Dorothy Fielding
Personal Information
Description
The identity of the author is as much a mystery as the plots of the novels. Two dozen novels were published from 1924 to 1944 as by Archibald Fielding, A. E. Fielding, or Archibald E. Fielding, yet the only clue as to the real author is a comment by the American publishers, H.C. Kinsey Co. that A. E. Fielding was in reality a "middle-aged English woman by the name of Dorothy Feilding whose peacetime address is Sheffield Terrace, Kensington, London, and who enjoys gardening." Research on the part of John Herrington has uncovered a person by that name living at 2 Sheffield Terrace from 1932-1936. She appears to have moved to Islington in 1937 after which she disappears. To complicate things, some have attributed the authorship to Lady Dorothy Mary Evelyn Moore nee Feilding (1889-1935), however, a grandson of Lady Dorothy denied any family knowledge of such authorship. The archivist at Collins, the British publisher, reports that any records of A. Fielding were presumably lost during WWII. Birthdates have been given variously as 1884, 1889, and 1900. Unless new information comes to light, it would appear that the real authorship must remain a mystery.
Books
The Upfold Farm mystery
> To help make ends meet, Mr. Hillock was in the habit of renting out rooms at his farm to artistic types down in the Sussex countryside looking for a rustic retreat. He wasn't particularly keen on art, nor the attention paid to his two daughters, but the money came in handy. However, when one of his boarders is found with his head bashed in this arrangement is thrown into disarray. Superintendent Gibbs, the county policeman called in to investigate the death, enlists the help of one of the other boarders, a writer of mystery plays, to help him out, but even with this assistance, he finds himself out of his depth. It is at this point that Chief Inspector Pointer of Scotland Yard is called in to lend a hand to solve . . . The Upfold Farm Mystery.
The Footsteps that Stopped
> When the body of Mrs. Tangye was found sitting beside her tea-table with her service revolver, a souvenir of her days as an officer in the WAACS during the war, lying on the floor next to her and a bullet wound to the heart the initial assumption was that it was a case of an accident or suicide. There were no signs of a struggle or foul play. Mrs. Tangye had been a strong willed woman more than capable of defending herself. And the fact was, she had acted in the days leading up to her death in a manner consistent with someone straightening up her affairs. But Chief Inspector Pointer was not so sure that Mrs. Tangye had died by her own hand, whether intentionally or by accident. There were several aspects of the case that troubled him, not least of which were the footsteps in the garden heard through the pantry window by the maid, footsteps that stopped when a light was turned on.
The Craig Poisoning Mystery
When Ronald Craig succumbed after a short illness it came as a surprise, but when a specialist called down to consult declares the death as due to chronic arsenic poisoning it proves even more of a puzzle. There are plenty of suspects: the ex-wife, the reluctant fiance, the governess who doesn’t care for children, the widow of the dead man’s cousin, the attending physician, his sister - each with a motive, and each lacking an alibi. There are plenty of clues as well: footprints in the garden, the curious tea, the torn wrapping of the package never sent - to name but a few. All in all, quite a tangle. No wonder then that Chief Constable was only too happy to turn the investigation over to Chief Inspector Pointer of Scotland Yard who fortuitously was in the neighborhood on another matter. But will even Pointer be able to find the way to the truth?
Mystery at the Rectory
> Mystery at the Rectory, first published in 1937, is a classic British 'golden-age' murder mystery. >The Rev. John Avery, rector of the village church, was famous for the eloquence and scholarly nature of his sermons. No one in attendance at the Sunday service was surprised then, when the rector, having evidently exchanged his notes for some other document, after a moment’s hesitation, delivered one of his most moving sermons extempore. They were, however, much surprised, when the rector was found dead the next morning the victim of an apparent accidental poisoning. Coming on the heels of the death of one of the leading young men of the village by a shooting, also ruled an accident, it seemed to all an unfortunate coincidence. To all, that is, except for Chief Inspector Pointer, who, by a much more fortunate coincidence, happened to be visiting the County Chief Constable for a spot of fishing. It falls to the Scotland Yard detective to unravel the web of secrets that form the...Mystery at the Rectory!
The Tall House Mystery
> It had seemed an innocent lark, a group of young friends taking a short-term lease on a holdover from London’s past, an elegant house full of history and genuine if shabby furnishings. But when a silly prank turns tragic and one of their number, pretending to be a ghost, is shot dead by a pistol supposedly filled with blanks, the holiday becomes a matter for the police, specifically Chief Inspector Pointer of Scotland Yard. Was the death truly just a tragic accident, or was something more sinister behind it?
The Cluny Problem
> Cluny is an ancient town in France better known for its past then its present. In other words, the perfect place for tourists and travelers. When a local wine grower who provides accommodations for the better sort of English tourist in his villa decides to entertain his guests with a masked ball it promises to be a pleasant diversion. But the diversion turns to tragedy when two of the attendees are found dead in a locked room, apparently as a result of a duel. But, was it really a duel fought over the wife of one of the dead men, or can their deaths be attributed to something more sinister - murder? Fortunately, Chief Inspector Pointer is attending a conference in the neighborhood and is prepared to assist the local police....