Death's Mannikins is a 1937 Australian novel by Max Afford.[1] It was the second Jeffrey Blackburn novel following Blood on His Hands.[2]
 | |
| Author | Max Afford |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Jeffrey Blackburn |
| Genre | detective |
| Publisher | John Long |
Publication date | 1937 |
| Publication place | Australia |
The book was originally known as Death Plays with Dolls. Afford said the plot took two months to work out.[3] He wrote it while waiting to hear if his first Blackburn novel had been accepted. Unlike Blood on His Hands, this one had an English setting.[4]
The novel was published in London eight weeks after Blood on his Hands.[5]
The Australasian said the book "fulfils the expectations raised by its description as "a series of macabre murders." They are macabre enough, and being staged, in a gloomy Exmoor valley should satisfy the most avid pursuer of the thriller."[6]
The book was read on radio in serialised form in 1939.[7] It was republished in 1945.[8]
References
edit- ^ Michael J. Tolley, 'Afford, Malcolm (Max) (1906–1954)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/afford-malcolm-max-9315/text16349, published first in hardcopy 1993, accessed online 4 January 2024.
- ^ "Prolific in Thrills". Smith's Weekly. Vol. XXVI, no. 20. New South Wales, Australia. 15 July 1944. p. 5. Retrieved 4 January 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "For Your Book Shelf". Healesville And Yarra Glen Guardian. Victoria, Australia. 15 August 1936. p. 3. Retrieved 4 January 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Passing By". The News. Vol. XXVII, no. 4, 080. South Australia. 19 August 1936. p. 6. Retrieved 4 January 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Aid From Adelaide", The Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal, 28 (17), October 23, 1936, nla.obj-674928746, retrieved 4 January 2024 – via Trove
- ^ "Sea-writers Could Not Cast this Anchor". The Australasian. Vol. CXLII, no. 4, 611. Victoria, Australia. 22 May 1937. p. 13. Retrieved 5 January 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Broadcast Programmes". The Northam Advertiser. Vol. XLVI, no. 4362. Western Australia. 8 February 1939. p. 4. Retrieved 5 January 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Book News". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 33, 619. New South Wales, Australia. 22 September 1945. p. 8. Retrieved 5 January 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
External links
edit- Complete text at Project Gutenberg
- Death's Mannikins at Austlit