Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
It was a pleasure to return to the National Liberal Club after a year's enforced absence. (photo by Paul Gillings)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Following an convivial dinner, and before the Lecture, the Chairman and Treasurer (Catherine Cooke and Ashley Mayo) conducted the Annual General Meeting. (photo by Jean Upton)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The AGM had to be postponed from its original scheduled date during the Society's week of events in May. (photo by Paul Gillings)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
One major change was announced at the AGM. After eight years, Ashley Mayo would stand down as Treasurer in December, to be succeeded by Calvert Markham. (photo by Jean Upton)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Catherine and Ashley's smiles tell us that the AGM proceeded satisfactorily. Now it's time for the main event of the evening. (photo by Jean Upton)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
"I Spy Sherlock"
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Roger Johnson introduces our distinguished speaker, Mike Ripley. (photo by Jean Upton)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Mike Ripley is an award-winning crime novelist - and his survey of great British thrillers, "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang", won the 2018 H.R.F. Keating Award for best non-fiction crime book. (photo by Jean Upton)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Mike Ripley is also the author chosen by the estate of Margery Allingham to continue the saga of one of the greatest British detectives, Albert Campion. (photo by Paul Gillings)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
On occasion, Sherlock Holmes was both spy and spy-catcher. How does he rank among legendary British secret agents? (photo by Jean Upton)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Mike Ripley begins with a successful British writer of spy fiction - William Le Queux. (photo by Jean Upton)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
William Le Queux was not the only author who imagined England battling invasion by certain European nations. (photo by Jean Upton)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Sensationally successful in the late 19th and early 20th century, William Le Queux is now all but forgotten.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Another immensely popular British author of spy thrillers was E Phillips Oppenheim. (photo by Jean Upton)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The blurb on his books used to say, "It is impossible not to be thrilled by Edgar Wallace." And, unlike Le Queux and Oppenheim, his work is still read and enjoyed.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
A frequent feature of the genre from the beginning is the seductive but dangerous woman - the vamp or "femme fatale". (photo by Jean Upton)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Here's a clearer image of the typical "femme fatale".
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
"The Thirty-Nine Steps" really needs no introduction. It's one of the best spy thrillers ever - and it doesn't feature a "femme fatale"...
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Unlike John Buchan, the once popular Sydney Horler is little-known today.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The human participant in this improbable duel is not Tiger Standish, but his chief rival for the public's appreciation - Bulldog Drummond. (photo by Jean Upton)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Bulldog (or "Bull-Dog") Drummond, created in 1920 by H.C. ("Sapper") McNeile, set the pattern for the tough gentleman adventurer. (Cecil Day-Lewis called him an "unspeakable public-school bully.")
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Not all the protagonists of vintage British spy fiction are of the Drummond sort of "Bulldog breed". Some follow in the tradition of Sherlock Holmes. (photo by Jean Upton)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
"The League of Discontent" is one of a series of novels recounting the exploits of Colonel Alistair Granby, who rises from field agent to spymaster in the British Secret Service.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Besides the "femme fatale" , another stock character in the classic thriller is the damsel in distress - the girl whom the hero must rescue.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Of course, there's one name above all that springs to everyone's mind when it comes to the British spy thriller - James Bond! (photo by Jean Upton)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Or, rather, two names. Many authors have invented new adventures for James Bond, but very few can match the work of his creator, Ian Fleming.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The damsel in distress remains a staple ingredient of the thriller. ("Hank Janson" was a pseudonym for a British author, who set most of his stories in America.)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Mike Ripley reminds us that there is yet another female stereotype in the classic thriller, besides the "femme fatale" and the "damsel in distress". (photo by Jean Upton)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The out-and-out female villain may be a sadist, a megalomaniac, a racist, a man-hater, a psychopath... She may be beautiful, ugly or nondescript, but she's likely to be both intelligent and very dangerous.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
George Smiley, a leading character in nine novels by John Le Carre, rose to become head of "The Circus" - the British overseas intelligence agency. He is in the Holmes tradition - but Mycroft rather than Sherlock.
