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Audacious Cotterell
The Black Ghost
Raggy and Gremlin, owners of a small garage, have built a high-speed car which they call Pegasus. While giving it a trial run, they have an unpleasant encounter with a black Bentley. A third car, seemingly in league with the Bentley, drives Pegasus off the road and the Bentley mysteriously disappears. The boys connect this incident with several local robberies and, being already involved, they attempt to clear up the mystery of the disappearing car and its accessory.
They have little success until Audacious Cotterell, an eccentric inventor of amazing gadgets, decides to throw in his weight on their side. His contribution is a radar-controlled model aeroplane which can be tuned in to follow any vehicle equipped with wireless-and the Bentley is fitted with radio!
It is this mechanical sleuth which traces the Bentley and introduces the boys to some glorious hand-to-hand fighting and a surprising discovery.
Audacious Cotterell's first public appearance should be carefully noted. His creator is already a highly successful writer of adult fiction, but The Black Ghost, his first thriller for boys, is written under a pseudonym. Even without the advantage of an established author's name, this book should simply romp home. It sets a new high standard in this type of fiction, and is rich in all those qualities which boy’s hope to find in story books. It has suspense, humour and good characterization, and is remarkable for the soundness of its detail and the clarity with which an intricate plot is unfolded.
Audacious Cotterell is an endearing character whose further activities will surely be the concern of all readers of The Black Ghost.
Librarian note *Children's book by John Newton Chance writing as David C. Newton. The book jacket of the later books lists this as the first book in the series.
They have little success until Audacious Cotterell, an eccentric inventor of amazing gadgets, decides to throw in his weight on their side. His contribution is a radar-controlled model aeroplane which can be tuned in to follow any vehicle equipped with wireless-and the Bentley is fitted with radio!
It is this mechanical sleuth which traces the Bentley and introduces the boys to some glorious hand-to-hand fighting and a surprising discovery.
Audacious Cotterell's first public appearance should be carefully noted. His creator is already a highly successful writer of adult fiction, but The Black Ghost, his first thriller for boys, is written under a pseudonym. Even without the advantage of an established author's name, this book should simply romp home. It sets a new high standard in this type of fiction, and is rich in all those qualities which boy’s hope to find in story books. It has suspense, humour and good characterization, and is remarkable for the soundness of its detail and the clarity with which an intricate plot is unfolded.
Audacious Cotterell is an endearing character whose further activities will surely be the concern of all readers of The Black Ghost.
Librarian note *Children's book by John Newton Chance writing as David C. Newton. The book jacket of the later books lists this as the first book in the series.
175 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1947
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About the author
John Newton Chance
153 books2 followersJohn Newton Chance was born in London in 1911 and educated at a private school there. He went to a Technical College with the intention of becoming a Civil Engineer, but left that to become a Quantity Surveyor. While surveying, he began to write for the BBC, and on his twenty-first birthday gave up all honest work to become a writer. The first novel was published in 1935, was hailed as a masterpiece and, like so many such, grossed more glory than gain. But it established the writer's career, which he has followed ever since with the exception of the four war years. When his war ended, he and his wife came to live in Hampshire where their first son was horn. Seventeen books later a second son arrived, and six books further on, the third came along. Among the books of the time there were a number for children, and the adult stories were published here, in America and on the Continent; some were filmed and a number broadcast.
source: his autobiography Yellow Belly
He would eventually write over 160 books under several names. Pseudonyms used by Chance throughout his career included:
John Lymington, David C. Newton, and Jonathan Chance.
He was also one of the many writers responsible for the 'Sexton Blake' series that spanned decades. Those were written by slates of authors using the same personas to include Desmond Reid and John Drummond among others.
source: his autobiography Yellow Belly
He would eventually write over 160 books under several names. Pseudonyms used by Chance throughout his career included:
John Lymington, David C. Newton, and Jonathan Chance.
He was also one of the many writers responsible for the 'Sexton Blake' series that spanned decades. Those were written by slates of authors using the same personas to include Desmond Reid and John Drummond among others.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 16, 2022
Sources online describe this as a ‘horror’. While it has some spooky elements, it’s really more of a thriller mystery. It’s very interesting and has good action, but it isn’t ‘scary’.
It kind of had Scooby-Doo vibes, though bit more mature.
Readers should consider its time of publishing going into it. It uses the word ‘queer’ a lot, meaning odd or strange, which is fine. It does use the N-word once, though referring to minstrel shows rather than an actual person of colour. Not as bad as it could have been, but still jarring.
Over all it was a great story and had a few twists that I didn’t see coming at all. I found the characters to be very likeable and lively, and the mystery itself was very intriguing and kept me hooked.
It kind of had Scooby-Doo vibes, though bit more mature.
Readers should consider its time of publishing going into it. It uses the word ‘queer’ a lot, meaning odd or strange, which is fine. It does use the N-word once, though referring to minstrel shows rather than an actual person of colour. Not as bad as it could have been, but still jarring.
Over all it was a great story and had a few twists that I didn’t see coming at all. I found the characters to be very likeable and lively, and the mystery itself was very intriguing and kept me hooked.
Displaying 1 of 1 review