A series of novels starring Max Afford's private detective, Jeffrey Blackburn. Three pre-date the radio series starring Blackburn, and one is an adaptation of one of the radio serials.
Afford also wrote some short stories involving his private detectives, which are also listed here.
Blood on His Hands! : A Detective Novel
London
:
John Long
,
1936
Z814313
1936
single work
novel
detective
'Chief Inspector William Read, now working for the Police Department in Victoria, Australia, once again enlists the help of his old friend, freelance sleuth Jeffery Blackburn, to help him solve the grisly murder of High Court Judge, Sir Merton Tenison Sheldon, in Melbourne...' - back cover, Ramble House ed.
Death's Mannikins : Being a Sober Account of Certain Diabolical Happenings Not Untinged with the Odour of Brimstone Which Befell a Respectable Family Living at Exmoor in This Present Year
Death Plays with Dolls
London
:
John Long
,
1937
Z814316
1937
single work
novel
detective
horror
thriller
'Freelance sleuth Jeffery Blackburn is called in by friend Rollo Morgan when there is a strange death at Rochester House, mansion home of occult scholar Cornelius Rochester. Blackburn learns of a set of mannikins modelled on the occupants of the house. Before long, it becomes clear that whoever receives 'their' mannikin will certainly die. Everyone in the house is a suspect.'
Source: Publisher's blurb
The Dead Are Blind : A 'Jeffery Blackburn' Adventure
London
:
John Long
,
1937
Z814319
1937
single work
novel
detective
'Described as the "Extraordinary Case of Sound Without Sight," this is an involved story of three murders, the first of which was committed In a locked broadcasting studio during the production of a radio play. The plot is ingenious and its Investigators are led on many false trails before arriving at the solution. Interesting details of radio production are given by Mr. Afford, who, by the way, is a playwright employed by the Australian Broadcasting Commission.'
Source:
'Book Reviews in Brief', The Argus, 4 December 1937, p.17 [weekend magazine].
Fly by Night : A Jeffery Blackburn Adventure
London
:
John Long
,
1942
Z814322
1942
single work
novel
detective
'A series of daring jewel thefts, each preceded by a written warning. . .
The discovery of a new formula for a chemical able to replace petrol at a fraction of the cost. Then another warning threatening the theft of that formula by a mysterious criminal who wear a billowing costume and a sinister bird-like mask. . .
Then the bodies start piling up!
The public are suddenly aware of the nefarious nocturnal crimes of the Owl, who seems to be able to appear and vanish at will in the mansions of the wealthy.
Chief Inspector William Read of New Scotland Yard conscripts freelance sleuth Jeffery Blackburn to assist him in tackling this eerie mystery. There are suspects aplenty in the home of wealthy baronet Atherton-Wayne. Can Read and Blackburn clip the wings of the Owl before it's too late?' - Back cover, Ramble House ed.
The Sheep and the Wolves
Sydney
:
Frank Johnson
,
1947
Z814541
1947
single work
novel
detective
'In the 1930s [sic] suspense novel the private investigator is hitting the bottle a little too hard and consequently having trouble keeping his wife, Elizabeth, content. But when a major case of murder snares him it adds just the right amount of danger to save his marriage. All he has to do is find out who strangled the Greek, Cassamatis, with a silken cord and determine whose bullet is found lodged in the back of a sultry dame. All in a day's work for the PI and his friend, Chief Inspector William Read.'
source: Publisher's blurb (Ramble House edition).
The Vanishing Trick
Australia
:
Project Gutenberg Australia
,
2014
12972503
1948
single work
short story
crime
Based on Afford's earlier radio play, one of the adventures of Elizabeth and Jeffrey Blackburn.
The Jeffrey and Elizabeth Blackburn Adventures
1937-1953
8615909
1937
series - author
radio play
A series of radio serials starring the adventurous husband-and-wife team of Jeffrey and Elizabeth Blackburn. Jeffrey Blackburn (and another recurring character in these serials, Chief Inspector William Read) had already appeared in three of Afford's novels: Blood on His Hands!, Death's Mannikins, and The Dead Are Blind.
On the differences between the novels and the radio plays, Afford noted:
In the novels, Jeffery enjoyed single blessedness. His closest companion was Inspector Read. But when I wrote my first radio serial, 'Fly By Night', it was necessary to inject a love interest. And so Elizabeth was created. At the end of the serial, I married Jeffery quite happily to Elizabeth, believing that the man would be far too bowed down with his domestic cares to worry any further about criminology. Then I was commissioned to write a second Blackburn serial, so Elizabeth just had to tag along with Jeffery. ('Radio and the Printed Page', Kilmore Free Press, 30 September 1943, p.4).
At least six serials were broadcast. The University of Queensland also holds a manuscript copy of a seventh, The Golden Scorpion, which is included in this list. However, no production details can be found for this serial. It may have been produced under a different title: since Sax Rohmer also published a work called The Golden Scorpion, which was produced for Australian radio during the period in which Afford was active, this is a strong possibility. Alternatively, it may never have been produced: various newspaper articles describing Double Demon as the fifth Blackburn serial and Murder's Not for Middle Age as the sixth suggest that this might be the case.
The series also included some standalone radio plays.
