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Necropolis
Set in an alternate Victorian London, where Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are not just fictional characters, Basil Copper's Necropolis (1980) is a tale of mystery and intrigue worthy of Arthur Conan Doyle or Wilkie Collins.
Private detective Clyde Beatty, a rival of the great Holmes, has been hired by the lovely Angela Meredith to inquire into her father's suspicious death. As Beatty's investigation unfolds, the danger intensifies: more murders ensue, and attempts are made on his life. It is clear there is more to Mr. Meredith's death than meets the eye, and it may have something to do with the brazen robbery of a fortune in gold bullion. The clues lead Beatty to the eerie Brookwood Cemetery, where fatal secrets lie hidden in the catacombs beneath a city of the dead...
This edition of Copper's chilling Victorian Gothic mystery is the first in more than three decades and includes the original illustrations by Stephen E. Fabian and a new introduction by Stephen Jones.
Private detective Clyde Beatty, a rival of the great Holmes, has been hired by the lovely Angela Meredith to inquire into her father's suspicious death. As Beatty's investigation unfolds, the danger intensifies: more murders ensue, and attempts are made on his life. It is clear there is more to Mr. Meredith's death than meets the eye, and it may have something to do with the brazen robbery of a fortune in gold bullion. The clues lead Beatty to the eerie Brookwood Cemetery, where fatal secrets lie hidden in the catacombs beneath a city of the dead...
This edition of Copper's chilling Victorian Gothic mystery is the first in more than three decades and includes the original illustrations by Stephen E. Fabian and a new introduction by Stephen Jones.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1980
4 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
About the author
Basil Copper
185 books41 followersBasil Copper was an English writer and former journalist and newspaper editor. He has written over 50 books and scripts. In addition to fantasy and horror, Copper is known for his series of Solar Pons stories continuing the character created by August Derleth.
Copper edited a 1982 two-volume omnibus collection of Derleth's stories of the 'Pontine' canon, published by Arkham House, a publishing firm founded by Derleth himself and chiefly publishing weird fiction (such as Cthulhu Mythos tales); in that edition, Copper "edited" most of the tales in ways that many Pontine aficionados found objectionable[citation needed]. A later omnibus, The Original Text Solar Pons Omnibus Edition, was issued in 2000 under the imprint of Mycroft & Moran (a name which is itself a Holmesian jest).
He also wrote the long-running hard-boiled detective stories of "Mike Faraday" (58 novels from 1966 to 1988).
Copper has received many honours in recent years. In 1979, the Mark Twain Society of America elected him a Knight of Mark Twain for his outstanding "contribution to modern fiction", while the Praed Street Irregulars have twice honoured him for his work on the Solar Pons series. He has been a member of the Crime Writer's Association for over thirty years, serving as chairman in 1981/82 and on its committee for a total of seven years.
In early 2008, a bio-bibliography was published on him: Basil Copper: A Life in Books, compiled and edited by Stephen Jones.
In March 2010, Darkness, Mist and Shadow: The Collected Macabre Tales of Basil Copper was launched at the Brighton World Horror Convention as a two-volume set by PS Publishing.
Copper edited a 1982 two-volume omnibus collection of Derleth's stories of the 'Pontine' canon, published by Arkham House, a publishing firm founded by Derleth himself and chiefly publishing weird fiction (such as Cthulhu Mythos tales); in that edition, Copper "edited" most of the tales in ways that many Pontine aficionados found objectionable[citation needed]. A later omnibus, The Original Text Solar Pons Omnibus Edition, was issued in 2000 under the imprint of Mycroft & Moran (a name which is itself a Holmesian jest).
He also wrote the long-running hard-boiled detective stories of "Mike Faraday" (58 novels from 1966 to 1988).
Copper has received many honours in recent years. In 1979, the Mark Twain Society of America elected him a Knight of Mark Twain for his outstanding "contribution to modern fiction", while the Praed Street Irregulars have twice honoured him for his work on the Solar Pons series. He has been a member of the Crime Writer's Association for over thirty years, serving as chairman in 1981/82 and on its committee for a total of seven years.
In early 2008, a bio-bibliography was published on him: Basil Copper: A Life in Books, compiled and edited by Stephen Jones.
In March 2010, Darkness, Mist and Shadow: The Collected Macabre Tales of Basil Copper was launched at the Brighton World Horror Convention as a two-volume set by PS Publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 2, 2008
This could be described as a Sherlock Holmes pastiche with a large dash of gothic horror added. His detective is likeable, the plot is ingenious, and the gothic atmosphere is done very well. It has a 19th century setting, lots of fog, trains and graveyards. In fact it has a graveyard that really could be described as a city of the dead, a gigantic cemetery with its own railway station (which apparently really existed). What more could you want? This is a book to read curled up in front of an open fire with a cup of cocoa and a large block of your favourite chocolate.
July 7, 2014
One of my most enjoyable reading experiences in a while was this 1980 novel by the recently deceased British author Basil Copper. While the enormous graveyard upon which the plot centers would lead you to believe this is a gothic horror novel, it is actually a tremendously entertaining Victorian-set murder mystery/thriller, albeit with plenty of gothic atmosphere. As the back cover of the Valancourt paperback describes the novel, it is a modern novel worthy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Wilkie Collins. In fact, it reads like a collaboration between those two Victorian superstars. I won't give away any of the plot, but will point out that the novel periodically references Sherlock Holmes, treated here as if he were a real person, and much superior to any other private detective in the World, including our protagonist, Inspector Beatty, who sees himself as only average in comparison. It's humorous touches like these, in addition to nicely-drawn characters, believable period detail, rich atmosphere, and an intricate plot worthy of Doyle and/or Collins, that make the novel especially entertaining. Although fairly thick at 325 pages, it's a book you can't put down and in the end feels like a quick read. Copper's reputation has been growing since his death in 2013, and I have to say it's well-deserved, having also read his excellent Lovecraftian science fiction/horror novel, The Great White Space. I'm looking forward to reading more, including his recently republished short fiction and the forthcoming reprint of his horror novel, The House of the Wolf.
November 7, 2015
Good intentions, dry style and poor ending.
Just by mentioning the word 'fog' over and over again you don't create or depict an atmosphere.
The characterisations of the protagonists didn't impress me particularly.
A poor photocopy of Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Can't compare really!
The book has some good background and the author's intentions are admirable starting from the title but the story could have gone a bit farther. The plot is pretty clear half way through, no suspense or guessing till the end.
The unfolding of the story was quite banal and unimpressive. I was expecting the story to be a bit more gruesome or leaning towards the horror/supernatural. A cemetery, fog and graves don't make a book 'gothic'. The mixture here was a bit too silly.
Not recommended.
Just by mentioning the word 'fog' over and over again you don't create or depict an atmosphere.
The characterisations of the protagonists didn't impress me particularly.
A poor photocopy of Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Can't compare really!
The book has some good background and the author's intentions are admirable starting from the title but the story could have gone a bit farther. The plot is pretty clear half way through, no suspense or guessing till the end.
The unfolding of the story was quite banal and unimpressive. I was expecting the story to be a bit more gruesome or leaning towards the horror/supernatural. A cemetery, fog and graves don't make a book 'gothic'. The mixture here was a bit too silly.
Not recommended.
February 21, 2011
The description for this book advertises a mystery in a late-19th century setting - and Basil Copper provides this with an eye for details that tease the senses. Most impressive was his talent for conveying the activity of a scene: horses trotting past, people speaking in undertones, a train lurching forward on its first furnace-ful of coal. I got the sense that Copper did some reading about the period and then made an considerable effort to imagine being there; and while I cannot, obviously, guarantee the accuracy of his description, I can attest to having visited a different place and time while reading this story.
Another strength in Copper's writing: his eye for human action in stressful situations. The protagonist, Clyde Beatty, has your usual assortment of heroic attributes - and with them, real limitations: he experiences fatigue and pain, doubt and anxiety. Crouching behind a gravestone at a twilight hour, he nurses the aches and hurts that he has accumulated throughout his investigation, and counsels himself to be patient, just wait a little longer, and you will prove your theories correct and nail the baddies. One scene still stands out for me: Beatty and a doctor friend are about to conduct an autopsy at a very late hour, and the two agree to first share a drink before a fire; after a few words, each stands with his glass, left to his own thoughts. It was an unexpected quietude, and it gave the scene depth and humanity, and established just how ghastly the autopsy must have been without gory detail.
Copper does fumble with his pronouns, such that there were many times that I had to guess who was looking at/talking to what/whom. And the mystery is quite easy to untangle - especially if you're the type who wants to figure it out first (which I am very much not, so you have some idea just how easy it is to do so). Calling this a "light" read would not be far from the mark - nor should it be considered a negative. For the duration, I visited moody places and met some fine and interesting characters. And for this, I will visit more of Copper's work.
Another strength in Copper's writing: his eye for human action in stressful situations. The protagonist, Clyde Beatty, has your usual assortment of heroic attributes - and with them, real limitations: he experiences fatigue and pain, doubt and anxiety. Crouching behind a gravestone at a twilight hour, he nurses the aches and hurts that he has accumulated throughout his investigation, and counsels himself to be patient, just wait a little longer, and you will prove your theories correct and nail the baddies. One scene still stands out for me: Beatty and a doctor friend are about to conduct an autopsy at a very late hour, and the two agree to first share a drink before a fire; after a few words, each stands with his glass, left to his own thoughts. It was an unexpected quietude, and it gave the scene depth and humanity, and established just how ghastly the autopsy must have been without gory detail.
Copper does fumble with his pronouns, such that there were many times that I had to guess who was looking at/talking to what/whom. And the mystery is quite easy to untangle - especially if you're the type who wants to figure it out first (which I am very much not, so you have some idea just how easy it is to do so). Calling this a "light" read would not be far from the mark - nor should it be considered a negative. For the duration, I visited moody places and met some fine and interesting characters. And for this, I will visit more of Copper's work.
August 6, 2023
I liked the book - didn’t love it - but if I had to read about fog, Beatty’s Roman face, or Angela’s rising bust one more time I was going to scream.
May 19, 2025
Less a mixing of genres than a mashup; halfway through the genre shifts from gothic mystery to just poorly-written mystery. As a result, the book ends on a bad note. The gothic half was simply better. A prolonged and boring chase does not compare to a tense and chilling autopsy in the heart of the necropolis.
November 6, 2022
Victorian London private investigator, Clyde Beatty is visited by a beautiful client, Angela Meredith, whose father has died under mysterious circumstances. Beatty, assisted by his eccentric partner Dottreell, impersonates a doctor to visit the administrator of a suspicious nursing home, Dr. Couchman, a man who had also been Mr. Meredith's physician. Couchman seems rattled by the prospect of an exhumation, yet an exhumation proves no suspicious cause of death.
From here, the novel, published in 1980, takes on a number of Victorian fiction staples - mysterious deaths, sinister cemeteries, misidentified bodies, railway crime - in a Victorian London universe that is shared with Sherlock Holmes. Holmes himself is mentioned peripherally, and Lestrade makes his appearance in the third act, but this is not a Holmes pastiche. It is a Victorian thriller written in a style that is meant to evoke the storytelling of authors such as Wilkie Collins or Richard Marsh.
I thought that too many of the descriptive passages went on far too long, did not add to the gothic-style atmosphere and slowed the pace of the story considerably. Maybe a 3.5 would be more fair, the book did hold my interest, but I never felt that I couldn't put it down.
From here, the novel, published in 1980, takes on a number of Victorian fiction staples - mysterious deaths, sinister cemeteries, misidentified bodies, railway crime - in a Victorian London universe that is shared with Sherlock Holmes. Holmes himself is mentioned peripherally, and Lestrade makes his appearance in the third act, but this is not a Holmes pastiche. It is a Victorian thriller written in a style that is meant to evoke the storytelling of authors such as Wilkie Collins or Richard Marsh.
I thought that too many of the descriptive passages went on far too long, did not add to the gothic-style atmosphere and slowed the pace of the story considerably. Maybe a 3.5 would be more fair, the book did hold my interest, but I never felt that I couldn't put it down.
December 22, 2021
This is my 3rd Copper book, but the first dreadfully dull one - a Sherlock pastiche that I wanted very much to enjoy. I could have overlooked the length, which was 150 pages too long, but not for the main character who was the least interesting in the whole cast. The sidekick is infinitely more valuable than the protagonist: inventor, linguist, fighter, intellectual- in short, everything the main character should have been.
The constant descriptive table-setting and lack of interesting action absolutely scuttled this story. The same descriptions are used repeatedly. There are no red herrings: the guy with a beady stare is always bad; no surprises. The climax was predictable- you get the idea.
Go elsewhere for your Sherlock fix.
The constant descriptive table-setting and lack of interesting action absolutely scuttled this story. The same descriptions are used repeatedly. There are no red herrings: the guy with a beady stare is always bad; no surprises. The climax was predictable- you get the idea.
Go elsewhere for your Sherlock fix.
July 29, 2017
An unexpected delight. It was an old-ish book (1980) discarded from our library...I've had it a while but never got around to it...."a novel of gothic mystery" on the cover had me thinking Dark Shadows--not that I didn't watch it as a child--but wasn't interested in what looked like a vampire in a cemetery on the cover. I finally got serious about it and started reading...I love books with many many short chapters and this one fit the bill. After the first couple chapters I realized it was a Victorian detective mystery and I was hooked. Inspector Lestrade even makes an appearance and the Almighty SH is mentioned as a contemporary. Great writing, great mystery...I really enjoyed it....and its an Arkham House Publication--good enough for me! I was also pleased to find that the author Basil Copper took over the Solar Pons mysteries from August Derleth....names from my childhood.Too bad Basil Copper didn't write more Clyde Beatty mysteries.
July 17, 2023
The answer to the mystery is so telegraphed that the book bogs down in an effort just to let it play out. Oddly, Copper seems to gloss over the most interesting sequences of action and quasi-horror, instead spending his time fleshing out the mundane.
March 22, 2016
Thanks to a busy workload over the past few months, I’m way behind in my blogging on a variety of topics! I thought I’d start catching up first on my backlog of weird fiction, as I’ve been reading an immense amount in my evenings.
A few months ago I blogged about The Great White Space (1974), a novel by author Basil Copper, recently reprinted by Valancourt Books. Basil Copper (1924-2013) was a stunningly prolific writer who penned a variety of novels and short stories in both detective and horror fiction. The Great White Space is Copper’s take on Lovecraftian cosmic horror, and I really enjoyed it; this, of course, led me to wonder if the rest of his work is just as good.
Fortunately, Valancourt Books has also released another of Copper’s novels, the compellingly-titled detective story Necropolis (1980).
But I didn’t stop there — I also scared up one of Copper’s out-of-print books, the horror novel Into the Silence (1983).
Read the whole review.
A few months ago I blogged about The Great White Space (1974), a novel by author Basil Copper, recently reprinted by Valancourt Books. Basil Copper (1924-2013) was a stunningly prolific writer who penned a variety of novels and short stories in both detective and horror fiction. The Great White Space is Copper’s take on Lovecraftian cosmic horror, and I really enjoyed it; this, of course, led me to wonder if the rest of his work is just as good.
Fortunately, Valancourt Books has also released another of Copper’s novels, the compellingly-titled detective story Necropolis (1980).
But I didn’t stop there — I also scared up one of Copper’s out-of-print books, the horror novel Into the Silence (1983).
Read the whole review.
August 15, 2020
A Gaslight pulp adventure in which a private investigator must tackle mysterious deaths, bullion robberies and a funeral train that chugs to a veritable cemetery town, how could this have gone so wrong? Through shamelessly predictable plotting that offers no surprises from start to end, papier-mâché characters that are not even entertaining archetypes, a most unappetizing romance element shoved in and a style of description so clichéd and unsubtle it would make schoolboys wince. The audacious references to Sherlock Holmes only added insult to injury. I am a big fan of Golden Age sleuthing and boys' adventure stories, but this one was irredeemably bad. This was my first Basil Copper novel (I may have read some of his short stories but none comes to mind right now) and I must say Mr. Copper comes across as a hack, more brass than gold.
December 30, 2014
A thoroughly entertaining gothic thriller,a likeable protaganist in Clyde Beatty,a clever plot,dastardly villains and plenty of fog.Outstanding and highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews