Carter Brown is the great detective guru

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

He is called the guru of the detective genre. What path did the author go through to earn this “title”? In 1949, his first novel came out from under his pen. Over 30 years of literary career, he wrote more than 270 works. Of these - 261 detective novels, the rest of the works were written in different genres. Taking up reading any book by Carter Brown, you know for sure: it will not be boring.

Biography

The author wrote his books under pseudonyms - Paul Valdez, Tex Conrad, Sinclair McKellar, Dennis Sinclair, Carter Brown and Tom Conway. The real name of the writer is Alan Jeffrey Yates. Born in London on August 1, 1923. He was educated in Essex schools. At the age of 19, being in the rank of lieutenant, he went to serve in the Royal Navy. After 4 years of service, Alan retires and works for Gaumont-British Films in a recording studio.

In 1948, Yates moved to Australia, obtained Australian citizenship and worked for Qantas in Sydney for several years. He was married to Denise McKellar, the family had four children - three sons and a daughter. At the age of 61, on May 5, 1985, the writer passed away.

The beginning of literary activity

While still working as a manager, Carter Brown tried his hand at writing. During this period, he tries himself in various genres - westerns, horror films, science fiction. Many of these works are written under the pseudonym Tex Conrad. In 1953, Alan decided to completely switch to literary activity. From that moment on, he writes exclusively in the detective genre.

His first work, the novel "Unarmed Venus", written under the pseudonym Carter Brown, was sold in huge circulation and brought him fame. A few years later he published a novel under his real name, and in 1966 a number of his works were published under the pseudonym Caroline Farr.

The author's early works were addressed to an Australian audience. But after the publishing house New American Library offered him a collaboration, his name becomes widely known in the United States. In 1959, his books were published in France, translated into several languages, and Carter Brown became world famous.

Fantastic in the work of Carter Brown

The first years of his work, Carter Brown worked in the fantasy genre. During this period (1949 - 1953) about twenty stories and novellas were published under the pseudonym Paul Valdez. Most of the works are written in the thriller genre with elements of fantasy and mysticism. Of particular note are Hypnotic Death (1949), The Time Thief (1951) and The Crook Who Wasn't There (1952). Sinister inventors and inventions, time travel, x-ray vision andinvisibility - these works contain all the elements of fantasy.

During the same period, the author writes several science fiction stories under his real name. The most famous among them are Girl from Galaxy X, A Space Ship is Missing, Planet of the Lost, Genie from Jupiter, Goddess of Space.

Towards the end of his career, Alan unexpectedly returns to science fiction, from his pen comes the novel Coriolanus, the Chariot! - perhaps the largest work written by him in this genre. This novel was uncharacteristic of his style, completely unlike any other work. Perhaps that is why the book was received somewhat negatively, and it went unnoticed.

Detective novels

Carter Brown's entertaining detectives, with unexpected plot twists and excellent humor, quickly gained popularity, despite some rough edges. The author places the heroes of his works in the realities of American life, which he knew more from guidebooks and movies. But readers forgive everything to the prolific writer for the lively and rich language of the characters.

The main features of his style are conciseness, fast-paced intrigue, without excessive intricacies. Numerous conversational dialogues, humor and, of course, amazing characters. The heroines of his works are invariably "juicy" and chic ladies, endowed with numerous talents and charms.

The detectives in Carter's novels are invariably "tough" guys who get away with it in any situation. Sometimes they risk their livessolve serious crimes. But, which is typical for Brown's books, all the attributes of a criminal nature do not strain, but are organically woven into the narrative.

To kindle desire and curiosity in readers, to make them worry and read books in one gulp, but at the same time be distracted and relax with a book - only master detective Carter Brown could do this.

Books in one go

All the detectives of Carter Brown "drag" the reader. It is impossible to describe what exactly they attract, make you pick up a book and reread it again and again. One feels some kind of peculiarity, a desire to go beyond the idea and bring in exactly that uniqueness, because of which there is a desire to return to what was read.

You understand from the first lines that somewhere nearby in the details lies the answer. But the author skillfully leads from plot to plot, and the veil is lifted only on the last pages. By hints and dialogues, gradually, step by step, the author leads to the idea of the work. Different points of view, events revealed from different angles, mild irony, comical situations are so harmoniously woven into the plot that they become an integral part of it. For example, the book "The House of Witchcraft".

Carter Brown brightly and at the same time carefully reveals the character of the protagonist. You read the novel and watch how the main character changes - from impulsiveness and emotionality he moves to balanced and reasonable actions. The author managed to raise a number of issues in the book that are worth thinking about. Books by Carter Brown - and philosophy, and psychology, andhumor and tragedy and history…