J. S. Fletcher (1863 - 1935)

Joseph Smith Fletcher (7 February 1863 - 30 January 1935) was a British journalist and writer. He wrote more than 230 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction. He was one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the "Golden Age". Fletcher was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, the son of a clergyman. He was educated at Silcoates School in Wakefield. After some study of law, he became a journalist. His first books published were poetry. He then moved on to write numerous works of both historical fiction and history, many dealing with Yorkshire, which led to his selection as a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. In 1914 he wrote his first detective novel and went on to write over a hundred, many featuring the private investigator Ronald Camberwell.