 by William Edward Vickers under the pseudonym David Durham. The collection was re-issued in 1935 under the author’s pseudonym, Roy Vickers. Though a few of the stories have appeared individually in anthologies over the years The Exploits of Fidelity Dove remains one of the rarest volumes of crime fiction of the twentieth century. This is the first re-issuing of the complete original work in almost 90 years.

William Edward Vickers (1889–1965) was an English mystery writer. He authored over 60 crime novels and 80 short stories publishing under the pen names of Roy Vickers, David Durham, Sefton Kyle, and John Spencer. He is best remembered for his series of short stories featuring the fictional Department of Dead Ends at Scotland Yard, a special crimes unit that specialized in solving cold cases. Other notable works include The Girl in the News (1938), She Walked in Fear (1940), Murder of a Snob (1951), Murder in Two Flats (1952), and Find the Innocent (1961).

This is the second of four anthologies that collects the classic tales of the Great Ladies of Crime. The volume includes: A Face and a Fortune, Suspense, The Genuine Old Master, A Classic Forgery, The Gulverbery Diamonds, The Merchant Princess, Fourteen Hundred Percent, A Deal in Reputations, The Laughing Nymph, Proverbs and Prophets, The Meanest Man in Europe, and The Great Kabul. Many of these stories have been republished for the very first time. Enjoy!