More Mr. Fortune, please

Mr Fortune, Please, H.C. Bailey  (TBR shelves, 2024)

I was introduced to H.C. Bailey and his sleuth Reggie Fortune through the British Library collections of Golden Age crime stories edited by Martin Edwards. I took an immediate liking to both author and character and started looking for more of Bailey's work. I didn't have much luck, with most of his books being out of print, since as Martin Edwards and others have said, Bailey fell out of favor after the Second World War. I resigned myself to scouring each new Crimes Classics collection as it came out, hoping for a Reggie Fortune story (and was usually disappointed).

One of my favorite podcasts, "Shedunnit," recently featured Mr Fortune, Please, as part of the host Caroline Crampton's read through the Green Penguins. Caroline mentioned that due to the differences in British and US copyright laws, this book is available in the US. After a few more minutes listening, I had to put the podcast on hold until I could get the book for myself (and not just to avoid spoilers). It was wonderful to be back with Reggie and the Scotland Yard officers he assists as a forensics expert, with cases new to me. I did note that these stories, originally published in 1927, date before he meets and marries his wife Joan, and I missed her.

There are six stories in this collection, slightly longer than a usual "short story" but not novella length. I had read only one, "The Little House," in the Capital Crimes collection. They are a mix of cases, some of theft rather than murder. One turns on a rumor of buried treasure, another on a missing kitten. I was surprised that one of the stories begins with a theft of jewelry, and while Reggie works out who the thief is, he takes no action toward that person. In several of the cases, Reggie is at odds with the local police force when they are too quick to find a solution, especially when they stubbornly hold on to their solution, and when it threatens a person whom Reggie's investigation has proven to be innocent. As he says at one point, "Mercy - that's not my department. I work for justice." He is always concerned for those accused unjustly, for the vulnerable who may be denied justice, and he will not be silent in those situations. I find that aspect of the stories moving and powerful.

After finishing these stories, I wanted more of Mr. Fortune. I found two modern reprints of story collections available, so that's two more slots filled on my "52 books" list for this year.