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The Dream-Detective
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158 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1920
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About the author
Sax Rohmer
494 books125 followersAKA Arthur Sarsfield Ward (real name); Michael Furey.
Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward (15 February 1883 - 1 June 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer, was a prolific English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu.
Born in Birmingham to a working class family, Rohmer initially pursued a career as a civil servant before concentrating on writing full-time.
He worked as a poet, songwriter, and comedy sketch writer in Music Hall before creating the Sax Rohmer persona and pursuing a career writing weird fiction.
Like his contemporaries Algernon Blackwood and Arthur Machen, Rohmer claimed membership to one of the factions of the qabbalistic Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Rohmer also claimed ties to the Rosicrucians, but the validity of his claims has been questioned. His physician and family friend, Dr. R. Watson Councell may have been his only legitimate connection to such organizations. It is believed that Rohmer may have exaggerated his association in order to boost his literary reputation as an occult writer.
His first published work came in 1903, when the short story The Mysterious Mummy was sold to Pearson's Weekly. He gradually transitioned from writing for Music Hall performers to concentrating on short stories and serials for magazine publication. In 1909 he married Rose Elizabeth Knox.
He published his first novel Pause! anonymously in 1910. After penning Little Tich in 1911 (as ghostwriter for the Music Hall entertainer) he issued the first Fu Manchu novel, The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu, was serialized from October 1912 - June 1913. It was an immediate success with its fast-paced story of Denis Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie facing the worldwide conspiracy of the 'Yellow Peril'. The Fu Manchu stories, together with his more conventional detective series characters—Paul Harley, Gaston Max, Red Kerry, Morris Klaw, and The Crime Magnet—made Rohmer one of the most successful and well-paid authors of the 1920s and 1930s.
Rohmer also wrote several novels of supernatural horror, including Brood of the Witch-Queen. Rohmer was very poor at managing his wealth, however, and made several disastrous business decisions that hampered him throughout his career. His final success came with a series of novels featuring a female variation on Fu Manchu, Sumuru.
After World War II, the Rohmers moved to New York only returning to London shortly before his death. Rohmer died in 1959 due to an outbreak of influenza ("Asian Flu").
There were thirteen books in the Fu Manchu series in all (not counting the posthumous The Wrath of Fu Manchu. The Sumuru series consist of five books.
His wife published her own mystery novel, Bianca in Black in 1954 under the pen name, Elizabeth Sax Rohmer. Some editions of the book mistakenly credit her as Rohmer's daughter. Elizabeth Sax Rohmer and Cay Van Ash, her husband's former assistant, wrote a biography of the author, Master of Villainy, published in 1972.
Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward (15 February 1883 - 1 June 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer, was a prolific English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu.
Born in Birmingham to a working class family, Rohmer initially pursued a career as a civil servant before concentrating on writing full-time.
He worked as a poet, songwriter, and comedy sketch writer in Music Hall before creating the Sax Rohmer persona and pursuing a career writing weird fiction.
Like his contemporaries Algernon Blackwood and Arthur Machen, Rohmer claimed membership to one of the factions of the qabbalistic Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Rohmer also claimed ties to the Rosicrucians, but the validity of his claims has been questioned. His physician and family friend, Dr. R. Watson Councell may have been his only legitimate connection to such organizations. It is believed that Rohmer may have exaggerated his association in order to boost his literary reputation as an occult writer.
His first published work came in 1903, when the short story The Mysterious Mummy was sold to Pearson's Weekly. He gradually transitioned from writing for Music Hall performers to concentrating on short stories and serials for magazine publication. In 1909 he married Rose Elizabeth Knox.
He published his first novel Pause! anonymously in 1910. After penning Little Tich in 1911 (as ghostwriter for the Music Hall entertainer) he issued the first Fu Manchu novel, The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu, was serialized from October 1912 - June 1913. It was an immediate success with its fast-paced story of Denis Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie facing the worldwide conspiracy of the 'Yellow Peril'. The Fu Manchu stories, together with his more conventional detective series characters—Paul Harley, Gaston Max, Red Kerry, Morris Klaw, and The Crime Magnet—made Rohmer one of the most successful and well-paid authors of the 1920s and 1930s.
Rohmer also wrote several novels of supernatural horror, including Brood of the Witch-Queen. Rohmer was very poor at managing his wealth, however, and made several disastrous business decisions that hampered him throughout his career. His final success came with a series of novels featuring a female variation on Fu Manchu, Sumuru.
After World War II, the Rohmers moved to New York only returning to London shortly before his death. Rohmer died in 1959 due to an outbreak of influenza ("Asian Flu").
There were thirteen books in the Fu Manchu series in all (not counting the posthumous The Wrath of Fu Manchu. The Sumuru series consist of five books.
His wife published her own mystery novel, Bianca in Black in 1954 under the pen name, Elizabeth Sax Rohmer. Some editions of the book mistakenly credit her as Rohmer's daughter. Elizabeth Sax Rohmer and Cay Van Ash, her husband's former assistant, wrote a biography of the author, Master of Villainy, published in 1972.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 27, 2019
The plots of the individual stories are commonplace, and the Orientalist stereotypes will seem absurd to most contemporary readers and offensive to more than a few, but Rohmer's extraordinary readability, fully equal to his model Conan Doyle, plus his knowledgeable enthusiam for "exotic" cultures compensate for these deficiencies.
What makes "The Dream Detective" memorable, however, are the distinctive characteristics of detective Moris Klaw, the alluring presence of his daughter Isis, and their unusual theories of detection.
Moris Klaw is a gifted eccentric in the Holmesian mode. The proprietor of a ramshackle antique shop in Wapping, Klaw is a tall, stoop-shouldered man, of indeterminate age and unidentifiable foreign acccent, with skin the color of "dirty vellum" (or, to put it another way, "a half-shade lighter than a Chinaman's"). He wears gold pince-nez, a flat bowler hat, and an old black cape, and is not only an expert in the legends and lore of valuable historical objects, but also a master of disguise. (Our narrator intimates that his everyday appearance may be nothing more than another of his disguises, an habitual mask.)
His daughter Isis--if indeed she is his daughter--is a "strikingly beautiful brunette" of "lithe carriage," garbed in the haute couture she acquires during her frequent trips to Paris. She assists Moris by helping him develop his "negatives," that is, by bearing and placing at the scene of the crime his "odically sterilized" red cushion.
And just what is an "odically sterilized" cushion? It is the pillow upon which the "dream detective" dreams . . . which brings us to Klaw's theories. Moris Klaw operates on the principle that every crime-scene is pervaded by an "odic force" (similar to "qi" or "prana"), and that an "odically sterilized" pillow can act as a filter which will allow the psychically sensitive to dream the events of the crime. Klaw also believes in the principle of "the cycle of crime," which predicts that an incident of theft or violence associated with an historical object will most likely occur on the same day of the same month when a previous crime associated with the object occurred.
These unique personalities and interesting theories help the reader suspend his disbelief and thoroughly enjoy the unremarkable stories. I doubt he will remember their plots, but he will not forget Moris Klaw or his lovely daughter Isis.
July 29, 2012
Psychic or occult detective stories enjoyed a considerable vogue towards the end of the 19th century and for the first quarter of the 20th. The best-known are William Hope Hodgson’s Carnacki the ghost finder and Algernon Blackwood’s John Silence stories. There were also the Flaxman Low stories of Hesketh V. Prichard (1876-1922) and Kate O'Brien Prichard. And there was also Sax Rohmer’s The Dream Detective.
Published in 1925, The Dream Detective recounts ten cases in the career of Moris Klaw. Klaw is pretty much what you’d expect an occult investigator to be - a rather shabby and oddly dressed old man, tall and stooped and with a bald head, and with a prodigious knowledge of the occult.
There is a fascinating difference though that sets these stories apart from the psychic detective stories of other writers. In most cases the psychic detective investigates supernatural happenings (or happenings assumed to be supernatural) using the methods of science (albeit very unconventional science of an occult nature). But Moris Klaw’s cases are essentially straightforward if unusual crimes without any overt supernatural elements, but he investigates them by methods that are most certainly occult.
Moris Klaw has come up with several singular theories of crime. The first is that very powerful emotions, such as those experienced by both a murderer and his victim, are imprinted on their surroundings where they can be recovered. Klaw does this by sleeping at the crime scene. In his sleep he receives a kind of mental photograph of the crime (hence the use of the term dream detective as the title of this collection). Klaw believes that thoughts have an almost physical existence, an idea that finds its fullest expression in the best story in the collection, The Case of the Veil of Isis.
His second theory is the Cycle of Crime. Certain objects, especially historical relics, are continually involved in a series of crimes often over the course of many centuries. To some extent this can be true of houses as well. As Moris Klaw points out in The Case of the Haunting of Grange, a haunted house is not haunted by one ghost over the course of many generations but rather by a new ghost in each generation, but the manifestations will always follow the same pattern. It’s not so much that the house is haunted by a ghost as the house itself possesses some quality that produces ghostly manifestations. In some cases this may be as a result of an atrocious crime or the career of a notorious scoundrel who lived in the house at one time.
Moris Klaw has an assistant - his beautiful and rather glamorous daughter Isis Klaw. She is the keeper of his occult library and her knowledge of such matters comes close to equalling that of her father. He often works with Inspector Grimsby of Scotland Yard. Grimsby had been a sceptic but after the affair in the Menzies Museum he is convinced that Moris Klaw is not merely genuine - he recognises that in any crime that has odd or unusual elements to it Klaw’s help is absolutely essential to him. Grimsby is young, talented and ambitious but most importantly he has a knack for working with other people.
Many of the cases involve archaeological artifacts and several are set in museums or involve collectors of artistic or archaeological objects. The Tragedies in the Greek Room are caused by the famous Athenean Harp, the most valuable item in the Menzies Museum. The Case of the Headless Mummies revolves around both mummies and the legendary Egyptian Book of the Lamps. The Case of the Potsherd of Anubis (one the best stories here) is about an ancient vase which is believed to have the power to summon great powers, an object sought by at least three different parties all with their own motives.
There is also, in The Case of the Case of the Crusader’s Axe, a battle-axe with a bloody history.
In The Case of the Blue Rajah the object is a fabulous diamond with a notorious history. In The Case of the Ivory Statue (another of the standout stories) it’s a modern work of art, but it is a statue of an ancient Egyptian dancer.
Sax Rohmer is best remembered for his Fu Manchu novels but he wrote in various genres, always entertainingly. The Dream Detective is a superb combination of crime and the occult, thoroughly enjoyable and original and is highly recommended.
Published in 1925, The Dream Detective recounts ten cases in the career of Moris Klaw. Klaw is pretty much what you’d expect an occult investigator to be - a rather shabby and oddly dressed old man, tall and stooped and with a bald head, and with a prodigious knowledge of the occult.
There is a fascinating difference though that sets these stories apart from the psychic detective stories of other writers. In most cases the psychic detective investigates supernatural happenings (or happenings assumed to be supernatural) using the methods of science (albeit very unconventional science of an occult nature). But Moris Klaw’s cases are essentially straightforward if unusual crimes without any overt supernatural elements, but he investigates them by methods that are most certainly occult.
Moris Klaw has come up with several singular theories of crime. The first is that very powerful emotions, such as those experienced by both a murderer and his victim, are imprinted on their surroundings where they can be recovered. Klaw does this by sleeping at the crime scene. In his sleep he receives a kind of mental photograph of the crime (hence the use of the term dream detective as the title of this collection). Klaw believes that thoughts have an almost physical existence, an idea that finds its fullest expression in the best story in the collection, The Case of the Veil of Isis.
His second theory is the Cycle of Crime. Certain objects, especially historical relics, are continually involved in a series of crimes often over the course of many centuries. To some extent this can be true of houses as well. As Moris Klaw points out in The Case of the Haunting of Grange, a haunted house is not haunted by one ghost over the course of many generations but rather by a new ghost in each generation, but the manifestations will always follow the same pattern. It’s not so much that the house is haunted by a ghost as the house itself possesses some quality that produces ghostly manifestations. In some cases this may be as a result of an atrocious crime or the career of a notorious scoundrel who lived in the house at one time.
Moris Klaw has an assistant - his beautiful and rather glamorous daughter Isis Klaw. She is the keeper of his occult library and her knowledge of such matters comes close to equalling that of her father. He often works with Inspector Grimsby of Scotland Yard. Grimsby had been a sceptic but after the affair in the Menzies Museum he is convinced that Moris Klaw is not merely genuine - he recognises that in any crime that has odd or unusual elements to it Klaw’s help is absolutely essential to him. Grimsby is young, talented and ambitious but most importantly he has a knack for working with other people.
Many of the cases involve archaeological artifacts and several are set in museums or involve collectors of artistic or archaeological objects. The Tragedies in the Greek Room are caused by the famous Athenean Harp, the most valuable item in the Menzies Museum. The Case of the Headless Mummies revolves around both mummies and the legendary Egyptian Book of the Lamps. The Case of the Potsherd of Anubis (one the best stories here) is about an ancient vase which is believed to have the power to summon great powers, an object sought by at least three different parties all with their own motives.
There is also, in The Case of the Case of the Crusader’s Axe, a battle-axe with a bloody history.
In The Case of the Blue Rajah the object is a fabulous diamond with a notorious history. In The Case of the Ivory Statue (another of the standout stories) it’s a modern work of art, but it is a statue of an ancient Egyptian dancer.
Sax Rohmer is best remembered for his Fu Manchu novels but he wrote in various genres, always entertainingly. The Dream Detective is a superb combination of crime and the occult, thoroughly enjoyable and original and is highly recommended.
November 22, 2016
While The Dream Detective (1920) by Sax Rohmer does not feature his most famous creation, Dr. Fu Manchu, there is still the mystery of the orient and the occult about his work. It is a collection of ten short stories which features the antique dealer Moris Klaw who not only knows his stuff when it comes to the origins of relics of various kinds but also is an expert on Ancient Egypt, mystical oriental phenomena, the occult, and the supernatural. He detects using the "science" of the mental negative and the theory of the Cycle of Crime.
The mental negative refers to the idea that men and women leave their impressions behind them when gripped by powerful emotions--such as the emotions stirred up when murderers act or thieves have an obsession with a particular object. These impressions can be picked up by someone (like Klaw) who is sensitive to such things. Klaw receives these impressions best when he is able to sleep in the room where events have happened--sleeping undisturbed upon his red cushion which has been "odically steralised" so that he may have the purest impressions.
His theory of the Cycle of Crime says that certain incidents will continue to happen at various times throughout history. It may be something like a valuable jewel with a history of murder or accidents attached to it such as occurs in the "Case of the Blue Rajah" or just a type of crime that keeps occurring in specific places such as the "Case of the Whispering Poplars." He claims that the cycle is "as inevitable and immutable as the cycle of the ages. Man's will has no power to check it." Using his knowledge of historical crimes tied to objects and the history of the artifacts themselves, he's able to solve current mysteries.
The mysteries involved are somewhat in the Holmesian vein. Klaw often keeps secrets from his "Watson," the narrator of these stories, and the reader doesn't always have enough clues to find the solution. But they are full of unique personalities and interesting theories and whether you subscribe to any of Klaw's theories isn't really important to the enjoyment. One just needs a little bit of belief suspension. ★★★ for solid stories with good characterization and intriguing plots.
"Case of the Tragedies in the Greek Room": death invades the room where an ancient Athenian harp resides. Is it a curse or is there a human agent?
"Case of the Potsherd of Anubus": An ancient vase was said to be able to summon great powers for the owner. But it was broken long ago. Will it still work if all the pieces are brought together?
"Case of the Crusader's Axe": An axe with a bloody history has claimed one final victim. But the axe is too heavy for most modern mortals. Was a supernatural power involved in the murder of Mr. Heidelberger?
"Case of the Ivory Statue": A very large and heavy statue of an ancient Egyptian statue disappears from the artist's workroom. No one could have stolen it. Did she come alive and dance away?
"Case of the Blue Rajah": The best of the locked room stories by Rohmer. A valuable diamond disappears from a locked room with a room full of men. Klaw discovers how the theft was accomplished.
"Case of the Whispering Poplars": A man bent on revenge uses the haunting of a house known as "The Park" to try and kill his target. Klaw's knowledge of the hauntings comes in handy.
"Case of the Headless Mummies": No stealing this time....the villain isn't stealing mummies he or she just beheads them. Is there some ancient rite involved? Some secret of the past? Klaw will find out.
"Case of the Haunting of Grange": Sir James invites a party, including Moris Klaw, to The Grange to experience the spooky goings-on for themselves. But an evil force is at work--again trying to use the haunting for purposes of their own.
"Case of the Veil of Isis": An obsessed man is determined to summon up the goddess Isis and has gone to great lengths to duplicate an ancient ceremony exactly in order to do so. You know what they say...Be careful what you wish for....Martin Klaw is on hand to try and dispel the effects of thoughts becoming real.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
The mental negative refers to the idea that men and women leave their impressions behind them when gripped by powerful emotions--such as the emotions stirred up when murderers act or thieves have an obsession with a particular object. These impressions can be picked up by someone (like Klaw) who is sensitive to such things. Klaw receives these impressions best when he is able to sleep in the room where events have happened--sleeping undisturbed upon his red cushion which has been "odically steralised" so that he may have the purest impressions.
His theory of the Cycle of Crime says that certain incidents will continue to happen at various times throughout history. It may be something like a valuable jewel with a history of murder or accidents attached to it such as occurs in the "Case of the Blue Rajah" or just a type of crime that keeps occurring in specific places such as the "Case of the Whispering Poplars." He claims that the cycle is "as inevitable and immutable as the cycle of the ages. Man's will has no power to check it." Using his knowledge of historical crimes tied to objects and the history of the artifacts themselves, he's able to solve current mysteries.
The mysteries involved are somewhat in the Holmesian vein. Klaw often keeps secrets from his "Watson," the narrator of these stories, and the reader doesn't always have enough clues to find the solution. But they are full of unique personalities and interesting theories and whether you subscribe to any of Klaw's theories isn't really important to the enjoyment. One just needs a little bit of belief suspension. ★★★ for solid stories with good characterization and intriguing plots.
"Case of the Tragedies in the Greek Room": death invades the room where an ancient Athenian harp resides. Is it a curse or is there a human agent?
"Case of the Potsherd of Anubus": An ancient vase was said to be able to summon great powers for the owner. But it was broken long ago. Will it still work if all the pieces are brought together?
"Case of the Crusader's Axe": An axe with a bloody history has claimed one final victim. But the axe is too heavy for most modern mortals. Was a supernatural power involved in the murder of Mr. Heidelberger?
"Case of the Ivory Statue": A very large and heavy statue of an ancient Egyptian statue disappears from the artist's workroom. No one could have stolen it. Did she come alive and dance away?
"Case of the Blue Rajah": The best of the locked room stories by Rohmer. A valuable diamond disappears from a locked room with a room full of men. Klaw discovers how the theft was accomplished.
"Case of the Whispering Poplars": A man bent on revenge uses the haunting of a house known as "The Park" to try and kill his target. Klaw's knowledge of the hauntings comes in handy.
"Case of the Headless Mummies": No stealing this time....the villain isn't stealing mummies he or she just beheads them. Is there some ancient rite involved? Some secret of the past? Klaw will find out.
"Case of the Haunting of Grange": Sir James invites a party, including Moris Klaw, to The Grange to experience the spooky goings-on for themselves. But an evil force is at work--again trying to use the haunting for purposes of their own.
"Case of the Veil of Isis": An obsessed man is determined to summon up the goddess Isis and has gone to great lengths to duplicate an ancient ceremony exactly in order to do so. You know what they say...Be careful what you wish for....Martin Klaw is on hand to try and dispel the effects of thoughts becoming real.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
September 17, 2017
Moris Klaw is quite the weirdo. Not just in terms of his method of detection, but his entire character, from his disreputable oddment shop to his bizarre clothing to his repeated habit of spraying himself with verbena perfume when things get intense. There's an air of exoticism and undefinable foreignness to his language and appearance, and the sum results in being vaguely repellent.
The upshot of Klaw's methods, at least as far as Rohmer is concerned, is that he can dispense with any sort of detection or methodology. There's no need for explanations. The crimes are based on unlikely situations which Klaw can penetrate by virtue of the odic residue or whatever nonsense. No physical clues are necessary and the reader is never invited to participate.
The upshot of Klaw's methods, at least as far as Rohmer is concerned, is that he can dispense with any sort of detection or methodology. There's no need for explanations. The crimes are based on unlikely situations which Klaw can penetrate by virtue of the odic residue or whatever nonsense. No physical clues are necessary and the reader is never invited to participate.
July 22, 2016
Tiene el problema de las recopilaciones sobre el mismo personaje, que suele repetirse una y otra vez la estructura, están hechas para su lectura dosificada, sino corres el peligro de aborrecer y prever el suceso.
Salvando esto, que el culpable solo es el lector. El personaje de lo onírico es muy atractivo por su personalidad peculiar y métodos paranormales y poco creíbles de resolver. Es un Sherlock al que cuando algo sucede y el llega a investigarlo, las puertas se le abren, las lenguas lamen su culo y finaliza con ganas de decirles: “os lo dije”
Salvando esto, que el culpable solo es el lector. El personaje de lo onírico es muy atractivo por su personalidad peculiar y métodos paranormales y poco creíbles de resolver. Es un Sherlock al que cuando algo sucede y el llega a investigarlo, las puertas se le abren, las lenguas lamen su culo y finaliza con ganas de decirles: “os lo dije”
November 30, 2021
These are stories that initially start out as seeming to have supernatural or occult origins, but mostly end up having natural explanations. But where the occult does come in, is how the title Dream Detective, Moris Klaw, solves them. He asserts that thoughts are things, that murders leave emotional imprints in the ether, from both the victim and the murderer. These can be accessed by a Dream Detective such as Moris Klaw, who typically will sleep in at the scene of the crime or other significant event. He will pick up the psychic imprints which are clues that the criminal cannot do away with or hide.
These stories are told by a friend of Klaw named Searles (first name never given). Klaw has a daughter named Isis who assists him in his investigations when she isn't off travelling to Paris. And there are a few other characters that recur in some of the stories. All in all, these stories reflect the ethos of early 20th century England when spectacular finds were being made in Egypt and other areas of the Near East. Egyptian gods and mummies figure in some of the stories.
Another theory of Klaw's is that old objects follow historical patterns in a cycle of their being stolen, used as murder weapons, etc. Again, his picking up the psychic imprints provide handy clues.
These stories are told by a friend of Klaw named Searles (first name never given). Klaw has a daughter named Isis who assists him in his investigations when she isn't off travelling to Paris. And there are a few other characters that recur in some of the stories. All in all, these stories reflect the ethos of early 20th century England when spectacular finds were being made in Egypt and other areas of the Near East. Egyptian gods and mummies figure in some of the stories.
Another theory of Klaw's is that old objects follow historical patterns in a cycle of their being stolen, used as murder weapons, etc. Again, his picking up the psychic imprints provide handy clues.
October 24, 2016
Este libro es una delicia para gente como yo que ha crecido disfrutando las aventuras de Poirot o Harry Dickson, tenemos un anciano singular que tiene métodos, el señor Klaw, muy propios para investigar ciertos misterios, le gusta dormir en los sitios donde los crímenes son cometidos pero no porque sea excéntrico sino por la huella mental que deja el suceso o los perpetradores, es exótico y muy interesante, me lo he pasado genial con esta lectura.
August 10, 2019
An Asian occult detective solves mysteries in the decadent inter-war period of the 1910s.
Okay. I'm going to review the verion of the book implied by my "fan theory" here instead of the book that's actually there, which is something of a rarity for me (The Woman in Black being the other example). If I review the book that is apparently there, I have to say that it's a series of mysteries that supposedly revolve around woo-woo, made-up mystic elements, with a gathering of the most singularly racist tropes I've ever read.
But.
There are several hints that the character is not what he seems. In one place, the character is described as being of mysteriously unidentifiable race, and in another his daughter is described as having a "high yellow" coloration. Neither character seems to have the kind of information that they would have if they actually had the backgrounds that they state they have. And, curiously, none of the stories rely on a supernatural element, as implied by both the title and the setup of the stories themselves. Mostly, Moris Klaw shows up, says that he needs to perform some occult or dream-based research, and then manages to solve the case in a non-supernatural manner.
It *feels* like the stories are about a mixed-race man and his daughter, born in America but expat to France for a while, who are hiding their identities for their protection, and covering up their research and intuition by claiming they have supernatural powers.
Is that the case? I kept catching tantalizing little hints, but they're so subtle that they may just be my imagination. Even the last tale, the most ostensibly "mystical" of the bunch, mostly just involves a young woman who loves a man obsessed by the rituals of Egypt being "possessed" by a goddess and--oops--destroying the related research.
In either case, the mysteries were well, but not brilliantly written. I'm not sure I can recommend them, although...if you do read them, I suggest taking my fan theory approach.
Okay. I'm going to review the verion of the book implied by my "fan theory" here instead of the book that's actually there, which is something of a rarity for me (The Woman in Black being the other example). If I review the book that is apparently there, I have to say that it's a series of mysteries that supposedly revolve around woo-woo, made-up mystic elements, with a gathering of the most singularly racist tropes I've ever read.
But.
There are several hints that the character is not what he seems. In one place, the character is described as being of mysteriously unidentifiable race, and in another his daughter is described as having a "high yellow" coloration. Neither character seems to have the kind of information that they would have if they actually had the backgrounds that they state they have. And, curiously, none of the stories rely on a supernatural element, as implied by both the title and the setup of the stories themselves. Mostly, Moris Klaw shows up, says that he needs to perform some occult or dream-based research, and then manages to solve the case in a non-supernatural manner.
It *feels* like the stories are about a mixed-race man and his daughter, born in America but expat to France for a while, who are hiding their identities for their protection, and covering up their research and intuition by claiming they have supernatural powers.
Is that the case? I kept catching tantalizing little hints, but they're so subtle that they may just be my imagination. Even the last tale, the most ostensibly "mystical" of the bunch, mostly just involves a young woman who loves a man obsessed by the rituals of Egypt being "possessed" by a goddess and--oops--destroying the related research.
In either case, the mysteries were well, but not brilliantly written. I'm not sure I can recommend them, although...if you do read them, I suggest taking my fan theory approach.
October 24, 2014
Here is a would-be successor to Sherlock Holmes, psychic sleuth division.
Moris Klaw is an elderly dealer in curios and exotic animals whose slogan is “thoughts are things”. Given an environment with minimal psychic pollution, Klaw can sleep at a crime scene and awaken having picked up a thought left behind by the perpetrator or victim; these are often as enigmatic as the physical clues found by more mundane literary detectives, but provide Klaw with enough information to eventually solve the crimes, which are invariably of a non-supernatural nature however otherworldly they initially seem. Klaw has his eccentricities: he regularly sprays his forehead with verbena to dispel the unpleasant odors he psychically picks up from objects of ancient and recent crime and in place of a shop bell he has a trained parrot which, upon the entry of a customer, announces “The devil has come for you, Moris Klaw!” In addition to the enigma that Klaw provides, his stunningly beautiful daughter Isis is usually on hand to provide a hint of exotic sexuality. I enjoyed these stories, most of which revolve around archeological or historical objects or places; they are just different enough from the Holmes formula so as to not seem entirely derivative. Variety is also provided by two of the ten tales breaking the established formula, one being a miniature heist caper, and the other a occult tale reminiscent of Arthur Machen.
Moris Klaw is an elderly dealer in curios and exotic animals whose slogan is “thoughts are things”. Given an environment with minimal psychic pollution, Klaw can sleep at a crime scene and awaken having picked up a thought left behind by the perpetrator or victim; these are often as enigmatic as the physical clues found by more mundane literary detectives, but provide Klaw with enough information to eventually solve the crimes, which are invariably of a non-supernatural nature however otherworldly they initially seem. Klaw has his eccentricities: he regularly sprays his forehead with verbena to dispel the unpleasant odors he psychically picks up from objects of ancient and recent crime and in place of a shop bell he has a trained parrot which, upon the entry of a customer, announces “The devil has come for you, Moris Klaw!” In addition to the enigma that Klaw provides, his stunningly beautiful daughter Isis is usually on hand to provide a hint of exotic sexuality. I enjoyed these stories, most of which revolve around archeological or historical objects or places; they are just different enough from the Holmes formula so as to not seem entirely derivative. Variety is also provided by two of the ten tales breaking the established formula, one being a miniature heist caper, and the other a occult tale reminiscent of Arthur Machen.
May 29, 2016
Me lo pasé GENIAL leyendo este libro.
No tenía ni idea de quién era Moris Klaw antes de leerlo, pero con la introducción de Javier, que te sitúa en el contexto histórico en el que surgió este personaje y además te da una lección extra de historia sobre el espiritismo en el final del siglo XIX/principios del XX, me quedó muy claro que iba a disfrutarlo seguro.
Moris Klaw es un anciano lleno de conocimiento y con una habilidad (desarrollada a base de esfuerzo, no por arte de magia) para captar la esencia de los pensamientos. Ayuda a la policía a resolver casos estancados con esta habilidad parapsicológica, pero la solución (casi) siempre es bastante mundana. Klaw es un tipo raro pero es emblemático, tierno y fiel.
La Historia está plagada de grandes injusticias, y esta es una de ellas: Sherlock Holmes consiguió ocupar un espacio en el imaginario colectivo y Moris Klaw, con su originalidad y su personalidad, quedó relegado a un segundo plano. Desde aquí le doy las gracias a Costas de Carcosa por darle una nueva oportunidad a Klaw, y además en una edición tan bonita y agradable de manejar. ¡Sólo os queda corregir lo del té y ya será perfecta! :)
No tenía ni idea de quién era Moris Klaw antes de leerlo, pero con la introducción de Javier, que te sitúa en el contexto histórico en el que surgió este personaje y además te da una lección extra de historia sobre el espiritismo en el final del siglo XIX/principios del XX, me quedó muy claro que iba a disfrutarlo seguro.
Moris Klaw es un anciano lleno de conocimiento y con una habilidad (desarrollada a base de esfuerzo, no por arte de magia) para captar la esencia de los pensamientos. Ayuda a la policía a resolver casos estancados con esta habilidad parapsicológica, pero la solución (casi) siempre es bastante mundana. Klaw es un tipo raro pero es emblemático, tierno y fiel.
La Historia está plagada de grandes injusticias, y esta es una de ellas: Sherlock Holmes consiguió ocupar un espacio en el imaginario colectivo y Moris Klaw, con su originalidad y su personalidad, quedó relegado a un segundo plano. Desde aquí le doy las gracias a Costas de Carcosa por darle una nueva oportunidad a Klaw, y además en una edición tan bonita y agradable de manejar. ¡Sólo os queda corregir lo del té y ya será perfecta! :)
December 6, 2024
Moris Klaw: The Dream Detective, author of Psychic Angles, is an eccentric who runs a junk shop and uses an atomizer to spray himself with verbena every time he enters a room. He claims to see crimes while sleeping at what used to be called “the scene of the crime.” Thus does he bring crimes and apparently inexplicable human actions to light.
Isis Klaw: Moris Klaw's beautiful daughter, who assists him in his investigations.
Detective-Inspector Grimsby: A young Scotland Yard detective who is often baffled by the cases he investigates. He admires and respects Klaw's unique abilities and often seeks his help in solving crimes.
Mr. Searles: The narrator and chronicler of Klaw's cases. He is a friend of Klaw and often accompanies him on his investigations.
The Dream Detective, Being Some Account of the Methods of Moris Klaw (1925)
“The Tragedies in the Greek Room” (1913): Two attendants at the Menzies Museum are found dead under mysterious circumstances, with no apparent way for the perpetrator to enter or leave the crime scene. Moris Klaw is called in to investigate and discovers that the culprit is Hilda Coram, the daughter of the museum's curator. She had been sleepwalking and playing a cursed antique harp, the Athenean Harp, which causes the death of anyone who touches it after it has been played.
“The Potsherd of Anubis” (1913): An archaeologist named Halesowen acquires a valuable Egyptian potsherd, only to be pursued by a mysterious foreigner, Dr. Zeda, who wishes to obtain it. Zeda's attempts to steal the potsherd are thwarted by Klaw, who reveals that he was acting on behalf of another archaeologist, Professor Sheraton, who had the missing fragment of the vase.
“The Crusader's Ax” (1913): A man is murdered with an antique battle-ax, and suspicion falls on the ex-butler, Ryder. However, Klaw discovers that the real murderer is the victim's secretary, Heimer, who was driven to the deed by the victim's slanders against his family.
“The Ivory Statue” (1913): A valuable chryselephantine statue, Nicris, is stolen from a sculptor's studio, and the theft is seemingly impossible due to the locked doors and short amount of time in which it occurred. Klaw discovers that the statue was stolen by the sculptor's model, Madame Colette, who posed as the statue with the help of her accomplice, Jean Colette.
“The Blue Rajah” (1913): A committee of City of London officials is tasked with presenting a valuable Indian diamond, the Blue Rajah, to the Crown. However, the diamond is stolen from a locked room during a meeting. Klaw discovers that the thief is Mr. Chinje, the representative of the diamond's seller, who had been practicing tossing peanuts into a parrot cage to perfect his technique of tossing the diamond through a small ventilator to an accomplice waiting outside.
“The Whispering Poplars” (1913): An American detective, Greta, and her family move into a house called The Grove, which is notorious for being haunted. Klaw discovers that the haunting is a hoax perpetrated by a man named Costa, who is seeking revenge on Greta's father for the death of his brother.
“The Headless Mummies” (1913): A series of mummies are found beheaded in museums and private collections. Klaw discovers that the culprit is Mr. Pettigrew, an archaeologist who is searching for an ancient book, the Book of Lamps, which is rumored to be hidden in the skull of a mummy.
“The Haunting of Grange” (1913): Sir James Leyland and his family are troubled by a series of strange occurrences at their ancestral home, Grange. Klaw discovers that the haunting is a hoax perpetrated by Sir James's cousin, Clement, who hopes to inherit the estate by driving Sir James to his death.
“The Veil of Isis” (1914): An Egyptologist, Otter Brearley, attempts to recreate an ancient Egyptian initiation ceremony described in a papyrus he has deciphered. However, the ceremony goes awry, and Brearley's sister, Ailsa, is possessed by a powerful thought-form. Klaw helps to break the possession and save Ailsa's life.
If you approach The Dream Detective, Being Some Account of the Methods of Moris Klaw (1925) by Sax Rohmer with no hope and very low expectations, you may be able to stand it on grounds of escapism or sociology.
Klaw himself seems self-consciously disgusted to find himself a participant in Sax Rohmer’s infra dig plots. He has a habit of spraying himself with verbena when entering a room. Does he reek of Edwardian b.o., unexpungible since he lives in the teeming Wapping area of teeming London? The stories themselves reek of airless repetition; imagine Conan Doyle in each Holmes story re-itemizing the great detective's eccentricities.
Isis Klaw: Moris Klaw's beautiful daughter, who assists him in his investigations.
Detective-Inspector Grimsby: A young Scotland Yard detective who is often baffled by the cases he investigates. He admires and respects Klaw's unique abilities and often seeks his help in solving crimes.
Mr. Searles: The narrator and chronicler of Klaw's cases. He is a friend of Klaw and often accompanies him on his investigations.
The Dream Detective, Being Some Account of the Methods of Moris Klaw (1925)
“The Tragedies in the Greek Room” (1913): Two attendants at the Menzies Museum are found dead under mysterious circumstances, with no apparent way for the perpetrator to enter or leave the crime scene. Moris Klaw is called in to investigate and discovers that the culprit is Hilda Coram, the daughter of the museum's curator. She had been sleepwalking and playing a cursed antique harp, the Athenean Harp, which causes the death of anyone who touches it after it has been played.
“The Potsherd of Anubis” (1913): An archaeologist named Halesowen acquires a valuable Egyptian potsherd, only to be pursued by a mysterious foreigner, Dr. Zeda, who wishes to obtain it. Zeda's attempts to steal the potsherd are thwarted by Klaw, who reveals that he was acting on behalf of another archaeologist, Professor Sheraton, who had the missing fragment of the vase.
“The Crusader's Ax” (1913): A man is murdered with an antique battle-ax, and suspicion falls on the ex-butler, Ryder. However, Klaw discovers that the real murderer is the victim's secretary, Heimer, who was driven to the deed by the victim's slanders against his family.
“The Ivory Statue” (1913): A valuable chryselephantine statue, Nicris, is stolen from a sculptor's studio, and the theft is seemingly impossible due to the locked doors and short amount of time in which it occurred. Klaw discovers that the statue was stolen by the sculptor's model, Madame Colette, who posed as the statue with the help of her accomplice, Jean Colette.
“The Blue Rajah” (1913): A committee of City of London officials is tasked with presenting a valuable Indian diamond, the Blue Rajah, to the Crown. However, the diamond is stolen from a locked room during a meeting. Klaw discovers that the thief is Mr. Chinje, the representative of the diamond's seller, who had been practicing tossing peanuts into a parrot cage to perfect his technique of tossing the diamond through a small ventilator to an accomplice waiting outside.
“The Whispering Poplars” (1913): An American detective, Greta, and her family move into a house called The Grove, which is notorious for being haunted. Klaw discovers that the haunting is a hoax perpetrated by a man named Costa, who is seeking revenge on Greta's father for the death of his brother.
“The Headless Mummies” (1913): A series of mummies are found beheaded in museums and private collections. Klaw discovers that the culprit is Mr. Pettigrew, an archaeologist who is searching for an ancient book, the Book of Lamps, which is rumored to be hidden in the skull of a mummy.
“The Haunting of Grange” (1913): Sir James Leyland and his family are troubled by a series of strange occurrences at their ancestral home, Grange. Klaw discovers that the haunting is a hoax perpetrated by Sir James's cousin, Clement, who hopes to inherit the estate by driving Sir James to his death.
“The Veil of Isis” (1914): An Egyptologist, Otter Brearley, attempts to recreate an ancient Egyptian initiation ceremony described in a papyrus he has deciphered. However, the ceremony goes awry, and Brearley's sister, Ailsa, is possessed by a powerful thought-form. Klaw helps to break the possession and save Ailsa's life.
If you approach The Dream Detective, Being Some Account of the Methods of Moris Klaw (1925) by Sax Rohmer with no hope and very low expectations, you may be able to stand it on grounds of escapism or sociology.
Klaw himself seems self-consciously disgusted to find himself a participant in Sax Rohmer’s infra dig plots. He has a habit of spraying himself with verbena when entering a room. Does he reek of Edwardian b.o., unexpungible since he lives in the teeming Wapping area of teeming London? The stories themselves reek of airless repetition; imagine Conan Doyle in each Holmes story re-itemizing the great detective's eccentricities.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2022
Two and a half stars: Nine "episodes" involving the exploits of a singular (an oft-used word in this collection) investigator who uses the odic force to solve mysteries, some of which are crimes.
Moris Klaw sleeps at the scenes of crimes and sees the thoughts of the victims and criminals involved. Written in 1920, the stories are written in the style of the period and somewhat outlandish in the solutions. As with many of these short story collections, probably better read months apart and not in a row since some of the descriptions of the characters and their habits (the spraying of verbena!) are repeated in each story.
Content (and my rating from * to *****):
1. The Tragedies in the Greek Room - Night watchmen die in a museum's locked room where the most valuable item is removed from its case but left behind. (**)
2. The Potsherd of Anubis - an elaborate scheme is hatched to retrieve the last piece of an ancient pot. (***)
3. The Crusader's Axe - an odious man is felled by an axe few living people could wield. (*)
4. The Ivory Statue - a very heavy statue disappears from the sculptor's studio which is guarded day and night except for a 5 minute interval. (****)
5. The Blue Rajah - a priceless gem is stolen from a locked room with people watching it almost every minute. (*)
6. The Whispering Poplars - murder looks like the work of a ghost at a country estate. (**)
7. The Headless Mummies - mummies are being beheaded. (**)
8. The Haunting of Grange - the heir to a title is forced to abandon his haunted home when the hauntings become unbearable. (****)
9. The Veil of Isis - a man reconstructs an ancient rite in the worship of Isis, and regrets it later. (**)
Moris Klaw sleeps at the scenes of crimes and sees the thoughts of the victims and criminals involved. Written in 1920, the stories are written in the style of the period and somewhat outlandish in the solutions. As with many of these short story collections, probably better read months apart and not in a row since some of the descriptions of the characters and their habits (the spraying of verbena!) are repeated in each story.
Content (and my rating from * to *****):
1. The Tragedies in the Greek Room - Night watchmen die in a museum's locked room where the most valuable item is removed from its case but left behind. (**)
2. The Potsherd of Anubis - an elaborate scheme is hatched to retrieve the last piece of an ancient pot. (***)
3. The Crusader's Axe - an odious man is felled by an axe few living people could wield. (*)
4. The Ivory Statue - a very heavy statue disappears from the sculptor's studio which is guarded day and night except for a 5 minute interval. (****)
5. The Blue Rajah - a priceless gem is stolen from a locked room with people watching it almost every minute. (*)
6. The Whispering Poplars - murder looks like the work of a ghost at a country estate. (**)
7. The Headless Mummies - mummies are being beheaded. (**)
8. The Haunting of Grange - the heir to a title is forced to abandon his haunted home when the hauntings become unbearable. (****)
9. The Veil of Isis - a man reconstructs an ancient rite in the worship of Isis, and regrets it later. (**)
November 6, 2019
"Moris Klaw! Moris Klaw! The devil's come for you!"
Nine stories of the psychic detective Moris Klaw. Klaw is engaged by Scotland Yard to solve particular crimes involving ancient relics. His usual method of investigation is to sleep on the sight of the crime, often a strange murder. HIs dreams give him the solution. Generally they involve some Egyption or equally ancient artifact with a harsh history. The same kind of meme used by later television shows like "Warehouse 13" and "Friday the 13th". Klaw is assisted by his beautiful exotic daughter Isis, and his drunken servant William.
Interesting mysteries involving supernatural happenings, with the usual abrupt solutions found in most Rohmer mysteries. Klaw is a great character, not unlike Gaston Max, who is deferential to those about him but clearly smarter than everyone else in the room. Good entertainment with engaging stories.
Nine stories of the psychic detective Moris Klaw. Klaw is engaged by Scotland Yard to solve particular crimes involving ancient relics. His usual method of investigation is to sleep on the sight of the crime, often a strange murder. HIs dreams give him the solution. Generally they involve some Egyption or equally ancient artifact with a harsh history. The same kind of meme used by later television shows like "Warehouse 13" and "Friday the 13th". Klaw is assisted by his beautiful exotic daughter Isis, and his drunken servant William.
Interesting mysteries involving supernatural happenings, with the usual abrupt solutions found in most Rohmer mysteries. Klaw is a great character, not unlike Gaston Max, who is deferential to those about him but clearly smarter than everyone else in the room. Good entertainment with engaging stories.
November 30, 2025
I waffled between giving it a high or low rating. The character of Klaw is interesting, but became repetitive and predictable at times, and also a bit unlikeable. However the character also was intriguing and interesting to follow at times as well. There were several stories that really pulled me in, however all but one had the same type of ending, basically a scooby doo type ending (though the one I mentioned being the exception really did a good job of subverting my expectations so there's that).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2018
A cross between Holmes and Rohmer's usual exotica, these are not great mysteries, as they're generally impossible to solve, but they are surprisingly delightful. Moris Klaw is an indelible character, and each time he sprays himself with verbena to cool his brain, or asks Isis to fetch his odically sterilized pillow so he can dream at the crime scene, there is the thrill of the queerly familiar.
November 1, 2022
Sax Rohmer was quite a good author. This book certainly does not disappoint. A collection of several short stories. Enjoyable but will not visit this book again.
December 6, 2024
Moris Klaw: The Dream Detective, author of Psychic Angles, is an eccentric who runs a junk shop and uses an atomizer to spray himself with verbena every time he enters a room. He claims to see crimes while sleeping at what used to be called “the scene of the crime.” Thus does he bring crimes and apparently inexplicable human actions to light.
Isis Klaw: Moris Klaw's beautiful daughter, who assists him in his investigations.
Detective-Inspector Grimsby: A young Scotland Yard detective who is often baffled by the cases he investigates. He admires and respects Klaw's unique abilities and often seeks his help in solving crimes.
Mr. Searles: The narrator and chronicler of Klaw's cases. He is a friend of Klaw and often accompanies him on his investigations.
The Dream Detective, Being Some Account of the Methods of Moris Klaw (1925)
“The Tragedies in the Greek Room” (1913): Two attendants at the Menzies Museum are found dead under mysterious circumstances, with no apparent way for the perpetrator to enter or leave the crime scene. Moris Klaw is called in to investigate and discovers that the culprit is Hilda Coram, the daughter of the museum's curator. She had been sleepwalking and playing a cursed antique harp, the Athenean Harp, which causes the death of anyone who touches it after it has been played.
“The Potsherd of Anubis” (1913): An archaeologist named Halesowen acquires a valuable Egyptian potsherd, only to be pursued by a mysterious foreigner, Dr. Zeda, who wishes to obtain it. Zeda's attempts to steal the potsherd are thwarted by Klaw, who reveals that he was acting on behalf of another archaeologist, Professor Sheraton, who had the missing fragment of the vase.
“The Crusader's Ax” (1913): A man is murdered with an antique battle-ax, and suspicion falls on the ex-butler, Ryder. However, Klaw discovers that the real murderer is the victim's secretary, Heimer, who was driven to the deed by the victim's slanders against his family.
“The Ivory Statue” (1913): A valuable chryselephantine statue, Nicris, is stolen from a sculptor's studio, and the theft is seemingly impossible due to the locked doors and short amount of time in which it occurred. Klaw discovers that the statue was stolen by the sculptor's model, Madame Colette, who posed as the statue with the help of her accomplice, Jean Colette.
“The Blue Rajah” (1913): A committee of City of London officials is tasked with presenting a valuable Indian diamond, the Blue Rajah, to the Crown. However, the diamond is stolen from a locked room during a meeting. Klaw discovers that the thief is Mr. Chinje, the representative of the diamond's seller, who had been practicing tossing peanuts into a parrot cage to perfect his technique of tossing the diamond through a small ventilator to an accomplice waiting outside.
“The Whispering Poplars” (1913): An American detective, Greta, and her family move into a house called The Grove, which is notorious for being haunted. Klaw discovers that the haunting is a hoax perpetrated by a man named Costa, who is seeking revenge on Greta's father for the death of his brother.
“The Headless Mummies” (1913): A series of mummies are found beheaded in museums and private collections. Klaw discovers that the culprit is Mr. Pettigrew, an archaeologist who is searching for an ancient book, the Book of Lamps, which is rumored to be hidden in the skull of a mummy.
“The Haunting of Grange” (1913): Sir James Leyland and his family are troubled by a series of strange occurrences at their ancestral home, Grange. Klaw discovers that the haunting is a hoax perpetrated by Sir James's cousin, Clement, who hopes to inherit the estate by driving Sir James to his death.
“The Veil of Isis” (1914): An Egyptologist, Otter Brearley, attempts to recreate an ancient Egyptian initiation ceremony described in a papyrus he has deciphered. However, the ceremony goes awry, and Brearley's sister, Ailsa, is possessed by a powerful thought-form. Klaw helps to break the possession and save Ailsa's life.
If you approach The Dream Detective, Being Some Account of the Methods of Moris Klaw (1925) by Sax Rohmer with no hope and very low expectations, you may be able to stand it on grounds of escapism or sociology.
Klaw himself seems self-consciously disgusted to find himself a participant in Sax Rohmer’s infra dig plots. He has a habit of spraying himself with verbena when entering a room. Does he reek of Edwardian b.o., unexpungible since he lives in the teeming Wapping area of teeming London? The stories themselves reek of airless repetition; imagine Conan Doyle in each Holmes story re-itemizing the great detective's eccentricities.
Isis Klaw: Moris Klaw's beautiful daughter, who assists him in his investigations.
Detective-Inspector Grimsby: A young Scotland Yard detective who is often baffled by the cases he investigates. He admires and respects Klaw's unique abilities and often seeks his help in solving crimes.
Mr. Searles: The narrator and chronicler of Klaw's cases. He is a friend of Klaw and often accompanies him on his investigations.
The Dream Detective, Being Some Account of the Methods of Moris Klaw (1925)
“The Tragedies in the Greek Room” (1913): Two attendants at the Menzies Museum are found dead under mysterious circumstances, with no apparent way for the perpetrator to enter or leave the crime scene. Moris Klaw is called in to investigate and discovers that the culprit is Hilda Coram, the daughter of the museum's curator. She had been sleepwalking and playing a cursed antique harp, the Athenean Harp, which causes the death of anyone who touches it after it has been played.
“The Potsherd of Anubis” (1913): An archaeologist named Halesowen acquires a valuable Egyptian potsherd, only to be pursued by a mysterious foreigner, Dr. Zeda, who wishes to obtain it. Zeda's attempts to steal the potsherd are thwarted by Klaw, who reveals that he was acting on behalf of another archaeologist, Professor Sheraton, who had the missing fragment of the vase.
“The Crusader's Ax” (1913): A man is murdered with an antique battle-ax, and suspicion falls on the ex-butler, Ryder. However, Klaw discovers that the real murderer is the victim's secretary, Heimer, who was driven to the deed by the victim's slanders against his family.
“The Ivory Statue” (1913): A valuable chryselephantine statue, Nicris, is stolen from a sculptor's studio, and the theft is seemingly impossible due to the locked doors and short amount of time in which it occurred. Klaw discovers that the statue was stolen by the sculptor's model, Madame Colette, who posed as the statue with the help of her accomplice, Jean Colette.
“The Blue Rajah” (1913): A committee of City of London officials is tasked with presenting a valuable Indian diamond, the Blue Rajah, to the Crown. However, the diamond is stolen from a locked room during a meeting. Klaw discovers that the thief is Mr. Chinje, the representative of the diamond's seller, who had been practicing tossing peanuts into a parrot cage to perfect his technique of tossing the diamond through a small ventilator to an accomplice waiting outside.
“The Whispering Poplars” (1913): An American detective, Greta, and her family move into a house called The Grove, which is notorious for being haunted. Klaw discovers that the haunting is a hoax perpetrated by a man named Costa, who is seeking revenge on Greta's father for the death of his brother.
“The Headless Mummies” (1913): A series of mummies are found beheaded in museums and private collections. Klaw discovers that the culprit is Mr. Pettigrew, an archaeologist who is searching for an ancient book, the Book of Lamps, which is rumored to be hidden in the skull of a mummy.
“The Haunting of Grange” (1913): Sir James Leyland and his family are troubled by a series of strange occurrences at their ancestral home, Grange. Klaw discovers that the haunting is a hoax perpetrated by Sir James's cousin, Clement, who hopes to inherit the estate by driving Sir James to his death.
“The Veil of Isis” (1914): An Egyptologist, Otter Brearley, attempts to recreate an ancient Egyptian initiation ceremony described in a papyrus he has deciphered. However, the ceremony goes awry, and Brearley's sister, Ailsa, is possessed by a powerful thought-form. Klaw helps to break the possession and save Ailsa's life.
If you approach The Dream Detective, Being Some Account of the Methods of Moris Klaw (1925) by Sax Rohmer with no hope and very low expectations, you may be able to stand it on grounds of escapism or sociology.
Klaw himself seems self-consciously disgusted to find himself a participant in Sax Rohmer’s infra dig plots. He has a habit of spraying himself with verbena when entering a room. Does he reek of Edwardian b.o., unexpungible since he lives in the teeming Wapping area of teeming London? The stories themselves reek of airless repetition; imagine Conan Doyle in each Holmes story re-itemizing the great detective's eccentricities.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2016
"Los métodos de Moris Klaw" es un libro que reúne todos los relatos existentes sobre el peculiar protagonista que se menciona en el título. Se trata de un precedente de los detectives de lo sobrenatural, aunque el protagonista defienda algo así como "la ciencia del pensamiento". Su método para resolver los misterios que se le presentan se basa en dormir en la habitación donde se ha cometido un delito y meterse mentalmente en la piel del asesino o la víctima en el momento cumbre, cuando las emociones se intensifican.
Si el método del detective es digno de asombro, aún lo es más el de Sax Romer, el autor, quien consiguió escribir diez casos en los que repetía el esquema clásico de las novelas de misterio, con explicación final del protagonista y un narrador en primera persona (su cronista) y, sin embargo, dotó a la serie de gran interés. La clave está en el protagonista, sus estupendos y recurrentes secuendarios y un aura de inquietud muy especial.
Lo recomiendo a todo el mundo. Es una lectura entretenida, que se puede hacer de seguido o a razón de relato por semana (o por mes). El libro está impecablemente escrito, traducido y editado. Incluye las ilustraciones interiores que acampañaron los relatos en el momento de su publicación. Por diez euros es un regalo.
Si el método del detective es digno de asombro, aún lo es más el de Sax Romer, el autor, quien consiguió escribir diez casos en los que repetía el esquema clásico de las novelas de misterio, con explicación final del protagonista y un narrador en primera persona (su cronista) y, sin embargo, dotó a la serie de gran interés. La clave está en el protagonista, sus estupendos y recurrentes secuendarios y un aura de inquietud muy especial.
Lo recomiendo a todo el mundo. Es una lectura entretenida, que se puede hacer de seguido o a razón de relato por semana (o por mes). El libro está impecablemente escrito, traducido y editado. Incluye las ilustraciones interiores que acampañaron los relatos en el momento de su publicación. Por diez euros es un regalo.
February 10, 2017
Sax Rohmer continues to prove to be a master at weaving an atmosphere with words. Here he creates a versatile and intriguing character in Moris Klaw. His eccentric personality adds humor to these mostly dark "occult detective"stories. That term probably conjures up all sorts of large fantastic images in some modern minds, but these stories are far more grounded than that.
Klaw's role isn't always the same in each tale, which lends a little variation to them, though they mostly are a tad formulaic. The rampant racism that characterizes much of Rohmer's other work isn't nearly so strong here, but sadly is not entirely absent.
Klaw's role isn't always the same in each tale, which lends a little variation to them, though they mostly are a tad formulaic. The rampant racism that characterizes much of Rohmer's other work isn't nearly so strong here, but sadly is not entirely absent.
May 6, 2016
No soy muy de detectives y tramas policíacas, porque vista una, vistas todas. Pero el señor Moris Klaw tiene un encanto especial.
Los casos son interesantes, unos relatos más que otros. Y, aunque repitan la misma estructura prácticamente, todos consiguen sorprenderte con la resolución y la excentricidad de turno del señor Moris Klaw.
Es un libro para todos los públicos que además permite ser leído con parones, puedes leerte un caso y luego volver dos meses después y leerte otro. Si no te gustan las tramas policíacas, el señor Moris Klaw pone el rasgo disonante haciéndolo especial. Si te gustan, esta tiene un punto original y refrescante a pesar de estar escrito en 1915. Y por supuesto tiene ese punto weird, extraño, que lo envuelve y lo hace único y tremendamente entretenido.
Reseña completa en: http://nomegustanlosnumeros.blogspot....
Los casos son interesantes, unos relatos más que otros. Y, aunque repitan la misma estructura prácticamente, todos consiguen sorprenderte con la resolución y la excentricidad de turno del señor Moris Klaw.
Es un libro para todos los públicos que además permite ser leído con parones, puedes leerte un caso y luego volver dos meses después y leerte otro. Si no te gustan las tramas policíacas, el señor Moris Klaw pone el rasgo disonante haciéndolo especial. Si te gustan, esta tiene un punto original y refrescante a pesar de estar escrito en 1915. Y por supuesto tiene ese punto weird, extraño, que lo envuelve y lo hace único y tremendamente entretenido.
Reseña completa en: http://nomegustanlosnumeros.blogspot....
January 2, 2017
These are fun reads. They have the mystery of Rohmer's Fu Manchu novels but have far less of the jingoism of those same books.
Moris Klaw and his daughter Isis are interesting characters. It is a bit surprising to this reader that no other author has tried their hand at writing more stories with them.
Moris Klaw and his daughter Isis are interesting characters. It is a bit surprising to this reader that no other author has tried their hand at writing more stories with them.
August 2, 2007
Moris Klaw, the blind detective with extra-sensory powers, is one of Sax Rohmer's more colorful creations -- heck, ALL Rohmer's creations were colorful! I enjoyed this book, as improbable as the premise may seem.
December 31, 2017
Otro detective de lo oculto que se suma al panteón de los grandes como Carnacki, John Silence o Jules de Grandin. Y un agradecimiento especial a los amigos de Costas de Carcosa por recuperar este material invaluable
December 21, 2015
A nice collection of short stories, "psychic" detective Morris Klaw is a great character, shame this is his only book.
November 16, 2016
possibly read in spring 1969
Want to read
January 19, 2019Synopsis: ten stories featuring perhaps the most fantastic sleuth of them all: Moris Klaw. Occult and all.
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