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Francis Vivian
Francis Vivian was born Arthur Ernest Ashley in 1906 at East Retford, Nottinghamshire. He was the younger brother of noted photographer Hallam Ashley. Vivian laboured for a decade ...view moreFrancis Vivian was born Arthur Ernest Ashley in 1906 at East Retford, Nottinghamshire. He was the younger brother of noted photographer Hallam Ashley. Vivian laboured for a decade as a painter and decorator before becoming an author of popular fiction in 1932. In 1940 he married schoolteacher Dorothy Wallwork, and the couple had a daughter.
After the Second World War he became assistant editor at the Nottinghamshire Free Press and circuit lecturer on many subjects, ranging from crime to bee-keeping (the latter forming a major theme in the Inspector Knollis mystery The Singing Masons). A founding member of the Nottingham Writers' Club, Vivian once awarded first prize in a writing competition to a young Alan Sillitoe, the future bestselling author.
The eleven Inspector Knollis mysteries were published between 1941 and 1959. In the novels, ingenious plotting and fair play are paramount. A colleague recalled that 'the reader could always arrive at a correct solution from the given data. Inspector Knollis never picked up an undisclosed clue which, it was later revealed, held the solution to the mystery all along.'
Francis Vivian died on April 2, 1979 at the age of 73.view less
Books by Francis Vivian
The Death of Mr. Lomas: An Inspector Knollis Mystery The Ladies of Locksley: An Inspector Knollis Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ninth Enemy: An Inspector Knollis Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDarkling Death: An Inspector Knollis Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Threefold Cord: An Inspector Knollis Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sleeping Island: An Inspector Knollis Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Laughing Dog: An Inspector Knollis Mystery Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sable Messenger: An Inspector Knollis Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Singing Masons: An Inspector Knollis Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Elusive Bowman: An Inspector Knollis Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDead Opposite the Church: A Golden Age Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings