The Borough Treasurer

by J.S. Fletcher

'Half way along the north side of the main street of Highmarket an ancient stone gateway, imposing enough to suggest that it was originally the entrance to some castellated mansion or manor house, gave access to a square yard, flanked about by equally ancient buildings. 'What those buildings had been used for in other days was not obvious to the casual and careless observer, but to the least observant their present use was obvious enough. Here were piles of timber from Norway; there were stacks of slate from Wales; here was marble from Aberdeen, and there cement from Portland: the old chambers of the grey buildings were filled to overflowing with all the things that go towards making a house-ironwork, zinc, lead, tiles, great coils of piping, stores of domestic appliances. And on a shining brass plate, set into the wall, just within the gateway, were deeply engraven the words: Mallalieu and Cotherstone, Builders and Contractors ...'Joseph Smith Fletcher (7 February 1863 - 30 January 1935) was an English journalist and author. He wrote more than 230 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction, and was one of the most prolific English writers of detective fiction.Early life and educationFletcher was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, the son of a clergyman. His father died when he was eight months old, and after which his grandmother raised him on a farm in Darrington, near Pontefract. He was educated at Silcoates School in Wakefield, and after some study of law, he became a journalist.Writing careerAt age 20, Fletcher began working in journalism, as a sub-editor in London. He subsequently returned to his native Yorkshire, where he worked first on the Leeds Mercury using the pseudonym A Son of the Soil, and then as a special correspondent for the Yorkshire Post covering Edward VII's coronation in 1902.Fletcher's first books published were poetry. He then moved on to write numerous works of historical fiction and history, many dealing with Yorkshire, which led to his selection as a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.Fletcher wrote several novels of rural life in imitation of Richard Jefferies, beginning with The Wonderful Wapentake (1894).Michael Sadleir stated that Fletcher's historical novel, When Charles I Was King (1892), was his best work.In 1914, Fletcher wrote his first detective novel and went on to write over a hundred more, many featuring the private investigator Ronald Camberwell.Fletcher is sometimes incorrectly described as a "Golden Age" author, but he is in fact an almost exact contemporary of Conan Doyle. Most of his books considerably pre-date that era, and even those few published within it do not conform to the closed form and strict rules professed, if not unfailingly observed, by the Golden Age writers.Personal lifeHe was married to the Irish writer Rosamond Langbridge, with whom he had one son, Rev Valentine Fletcher, who has subsequently held various ministries across Yorkshire, including Bradford and Sedbergh.DeathFletcher died in 1935, one week short of his 72nd birthday. He was survived by his wife Rosamond and son Valentine.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Ebooks, British Literature

760 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1921

About the author

Joseph Smith Fletcher was an English journalist, writer, and fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He studied law before turning to journalism.

His literary career spanned approximately 200 books on a wide variety of subjects including fiction, non-fiction, histories, historical fiction, and mysteries. He was known as one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the Golden Age .

Reviews

[William]

Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰

I picked this novel free on Amazon one year ago.

A man 🚹 is retiring to the British 🏰👑 village from London . He introduces himself to the town treasurer with blackmail. The man 🚹 is found and then another dead body. What is going on? The mayor and the treasurer are both criminals. I would recommend this book and author to 👍 readers of British 🏰mystery novels 👍🔰. 2023 😀👒😡🏰👑

[Ed Williams]

When Raymond Chandler castigated writers of Golden Age detective fiction in 'The Simple Art of Murder' he failed to take account of the fact that for most people, reading is escapism, not a quest for absolute accuracy. He also omitted to note that the quality of writing is often the most important part of a book. JS Fletcher writes extremely well and immerses the reader in the plot from the first page. Thus his books achieve their aim, providing the escapism the reader seeks. The Borough Treasurer is no exception, an enjoyable tale that keeps you guessing to the end, even if the characters are not hard boiled enough for Chandler.

[for-much-deliberation ...]

A well written classic mystery, if that's your interest, I think Fletcher always does quite a good job at presenting such... I think I may have given it a different title though the significance of this one took a while to kick-in but that just keeps you reading...
Good cosy mystery..

[Julia]

Another enjoyable J. S. Fletcher mystery. He has quite a large cast of interesting characters in this one, and manages to bring them all to life with great detail. Secrets abound, many of the shady characters have a notable soft side, and suspicion is cast among several of them. Lots of action and twists. I listened to this book as a free audio download from LibriVox.org. First published in 1919.

[Aby]

أتعجب من عدم حصول هذا الكاتب الرائع على الشهرة اللائقة به مثل العديد من كتَّاب الروايات البوليسية خاصة خلال الفترة ما بين نهاية القرن التاسع عشر و بداية القرن العشرين، مع أن رواياته ذات حبكة ممتازة، قصص مختلفة و مبتكرة، و أسلوبه سلس يجعل القراءة إنسيابية ممتعة.

التقييم 4⭐

[Jack]

Classic murder mystery featuring two upstanding citizens in northern towns who wish to keep their past secret.

[Mike]

Two prosperous businessmen run a building company in partnership in a small town in the north of England.

One is serving his second term as mayor; the other has been borough treasurer for six years, and his daughter is about to marry a wealthy local man with a bright political future.

But, completely by coincidence, a man comes to the town who remembers the pair from 400 miles away and 30 years ago, when (under different names) they were convicted of embezzling from the building society of which they were secretary and treasurer. With so much to lose, they have two options: give in to blackmail which might never stop, or... ensure he never tells anyone.

The blackmailer dies - but who killed him, and why? Being a J.S. Fletcher book, it doesn't always go in the direction I was expecting, except of course for the two very lightly sketched romances with women who barely appear in the story and certainly don't get much characterisation. There's no single detective; the one we follow most is a young barrister, the friend of the borough treasurer's prospective son-in-law (which adds its own layer of complication), but he doesn't solve the whole mystery by himself. It's a largish ensemble cast, many of them minimally developed.

The biggest weakness for me was the abundance of evidence, most of it produced by coincidence and then suppressed for reasons. An encounter on a supposedly deserted moor is witnessed by at least three people. The one document a murderer would want most to suppress is the one that falls out of the victim's pocketbook, to be found by someone with a motive to conceal it. People keep happening to be in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time. And then the borough treasurer's biggest motive - to spare his daughter the shame and distress of learning about his criminal past, and ensure that her fiance doesn't reject her because of his political ambitions - becomes a complete non-issue; neither of them cares.

For me, the plot loses its way (despite, or maybe because of, the abundant coincidence), and the characters are underdeveloped. It's one of Fletcher's less successful books from my point of view. He didn't write conventional detective stories, which is great, but sometimes the way in which his books are original is more a weakness than it is a strength, and this is one of those times.

[George]

1919 murder mystery set in the town of Haymarket. Two leading citizens, partners in a successful construction business, in this northern British town and holding political positions, have a 30 year old secret that comes back to haunt them when a man seeks to blackmail them. The blackmailer is quickly found murdered and a visitor in town happens to be a young, intelligent and highly observant London barrister. who sees things others miss. A story of murders, theft, embezzlement, blackmail, double-crossing and double-double-crossing with secrets, shady characters with notable soft sides and suspicion is cast among several of them. Villains abound!

[Don Drewniak]

This is the seventh novel in the J.S. Fletcher anthology of novels and short stories. Once again, Fletcher has produced a well-written classic murder mystery replete with a host of unique and well-defined characters. The plot is well presented and quite believable. There are a few happenings that strain the bounds of credulity, but can be overlooked in what is an otherwise solid presentation.

[Bachir ELHALLAK]

رواية بوليسية ممتعة جدا

[Eric]

The eponymous Borough Treasurer, Cotherstone, and his business partner and Mayor of Highmarket, Mallalieu,are rich men but their past wrongdoing now catches up with them in the person of a retired detective named Kitely.

By JS Fletcher’s standards this tale has a very high body count, much of it rather unnecessary except to further complicate an already tangled web of secrets and intrigue.

At the outset Harborough, the man accused of the murder of Kitely, refuses to give information about his whereabouts for no good reason that I can fathom, apart from ensuring further complications, prolonging the investigation and thus facilitating further crimes.

It is all too far-fetched, a bit dull in places,rather pale in characterisation, and demonstrating too much keenness for retribution rather than redemption to suit my taste.

Not a highlight in my mission to read all the author’s mysteries.

[Janet]

A classic style of Golden Age mystery.
Two prominent businessmen in a small town in the North of England share a secret past. The arrival of someone who knows this secret leads to blackmail, murder, and various types of skullduggery. There are a larger than usual number of villains, and not all of them are murderers.
Fletcher's dialogue can be annoying (3/4 of his characters speak in phrases and dashes) but his plotting is devious and kept me guessing for quite a while.

[Allison Henle]

A really enjoyable, twisty tale. Although we (the reader) think that we immediately know WHY a crime has been committed, we don't know "who done it" and we also have a limited understanding of the murderer's motives.

[Sandy]

The author - one of my favourite mystery writers - really shines in this one. Complex plot. Definitely not an “insomnia book”. Lots of characters set the story up for a surprise ending that still leaves the reader guessing. Who did do it? I’ll never tell.

[Jessica Powell]

Enjoyable classic murder mystery.

[Cindy B.]

Good vintage mystery by a classic author. Recommended.

[Susan]

What secrets do the inhabitants of Highmarket have could lead to murder. As the story unfolds so are the secrets exposed.
A descent story which was first published in 1921

[Chuck Anderson]

Worth reading. makes the reader want to continue.

[Elaine]

The second book in a row from this author
Great story and I’ll read more
No idea who had done it the end
Twists and turns all the way

[Lea Carter]

A little slow, but not without plot twists and distinct storytelling skill.

[Mark Rabideau]

This is a good turn of the century (19-20) mystery although quite melodramatic. This involves a few surprises, a decent plot while providing good entertainment.

[David]

2 Ex cons are blackmailed by a former detective. When the blackmailer is killed, a string of mysteries emerge.
Well written and a fun, almost Dickensian ride.

[Joe Romano]

Golden age mystery that starts very strong and stays that way through two-thirds of the book. Drags from there on, but an interesting story, nonetheless.

[Mrsguywire]

Not his best one, but solid and interesting.

[Pamela]

This is the second J. S. Fletcher I've read. The first one, The Middle Temple Murder wasn't half bad. But this one! This one is something else!

Modernize the language, add a flashy cover, and Bingo! Best seller for sure! Although it was written in the 1920s, the plot is not at all what you'd expect. There is murder (of course), theft, embezzlement, blackmail, double-crossing, double-double-crossing, and much, much more. Agatha Christie this is not!

If you are looking for a nice little cosy to keep you entertained, you may want to look elsewhere. If you are looking for a riveting read that grabs you and doesn't let go...you've found it!

[P.]

An OK read, but far far too complicated. Fletcher liked to pull his denouements out of a hat, and the one that got picked here is just one of a number of possibilities. Unfortunately there are not one but two 'romances' [which he did poorly in every book of his I've read] here facilitated by four bodies on the ground, putting paid to the mystery, but leaving plenty of room for the romances to come to a happy end. There certainly are better Fletcher books, but while this one is frequently tedious, there are decent bits.

[Heather Oakman]

This was a murder myster set in England at the turn of the century. It had a strong narrative and interesting characters, but the plot was so predictable that even I could figure it out before the end of the book (and I'm one that never figures it out before the end!)

[Laura]

Free download available at Project Gutenberg.

[Barbara J Wicks]

An historical murder mystery

I enjoyed reading this book. Just when you think you know "who did it", more details come out. Then when you are sure, the end surprises you.

[Nev Thomas]

Very Good