"A Master of the Psychology of Fear, of the Torments of the Crime-Burdened Conscience"

IN the field of crime and mystery fiction one normally doesn't associate the name of Thomas Burke—mainly remembered for his superlative "The Hands of Mr. Ottermole"—with the pulps, but during the '30s, '40s, and '50s quite a few of his stories saw reprintings in pulp mags, including EQMM and AHMM:

"The Knight-Errant."
By Thomas Burke (1886-1945).
First appearance: Colour, May 1916.
Reprinted in Limehouse Nights (1916) and Mystery and Detection, May 1935.

"The Paw."
By Thomas Burke (1886-1945).
First appearance: Limehouse Nights (1916).
Reprinted in Mystery and Detection, June 1935.

"Tai Fu and Pansy Greers."
By Thomas Burke (1886-1945).
First appearance: Limehouse Nights (1916).
Reprinted in Mystery and Detection, July 1935.

"Haunted Murderer" (a.k.a. "The Yellow Imps").
By Thomas Burke (1886-1945).
First appearance: Pleasantries of Old Quong (1931).
Reprinted in The Saint Detective Magazine, February 1958.

"The Hollow Man."
By Thomas Burke (1886-1945).
First appearance: Collier's Weekly, October 14, 1933.
Reprinted in Avon Fantasy Reader, March 1947 and Argosy, November 1953.

"The Watcher."
By Thomas Burke (1886-1945).
First appearance: Night-Pieces (1935).
Reprinted in Rex Stout’s Mystery Monthly, May 1947.

"The Bloomsbury Wonder."
By Thomas Burke (1886-1945).
Reprinted in EQMM, May 1942.

"Roses Round the Door."
By Thomas Burke (1886-1945).
First appearance: Dark Nights (1944).
Reprinted in EQMM, May 1946 (online HERE).

"The Hands of Mr. Ottermole."
By Thomas Burke (1886-1945).
First appearance: The Story-Teller, February 1929.
Reprinted in EQMM, January 1950 (online HERE) and EQ's Anthology #59, Fall 1988; adapted for TV (see HERE) and radio (see HERE); GAD Wiki HERE (Warning: SPOILERS).
Online HERE (18 text pages, PDF).

"The New Hat" (1926).
By Thomas Burke (1886-1945).
Reprinted in EQMM, July 1951 (online HERE).

"The Pariah."
By Thomas Burke (1886-1945).
First appearance: Vanity Fair, January 1920.
Reprinted in EQMM, January 1954 (online HERE).

"Johnson Looked Back."
By Thomas Burke (1886-1945).
First appearance: Night-Pieces (1935).
Reprinted in AHHM, June 1984.

MURDER AT ELSTREE.
By Thomas Burke (1886-1945).
Longman's, Green & Co.
1936. 177 pages. $2.00

Full review:

True tale of murder of card sharper Wm. Weare by John Thurtell in 1820's and its sad consequence. - A brilliant bit of sporting England and flash life in London handled with artistry and restraint. - Verdict: For connoisseurs. — "The Criminal Record," THE SATURDAY REVIEW (May 9, 1936; review HERE).

NIGHT-PIECES.
By Thomas Burke (1886-1945).
Appleton-Century.
Collection: 18 stories.
1935. 309 pages. $2.50
(Among dealers right now the popular asking price for a first edition is $450.)

Contents:

1. "Miracle in Suburbia"
2. "Yesterday Street"
3. "Funspot"
4. "Uncle Ezekiel's Long Sight"
5. "The Horrible God"
6. "Father and Son"
7. "Johnson Looked Back"
8. "Two Gentlemen"
9. "The Black Courtyard"
10. "The Gracious Ghosts"
11. "Jack Wapping"
12. "One Hundred Pounds"
13. "The Man Who Lost His Head"
14. "Murder Under the Crooked Spire"
15. "The Lonely Inn"
16. "The Watcher"
17. "Events at Wayless-Wagtail"
18. "The Hollow Man"

Full review:

To those readers who still like to have a storyteller tell a story, these eighteen tales by Thomas Burke are recommended. They are in the neat and well-tailored tradition of the British short story as practiced by Maugham and Walpole and Chesterton. Many of them recount sinister adventures laid in the Limehouse district, in the docks and taverns and dim alleyways along the London water-front. Mr. Burke is a master of the psychology of fear, of the torments of the crime-burdened conscience. In this volume he ventures now and again into the realm of the supernatural; though there is nothing fuzzy or mystical about even his supernaturalism. "The Lonely Inn" is pretty close to a masterpiece of this kind of thing. Also worthy of note is "Uncle Ezekiel’s Long Sight", a humorous anecdote with a gruesome twist of irony. — "The Check List: Fiction," THE AMERICAN MERCURY (June 1936; review HERE).

Resources:
- You can find Limehouse Nights (containing "The Knight-Errant," "The Paw," and "Tai Fu and Pansy Greers") online HERE.

- Wikipedia HERE, FictionMags HERE, ISFDb HERE.

Category: "The psychology of fear"