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Inspector French

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Joseph French
First appearanceInspector French's Greatest Case
Last appearanceAnything to Declare?
Created byFreeman Wills Crofts
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationPolice inspector
NationalityBritish

Inspector Joseph French is a fictional British police detective created by Irish author Freeman Wills Crofts.[1] French was a prominent detective from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, appearing in twenty-nine novels and a number of short stories between 1924 and 1957. The character was introduced in the 1924 novel Inspector French's Greatest Case, where he investigates a fatal diamond robbery in Hatton Garden. The series relied largely on puzzle mysteries.[2][3]

Overview

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French was a prominent detective from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, appearing in twenty nine novels and a number of short stories between 1924 and 1957. French is a Scotland Yard detective, whose methodical technique breaks down complex alibis. Over the course of the series, he is promoted to Chief Inspector and the later to Superintendent. His manner is courteous, he is happily married and has no major problems in his private life.

Novels

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Adaptations

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BBC Radio

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Several adaptations of the French stories were produced for BBC Radio over the years:

Proposed television series

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In July 2019, Brendan Foley was announced to adapt the Inspector French novels as a television series, with independent production company Free@LastTV on board to produce.[10] There has been no word on the series since then.

References

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  1. ^ James p.101
  2. ^ James p.101
  3. ^ Herbert p.76
  4. ^ "Freeman Wills Crofts". BBC Radio. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  5. ^ "MR. PEMBERTON'S COMMISSION'". BBC Radio. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  6. ^ "THE GREUZE". BBC Radio. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  7. ^ "' EAST WIND'". BBC Radio. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Saturday-Night Theatre". BBC Radio. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Crime at Christmas: Inspector French and the Starvel Tragedy". BBC Radio. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  10. ^ White, Peter (2 July 2019). "'Inspector French': 'Agatha Raisin' Producer Free@Last TV Adapting Classic Crime Novels With 'Cold Courage' Writer Brendan Foley". Deadline. Retrieved 14 July 2022.

Bibliography

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  • Evans, Curtis. Masters of the "Humdrum" Mystery: Cecil John Charles Street, Freeman Wills Crofts, Alfred Walter Stewart and the British Detective Novel, 1920-1961. McFarland, 2014.
  • Herbert, Rosemary. Whodunit?: A Who's Who in Crime & Mystery Writing. Oxford University Press, 2003.
  • James, Russell. Great British Fictional Detectives. Remember When, 2009.
  • Reilly, John M. Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers. Springer, 2015.