Francis Duncan’s Followers (67)

Francis Duncan

Born

in The United Kingdom

January 01, 1914

Died

January 01, 1988

Genre

Mystery

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Francis Duncan is the pseudonym for William Walter Frank Underhill, who was born in 1914. He lived virtually all his life in Bristol and was a 'scholarship boy' boarder at Queen Elizabeth's Hospital school. Due to family circumstances he was unable to go to university and started work in the Housing Department of Bristol City Council. Writing was always important to him and very early on he published articles in newspapers and magazines. His first detective story was published in 1936. In 1938 he married Sylvia Henly. Although a conscientious objector, he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps in World War II, landing in France shortly after D-Day. After the war he trained as a teacher and spent the rest of his life in education, first as a Francis Duncan is the pseudonym for William Walter Frank Underhill, who was born in 1914. He lived virtually all his life in Bristol and was a 'scholarship boy' boarder at Queen Elizabeth's Hospital school. Due to family circumstances he was unable to go to university and started work in the Housing Department of Bristol City Council. Writing was always important to him and very early on he published articles in newspapers and magazines. His first detective story was published in 1936. In 1938 he married Sylvia Henly. Although a conscientious objector, he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps in World War II, landing in France shortly after D-Day. After the war he trained as a teacher and spent the rest of his life in education, first as a primary school teacher and then as a lecturer in a college of further education. In the 1950s he studied for an external economics degree from London University. No mean feat with a family to support; his daughter, Kathryn, was born in 1943 and his son, Derek, in 1949. Throughout much of this time he continued to write detective fiction from 'sheer inner necessity', but also to supplement a modest income. He enjoyed foreign travel, particularly to France, and took up golf on retirement. He died of a heart attack shortly after celebrating his fiftieth wedding anniversary in 1988.

List of published short stories:

* Enter Trigger Gallante [Trigger Gallante], (na) Detective Weekly Oct 23 1937
* Getting On in the World: Back-Yard Floriculturists, (ar) The Saturday Evening Post Apr 5 1930
* The Girl with the Million Pound Secret [Trigger Gallante], (na) Detective Weekly Jan 15 1938
* The House of the Lost Men, (na) Detective Weekly Jan 9 1937
* Househunting for Luck, (ss) Gloucester Journal Feb 8 1936
* The Man Who Shrugged [Trigger Gallante], (ss) Detective Weekly Feb 19 1938
* The Mystery of the House Nobody Owned [Trigger Gallante], (ss) Detective Weekly Jan 29 1938
* The Riddle of the Cheshire Cheese [Trigger Gallante], (ss) Detective Weekly Feb 26 1938
* The Secret of the Tramp Ship [Trigger Gallante], (ss) Detective Weekly Feb 12 1938 ...more

Combine Editions
Francis Duncan’s books

Average rating: 3.52 · 6,721 ratings · 902 reviews · 9 distinct works • Similar authors

	Murder for Christmas (Mordecai Tremaine #4) 3.45 avg rating — 4,599 ratings — published 1949 — 23 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Murder Has a Motive (Mordecai Tremaine #2) 3.68 avg rating — 948 ratings — published 1947 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	So Pretty a Problem (Mordecai Tremaine #5) 3.66 avg rating — 492 ratings — published 1947 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	In at the Death (Mordecai Tremaine #6) 3.76 avg rating — 341 ratings — published 1952 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Behold a Fair Woman (Mordecai Tremaine #7) 3.62 avg rating — 323 ratings — published 1954 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mordecai Tremaine Mystery (Mordecai Tremaine, #2,4,5) 4.13 avg rating — 8 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	They'll Never Find Out (Mordecai Tremaine, #1) 4.14 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 1944	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Murderer's Bluff (Mordecai Tremaine, #3) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 1948	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fear Holds the Key 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Francis Duncan…

Series by Francis Duncan

Mordecai Tremaine (7 books)
by

Francis Duncan

3.52 avg rating — 6,720 ratings

Quotes by Francis Duncan (?)

“Crime doesn’t stop for Christmas!”
― Francis Duncan, Murder for Christmas

3 likes

“Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon”
― Francis Duncan, Behold a Fair Woman

tags: vintage-crime

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“Tolerant and easygoing and yet with the ability to work desperately hard, very much alive to social evils and doing what they could to combat them and yet possessed of a cheerful good humor, the Russells had made an appeal to him that he had found irresistible.”
― Francis Duncan, Murder Has a Motive

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See all Francis Duncan's quotes »

Polls

Which Golden Age Mystery would you like to read next with the group? This will be our Group Read in December.

The Mysterious Mr. Quin by Agatha Christie

38 votes, 39.2%

The Lake District Murder by John Bude

22 votes, 22.7%

Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan

21 votes, 21.6%

Crimson Snow: Winter Mysteries by Martin Edwards

16 votes, 16.5%

97 total votes

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Francis Duncan’s Followers (67)

Francis Duncan

Combine EditionsFrancis Duncan’s books

Series by Francis Duncan

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Francis Duncan’s books