The Dark Angel

‘On no consideration will I pay a penny.’ Stories of Crime & Detection Volume Five contains a novel, a novelette and a short story: The Dark Angel Elderly Elspeth Brownrigg devotes her life to supporting.an orphanage, but receives a letter threatening her with death unless she pays £5,000 within 48 hours. Elspeth calls in her nephew Norman who works for Scotland Yard and they liaise with the blackmailer, hoping to catch him in the act. This is unsuccessful, and soon the extortion expands to other persons who receive a similar letter from the same source, always signed by a pair of black wings. The blackmailer then acts on his threats and Norman must race to find a killer. The Unholy Trio Private Detective Peter Norton and his assistant Ginger set out to recover a stolen diamond pendant, ‘The Darlington Star’, and save a beautiful girl. A Tired Heart Humour and pathos abound in this short story about insurance fraud. JAMES JACK RONALD (1905-1972) was a prolific writer of pulp fiction, mystery stories and dramatic novels. Raised in Glasgow, Ronald moved to Chicago aged seventeen to ‘earn his fortune’, later returning to the UK to pursue a writing career. His early works were serializations and short stories syndicated in newspapers and magazines around the world. Ronald wrote under a number of pseudonyms, including Michael Crombie, Kirk Wales, Peter Gale, Mark Ellison and Kenneth Streeter among others. Several books were adapted into films, including Murder in the Family (1938), The Witness Vanishes (1939), and The Suspect (1944). Miss Elspeth Brownrigg, an elderly spinster who devotes her money and her life to an orphanage, receives a letter threatening her with death unless she is willing to pay £5,000 within 48 hours. When she has raised the money, she is to place a plain postcard in her window. She calls in her nephew, Norman Brownrigg, who is a member of Scotland Yard. His superior, Detective Inspector Evans, accompanies him to investigate the case. Slight suspicion attaches itself to Sydney Martin, Miss Brownrigg’s secretary. However, the investigators determine to place the card in the window and await developments. A further communication tells Miss Brownrigg that she is to make a parcel of the money and go to the bargain basement of a large department store. She takes a dummy package and her bag is snatched in the crowd. She receives a last warning—unless she pays by 11.00 p.m. the threat will be fulfilled. It is signed like the previous notes by a pair of black wings. Inspector Evans, Norman Brownrigg, Sydney Martin, and Elsa Waring, a young friend of Miss Brownrigg, agree to spend the evening with her to see that no harm befalls her. The fatal hour strikes, nothing has happened. Miss Brownrigg suggests refreshments. She takes one sip of her coffee and the next instant crashes forward into her nephew’s arms.