Francis Gerard Bibliography

UK First Edition Books

Title   Date Issue Points - Notes Number 1 2 3 As Above 1936 May 36. DJ 3/6. US: The 123 Murders Concrete Castle As Above 1936 May 36. US: Concrete Castle Murders The Black Emperor Rich & Cowan 1936 July 36. DJ 3/6 Dictatorship of the Dove As Above 1936 Jul 36. DJ 3/6 Fatal Friday As Above 1937 Apr 37. DJ 3/6 Red Rope As Above 1937 Apr 37. DJ 3/6 Secret Sceptre As Above 1937 Jul 37. DJ 7/6 The Prince of Paradise As Above 1938 Jan 38. DJ 7/6 The Return of Sanders of the River As Above 1938 Jul 38. DJ 7/6 Golden Guilt As Above 1938 Actual release Jan 39. DJ 7/6 The Law of the River As Above 1939 Apr 39. DJ 7/6 Wotan's Wedge As Above 1939 June 39. DJ 7/6 Emerald Embassy As Above 1939 Nov 39. DJ 7/6 The Mind of John Meredith Macdonald 1946   Sorcerer's Shaft As Above 1947   Flight into Fear Macdonald 1948   The Prisoner of the Pyramid As Above 1948   The Flail and the Fish As Above 1949   Bare Bodkin Macdonald 1950   The Promise of the Phoenix As Above 1950   Transparent Traitor As Above 1950   The Envoy of the Emperor As Above 1951   The Justice of Sanders Rich & Cowan 1951   The Mark of the Moon Macdonald 1952   Sinister Secret As Above 1952   Further Information ~ Biography Francis Gerard, born 1905, had two main series characters.  Sir John Meredith and Commissioner Sanders who was originally created by Edgar Wallace. We know little else and would be only too happy to flesh this page out with any useful and reliable information about this author. If you have any such information that you would care to share, please do get in touch. The Following Information is taken from a reissued book published by Tom Stacey It was very kindly sent in by Ian Peters, Esq. To whom we are vey grateful. " Francis Gerard was born in 1905. His father was French and much of his childhood was spent in France, He began to write while working in London as a dealer in precious stones. His first stories appeared in a twopenny weekly called "The Thriller", to which many famous crime writers contributed. But his first full-length novel was a historical epic about Hannibal. For a while he produced two or three books a year. His thrillers, most of which have John Meredith as hero, became extremely popular; but, after Edgar Walllace's death, he also wrote three books about Sanders of the River which have a good claim to being considered better than Wallace's own Sanders stories. During the war he served as a Major in the Essex Regiment, while his wife worked at the Foreign Office. In 1946 he moved, with his family and ageing parents, to Natal where he became a South African citizen. Gradually he wrote less and less, devoting much of his time to politics instead. "Springbok Rampant", a semi-autobiographical account of his reasons for leaving Britain, was pub;ished in 1951. He married twice and had three children by his second wife. He died in the early 1960s."

Classic Crime Fiction

Books Bought     Bibliography     Dust Jacket Artwork     Home Page