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August Derleth (Critical Survey of Mystery and Detective Fiction)

Principal Series

The Judge Peck series, 1934-1953; the Solar Pons series, 1945-1973.

Principal Series Characters

Judge Ephraim Peabody Peck, a longtime resident of Sac Prairie, now retired from legal practice, acts as an amateur sleuth assisting the police in their investigations. Something of an anachronism with his frock coat, wide-brimmed hat, and umbrella, he solves the riddle behind difficult murders through keen observation, deduction, and an understanding of human nature.

Solar Pons, a private investigator in the mold of Sherlock Holmes, has his...

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