Freeman Wills Crofts facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Freeman Wills Crofts
Freeman Wills Crofts
Born	(1879-06-01)1 June 1879 Dublin, Ireland
Died	11 April 1957(1957-04-11) (aged 77) Worthing, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Occupation	Civil engineer, novelist
Genre	Detective novel, murder mystery
Literary movement	Golden age of detective fiction
Notable works	The 12:30 from Croydon, Inspector French and the Starvel Tragedy

Freeman Wills Crofts (born June 1, 1879 – died April 11, 1957) was an Irish mystery writer. He is famous for creating the detective character Inspector Joseph French.

Before becoming a full-time writer, Crofts was a railway engineer. Because of this, many of his mystery stories involve trains and clever plans. Even though other writers like Agatha Christie were more famous, many authors admired his work, and you can still find his books today.

Early Life and School

Freeman Wills Crofts was born in Dublin, Ireland. His father, who had the same name, was a doctor in the army. Sadly, his father passed away before Freeman was born.

When Freeman was four years old, his mother remarried. He grew up in Gilford, County Down, where his stepfather was a church leader. Freeman went to school at Methodist College and Campbell College in Belfast.

Working as an Engineer

In 1896, when he was 17, Crofts started training to be an engineer. He worked for his uncle, who was the chief engineer for a railway company.

He helped build parts of the railway in Ireland. Later, he became a District Engineer in Coleraine. In 1922, he was promoted to Chief Assistant Engineer in Belfast.

One of his big projects was designing the 'Bleach Green Viaduct'. This was a large bridge with 10 arches made of concrete. It helped trains travel more easily between Belfast and the northwest. Crofts worked as an engineer until 1929.

Becoming a Writer

In 1919, Crofts became ill and had to take time off work. During this time, he wrote his first novel, The Cask (1920). This book made him a well-known detective writer.

He enjoyed writing so much that he wrote a new book almost every year for 30 years! He also wrote many short stories and plays.

His most famous character is Inspector Joseph French. This detective first appeared in Crofts' fifth book, Inspector French's Greatest Case (1924). Inspector French was known for solving mysteries in a very careful and organized way.

In 1929, Crofts decided to stop being an engineer and become a full-time writer. He moved to a village called Blackheath in Surrey. Many of his books are set in that area.

Crofts loved to use railway themes in his stories. He was especially good at creating mysteries where someone had a perfect alibi, often using complicated train timetables. He also wrote a religious book and short plays for the BBC.

Family and Hobbies

In 1912, Freeman Wills Crofts married Mary Bellas Canning. They did not have any children.

He was a member of the Detection Club, a group of famous mystery writers. Other members included Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie.

Besides writing and engineering, Crofts was also a talented musician. He played the organ and led the choir at several churches.

His Reputation as a Writer

Freeman Wills Crofts was highly respected by other mystery writers of his time. This period is often called the "Golden age of detective fiction".

Agatha Christie even included funny versions of Inspector French in one of her own short story collections, Partners in Crime (1929).

Another famous writer, Raymond Chandler, said Crofts was "the soundest builder of them all". This means Crofts was very good at creating strong, logical mystery plots. His focus on details and how detectives actually solve crimes made him a pioneer for "police procedural" stories. These are stories that show the step-by-step process police use to solve a case.

While he was admired for his careful plots, some people felt his stories lacked a bit of excitement. However, his books were very popular, and many are still available today.

Books by Freeman Wills Crofts

Novels

• The Cask (1920)
• The Ponson Case (1921)
• The Pit-Prop Syndicate (1922)
• The Groote Park Murder (1923)
• Inspector French's Greatest Case (1924)
• The Cheyne Mystery (1926) also known as Inspector French and the Cheyne Mystery
• Inspector French and the Starvel Tragedy (1927) also known as The Starvel Hollow Tragedy
• The Sea Mystery (1928)
• The Box Office Murders (1929) also known as The Purple Sickle Murders
• Sir John Magill's Last Journey (1930)
• Mystery in the Channel (1931) also known as Mystery in the English Channel
• Sudden Death (1932)
• Death on the Way (1932) also known as Double Death
• The Hog's Back Mystery (1933) also known as The Strange Case of Dr. Earle
• The 12:30 from Croydon (1934) also known as Wilful and Premeditated
• Mystery on Southampton Water (1934) also known as Crime on the Solent
• Crime at Guildford (1935) also known as The Crime at Nornes
• The Loss of the Jane Vosper (1936)
• Man Overboard! (1936) also known as Cold-Blooded Murder
• Found Floating (1937)
• The End of Andrew Harrison (1938) also known as The Futile Alibi
• Antidote to Venom (1938)
• Fatal Venture (1939) also known as Tragedy in the Hollow
• Golden Ashes (1940)
• James Tarrant, Adventurer (1941) also known as Circumstantial Evidence
• The Losing Game (1941) also known as A Losing Game
• Fear Comes to Chalfont (1942)
• The Affair at Little Wokeham (1943) also known as Double Tragedy
• Enemy Unseen (1945)
• Death of a Train (1946)
• Young Robin Brand, Detective (1947) - A detective novel for young readers with Inspector French.
• Silence for the Murderer (1949)
• French Strikes Oil (1951) also known as Dark Journey
• Anything to Declare? (1957)

Short Story Collections

• Murderers Make Mistakes (1947)
• Many a Slip (1955)
• Mystery of the Sleeping Car Express and Other Stories (1956)
• The 9:50 Up Express and Other Mysteries (2020)

Other Works

• How to Write a Detective Novel (Non-fiction)
• The Four Gospels in One Story: written as a modern biography (Religious book)

Stories in Other Collections

Freeman Wills Crofts' stories have appeared in many other mystery book collections, including:

• Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery and Horror (1931, 1934)
• The Mystery Book (1934)
• The Great Book of Thrillers (1935)
• The Evening Standard Detective Book (1950)
• The Case of the Vanishing Spinster, and other mystery stories (1972)
• Fifty Famous Detectives of Fiction (1983)
• The Scoop and Behind the Screen (1983)
• Great Irish Detective Stories (1993)
• The Longman Anthology of Detective Fiction (2004)
• Bodies from the Library (2018)

TV Adaptations

A TV company called Free @ Last TV is working on a television series based on the Inspector French novels.