Gideon and the Young Toughs and Other Stories

John Creasey (1908-1973) was one of the most prolific of all mystery writers. Biographers estimate that he wrote approximately 400 books under 25+ names.

Creasey published his first book in 1930 after receiving over 700 rejections for his works. His first crime novel in 1932. By 1935, he supported himself by writing at a terrific pace. In 1937 alone, twenty-nine novels by Creasey were published. Due to health issues, he could not fight in World War II and he continued to write at the same pace.

 One of Creasey most beloved series included Chief Inspector George Gideon of Scotland Yard, written under the J.J. Marric pen name. The Gideon series was also the most lauded. Anthony Boucher called Gideon’s Day, Creasey’s best work. HFR Keating included Gideon’s Week in his 100 Best Crime and Mystery Books. Mystery Writers of America awarded Creasey the Edgar for Best Novel for Gideon’s Fire.

Gideon’s Day was dramatized into a film in the late 1950s, and the books became a television series in the early 1960s.

Beyond the twenty-one novels, Creasey (as Marric) wrote a series of short stories featuring the Chief Inspector. These appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine nearly 50 years ago, and this marks the first time that all of these works have been compiled into a book.

Introduction by Martin Edwards and Afterword by Richard Creasey

The clothbound edition has an additional chapbook with another Gideon short story.