Background
Robert Bruce Montgomery was born on 2 October 1921, in Chesham Bois, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. He was the son of Robert Ernest Montgomery, a government official, and Marion Blackwood Jarvie Montgomery.
Sandy Lodge, Moor Park, Northwood HA6 2HT, United Kingdom
Robert was educated at Merchant Taylors' School
St Giles', Oxford OX1 3JP, United Kingdom
Robert was graduated from St John's College, Oxford, in 1943, with a Bachelor of Arts in modern languages.
(The Case of the Gilded Fly, first published in 1944, is E...)
The Case of the Gilded Fly, first published in 1944, is Edmund Crispin's debut novel and the first Gervase Fen Mystery.
https://www.amazon.com/Case-Gilded-Fly-Gervase-Mysteries/dp/1448216885/?tag=2022091-20
1944
(Holy Disorders takes Oxford don and part time detective G...)
Holy Disorders takes Oxford don and part time detective Gervase Fen to the town of Tolnbridge, where he is happily bounding around with a butterfly net until the cathedral organist is murdered, giving Fen the chance to play sleuth.
https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Disorders-Edmund-Crispin/dp/1911295292/?tag=2022091-20
1945
(When a poet, Richard Cadogan, receives an unexpected £50 ...)
When a poet, Richard Cadogan, receives an unexpected £50 advance from his publisher for his new poetry book, he decides to go to Oxford for a well deserved holiday. The change of scenery and peace of mind is what he needs to recover his inspiration for writing. Little does he know that what he envisioned as a leisurely time spent on long walks and visiting friends will turn into a mystery solving adventure full of unexpected and dangerous twists.
https://www.amazon.com/Moving-Toyshop-Gervase-Fen-Mysteries/dp/1448216877/?tag=2022091-20
1946
(Castrevenford school is preparing for Speech Day and Engl...)
Castrevenford school is preparing for Speech Day and English professor and amateur sleuth Gervase Fen is called upon to present the prizes. However, the night before the big day, strange events take place that leave two members of staff dead. The Headmaster turns to Professor Fen to investigate the murders.
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Lies-Bleeding-Gervase-Mystery/dp/1911295314/?tag=2022091-20
1948
(Death and decapitation seem to go hand in hand in the Dev...)
Death and decapitation seem to go hand in hand in the Devon village of Aller. When the first victim's head is sent floating down the river, the village's rural calm is shattered. Soon the corpses are multiplying, and the entire community is involved in the hunt for the murderer. Whilst many chase false trails, it is left to Gervase Fen, Oxford don and amateur criminologist, to uncover the sordid truth.
https://www.amazon.com/Glimpses-Moon-Gervase-Fen-Book-ebook/dp/B0062N39B6/?tag=2022091-20
1977
(In the course of this entertaining adventure, eccentric O...)
In the course of this entertaining adventure, eccentric Oxford don and amateur sleuth Gervase Fen has to unravel two murders, cope with the unpredictability of the artistic temperament, and attempt to encourage the course of true love.
https://www.amazon.com/Swan-Song-Gervase-Fen-Mystery/dp/154239323X/?tag=2022091-20
1947
(In the sleepy English village of Sanford Angelorum, profe...)
In the sleepy English village of Sanford Angelorum, professor and amateur detective Gervase Fen is taking a break from his books to run for Parliament. At first glance, the village he’s come to canvass appears perfectly peaceful, but Fen soon discovers that appearances can be deceptive: someone in the village has discovered a dark secret and is using it for blackmail. Anyone who comes close to uncovering the blackmailer’s identity is swiftly dispatched. As the joys of politics wear off, Fen sets his mind to the mystery but finds himself caught up in a tangled tale of eccentric psychiatrists, escaped lunatics, beautiful women and lost heirs.
https://www.amazon.com/Buried-Pleasure-Edmund-Crispin/dp/1911295322/?tag=2022091-20
1948
(The young actress, Gloria Scott, drowns after throwing he...)
The young actress, Gloria Scott, drowns after throwing herself off Waterloo Bridge. The news sends shock-waves around her film studio where Gervase Fen, Oxford Don and amateur criminologist, just so happens to be working. With help from friend the Inspector Humbleby, the tragic loss of young life leads them to many more dark places. Young Ms. Scott's apartment has been searched, and all signs of her real identity have been removed, and what's more, minutes before Humbleby interrogates her co-workers, one of them, a lecherous cameraman, is poisoned.
https://www.amazon.com/Frequent-Hearses-Gervase-Fen-Book-ebook/dp/B0062N3524/?tag=2022091-20
1950
(The peaceful and prosperous village of Cotten Abbas has a...)
The peaceful and prosperous village of Cotten Abbas has a very unpleasant problem. Long inhabited by a collection of proudly offbeat locals, there has been a recent influx of the newly rich and very well to do… and not everyone is happy about it. New arrivals are receiving anonymous letters that know a little too much about dark secrets and dirty laundry and they don’t seem likely to stop. Gervase Fen is summoned to the scene, but soon finds more than he bargained for.
https://www.amazon.com/Long-Divorce-Gervase-Fen-Mystery-ebook/dp/B077PRGLVD/?tag=2022091-20
1951
(First published in 1953, Beware of the Trains is a collec...)
First published in 1953, Beware of the Trains is a collection of sixteen short mysteries. Fen must link a missing train conductor to the murder of a thief, decipher cryptograms to solve the death of a cipher expert and puzzle out a locked-room mystery on Boxing Day. Erudite and complex, these Gervase Fen cases are classic crime at its finest: plot, atmosphere and anecdote, bound together by Edmund Crispin's inimitable wit and charm.
https://www.amazon.com/Beware-Trains-Gervase-Fen-Book-ebook/dp/B0062N34Z2/?tag=2022091-20
1953
(Dandelions, hearing aids, a blood-stained cat, a Leonardo...)
Dandelions, hearing aids, a blood-stained cat, a Leonardo drawing and a corpse with an alibi… Just some of the unusual clues that Professor Gervase Fen and his friend Inspector Humbleby are confronted with in this sparkling collection of short mystery stories. Employing a skilful balance of ingenuity and humour, Crispin lays out all the clues.
https://www.amazon.com/Fen-Country-Gervase-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0062N36O6/?tag=2022091-20
1979
(Omnibus edition of the final three Gervase Fen mysteries,...)
Omnibus edition of the final three Gervase Fen mysteries, originally published separately: Frequent Hearses, The Long Divorce, and The Glimpses of the Moon.
https://www.amazon.com/Edmund-Crispin-Treasury-Frequent-Glimpses/dp/B002NSHAXM/?tag=2022091-20
Robert Bruce Montgomery was born on 2 October 1921, in Chesham Bois, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. He was the son of Robert Ernest Montgomery, a government official, and Marion Blackwood Jarvie Montgomery.
Montgomery was educated at Merchant Taylors' School and graduated from St John's College, Oxford, in 1943, with a Bachelor of Arts in modern languages.
Crispin began his career as a teacher at Shrewsbury School in 1943, holding the position for two years. It was during a discussion of literature that a friend turned him on to John Dickson Carr’s The Crooked Hinge which, reluctantly, Crispin agreed to read. He immediately took to the book and, upon finishing it, decided to write his own mystery book. The resulting novel, The Case of the Guilded Fly, was published in 1944 under his new pseudonym. John Hampson of Spectator lauded the book as having “a good beginning, with promising development; the characters are lively and credible.”
In his earliest mystery writings, he received criticism for his plots not being well-constructed, resulting in weak motivation for murder. However, over the course of his career, Crispin’s novels would evolve into a more complex form. Eventually, he would write stories built around mystery, but dealing more with the characters, often satirizing popular culture.
In 1953, after a solid eight-years of successful mystery writing, Crispin all but disappeared from the literary scene. While his absence was unexplained, he was not lying idle. Instead, he turned his attention to his other love: music. Under his given name, Robert Bruce Montgomery, he immersed himself in the world of composing music.
During the course of the next twenty years, Crispin would score music for numerous British films, as well as write serious music. The only writing he did during this time was as a reviewer. And it had nothing to do with mystery writing. Instead, Crispin found employment at the London Sunday Times, reviewing science fiction books.
While it may have seemed strange that such a noted figure in mystery writing not only abandoned his profession but also turned his focus as a reviewer to an entirely different genre, that’s what Crispin did. And, as with everything he endeavored, he was quite successful. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction credits Crispin with not only being well-versed in this subject matter but also with establishing science fiction as a legitimate genre.
Crispin made his return to mystery writing with The Glimpses of the Moon in 1978. The novel paid homage to much of Crispin’s earlier work. However, it did reflect a maturity in the author’s voice. Once again using Fen as the protagonist, Crispin proved that he had not lost his touch for mystery writing, and had, in fact, grown as a writer.
(Holy Disorders takes Oxford don and part time detective G...)
1945(When a poet, Richard Cadogan, receives an unexpected £50 ...)
1946(Castrevenford school is preparing for Speech Day and Engl...)
1948(The Case of the Gilded Fly, first published in 1944, is E...)
1944(Death and decapitation seem to go hand in hand in the Dev...)
1977(Dandelions, hearing aids, a blood-stained cat, a Leonardo...)
1979(In the course of this entertaining adventure, eccentric O...)
1947(Omnibus edition of the final three Gervase Fen mysteries,...)
(In the sleepy English village of Sanford Angelorum, profe...)
1948(First published in 1953, Beware of the Trains is a collec...)
1953(The young actress, Gloria Scott, drowns after throwing he...)
1950(The peaceful and prosperous village of Cotten Abbas has a...)
1951(Volume 1: The Case of the Gilded Fly; Holy Disorders, The...)
(Volume 2)
Throughout his life, Crispin was a man of mystery, but above all else, he was a unique individual who left his mark on everything he touched.
Physical weakness prevented Crispin from developing an interest in sports, so the young man instead began writing, and exploring the world of music. These two subjects would prove to be lifelong interests, and he would eventually profit financially from both.
What’s interesting is that Crispin had an entirely different life, depending upon whether he was Crispin or Montgomery. As Edmund Crispin, he was a talented mystery writer. As Robert Bruce Montgomery, he was a successful pianist, organist, conductor, and composer. And it wasn’t just in the name that he was a paradoxical figure. In the press, Crispin painted a picture of himself that could not have been realistic, judging from his many accomplishments.
As Crispin, he could be a public figure, a hard worker, and someone who was able to make a quick buck through his writing. But as Montgomery, perhaps he was truly himself; able to focus on a career in music, to live behind the scenes, so to speak, in a manner that his literary profession would not allow.
Crispin’s writing was surely influenced by the detective novels that came before him. However, his style was all his own. He filled his novels with his own brand of humor. While mystery surrounds much of his personal life, he was never untruthful in his approach to the world. Simply put, Crispin was a private man leading a very public life. His profession forced him to be in the public eye, but, in assuming a pseudonym, Crispin was able to hang onto a piece of himself that was solely his own. In doing so, Crispin was able to give the public what they wanted, while still allowing him the solitude he craved.
Quotes from others about the person
"Crispin described himself as a lazy person, essentially, and of a sedentary habit. He had chosen professions requiring effort, an audience, and a certain amount of public recognition, yet he called himself in World Authors (1975) 'a person temperamentally requiring a good deal of solitude.'” - David A. Christie
“Crispin’s amusing narrative, clever plotting, and theatrical set pieces.” - David A. Christie
“Edmund Crispin’s selection of stories showed him to be thoroughly familiar with science fiction in both magazine and book form, and his introductions to this were informed and illuminating It would be difficult to exaggerate the importance of the early volumes in establishing science fiction in the UK as a respectable branch of literature.”
In 1976, Crispin married his secretary Ann Clements, three years before his death.