Here we have the third Basil Copper collection of Solar Pons stories, The Secret Files of Solar Pons.
It first saw print in 1979 as Pinnacle’s 10th volume of stories. It has since been reprinted by PS Publishing in a definitive edition, edited by Stephen Jones.
Three of these stories are the restored versions that first appeared in Sarob Press‘ Final Cases. One of them, “The Anguished Actor,” has the original published version in the Solar Pons Companion. There the original title, “Agonised Actor,” was restored, as well as the original name of the actor. I have no idea the differences in the other two restored works.
The cover of the PS edition reprints the cover by Les Edwards for the Sarob Press volume Solar Pons and the Devil’s Claw, which has Pons looking like Peter Cushing. It’s interesting as Cushing portrayed Sherlock Holmes in a few movies. And it seems like Peter Lorre was used as the basis for Dr. Parker.
A miser bring Pons “The Adventure of the Crawling Horror,” a story that reminds me a little of The Hound of the Baskervilles. The miser lives with his niece, who serves as his housekeeper, in a manor surrounded by marshes. But of late, he has been menaced by a “crawling horror,” a shambling figure with a bluish glow. Is it real or supernatural? What is it about? Can Pons get to the bottom of this one?
Pons is summoned by the actor in question in “The Adventure of the Anguished Actor.” The actor has been threatened by a series of packages that contained small figures of him being killed. After the last few figures have shown up, an accident almost killed him in one case, and another actor who resembled him was killed. Someone appears to be after him. And now another package has arrived. Can Pons solve it before the actor is killed?
In “The Adventure of the Ignored Idols,” it’s announced that a museum has received a letter claiming the future theft of a set of idols. Pons recognizes the hand of a Charles Brinsley LaFontaine, a master thief who he has dealt with before, but never met. Can Pons figure out what is going on, and possibly thwart LaFontaine?
A rude and horrible man barges into Pons’ quarters in “The Adventure of the Horrified Heiress.” He demands his niece, who is not there. Pons puts him out, then the niece does appear, who is the “heiress” in question. She is almost 21 and will soon receive her inheritance from her long-deceased parents. But in the last few years, her uncle has been acting strangely. And several strange events have happened as well. After the family attorney showed up about three years ago, her uncle then fired the gardener and tore up the garden himself. Her dog was acting strangely and was found dead the next day. And a few days prior, the attorney showed up again, and was staying the night. Then she was awoken to his body hung outside her window. He was then found hung at his home. Did she dream it, or did it really happen? Can Pons figure out what is going on before something sinister happens?
Overall, it’s a good set of stories. As I noted, the first one has some of the same atmosphere as The Hound of the Baskervilles, and a little of the same story elements, though with a different conclusion. The “Horrified Heiress” is a very interesting story with a gothic style to it and conclusion. I wonder if someone can bring back LaFontaine for a future story.
We now move on to the fourth August Derleth Solar Pons colletion.
