Cunning Crime Books

Bio

ABOUT KELVIN JONES

Kelvin Jones has been a prolific writer for a quarter of a century. Born in Kent in 1948, he  is one of that rare breed who is equally at home writing poetry, plays and, above all, novels. He has  published many books about Sherlock Holmes and the only study on Conan Doyle’s interest in spiritualism, as well as numerous articles about the Victorian detective (see R De Waal’s Universal Sherlock Holmes, online edition, 2000). Ed Hoch, the renowned American crime writer, has said of his Sherlockian work: “Kelvin I Jones reveals a sensibility and knowledge of 19th Century literature that extends far beyond the world of Sherlock Holmes.” (Introduction to Sherlock and Porlock, Magico, 1984).
He is also the author of many supernatural stories, among them Carter’s Occult Casebook, about a psychic Edwardian detective. Of his gothic tales, Francis King, the novelist and critic, has written, “(Kelvin’s work) piquantly suggest the work of a modern M.R. James.” (Introduction to Twenty Stories.) His work is also cited in Ramsey Campbell’s Meddling With Ghosts (2002) where he is described as one of the ‘James gang.’

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Kelvin has written several books on folklore, including Occult Cornwall, The Wise Woman and An Joan The Crone, as well as three fiction books for children – Odin’s Eye, Akenstone and The Dark Entry (the latter co-authored with wife Debbie). He was for 15 years the proprietor of Oakmagic Publications, (now defunct) a British folklore publisher. He has published four occult crime novels featuring a melancholic, ex-Met detective, John Bottrell. He is also the creator of the Norwich based DCI Ketch, who features in the e book series, Murder Most Easterly.

In addition to novels, he wrote The Field, a play for BBC Radio in 1995, and has had plays performed at The Barbican Theatre Plymouth and The Birmingham Arts Centre, as well as his one man show Mr Bottrell’s Amazing Tales at the Acorn Theatre in Penzance.
   His poetry includes  Lyonesse, poems based on the myths and legends of Cornwall and the moving Omega, which is a collection of poems about the survivors of a nuclear holocaust. Of his poetry, Bruce Kent, the peace activist, has written, “Kelvin has the gift of the extra eye. He can tell us what we need to see and never forget.” (Introduction to Omega). Kelvin is a member of the Crime Writer’s Association and The Sherlock Holmes Society of London. For many years he taught Creative Writing in North Norfolk.

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Horror/Supernatural:

  • Numerous anthologised short supernatural stories: (William Kimber & other publishers) 1986 – 1989 and in “Twenty Stories”, Secker & Warburg 1989, ed. Francis King.
  • “Carter’s Occult Casebook,” tales of an Edwardian psychic investigator, Oakmagic Pubns, 2008
  • “The Janus”, Kindle ebook, 2011.
  • “Twelve After Midnight” (short stories), Kindle e book 2011.

 Biography:

  • “Conan Doyle & The Spirits”: The Spiritualist Career of Arthur Conan Doyle (Thorsons),1989

 Crime:

  • “Sherlock Holmes Murder File” (Magico, NY) 1987
  • “The Making of Sherlock Holmes” (Magico, NY) 1986
  • “Sherlock & Porlock: The Literary Antecedents of Sherlock Holmes” (Magico) 1986
  • “A Sherlock Holmes Dictionary” (Magico) 1987
  • Sherlock Holmes & The Kent Railways – Mereseborough Books, 1987
  • “Stone Dead” – crime novel featuring Cornish detective John Bottrell (Hale,  2006)
  • “The Phantom Hound” – critical essays on Doyle’s Hound of the Baskervilles. (Oakmagic 2006).
  • “The Flowers Of Evil” – 2nd John Bottrell crime novel, set in Bristol – Pegasus, Spring 2008.
  • “Witch Jar” – 3rd Bottrell crime novel, set in Cornwall, Pegasus, 2008.
  • “A Cromer Corpse” 4th Bottrell novel – ebook, www.contact-publishing.com, 2010.
  • “The Meeting House” – (edited by Kelvin I. Jones), an anthology of Norfolk short stories. Oakmagic Pubns., 2006
  • “Norfolk Tales” – ed. Kelvin Jones, Oakmagic, 2011
  • “Death of A Cunning Man,” Kindle ebook, 2011, Cunning Crime Books.
  • Murder Most Easterly Vols. 1 -3 (ebooks).

 

Folklore:

  • “An Joan The Crone: The History & Craft of The Cornish Witch” (Oakmagic Books, 1999)
  • “The Wise Woman: Her Lives, Spells, Divinatory Practices etc.” (Oakmagic Books, 2004)
  • Occult Cornwall – Oakmagic Pubns, 2001. (All available in e books)

 

CHILDREN’S FICTION

  • “Odin’s Eye” – Fantasy novel for teenagers, Pegasus Books, Cambridge, March 2007
  • “The Dark Entry” – Fantasy/supernatural novel with Debbie Jones, Oakmagic Pubns., 2009.
  • “Akenstone” – ebook 2011.

 Radio:

  •  “The Field” – 30 min. radio play for BBC, 1995

 Poetry:

  •  Omega: Poems about the survivors of the nuclear holocaust, Weavers Press, 1989.
  • “Lyonesse”. 1995.

Theatre:

  •  “Charlie” – The Barbican, Plymouth, 1994
  • “The Great Beast” – Birmingham Arts Centre, 1971
  • “Mr Bottrell’s Amazing Tales” – One Man Show, Acorn Theatre Penzance 1999

 Selected E books 2011-2014

 (See complete annotated list for further details)

  •  Carter’s Occult Casebook
  • Sherlock Holmes And CSI
  • The Criminological Holmes
  • Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective Vols.1-9
  • Crime Writing Tips For Beginners
  • The Norwich Murder Files
  • Occult Cornwall
  • The Witches of Kent
  • Murder Most Easterly Vols. 1-3
  • Sherlock Holmes: The Plagues of London
  • The Wise Woman
  • A Sherlock Holmes Dictionary
  • Omega
  • Death of A Cunning Man
  • Conan Doyle And The Spirits
  • Cornish Charms And Cures
  • The Janus
  • The Sherlock Holmes Murder File
  • Cornish Mumming
  • The Dark Entry (with Debbie Jones)
  • Akenstone
  • Odin’s Eye
  • Twelve After Midnight
  • Sherlock’s Hound
  • The Sherlock Holmes Smoking Companion
  • Sherlock Holmes And The Lizard
  • Sherlock And Porlock
  • Sherlock Holmes And Poisons
  • The Nemeton
  • The Carfax Syndrome
  • Sherlock’s Three Pipe Problems
  • Sherlock Holmes Goes Forth
  • The Hobby Horse: An Enigma
  • Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective: Vols 1-9
  • Mr Bottrell’s Amazing Tales
  • Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Verses
  • Conan Doyle And The Mediums
  • A Stone Dead Omnibus
  • The Goddess on The Mount
  • Witchcraft In Cornwall