What Immortal Hand

by James Curtis

The final novel of Curtis' pre-war run of London noir. A seventeen year gap followed between this and his final novel.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1939

About the author

British author best known for his novels They Drive By Night and There Ain't No Justice, both of which were made into feature films.

James Curtis was born Geoffrey Basil Maiden, in Sturry, Kent. Curtis' parents were hoteliers in India as well as later in England, where Curtis attended The King's School, Canterbury. In 1934, he appeared in two films, Manhattan Melodrama and Fugitive Lady, in uncredited roles. He soon adopted the pseudonym of James Curtis and began a career as an author.

Curtis used his plots to highlight the unfairness of society and dearth of opportunity that often led people to break the law in straitened times. He was forced to stop writing at the outbreak of World War II during which he went on to tour France and Burma, and rose to the rank of Major. After the war, his marriage failed and his literary momentum never recovered, though he published one final novel in the 1950s.

In 2007, London Books republished his 1936 novel, The Gilt Kid and in 2008 They Drive By Night, as part of their London Classics series.