What do you think?
Rate this book
Here Comes The Copper
PC John Bragg is young and full of ambition, and with his eye on making Superintendent one day, he squares up to each case that comes his way as an opportunity to show himself brave, reliable and a good detective. In town and country, at scenes of murder, robbery, fraud, abduction, military and industrial spying and arson, PC John Bragg's character grows as his mettle is tested.
From dealing with artists' models in a murder case, to ensuring a bejewelled, high-spirited American heiress doesn't attract the wrong sort of attention, to protecting the pay destined for a staff of quarrymen, PC Bragg has his work cut out for him.
- GenresMystery
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1938
2 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Henry Wade
76 books12 followersHenry Wade was a pen-name of Sir Henry Lancelot Aubrey-Fletcher, 6th Baronet. Other authors on Goodreads are also named Henry Wade.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 6, 2024
Great stories.
The Englishman who wrote mysteries as Henry Wade is forgotten now, but he was a popular writer in his day and his fans included Dorothy Sayers. I found one of his stories featuring PC Bragg in the BLCC's "The Long Arm of the Law" and was happy to find this collection of Bragg stories set in the mid-late 1930's.
The Golden Age was top-heavy with amateur detectives, but professional law enforcement solved crimes, too. Most of those books/stories featured CID inspectors or chief inspectors, but these stories are about a young beat cop who hasn't progressed that far yet.
He hopes to, Lord knows. John Bragg is ambitious. He knows that competition for the CID is fierce so he works hard to train himself to be more efficient. Sometimes his superiors are impressed and sometimes they're threatened, but that's the law of the jungle.
His motto is "Notice and Remember" and it's a habit that comes in handy. He also has the advantage of a happy personal life with loving wife Jennie. A London boy, his first patrol is in Chelsea and it's not surprising that the first two stories involve artists. One is a case of murder and the other of art fraud. Bragg's attention to detail and his excellent memory help solve both cases. Superintendent Cleaver isn't effusive, but he acknowledges Bragg's contributions in both cases.
Then Jennie becomes ill and is advised to move to a rural area with healthier air. The affectionate husband puts his wife first, but he sees it as a major setback to his career. After all, what crime could there be in a little town like Downshire? Plenty!
In the country, Bragg continues his approach, which today we'd call "proactive." In other words, he anticipates trouble and it pays off richly. There are heiresses targeted by gangs, protection rackets at the local race courses, spies looking for military secrets, and industrial espionage and Bragg is no top of every case.
Bragg is intelligent and imaginative, willing to pursue his hunches on his days off, and doesn't mind risking his neck in a good cause. He surely must have a hard head since he gets knocked unconscious several times with no lasting ill-effects. His superiors aren't always pleased about his success and some of his fellow coppers are jealous. One isn't above trying to make the "stuck-up London kid" look bad. Still, Scotland Yard is noticing and that's what counts
Finally Jennie's health improves and Bragg is assigned to the CID as a Detective Constable. By that time, I'd grown fond of him (and Jennie) and was thoroughly happy for them. In London, his ability to look beyond the obvious stands him in good stead. What looks like an unsuccessful smash-and-grab at a jewelry store turns into a case of art theft/fraud because Bragg kept asking questions.
He's a likable character and Wade was a fine story-teller. I really enjoyed this book.
The Englishman who wrote mysteries as Henry Wade is forgotten now, but he was a popular writer in his day and his fans included Dorothy Sayers. I found one of his stories featuring PC Bragg in the BLCC's "The Long Arm of the Law" and was happy to find this collection of Bragg stories set in the mid-late 1930's.
The Golden Age was top-heavy with amateur detectives, but professional law enforcement solved crimes, too. Most of those books/stories featured CID inspectors or chief inspectors, but these stories are about a young beat cop who hasn't progressed that far yet.
He hopes to, Lord knows. John Bragg is ambitious. He knows that competition for the CID is fierce so he works hard to train himself to be more efficient. Sometimes his superiors are impressed and sometimes they're threatened, but that's the law of the jungle.
His motto is "Notice and Remember" and it's a habit that comes in handy. He also has the advantage of a happy personal life with loving wife Jennie. A London boy, his first patrol is in Chelsea and it's not surprising that the first two stories involve artists. One is a case of murder and the other of art fraud. Bragg's attention to detail and his excellent memory help solve both cases. Superintendent Cleaver isn't effusive, but he acknowledges Bragg's contributions in both cases.
Then Jennie becomes ill and is advised to move to a rural area with healthier air. The affectionate husband puts his wife first, but he sees it as a major setback to his career. After all, what crime could there be in a little town like Downshire? Plenty!
In the country, Bragg continues his approach, which today we'd call "proactive." In other words, he anticipates trouble and it pays off richly. There are heiresses targeted by gangs, protection rackets at the local race courses, spies looking for military secrets, and industrial espionage and Bragg is no top of every case.
Bragg is intelligent and imaginative, willing to pursue his hunches on his days off, and doesn't mind risking his neck in a good cause. He surely must have a hard head since he gets knocked unconscious several times with no lasting ill-effects. His superiors aren't always pleased about his success and some of his fellow coppers are jealous. One isn't above trying to make the "stuck-up London kid" look bad. Still, Scotland Yard is noticing and that's what counts
Finally Jennie's health improves and Bragg is assigned to the CID as a Detective Constable. By that time, I'd grown fond of him (and Jennie) and was thoroughly happy for them. In London, his ability to look beyond the obvious stands him in good stead. What looks like an unsuccessful smash-and-grab at a jewelry store turns into a case of art theft/fraud because Bragg kept asking questions.
He's a likable character and Wade was a fine story-teller. I really enjoyed this book.
December 28, 2025
An okay collection of stories featuring a young, ambitious police constable. More here: https://ahotcupofpleasureagain.wordpr...
July 27, 2016
Authors Pen Name - Henry Wade
This is book of short stories, all featuring the same police constable. I have been reading them piecemeal between other (better) books.
So far they have all been very mediocre. I might not bother with the rest of them.
This is book of short stories, all featuring the same police constable. I have been reading them piecemeal between other (better) books.
So far they have all been very mediocre. I might not bother with the rest of them.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews