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Reggie Fortune
Mr. Fortune, Please
As successors to Sherlock Holmes there are no more than a handful of detectives in the great tradition. Mr Reginald Fortune is certainly one of them. Mr Fortune, attached in a loose sort of way to the Home Office and Scotland Yard, is utterly independent, utterly fearless, and with a cold astuteness belied by his cherubic appearance. His speciality is medicine, although he does not practice, but for expert opinions on such matters as recently deceased bodies, the more difficult poisons and the like, the Yard would be hard pressed to do without him. Mr Fortune, Please is the fourth of his casebooks and includes six ingenious, bizarre and murderous crimes which Reggie investigates through minute and forensic, scientific detection.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Henry Christopher Bailey was an English crime novelist and one of the Big Five writers of detective fictions in the ‘Golden Age’ which also included Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, R. Austin Freeman and Freeman Wills Crofts. Hugely popular at the time and adored by critics he is today unjustly rather forgotten. This was at least partly due to tortuous issues regarding his literary estate. His best-known creation was the plump and drawling Reginald Fortune. The medically trained ‘Mr Fortune’ was a scientific adviser to Scotland Yard’s Criminal Investigation Department and starred in twenty-two novels and short story collections. Much praised for his puzzles and characterisation, the Mr Fortune stories have echoes of Lord Peter Wimsey but are much darker, tackling subjects not touched upon by other major writers, including police corruption and murderous obsession. Bailey’s other series character was Joshua Clunk, a sanctimonious lawyer who exposes corruption and blackmail but also manages to profit from the crimes he investigates. H.C. Bailey died in 1961.
PRAISE FOR H.C. BAILEY’S ‘MR FORTUNE’
‘Fortune is a super sleuth who solves problems that are too much for Scotland Yard’
New York Times
‘The most engaging detective of fiction’
The Observer
‘Clever and entertaining’
Boston Transcript
‘Mr Fortune is not only brilliant but lovable’
New York Times
‘The most engaging detective invented since Sherlock Holmes’
Alexander Woolcott, The New Yorker
‘Brilliant… his plots have an immense and admirable ingenuity’
Times Literary Supplement
‘It is difficult to find in modern detection, puzzles more elaborately conceived and mystifying’
Howard Haycroft
‘Mr Bailey is always readable’
New Statesman
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Henry Christopher Bailey was an English crime novelist and one of the Big Five writers of detective fictions in the ‘Golden Age’ which also included Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, R. Austin Freeman and Freeman Wills Crofts. Hugely popular at the time and adored by critics he is today unjustly rather forgotten. This was at least partly due to tortuous issues regarding his literary estate. His best-known creation was the plump and drawling Reginald Fortune. The medically trained ‘Mr Fortune’ was a scientific adviser to Scotland Yard’s Criminal Investigation Department and starred in twenty-two novels and short story collections. Much praised for his puzzles and characterisation, the Mr Fortune stories have echoes of Lord Peter Wimsey but are much darker, tackling subjects not touched upon by other major writers, including police corruption and murderous obsession. Bailey’s other series character was Joshua Clunk, a sanctimonious lawyer who exposes corruption and blackmail but also manages to profit from the crimes he investigates. H.C. Bailey died in 1961.
PRAISE FOR H.C. BAILEY’S ‘MR FORTUNE’
‘Fortune is a super sleuth who solves problems that are too much for Scotland Yard’
New York Times
‘The most engaging detective of fiction’
The Observer
‘Clever and entertaining’
Boston Transcript
‘Mr Fortune is not only brilliant but lovable’
New York Times
‘The most engaging detective invented since Sherlock Holmes’
Alexander Woolcott, The New Yorker
‘Brilliant… his plots have an immense and admirable ingenuity’
Times Literary Supplement
‘It is difficult to find in modern detection, puzzles more elaborately conceived and mystifying’
Howard Haycroft
‘Mr Bailey is always readable’
New Statesman
- GenresMysteryShort Stories
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First published February 1, 1927
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About the author
H.C. Bailey
144 books16 followersHenry Christopher Bailey (1878 – 1961) was an English author of detective fiction. Bailey wrote mainly short stories featuring a medically-qualified detective called Reggie Fortune. Fortune's mannerisms and speech put him into the same class as Lord Peter Wimsey but the stories are much darker, and often involve murderous obsession, police corruption, financial skulduggery, child abuse and miscarriages of justice. Although Mr Fortune is seen at his best in short stories, he also appears in several novels.
A second series character, Josiah Clunk, is a sanctimonious lawyer who exposes corruption and blackmail in local politics, and who manages to profit from the crimes. He appears in eleven novels published between 1930 and 1950, including The Sullen Sky Mystery (1935), widely regarded as Bailey's magnum opus.
A second series character, Josiah Clunk, is a sanctimonious lawyer who exposes corruption and blackmail in local politics, and who manages to profit from the crimes. He appears in eleven novels published between 1930 and 1950, including The Sullen Sky Mystery (1935), widely regarded as Bailey's magnum opus.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 20, 2024
Bumpy ride…
This is a collection of six stories featuring Reggie Fortune, another in the long line of consulting detectives who help out when the police can’t solve their cases. Reggie is not exactly an amateur detective, though – he’s a medically-qualified forensic expert who also happens to have an intuitive knowledge of human nature. Bailey uses a particularly stylised and dated form of writing, especially in the dialogue which tends to read a bit like Wodehouse without the laughs. It’s a style that people tend to either like or hate – fortunately, I fall into the like camp, for the most part. In general, I’ve previously found his stories varied, with many of them lacking much substance in either the characterisation or plots. However, every now and then Bailey seems to get fired up with outrage over some form of social injustice, and then the stories become powerful and hard-hitting. These stories make him well worth reading despite the descent into humdrum in others.
The stories in this collection are quite typical, ranging from pretty so-so to excellent. Since there are only six, here’s a brief summary of each:
The Missing Husband – Reggie is recuperating after his last case when his friend and colleague Inspector Lomas calls on him. Lomas tells him of a case concerning a missing husband. Julian Brase hasn’t been seen for a week, and his wife keeps giving conflicting versions of where he’s gone. She’s not ‘county’, so naturally her neighbours and the police suspect her of being up to no good. But when Brase’s body is found in the woods, Reggie does some nifty detection that casts a different light on the matter. 4 stars.
The Cat Burglar – a rash of cat burglaries is happening and the police seem to be getting nowhere with their investigation, so Reggie gets called in. There’s an interesting twist in this one, though I felt it was too well signalled – if I spotted it, it must be easy to spot! 3½ stars.
The Lion Party – another cat burglar, who has stolen a valuable emerald. This time, however, Reggie is actually present at a house party in another house when the thief strikes again. The moral of the story is – never commit a crime when a famous detective is in the house! I found this story rather odd and unsatisfying, and not very exciting. 3 stars.
The Violet Farm – Inspector Lomas turns to Reggie when his cousin gets involved in trouble. The cousin and her friend have given up London life and gone to live in the country, playing at being artists and growing violets badly. Then the cousin is injured and her friend and her apparent boyfriend are arrested. But Reggie works out that all is not as it seems. A rather silly story, but I enjoyed the characterisation of the cousin and her friend, which lifted my rating. 4 stars.
The Quiet Lady – When a man is poisoned, all the evidence points to his housekeeper, who is also a relative of the dead man. However, Reggie finds a different solution. Dear me, this one has possibly the silliest motive I’ve ever come across and I couldn’t find any redeeming features in the characterisation this time. 2 stars.
The Little House – Reggie is sucked into what seems like a trivial case of a missing kitten, but it soon turns into a much more serious look at sadism and child cruelty. This is when Bailey is at his crusading best, his anger at injustice seeming to lift his writing and making Reggie into a much more serious character than in some of the other stories. This story appeared in the BL’s Capital Crimes collection years ago and was my first introduction to Bailey and Fortune, and I’m pretty sure it’s the residual impact of it that makes me still admire them despite everything. 5 stars.
So a pretty mixed collection. Reggie Fortune isn’t for everyone and I understand why, but I find the occasional outstanding story makes it worth ploughing through the rest.
This is a collection of six stories featuring Reggie Fortune, another in the long line of consulting detectives who help out when the police can’t solve their cases. Reggie is not exactly an amateur detective, though – he’s a medically-qualified forensic expert who also happens to have an intuitive knowledge of human nature. Bailey uses a particularly stylised and dated form of writing, especially in the dialogue which tends to read a bit like Wodehouse without the laughs. It’s a style that people tend to either like or hate – fortunately, I fall into the like camp, for the most part. In general, I’ve previously found his stories varied, with many of them lacking much substance in either the characterisation or plots. However, every now and then Bailey seems to get fired up with outrage over some form of social injustice, and then the stories become powerful and hard-hitting. These stories make him well worth reading despite the descent into humdrum in others.
The stories in this collection are quite typical, ranging from pretty so-so to excellent. Since there are only six, here’s a brief summary of each:
The Missing Husband – Reggie is recuperating after his last case when his friend and colleague Inspector Lomas calls on him. Lomas tells him of a case concerning a missing husband. Julian Brase hasn’t been seen for a week, and his wife keeps giving conflicting versions of where he’s gone. She’s not ‘county’, so naturally her neighbours and the police suspect her of being up to no good. But when Brase’s body is found in the woods, Reggie does some nifty detection that casts a different light on the matter. 4 stars.
The Cat Burglar – a rash of cat burglaries is happening and the police seem to be getting nowhere with their investigation, so Reggie gets called in. There’s an interesting twist in this one, though I felt it was too well signalled – if I spotted it, it must be easy to spot! 3½ stars.
The Lion Party – another cat burglar, who has stolen a valuable emerald. This time, however, Reggie is actually present at a house party in another house when the thief strikes again. The moral of the story is – never commit a crime when a famous detective is in the house! I found this story rather odd and unsatisfying, and not very exciting. 3 stars.
The Violet Farm – Inspector Lomas turns to Reggie when his cousin gets involved in trouble. The cousin and her friend have given up London life and gone to live in the country, playing at being artists and growing violets badly. Then the cousin is injured and her friend and her apparent boyfriend are arrested. But Reggie works out that all is not as it seems. A rather silly story, but I enjoyed the characterisation of the cousin and her friend, which lifted my rating. 4 stars.
The Quiet Lady – When a man is poisoned, all the evidence points to his housekeeper, who is also a relative of the dead man. However, Reggie finds a different solution. Dear me, this one has possibly the silliest motive I’ve ever come across and I couldn’t find any redeeming features in the characterisation this time. 2 stars.
The Little House – Reggie is sucked into what seems like a trivial case of a missing kitten, but it soon turns into a much more serious look at sadism and child cruelty. This is when Bailey is at his crusading best, his anger at injustice seeming to lift his writing and making Reggie into a much more serious character than in some of the other stories. This story appeared in the BL’s Capital Crimes collection years ago and was my first introduction to Bailey and Fortune, and I’m pretty sure it’s the residual impact of it that makes me still admire them despite everything. 5 stars.
So a pretty mixed collection. Reggie Fortune isn’t for everyone and I understand why, but I find the occasional outstanding story makes it worth ploughing through the rest.
August 3, 2024
I read this for Caroline's Green Penguin Reads on Shedunnit. I liked the mysteries, but I didn't really like the style and found there wasn't enough characterisation to really relate to any of the characters.
Is Mr Fortune a Campion wannabe, or the other way around?
First Mr Fortune stories, 1920. The Crime at Black Dudley, 1929. So Mr Fortune came first, but (in my opinion) Allingham did it better.
Is Mr Fortune a Campion wannabe, or the other way around?
First Mr Fortune stories, 1920. The Crime at Black Dudley, 1929. So Mr Fortune came first, but (in my opinion) Allingham did it better.
July 18, 2025
I love the way Bailey turns a phrase, and the last two stories were particularly good - fair play, but twisty.
August 9, 2024
I read the edition on Archive.org.
Much as I love Golden Age crime, I didn't warm to this author's style, nor the characters. I read it for a Shedunnit Green Penguin Bookclub episode.
Much as I love Golden Age crime, I didn't warm to this author's style, nor the characters. I read it for a Shedunnit Green Penguin Bookclub episode.
August 12, 2024
Contrary to some of the other reviews, it is precisely the style of the writing that draws me to these stories. From the very first story, my breath was taken away by the precision and conciseness of the writing. He says so much with so few words, that you have to pay attention and focus, and that (to me) makes good writing. The characteristics of Mr. Fortune are a little difficult to pin down -- he is neither thin nor fat, tall nor short, he has a fairly bland face, he loves to eat and to sleep, but has boundless reserves of energy when they are required. He isn't nervy, he isn't pompous, he isn't jolly. He dresses well but is not fussy about it. He notices everything, like Sherlock Holmes, but he doesn't make a display of it, nor make fun of people who missed an important detail. He is interested in everything, but only an expert in medicine. He is forthright, and serves justice, not mercy or sentiment.
In all but the first couple of stories published (not in this book) he is a medical consultant to Scotland Yard. His medical training is such that in England he is called Mr. instead of Dr. It's hard to see from the stories how he makes any money, but he is doing quite well apparently.
I admit that the plots may not be brilliantly original (but we also have to remember that he wrote early in the Golden Age). Some of the plot points would have been new to readers at the time, but are now commonplace, like finding which gun fired a bullet. He might have been the first to write, for example, about someone who was so mean and miserable that they committed suicide not to relieve themselves from suffering, but to get someone else hanged. It has been done often since, so it will not seem original to a new reader.
The real revelation, anyway, is not the plots or even the character of Mr. Fortune, but the writing, and if you can't enjoy that, you will not enjoy these stories.
In all but the first couple of stories published (not in this book) he is a medical consultant to Scotland Yard. His medical training is such that in England he is called Mr. instead of Dr. It's hard to see from the stories how he makes any money, but he is doing quite well apparently.
I admit that the plots may not be brilliantly original (but we also have to remember that he wrote early in the Golden Age). Some of the plot points would have been new to readers at the time, but are now commonplace, like finding which gun fired a bullet. He might have been the first to write, for example, about someone who was so mean and miserable that they committed suicide not to relieve themselves from suffering, but to get someone else hanged. It has been done often since, so it will not seem original to a new reader.
The real revelation, anyway, is not the plots or even the character of Mr. Fortune, but the writing, and if you can't enjoy that, you will not enjoy these stories.
August 11, 2024
An odd mixed bag of stories, ranging from the annoyingly bantering to the gripping. Not sure if they’re truly ‘fair play’
June 15, 2011
Medical consultant to the police and force for justice, Reginald Fortune appears in these six longish stories at the top of his form. Fortune sees what the police often overlook, which means he considers the evidence rather than assumptions, no matter how improbable things are. From the horrors of "The Quiet House" to the confusing mess of "The Violet Farm," Fortune and his usual foil, CID Head Sidney Lomas are able to help the innocent and helpless.
July 8, 2018
This is 1 of 100 books mentioned in Martin Edwards forth coming book - The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books and also the reason why I read this book of short stories (titles listed below). Published by Methuen in 1928 and also contained within Mr. Fortune's Case Book published by Methuen in 1936 (omnibus of his first 4 books). Ordinarily I wouldn't have read a Reggie Fortune book as he extremely irritating character that speaks in riddles or in a very silly ass kind of way - to the extent that even some of the other characters in the stories are lost or just ignore him. My own belief is that this mannered/styled kind of speech and descriptions comes from Bailey's journalist (newspaper) background and what was a fashionable type of speech & humour around the 1920s - as he was extremely popular during the the 20s & 30s and which lessened off in the 40s. However Bailey's stories are a part of the story of classical crime and Reggie Fortune was a major fictional hero - looking at the stories in a more positive light - many of the stories tackle issues that are seldom tackled by other major writers of the time - in this book for example - police corruption is dealt with in The Cat Burglar and child abuse in The Little House. In my opinion many of the stories would be very readable for modern day readers had Bailey stuck to a style of speech that wouldn't age quickly as the general storylines and plots are relatively good. However, much of what Reggie says and the way he says it sounds silly or virtually nonsense - so much so that the reader can be easily distracted and frustrated. Bailey's short stories are much better consumed in an anthology such the British Library Crime Classic series. I would give this book 5 out of 10.
The Missing Husband
The Cat Burglar
The Lion Party
The Violet Farm
The Quiet Lady
The Little House
The Missing Husband
The Cat Burglar
The Lion Party
The Violet Farm
The Quiet Lady
The Little House
December 10, 2024
Reginald Fortune is not the best Golden Age detective I’ve encountered, but he has some fun qualities. Fortune works on a casual basis for Scotland Yard, helping investigate suspicious deaths and jewel robberies. The people who work with him think “he has a queer power of divining the people behind facts, a sort of sixth sense” while he thinks of himself as “ordinary, [so] anything which isn’t ordinary disturbs him” (206). These short stories are almost entirely devoid of setting and they are told almost completely in dialogue. But the occasional twist is refreshing; my favorite was “Case 6 The Little House,” in which a missing kitten points to a much darker problem.
December 28, 2024
Despite its reputation as a classic of detective fiction, H.C. Bailey's MR. FORTUNE, PLEASE failed to fully capture my attention as I had hoped it would. While Bailey's medical detective Reggie Fortune has an intriguing premise as a character, I found the execution somewhat lacking in the spark that makes other Golden Age detectives so memorable. The cases themselves tend to meander, lacking the crisp pacing that usually keeps me engaged in mystery fiction. Though I can appreciate Bailey's contribution to the genre, this particular collection didn't resonate with me the way I expected it would.
July 14, 2024
I so much enjoy Mr Fortune.
I’ve read stories of his for a long time in anthologies. I don’t know that if I thought a long time I couldn’t punch holes in his ‘scientific reasoning’ but I don’t like violence, cruelty, fighting….these stories while not a female modern American cozy are in some senses cozies. And I really enjoy them.
I’ve read stories of his for a long time in anthologies. I don’t know that if I thought a long time I couldn’t punch holes in his ‘scientific reasoning’ but I don’t like violence, cruelty, fighting….these stories while not a female modern American cozy are in some senses cozies. And I really enjoy them.
August 14, 2024
I read this as part of Caroline's reading of all the Green Penguins for Shedunnit.
I didn't like this book at all - flat characters and uninteresting stories. None of it felt real to me in any way. As for Mr Fortune's endlessly dreamy eyes, spare me.
I didn't like this book at all - flat characters and uninteresting stories. None of it felt real to me in any way. As for Mr Fortune's endlessly dreamy eyes, spare me.
August 13, 2024
These were good stories, carefully structured and plotted. The writing style is not the easiest the read so my score would more accurately be 3.5, but still it was enjoyable.
Want to read
May 11, 2025Synopsis: Reginald Fortune, whose specialty is forensic medicine and poison, works closely with Scotland Yard. Here we have 6 of his cases.
May 10, 2014
Thoroughly enjoyable period crime.
September 28, 2015
I wish to re-read this book, because the first time I read it didn't catch my liking too much (^^;)>
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews