The Orange-Yellow Diamond by J. S. Fletcher
The Orange Yellow Diamond
Written by J. S. Fletcher
Originally published: 1921
Photos in this post are of the “George Newnes, Limited” edition from London (early 20th century)
A lesser-known mystery from the roaring 20’s. J.S. Fletcher was a very successful author of the last century, whose works aren’t widely read today. But he is read by mystery-loving readers of this day to some extent, and certainly a lot of collectors know how rare and hard to find a handful of his titles can be. He books aren’t often sought out, but when they are it’s with a vigor.
When an elderly pawnbroker is murdered in London, a young down on his luck novelist is accused of the crime. Struggling to make ends meet during the first years of his writing career, his efforts to raise a bit of money land him in an international murder-mystery–as the prime suspect in a court trial.
Old Spanish manuscripts, diamonds, opium dens, and tea cafes keep things lively and mysterious in a twisting London puzzle.
As a contemporary of Sir Arthur Connan Doyle, and a predecessor to Agatha Christie by several years of published detective fiction, he is an interesting part of the history of mysteries. And with well over 100 detective novels to his name, he was quite an influential British gentleman in that field.
‘The Orange-Yellow Diamond’ reads much like an English version of a Hardy Boys book, though for an older audience: it’s full of adventure, chases down London streets in the dark, and a group of men that work together to solve the crime (which differs from the typical single detective approach, or the detective and his sidekick/officer of the law). A group of men/boys has a different dynamic. However the story is intricate, slightly complex, and full of twists. Unlike most Hardy Boys mysteries.
There are a few strong complains of modern readers towards this book. I’ll only touch on one here. It has been accused of carrying a “shut up and don’t make a fuss, little lady; the men have work to do” attitude towards, and treatment of, women. Which same I found to be entirely false. The main gal in this story is as quick witted, resourceful, a business woman, competent, and reliable as it could be wished for in her part in the story. Even allowing for contemporary folks misunderstanding of older culture, feminism and work, and the etymology in old books it is crystal clear that that complaint has no grounds in this book.
My final thoughts: The bad men are caught, but the mystery is not wrapped up traditionally or like the reader expects. There might be a revolt among the readers. 🙂 All in all I found it to be a fun lark, but not a favorite. I wouldn’t go out of my way to find it, nor ever read it again. I found Fletcher’s ‘The Eleventh Hour’ a superior novel by far.
