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Bulldog Drummond #2
The Black Gang
Edward Blackton stares across the crystal waters of Lake Geneva, dreaming of a score big enough to transform him from mere criminal genius to world-dominating mastermind. His recent audience with two panicked representatives of an international diamond cartel may be his big chance. A British professor has perfected the cheap manufacture of precious stones, endangering the very existence of the diamond industry. To safeguard the cartel’s millions, Blackton will make the professor see reason—or send him to his grave.
Bulldog Drummond is a British detective, created by H.C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". After an unsuccessful one-off appearance as a policeman in The Strand Magazine, the character was reworked by McNeile into a gentleman adventurer for his 1920 novel Bulldog Drummond. McNeile went on to write ten Drummond novels, four short stories, four stage plays and a screenplay before his death in 1937. The stories were continued by his friend Gerard Fairlie between 1938 and 1954; further books were published in the 1960s and one in 1983.
Herman Cyril McNeile, MC (28 September 1888 – 14 August 1937), commonly known as Cyril McNeile and publishing under the name H.C. McNeile or the pseudonym Sapper, was a British soldier and author. Drawing on his experiences in the trenches during the First World War, he started writing short stories and getting them published in the Daily Mail. As serving officers in the British Army were not permitted to publish under their own names, he was given the pen name "Sapper" by Lord Northcliffe, the owner of the Daily Mail; the nickname was based on that of his corps, the Royal Engineers.
Bulldog Drummond is a British detective, created by H.C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". After an unsuccessful one-off appearance as a policeman in The Strand Magazine, the character was reworked by McNeile into a gentleman adventurer for his 1920 novel Bulldog Drummond. McNeile went on to write ten Drummond novels, four short stories, four stage plays and a screenplay before his death in 1937. The stories were continued by his friend Gerard Fairlie between 1938 and 1954; further books were published in the 1960s and one in 1983.
Herman Cyril McNeile, MC (28 September 1888 – 14 August 1937), commonly known as Cyril McNeile and publishing under the name H.C. McNeile or the pseudonym Sapper, was a British soldier and author. Drawing on his experiences in the trenches during the First World War, he started writing short stories and getting them published in the Daily Mail. As serving officers in the British Army were not permitted to publish under their own names, he was given the pen name "Sapper" by Lord Northcliffe, the owner of the Daily Mail; the nickname was based on that of his corps, the Royal Engineers.
373 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1922
71 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
About the author
Sapper
258 books37 followersSapper was the pseudonym of Herman Cyril McNeile, whose father was Malcolm McNeile, a Captain in the Royal Navy and, at who was at the time, governor of the naval prison at Bodmin, the town where Herman was born.
McNeile was educated at Cheltenham College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1907. He went to France in 1914 when World War I broke out and he saw action at both the First and the Second Battle of Ypres where he displayed considerable bravery, was awarded the Military Cross and was mentioned in dispatches.
His first known published work was a series of short war stories based on his own experiences, and published under the name 'Sapper' in the Daily Mail and in the magazine 'The War Illustrated'.
These stories were immediately successful and later sold over 200,000 copies within a year when subsequently republished in book-form. His realistic writing proved most popular at a time of great stress and Lord Northcliff, the owner of the Daily Mail who recognised his talent, was so impressed by that he attempted, but failed, to have McNeile released from the army so he could work as a war correspondent.
After the War was over, in 1919, McNeile resigned from the army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and became a full-time author, publishing his first novel, Mufti, in that year.
In 1922, he moved to Sussex and lived there for the rest of his life, having married Peggy Baird-Douglas with whom he had two sons.
He began the series for which he now best remembered, that of Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond in 1920 and thereafter he wrote 10 novels featuring his eponymous hero. The public took to Drummond and McNeile had great financial success.
The first book was adapted for the stage and produced, to great success, at Wyndham's Theatre during the 1921-1922 season with Gerald du Maurier playing the main character. Films followed and the first talkie BullDog Drummond film in 1922 was reputed to have earned McNeile the vast sum of $750,000. There were 26 films made of his books.
As well as Drummond, he wrote about Ronald Standish but the majority of his work was short stories that were published in various popular monthly magazines and continued to earn him good money. Indeed, in addition to his novels, many of his books were short story collections.
He was reputedly an unremittingly hearty man, who even his good friend and collaborator Gerard Fairlie, who continued the Drummond series after McNeile's death with seven further books, described as "not everybody's cup of tea". He died on August 14, 1937 at his home in Pulborough, West Sussex.
His funeral, with full military honours, took place at Woking crematorium.
Gerry Wolstenholme
May 2010
McNeile was educated at Cheltenham College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1907. He went to France in 1914 when World War I broke out and he saw action at both the First and the Second Battle of Ypres where he displayed considerable bravery, was awarded the Military Cross and was mentioned in dispatches.
His first known published work was a series of short war stories based on his own experiences, and published under the name 'Sapper' in the Daily Mail and in the magazine 'The War Illustrated'.
These stories were immediately successful and later sold over 200,000 copies within a year when subsequently republished in book-form. His realistic writing proved most popular at a time of great stress and Lord Northcliff, the owner of the Daily Mail who recognised his talent, was so impressed by that he attempted, but failed, to have McNeile released from the army so he could work as a war correspondent.
After the War was over, in 1919, McNeile resigned from the army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and became a full-time author, publishing his first novel, Mufti, in that year.
In 1922, he moved to Sussex and lived there for the rest of his life, having married Peggy Baird-Douglas with whom he had two sons.
He began the series for which he now best remembered, that of Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond in 1920 and thereafter he wrote 10 novels featuring his eponymous hero. The public took to Drummond and McNeile had great financial success.
The first book was adapted for the stage and produced, to great success, at Wyndham's Theatre during the 1921-1922 season with Gerald du Maurier playing the main character. Films followed and the first talkie BullDog Drummond film in 1922 was reputed to have earned McNeile the vast sum of $750,000. There were 26 films made of his books.
As well as Drummond, he wrote about Ronald Standish but the majority of his work was short stories that were published in various popular monthly magazines and continued to earn him good money. Indeed, in addition to his novels, many of his books were short story collections.
He was reputedly an unremittingly hearty man, who even his good friend and collaborator Gerard Fairlie, who continued the Drummond series after McNeile's death with seven further books, described as "not everybody's cup of tea". He died on August 14, 1937 at his home in Pulborough, West Sussex.
His funeral, with full military honours, took place at Woking crematorium.
Gerry Wolstenholme
May 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 16, 2024
There is an organised and well-financed conspiracy to preach Bolshevism in England and most manufacturing towns in the country had a branch therein. In an attempt to discover who was the leader and to wipe out the organisation The Black Gang was formed with a huge, ugly man as its leader. His name was kept secret but it became clear to the inner circle that he was Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond.
Drummond visits The Ritz and notices a couple of characters who he feels that he knows, one of them seemingly a vicar. Careful study of the features and characteristics of the vicar convinces Drummond that he is none other than his arch enemy Carl Peterson in disguise. And his lady companion is another former opponent, Irma.
A game of cat and mouse follows, with neither revealing what they know of the other. A series of high speed chases, subterfuge moves and various killings follow as Drummond tries desperately to bring Peterson and his cohorts to justice.
He very nearly loses his life, and also his wife Phyllis, who is there to assist him, before he finally nails the gang, either killing them off in an exciting climax or arranging their arrest by his police colleagues. However, somehow Peterson and Irma manage to escape and live to renew their battle with Bulldog Drummond another day.
Drummond visits The Ritz and notices a couple of characters who he feels that he knows, one of them seemingly a vicar. Careful study of the features and characteristics of the vicar convinces Drummond that he is none other than his arch enemy Carl Peterson in disguise. And his lady companion is another former opponent, Irma.
A game of cat and mouse follows, with neither revealing what they know of the other. A series of high speed chases, subterfuge moves and various killings follow as Drummond tries desperately to bring Peterson and his cohorts to justice.
He very nearly loses his life, and also his wife Phyllis, who is there to assist him, before he finally nails the gang, either killing them off in an exciting climax or arranging their arrest by his police colleagues. However, somehow Peterson and Irma manage to escape and live to renew their battle with Bulldog Drummond another day.
March 27, 2014
What ho! Those dastardly foreigners want to turn jolly old England into a commie state and that bounder Carl Peterson has reared his ugly head again, good job those mysterious fellows "the black gang" seem to have everything in hand, especially that big chappy their leader, good old Drummond!
Drummond here has found his calling in life and has got things more organised than in the first book, where he blundered about more, but he is still very much the same character and once again the story provides as many laughs as thrills.
June 6, 2015
Read aloud to the same audience as the first one, a year and a half later. :D It was grand.
December 8, 2016
If you want a good crime/fiction, adventure/story without gratuitous sex, Bulldog Drummond is for you. I like it! He's a 'clean' James Bond. Lots of humor and funny situations, but actual nail-biting adventure as well. Throw back to the days before animation when actors did their own stunts--that's what this series is like. Bulldog Drummond is a bored ex-soldier who still wants to aid King and Country, so he goes undercover as a rogue in The Black Gang. It's a great ride!
July 19, 2011
More Bulldog Drummond.
May 6, 2011
I am enjoying this book.
"No—I am not. I am not the police, you wretched thing: I am the leader of the Black Gang."
This was a good story although modern readers should be aware that it contains some antisemitic passages.
"No—I am not. I am not the police, you wretched thing: I am the leader of the Black Gang."
This was a good story although modern readers should be aware that it contains some antisemitic passages.
August 20, 2020
Imagine trying to explain the plot of The Black Gang to a person with a sketchy knowledge of early twentieth century history. It is a book written in the 1920s about a secret gang that works outside the law, rounding up left-wing agitators. The gang has a particular hatred for foreigners and Jews, and they make sure that prominent enemies ‘disappear’.
“Ah,” says the friend thoughtfully, “It’s a book about the SS in Germany.” I shake my head, and explain that the organisation, named after the black outfits they wear, are not Germans. “Then you must be talking about Mussolini’s blackshirts,” interrupts my friend. I again shake my head, and explain that this book is set in Britain and deals with the beloved English hero and leader of the gang, Bulldog Drummond.
If the politics of Bulldog Drummond, the first book to feature Sapper’s eponymous hero, were dubious, then they are nothing compared to The Black Gang, a sequel that leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Once more Drummond does battle with his arch-nemesis, Peterson, and a number of dubious ideas are cloaked in a veil of frivolous badinage.
I said in my review of Bulldog Drummond that our hero treats the whole adventure as a bit of sport. This is true, though to a slightly lesser degree, in The Black Gang. Drummond takes an amused pleasure in rounding up and intimidating left-wing agitators, and his Wooster-esque language prevents us from taking him too seriously.
The extent to which Drummond treats this as some kind of upper-class game is shown in a scene where Drummond has a conversation with a nasty Russian operative, and it ends with Drummond applying a little corporal punishment to his enemy. He could kill Zaboleff or seek information from him, but he would rather treat Johnny Foreigner to a good kick in the pants.
At the end of the book Drummond agrees to dismantle the gang when the game is up, but he considers doing so earlier because his feeble enemies are no longer affording him any fun. What makes the difference is the presence of another master player, Carl Peterson, which increases the challenge for Drummond.
Peterson is a ruthless operator who seeks to undermine British labour to help his foreign business friends. However he is also essentially a game player, albeit one who plays by different rules than Drummond. We see this on more than one occasion where Peterson could easily have killed his enemy, but instead wastes time with more elaborate plans that give Drummond time to escape.
It is hard not to scoff at these two doltish antagonists who could have ended their duel of wits (such as they are) a lot sooner. This would not be as bad if there was not a risk to the lives of other people involved here. The longer Peterson stays alive, the more innocent people he can kill. However, Drummond never has to worry about making any great sacrifices, as his friends remain safe throughout.
There are only two moments when the gravity of the situation seems to hit home with Drummond. The first is when his burglar ally is murdered by a bomb thrown by one of Peterson’s lackeys. Drummond is annoyed by this, but does not spend too much time grieving the death of his crooked friend.
The second occasion is a rare serious moment where Peterson intends to murder Drummond’s wife in a brutal manner. When Drummond gets the upper hand, he nearly chokes the life out of Peterson and his wife has to intervene. At no point during either incident however is there any sense that Drummond’s schoolboy adventurism may be putting his loved ones at risk, and this is not a factor in his decision to disband the Black Gang. We can be sure that in the next book he will be taking on a new sporting adventure with the same cheerful disregard of the potential cost to those around him.
Insofar as Sapper has any serious intent, it is to expose the evils of Bolshevism. Sapper was disgusted by the murder of the Tsarist royal family, and this is alluded to in the book. Of course Sapper sees the issue in black and white, as he always does. The murder of the royal family was certainly an ugly affair, but the Tsar was no benign leader, and he presided over a cruel and authoritarian state.
When we look at the characteristics that Sapper applies to his left-wing enemies, we hear the same tired stereotypes that are used by conservatives today. We are told that they are envious of the rich, told this by people who have no understanding of want, and who have more money than they can ever hope to spend. We are told that left-wing people have poor hygiene, this by people who have never lacked access to instant hot and clean water. We are told that left-wing working-class supporters are money-obsessed, this coming from people who never had to worry about feeding or clothing their families.
Indeed I find it hard to believe that Sapper spent any time in the company of people with left-wing values. He seems determined to hold onto his pristine prejudices in which everybody who wishes to change society is actuated by vile or selfish motives. This demonising of his enemies ensures that the reader is never allowed to sympathise with any other viewpoint than that of Sapper's proto-fascist bully hero. You do not have to be a socialist to find Sapper’s presentation of the issues unfair or repugnant.
Worst of all, the left-wing agitators include a good many foreigners and Jews, something that is anathema to the jingoistic Drummond. Indeed the whole movement may be funded by foreigners who want to see Britain weakened economically. Sapper makes a good deal of the ‘foreign’ nature of many of Drummond’s enemies. In one scene Drummond is more anxious to get his hands on Fritz, the German man who tries to murder him, than he is on the British accomplice. This ends with Drummond gleefully murdering Fritz. Drummond attributes this to the other man showing some appreciation of his car, but why does Sapper not allow the foreign villain to appreciate Drummond’s car instead?
A similar spitefulness is shown towards Jewish agitators. At the beginning of the book, the Black Gang descend on a meeting of troublemakers. They allow the craven British members to leave unharmed, but they flog two Jewish members with a cat o’ nine tails. Again another reason is given for Drummond’s ill-treatment of the Jews. He says he does not care for their method of livelihood. It is not clear what this is, but a later allusion to White Slave Traffic would suggest that they are pimps. Well this may be a reason for giving them a flogging, but why do the only pimps in the room just happen to be the only Jews in the room?
Is Drummond a Fascist? His methods are certainly those employed by Fascists – terrorising his enemies, incarcerating them and employing violence. He holds similar opinions to Fascists – a supremacist interpretation of nationalism, combined with a hatred for foreigners and Jews. However the Black Gang are not the same as the Black Shirts. They imprison their enemies for a short spell, but only kill in self-defence. They see themselves as working against criminals in ways that the police cannot do, and they are willing to cheerfully disband when their aims are complete. They are not a private army. Drummond and his friends are Fascistic on a tiny scale, but they do not seek to create a permanent Fascist militia in Britain.
The Black Gang is better-written than Bulldog Drummond. It has a better storyline, and there are one or two moments that finally offer a more serious challenge to our hero. However it is still a carelessly-written work of pulp fiction. It seeks to spread reprehensible ideas, and it advocates ugly methods for dealing with those people whom its author does not like.
“Ah,” says the friend thoughtfully, “It’s a book about the SS in Germany.” I shake my head, and explain that the organisation, named after the black outfits they wear, are not Germans. “Then you must be talking about Mussolini’s blackshirts,” interrupts my friend. I again shake my head, and explain that this book is set in Britain and deals with the beloved English hero and leader of the gang, Bulldog Drummond.
If the politics of Bulldog Drummond, the first book to feature Sapper’s eponymous hero, were dubious, then they are nothing compared to The Black Gang, a sequel that leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Once more Drummond does battle with his arch-nemesis, Peterson, and a number of dubious ideas are cloaked in a veil of frivolous badinage.
I said in my review of Bulldog Drummond that our hero treats the whole adventure as a bit of sport. This is true, though to a slightly lesser degree, in The Black Gang. Drummond takes an amused pleasure in rounding up and intimidating left-wing agitators, and his Wooster-esque language prevents us from taking him too seriously.
The extent to which Drummond treats this as some kind of upper-class game is shown in a scene where Drummond has a conversation with a nasty Russian operative, and it ends with Drummond applying a little corporal punishment to his enemy. He could kill Zaboleff or seek information from him, but he would rather treat Johnny Foreigner to a good kick in the pants.
At the end of the book Drummond agrees to dismantle the gang when the game is up, but he considers doing so earlier because his feeble enemies are no longer affording him any fun. What makes the difference is the presence of another master player, Carl Peterson, which increases the challenge for Drummond.
Peterson is a ruthless operator who seeks to undermine British labour to help his foreign business friends. However he is also essentially a game player, albeit one who plays by different rules than Drummond. We see this on more than one occasion where Peterson could easily have killed his enemy, but instead wastes time with more elaborate plans that give Drummond time to escape.
It is hard not to scoff at these two doltish antagonists who could have ended their duel of wits (such as they are) a lot sooner. This would not be as bad if there was not a risk to the lives of other people involved here. The longer Peterson stays alive, the more innocent people he can kill. However, Drummond never has to worry about making any great sacrifices, as his friends remain safe throughout.
There are only two moments when the gravity of the situation seems to hit home with Drummond. The first is when his burglar ally is murdered by a bomb thrown by one of Peterson’s lackeys. Drummond is annoyed by this, but does not spend too much time grieving the death of his crooked friend.
The second occasion is a rare serious moment where Peterson intends to murder Drummond’s wife in a brutal manner. When Drummond gets the upper hand, he nearly chokes the life out of Peterson and his wife has to intervene. At no point during either incident however is there any sense that Drummond’s schoolboy adventurism may be putting his loved ones at risk, and this is not a factor in his decision to disband the Black Gang. We can be sure that in the next book he will be taking on a new sporting adventure with the same cheerful disregard of the potential cost to those around him.
Insofar as Sapper has any serious intent, it is to expose the evils of Bolshevism. Sapper was disgusted by the murder of the Tsarist royal family, and this is alluded to in the book. Of course Sapper sees the issue in black and white, as he always does. The murder of the royal family was certainly an ugly affair, but the Tsar was no benign leader, and he presided over a cruel and authoritarian state.
When we look at the characteristics that Sapper applies to his left-wing enemies, we hear the same tired stereotypes that are used by conservatives today. We are told that they are envious of the rich, told this by people who have no understanding of want, and who have more money than they can ever hope to spend. We are told that left-wing people have poor hygiene, this by people who have never lacked access to instant hot and clean water. We are told that left-wing working-class supporters are money-obsessed, this coming from people who never had to worry about feeding or clothing their families.
Indeed I find it hard to believe that Sapper spent any time in the company of people with left-wing values. He seems determined to hold onto his pristine prejudices in which everybody who wishes to change society is actuated by vile or selfish motives. This demonising of his enemies ensures that the reader is never allowed to sympathise with any other viewpoint than that of Sapper's proto-fascist bully hero. You do not have to be a socialist to find Sapper’s presentation of the issues unfair or repugnant.
Worst of all, the left-wing agitators include a good many foreigners and Jews, something that is anathema to the jingoistic Drummond. Indeed the whole movement may be funded by foreigners who want to see Britain weakened economically. Sapper makes a good deal of the ‘foreign’ nature of many of Drummond’s enemies. In one scene Drummond is more anxious to get his hands on Fritz, the German man who tries to murder him, than he is on the British accomplice. This ends with Drummond gleefully murdering Fritz. Drummond attributes this to the other man showing some appreciation of his car, but why does Sapper not allow the foreign villain to appreciate Drummond’s car instead?
A similar spitefulness is shown towards Jewish agitators. At the beginning of the book, the Black Gang descend on a meeting of troublemakers. They allow the craven British members to leave unharmed, but they flog two Jewish members with a cat o’ nine tails. Again another reason is given for Drummond’s ill-treatment of the Jews. He says he does not care for their method of livelihood. It is not clear what this is, but a later allusion to White Slave Traffic would suggest that they are pimps. Well this may be a reason for giving them a flogging, but why do the only pimps in the room just happen to be the only Jews in the room?
Is Drummond a Fascist? His methods are certainly those employed by Fascists – terrorising his enemies, incarcerating them and employing violence. He holds similar opinions to Fascists – a supremacist interpretation of nationalism, combined with a hatred for foreigners and Jews. However the Black Gang are not the same as the Black Shirts. They imprison their enemies for a short spell, but only kill in self-defence. They see themselves as working against criminals in ways that the police cannot do, and they are willing to cheerfully disband when their aims are complete. They are not a private army. Drummond and his friends are Fascistic on a tiny scale, but they do not seek to create a permanent Fascist militia in Britain.
The Black Gang is better-written than Bulldog Drummond. It has a better storyline, and there are one or two moments that finally offer a more serious challenge to our hero. However it is still a carelessly-written work of pulp fiction. It seeks to spread reprehensible ideas, and it advocates ugly methods for dealing with those people whom its author does not like.
July 28, 2019
Written in 1922, not that long after the Russian Revolution and clearly at a time of panic verging on hysteria in Britain about the fear of Communist revolution or infiltration, this book is an old-fashioned boys own adventure where our hero and his pals are in a secret battle with international revolutionaries trying to destroy the British way of life and indoctrinate our children with their evil ideology. These villains are described as weak, physical malformed, cowardly and my favourite, unwashed. Their ideology isn’t actually about social justice and getting a better deal for the working man but entirely built on selfishness and lining their own pockets regardless of how many women, children and innocents they have to brutally murder on the way.
Bulldog Drummond and his mates however are brave, strong and the sort of clean-cut intelligent and loyal young men any perspective mother-in-law would be pleased to entertain to afternoon tea. The irony of course is that these public school educated heroes don’t seem to have to work and presumably fund their Savoy lunches and glamorous cocktails by independent means of some kind.
…That said, I love it! I have always liked these old-fashioned adventure stories and you have to take the plot very much with a pinch of salt and also try not to get angry about some of the blatant prejudices and even outright racism. This story, like the others in the series, is very much of its time, but still good fun and pure gold if you are trying to get into the mind of a 1920s reader or to get a glimpse of how British society worked and how some people thought in those post World War One years.
I would have given it more stars, but frankly I’d be embarrassed to because of the right-wing politics which could have almost come from Nazi Germany.
Bulldog Drummond and his mates however are brave, strong and the sort of clean-cut intelligent and loyal young men any perspective mother-in-law would be pleased to entertain to afternoon tea. The irony of course is that these public school educated heroes don’t seem to have to work and presumably fund their Savoy lunches and glamorous cocktails by independent means of some kind.
…That said, I love it! I have always liked these old-fashioned adventure stories and you have to take the plot very much with a pinch of salt and also try not to get angry about some of the blatant prejudices and even outright racism. This story, like the others in the series, is very much of its time, but still good fun and pure gold if you are trying to get into the mind of a 1920s reader or to get a glimpse of how British society worked and how some people thought in those post World War One years.
I would have given it more stars, but frankly I’d be embarrassed to because of the right-wing politics which could have almost come from Nazi Germany.
May 2, 2023
'Whether it was lawful or not was beside the point. It was just or Hugh Drummond would not have done it.'
Another ‘gem’ from my Popular Fiction and Film in the interwar years course all those years ago. The Bulldog Drummond books were an extremely popular series in the inter war years, selling hundreds and thousands of copies. Reading them really opened my eyes what sort of things were thought in that period. ‘The Black Gang’, probably the most famous of them, involves the upper class Hugh Drummond creating a secret group who dress all in black and go round keeping Britain safe from cowardly Jews, who cower and snivel in corners when confronted, and red bearded Russians who are trying to incite the workers to revolution even if they themselves are doing it because they are being paid and not because of any ideological beliefs. The gang even transport their captives to a ‘camp’ on an island off the coast of Scotland where they are subjected to forced labor so they can really experience what living under communism is like. Your everyday working class Joe is OK, however, well, as long as he doesn’t have any ideas above his station. It was interesting to reread (listened to this time) after such a long time. It is just unbelievable that the then readers weren’t outraged by the views within, but maybe those views were in tune with those of a lot of the public back in the 1920s. Curiosity value only!
Another ‘gem’ from my Popular Fiction and Film in the interwar years course all those years ago. The Bulldog Drummond books were an extremely popular series in the inter war years, selling hundreds and thousands of copies. Reading them really opened my eyes what sort of things were thought in that period. ‘The Black Gang’, probably the most famous of them, involves the upper class Hugh Drummond creating a secret group who dress all in black and go round keeping Britain safe from cowardly Jews, who cower and snivel in corners when confronted, and red bearded Russians who are trying to incite the workers to revolution even if they themselves are doing it because they are being paid and not because of any ideological beliefs. The gang even transport their captives to a ‘camp’ on an island off the coast of Scotland where they are subjected to forced labor so they can really experience what living under communism is like. Your everyday working class Joe is OK, however, well, as long as he doesn’t have any ideas above his station. It was interesting to reread (listened to this time) after such a long time. It is just unbelievable that the then readers weren’t outraged by the views within, but maybe those views were in tune with those of a lot of the public back in the 1920s. Curiosity value only!
December 2, 2025
This book was a pleasant surprise for me. I had read the first one in the Bulldog series, and although I enjoyed it, I was giving it allowances for the period it was written and its often preposterous nature. However, this second book was very well written, with a clever, engaging story, particularly in its second half.
In this story, Captain Hugh ‘Bulldog’ Drummond is the head of the ‘Black Gang’, a kind of vigilante group that dresses all in black. Here, they’re trying to thwart a communist/fascist takeover of Britain. This brings Hugh up against his nemesis, Carl Peterson, who appeared in the first Bulldog novel, and who, along with his daughter, is the head of this dastardly plot. They both put Drummond and his ever-faithful wife, Phyllis, in mortal danger.
Admittedly, you still have to suspend belief at times. No one is ever killed straight away; there’s always some plan to kill characters slowly, which conveniently gives them a chance to escape. I’m sure I read Ian Fleming say that Bulldog Drummond was a big influence in creating Bond, and you can see that here.
The story may have dragged a little towards the end; a lot of recapping went on, but it still didn’t distract from what was a well-written, old-fashioned, and immensely enjoyable adventure story.
In this story, Captain Hugh ‘Bulldog’ Drummond is the head of the ‘Black Gang’, a kind of vigilante group that dresses all in black. Here, they’re trying to thwart a communist/fascist takeover of Britain. This brings Hugh up against his nemesis, Carl Peterson, who appeared in the first Bulldog novel, and who, along with his daughter, is the head of this dastardly plot. They both put Drummond and his ever-faithful wife, Phyllis, in mortal danger.
Admittedly, you still have to suspend belief at times. No one is ever killed straight away; there’s always some plan to kill characters slowly, which conveniently gives them a chance to escape. I’m sure I read Ian Fleming say that Bulldog Drummond was a big influence in creating Bond, and you can see that here.
The story may have dragged a little towards the end; a lot of recapping went on, but it still didn’t distract from what was a well-written, old-fashioned, and immensely enjoyable adventure story.
September 17, 2021
Worth mentioning that even though I started on book 2, I still thoroughly enjoyed this. Despite being published in 1922 it has aged well and doesn't suffer from the sometimes painful pacing that I've come to expect from books published during the same time period. I didn't think most of the first act, I was at times bored, but things really started picking up in the second act with much more action, and it was from there I was hooked for the rest of the book.
I read somewhere that Sapper's Drummond stories served as partial inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond character, and it's not hard to see why during some of these cinematic set pieces. They were probably decades ahead of their time when first written. Will I pick up the other books in the series? Not completely sure yet, but I wouldn't deny it a possibility either. Recommended.
I read somewhere that Sapper's Drummond stories served as partial inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond character, and it's not hard to see why during some of these cinematic set pieces. They were probably decades ahead of their time when first written. Will I pick up the other books in the series? Not completely sure yet, but I wouldn't deny it a possibility either. Recommended.
November 24, 2020
Bulldog is back and all England, unknowingly, thanks him! When communists instigators, aided by their all too willing legions of criminals whose loyalty can be secured by a pocket full of coins, threaten the very fiber of Great Britain through nefarious acts of sabotage and espionage, Drummond and the lads are forced to take matters into their own hands and form a vigilante group. Kidnapping, beating, flogging are just standard methods they engage to protect us all and send a message to those oh so eager to trade 1000 years of the English way of life for 30 pieces of silver! And all you regular Drummond groupies will be none to surprised to learn who is the mastermind behind this devilish plot.
May 27, 2018
If you've ever wondered what it would be like of P.G. Wodehouse wrote thrillers, Sapper provides the answer. His protagonist, Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is very similar to Bertie Wooster, if Bertie had fought in World War I and come back to England as an anti-foreigner fascist. In this book, Bulldog forms the titular Black Gang, a quasi-terrorist group whose mission is to root out Communist infiltration of England. The plot is fun and fast-moving, and Bulldog carries out his adventures with such a "what ho old man. Deuced nuisance this, eh?" cheeriness that almost, almost makes you forgive the character's nasty anti-semitism. Man, this is a mixed review.
September 20, 2017
Published in 1922, the second in the Bulldog Drummond stories sees Drummond again trying to foil the plans of master criminal Carl Peterson. The story involves attempts to attempts to induce unrest in Great Britain with the help of Bolshevik revolutionaries and the like. It all pretty far fetched, but when you consider the political turmoil in many European countries at that time you can perhaps see the authors inspiration.
September 9, 2019
Dated but still fun
I think you can forgive the sometimes questionable comments on race that show up in the story as being pretty common for the era. As a friend used to say you can't blame someone for not being ahead of their time.
This time Drummond and his former military cohorts take a very active role in trying to break up the growing Bolshevik threat they are in England. We also see the return of the mastermind Peterson and his lovely "daughter" .
I think you can forgive the sometimes questionable comments on race that show up in the story as being pretty common for the era. As a friend used to say you can't blame someone for not being ahead of their time.
This time Drummond and his former military cohorts take a very active role in trying to break up the growing Bolshevik threat they are in England. We also see the return of the mastermind Peterson and his lovely "daughter" .
December 1, 2022
This is set in England in 1922. 'Madd Dog', Drummond has formed a secret team(gang) called the Black Gang. The Black Gang is responsible for stopping Bolshevism in England. There are twists and turns that keep you caught in the story from beggining to ending. Read the story it will entertain you from the get go.
May 6, 2018
This is a good book and I'm sure it's part of a very good series. It's full of action, intrigue, well developed characters you bond with quickly. Who could ask for more? Huh Drummond is a very likeable character who gets into scrapes and uses his wits to get out of them.
May 6, 2017
I wouldn't recommend the Bulldog Drummond books to anyone (they are a very particular taste) but I absolutely love them. Epic, read of a very old book. Better than the very good first in my opinion.
October 16, 2017
Great book.
This book caught me by surprise. It was so good. Action and well thought out storyline. Just a fun read.
This book caught me by surprise. It was so good. Action and well thought out storyline. Just a fun read.
November 23, 2018
A wild book, filled to the brim with action sequences, plot twists, and cliches.
January 6, 2019
Good basic mystery series
May 21, 2019
Good read.
Ripping good bit of English detective thriller circa 1920's . Fast paced page turner. Three cheers for H.C. Mc Neile.
Ripping good bit of English detective thriller circa 1920's . Fast paced page turner. Three cheers for H.C. Mc Neile.
July 28, 2019
Very good but can’t support this kind of vigilanteism. Also stretches the imagination to think so many of these woosters can keep a secret or be that competent.
May 3, 2020
These books are period pieces, but "The Black Gang" was also great fun though completely unrealistic.
August 29, 2011
The Black Gang, by Sapper
The Black Gang was the second of the Bulldog Drummond novels written by Herman Cyril McNeile under the pen-name Sapper. Little read today, their legacy the fields of both spy fiction and pulp fiction in general can hardly be over-estimated
They had a definite Boys’ Own feel to them, but the idea of a man who appears on the surface to be a harmless buffoon being in reality a brilliant crime-fighter and the scourge of various international conspiracies, and the further idea that he pursued these objectives in an unofficial capacity without the approval of the police - these ideas were to have an enormous influence on pulp fiction, comic-book, movie and TV heroes. It’s an influence that continues to this day.
Drummond was interesting in that, as formidable as he was, he relied as much on brute strength and sheer bravado as on brainpower. He was rarely as clever as the diabolical criminal masterminds and international spymasters he came up against, but his courage, his tenacity and his sheer stubbornness were enough to carry the day.
The first novel, in 1920, had seen Captain Hugh Drummond going slowly mad with boredom in peacetime England and looking for any kind of adventure. He got more than he bargained for, coming up against the nefarious Carl Petersen, a master of disguise, and the beautiful but deadly Irma. Irma claims to be his daughter. This may or may not be true. That she is Carl Petersen’s lover is more or less beyond doubt. Petersen is involved in a vast Bolshevik conspiracy although his own motives have more to do with power than political principles.
Drummond had foiled these dangerous plans, but Bolshevik agitators are still busily at work. As the second novel opens Drummond has formed his old British army pals into an unofficial vigilante force to combat communist subversion. The conspiracy he uncovers seems so ingenious that he could almost believe that Carl Petersen himself is behind it. But surely that can’t be true? Can it? Surely the world has heard the last of Petersen and his depraved daughter? And yet it has all his trademarks! The stage is set for another showdown.
It’s all great fun.
The introduction to Wordsworth’s paperback omnibus collection of the four Bulldog Drummond novels dealing with the fiendish Carl Petersen makes grovelling apologies for the political incorrectness of these stories. Personally I think this is unnecessary and insulting. I’d prefer to be credited with sufficient intelligence to make my own judgements as to how I feel about McNeile’s politics.
Be that as it may, the Bulldog Drummond novels are still highly entertaining.
The Black Gang was the second of the Bulldog Drummond novels written by Herman Cyril McNeile under the pen-name Sapper. Little read today, their legacy the fields of both spy fiction and pulp fiction in general can hardly be over-estimated
They had a definite Boys’ Own feel to them, but the idea of a man who appears on the surface to be a harmless buffoon being in reality a brilliant crime-fighter and the scourge of various international conspiracies, and the further idea that he pursued these objectives in an unofficial capacity without the approval of the police - these ideas were to have an enormous influence on pulp fiction, comic-book, movie and TV heroes. It’s an influence that continues to this day.
Drummond was interesting in that, as formidable as he was, he relied as much on brute strength and sheer bravado as on brainpower. He was rarely as clever as the diabolical criminal masterminds and international spymasters he came up against, but his courage, his tenacity and his sheer stubbornness were enough to carry the day.
The first novel, in 1920, had seen Captain Hugh Drummond going slowly mad with boredom in peacetime England and looking for any kind of adventure. He got more than he bargained for, coming up against the nefarious Carl Petersen, a master of disguise, and the beautiful but deadly Irma. Irma claims to be his daughter. This may or may not be true. That she is Carl Petersen’s lover is more or less beyond doubt. Petersen is involved in a vast Bolshevik conspiracy although his own motives have more to do with power than political principles.
Drummond had foiled these dangerous plans, but Bolshevik agitators are still busily at work. As the second novel opens Drummond has formed his old British army pals into an unofficial vigilante force to combat communist subversion. The conspiracy he uncovers seems so ingenious that he could almost believe that Carl Petersen himself is behind it. But surely that can’t be true? Can it? Surely the world has heard the last of Petersen and his depraved daughter? And yet it has all his trademarks! The stage is set for another showdown.
It’s all great fun.
The introduction to Wordsworth’s paperback omnibus collection of the four Bulldog Drummond novels dealing with the fiendish Carl Petersen makes grovelling apologies for the political incorrectness of these stories. Personally I think this is unnecessary and insulting. I’d prefer to be credited with sufficient intelligence to make my own judgements as to how I feel about McNeile’s politics.
Be that as it may, the Bulldog Drummond novels are still highly entertaining.
March 15, 2016
This is the second bulldog Drummond books. The first one was so silly and I wasn't sure I've ever read another one, but then we saw some Bulldog Drummond movies and I decided to give the books a second chance. This was much better than the first book I think, although it was still pretty silly.
Somehow, in the first book, I missed the fact that bulldog Drummond was very large and very strong. Anyway, in this book he is in charge of the Black Gang. They are a set of more-or-less idle, rich, entitled Britishers who decide that they need to clean up the red menace in England.
So they go about "collecting" leaders of local cells and exporting them off to an island—off the coast of Ireland, I believe—to be held for later. The police begin to get worried about the disappeared people, and also about the rumors of there being such a thing as the Black Gang. Bulldog Drummond blunders into the office of the head of police and insinuates himself into helping in the investigation. Little do the police imagine that Drummond, who is rather a fool, has any involvement in the Black Gang. His public persona is of one of those effete sort of rich, idle British people who speaks a lot of blather, don't you know, and sits around drinking in the club and all that sort of thing.
Anyway it's not a bad story and much more fun than the first bulldog Drummond book. It turns out that the master criminal that is behind the red uprisings in England is also the guy who was causing trouble in the first book. I forget what that was now. Like in the first book, Drummond almost gets killed, multiple times, but he escapes and captures the bad guy. But then the bad guy vanishes at the last minute. So I'm guessing this might be the schtick through the rest of Bulldog Drummond, that the master criminal keeps showing up, in different guises, and that he keeps escaping to live again. In the movies, the schtick is that something comes up to prevent Bulldog Drummond from getting married to his betrothed, Phyllis. This happens in each movie, just as they're off to the church, or whatever, something gets in the way. Anyway, I guess I have to read a third in the series to see if this stuff keeps happening. We'll see.
Somehow, in the first book, I missed the fact that bulldog Drummond was very large and very strong. Anyway, in this book he is in charge of the Black Gang. They are a set of more-or-less idle, rich, entitled Britishers who decide that they need to clean up the red menace in England.
So they go about "collecting" leaders of local cells and exporting them off to an island—off the coast of Ireland, I believe—to be held for later. The police begin to get worried about the disappeared people, and also about the rumors of there being such a thing as the Black Gang. Bulldog Drummond blunders into the office of the head of police and insinuates himself into helping in the investigation. Little do the police imagine that Drummond, who is rather a fool, has any involvement in the Black Gang. His public persona is of one of those effete sort of rich, idle British people who speaks a lot of blather, don't you know, and sits around drinking in the club and all that sort of thing.
Anyway it's not a bad story and much more fun than the first bulldog Drummond book. It turns out that the master criminal that is behind the red uprisings in England is also the guy who was causing trouble in the first book. I forget what that was now. Like in the first book, Drummond almost gets killed, multiple times, but he escapes and captures the bad guy. But then the bad guy vanishes at the last minute. So I'm guessing this might be the schtick through the rest of Bulldog Drummond, that the master criminal keeps showing up, in different guises, and that he keeps escaping to live again. In the movies, the schtick is that something comes up to prevent Bulldog Drummond from getting married to his betrothed, Phyllis. This happens in each movie, just as they're off to the church, or whatever, something gets in the way. Anyway, I guess I have to read a third in the series to see if this stuff keeps happening. We'll see.
February 23, 2017
It pains me to give it 2 stars as I'm fond of Sapper but there's a great deal too much anti-Semitism and flogging with rhinocerous hide whips in this one. I'm not inclined to make an issue of racism in pulp fiction as it's there less often than most people think it is but in this case it's combined with a streak of brutality that I find it hard to overlook.
July 18, 2014
This is the first Bulldog Drummond story I've read, although the second in the series. I didn't know much about the book before I started reading so was pleasantly surprised by the story. The best I can describe it as is a watered-down P.G. Wodehouse writing an action packed adventure story. It wasn't deep or particularly well crafted but it was entertaining. I wouldn't recommend everyone to run out to read it, but I noticed my library has the first and third Bulldog Drummond stories so I might pick them up at some point. A warning that it is noticeably sexist, xenophobic and anti-semitic and the politics are very right wing. It's of its time in this way, but I know some people would be uncomfortable reading it today.
May 17, 2014
Who would have thought that there was a precursor to 007? Bulldog Drummond is a likable character, there is the same slightly unbelievable aspect of the stories that 007 has in that everything is just a little TOO over the top, including the escapades and the escapes.
February 23, 2013
As charming as its predecessor but too little Mrs. Bulldog. Dialogue brilliant as the first--maybe better. Loved it.
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