Sexton Blake: The Kew Files

Synopsis:
“I have entered crime, not for the sake of the money that it will bring, but because I want to pit my brain against the fools of the world. This is my first venture, but it will not be my last. I mean to leave a history behind me that will not soon be forgotten.” ~Professor Francis Kew, The Aylesbury Square Mystery, 1913

Cunning, furtive, and highly intelligent, Professor Francis Kew quickly became one of Sexton Blake’s greatest foes. He made his debut in 1913, at the start of the Sexton Blake vs The Master Criminals era. A master toxicologist and chemist, Professor Kew was the highly respected head of St. Cyr’s Hospital by day and criminal mastermind by night. For the first two years he worked behind the scenes, employing dupes or minions to front his crimes then teamed up with Count Ivor Carlac in 1915. The two would often work together over the next 25 years, making their final appearance in The Fatal Fortune in 1939. In all Kew appeared in about 40 adventures.

Andrew Nicholas Murray (1880-1928) was a British author who also wrote under the name of Captain Malcolm Arnold. He wrote his first Sexton Blake tale in 1911, debuting in Union Jack #388 with Sexton Blake, Boxing Trainer. Murray was a very prolific writer, and was the second Blake author to publish a 100 tales featuring the great detective. He created several memorable characters including Count Ivor Carlac, the Honorable John Lawless and Count Bonali, the Owl.

This anthology collects the seven tales from 1913 to 1914 that comprise Professor Kew’s solo career: The Aylesbury Square Mystery, Foiled by Sexton Blake, The Case of the Motor-Cyclist, Tinker’s Terrible Test, The Blackmailer’s Secret, The Mystery of the Monastery, and The Death Cylinder. Enjoy!