Synopsis
"Mathew Sharpin is seconded from his position as a lawyer's clerk to the Detective Police. He bungles an investigation into Mr Yatman's stolen banknotes while mistakenly pursuing an eloping couple. To the gratification of his superiors who have been promoted on merit, they are easily able to deduce from his rambling reports that the true culprit is the extravagant Mrs Yatman."—<a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="http://www.wilkie-collins.info/books_queen_hearts.htm">Wilkie Collins Information Pages</a>
Notes
"Originally published as "Who is the Thief?", with the subtitle "Extracted from the Correspondence of the London Police)", in the Atlantic Journey (1858-04-00, reprinted as "Brother Griffiths' Story of the Biter Bit" in Household Words 394 (1857-10-10), a The Queen of Hearts. — quoted from p 382 of Norman Page's collection of Wilkie Collins short fiction Mad Monkton and Other Stories.
According to the Wilkie Collins Information Pages, "It is an early example of a humorous detective story, featuring a comically inept detective and other features of the genre." There are no supernatural elements in this story, not even in passing.
Publications (10)
| Date | Publication | Publisher | Type | Page | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Masterpieces of Mystery in Four Volumes: Detective Stories | Doubleday, Page & Company | Anthology | 64 | |
| 1934 |
|
A Century of Thrillers: From Poe to Arlen | Daily Express Publications | Anthology | 105 |
| 1934 |
|
A Century of Thrillers: From Poe to Arlen | Daily Express Publications | Anthology | 105 |
| 1937 |
|
Century of Thrillers | President Press | Anthology | 227|2227 |
| 1972 |
|
Tales of Terror and the Supernatural | Dover Publications | Collection | 268 |
| June 1972 | Tales of Terror and the Supernatural | Peter Smith Publisher | Collection | |4 | |
| November 1990 |
|
The Best Supernatural Stories of Wilkie Collins | Robert Hale | Collection | 173 |
| 1994 |
|
Mad Monkton and Other Stories | Oxford University Press | Collection | 217 |
| July 2009 | The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Wilkie Collins: Volume 1 | Leonaur Ltd | Collection | ||
| July 2009 | The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Wilkie Collins: Volume 1 | Leonaur Ltd | Collection |