SGAG Logo

CUTHBERT CROOM

croom_cuthbert_bk_coalm
 
Full Name: Cuthbert Croom
Nationality: British
Organization: British Diplomatic Service
Occupation Agent

Creator: William Le Queux
Time Span: 1905 - 1905

ABOUT THE SERIES

Cuthbert Croom is an agent with the British Diplomatic Service.

I state upfront that I have not gotten a chance to read any of the stories in the collection of adventures of this operative, the cost of the two copies I had found being too high right now. The following are excerpts from books about the series by others, as noted.

In David Stafford's excellent The Silent Game: The Real World of Imaginary Spies from 1985, Croom was described as "a Wykehamist [graduate of Winchester College] whose bookish personal inclinations are constantly frustrated by his patriotic duty, which demands he mingle with the meretricious glitteraty in order to pull the country back from the brink of danger". [Note the intended definition of 'meretricious' being 'apparently attractive but have in reality no value or integrity.]

In the trade publication Canadian Bookseller and Stationers' Journal, volume 18 from 1905, the reviewer stated "if Cuthbert Croom, secret agent in His Majesty's Diplomatic Service, had been less of a ladies' man he would have been a far more successful agent. Mr. Croom was supposed to be a clever unraveller of mysteries, yet in the fifteen stories that make up this book, Cuthbert Croom confesses how he was caught again and again in a net spread in sight of the bird. He never went abroad but mysterious ladies attracted his attention, turned appealing eyes towards him, and were induced to pour their tales of woe into his sympathetic ears. The ladies, in an exceptional number of cases, turned out to be princesses, or at least they said they were, which is not always the same thing. On various occasions Mr. Croom found himself cast into dungeons and cellars and murderous weapons descended upon him, moved by mysterious mechanical contrivances. We read in several stories how different ladies were each the one love of Cuthbert Croom's life."


BOOKS

Number of Books:1
First Appearance:1905
Last Appearance:1905

1 Confessions of a Ladies' Man Confessions of a Ladies' Man
Written by William Le Queux
Copyright: 1905

Subtitled "Being the adventures of Cuthbert Croom, of His Majesty's Diplomatic Service". It is a collection of 15 assignments, as follows:

Because She Loved
Concerns the Betrayers
Concludes My Confessions
Discloses an Emperor's Secret
Divulges a Royal Scandal
In Which a Finger Is Missing
Is About a White Frock
Is in Strict Confidence
Is Mainly About a Red Cravat
Lays Bare the Love of Narcisse
Recounts the Mystery of a Front Door
Relates a Grave Peril
Shows the Three Pins
Tells a Mysterious Story
Which Contains Open Confession


NOVELLAS AND SHORT STORIES

Number of Stories:15
First Appearance:1905
Last Appearance:1905

1 Because She Loved Because She Loved
short story
Written by William Le Queux
Copyright: 1905

Contained in the collection Confessions of a Ladies' Man.
[plot unknown]

2 Concerns the Betrayers Concerns the Betrayers
short story
Written by William Le Queux
Copyright: 1905

Contained in the collection Confessions of a Ladies' Man.
[plot unknown]

3 Concludes My Confessions Concludes My Confessions
short story
Written by William Le Queux
Copyright: 1905

Contained in the collection Confessions of a Ladies' Man.
[plot unknown]

4 Discloses an Emperor's Secret Discloses an Emperor's Secret
short story
Written by William Le Queux
Copyright: 1905

Contained in the collection Confessions of a Ladies' Man.
[plot unknown]

5 Divulges a Royal Scandal Divulges a Royal Scandal
short story
Written by William Le Queux
Copyright: 1905

Contained in the collection Confessions of a Ladies' Man.
[plot unknown]

6 In Which a Finger Is Missing In Which a Finger Is Missing
short story
Written by William Le Queux
Copyright: 1905

Contained in the collection Confessions of a Ladies' Man.
[plot unknown]

7 Is About a White Frock Is About a White Frock
short story
Written by William Le Queux
Copyright: 1905

Contained in the collection Confessions of a Ladies' Man.
[plot unknown]

8 Is in Strict Confidence Is in Strict Confidence
short story
Written by William Le Queux
Copyright: 1905

Contained in the collection Confessions of a Ladies' Man.
[plot unknown]

9 Is Mainly About a Red Cravat Is Mainly About a Red Cravat
short story
Written by William Le Queux
Copyright: 1905

Contained in the collection Confessions of a Ladies' Man.
[plot unknown]

10 Lays Bare the Love of Narcisse Lays Bare the Love of Narcisse
short story
Written by William Le Queux
Copyright: 1905

Contained in the collection Confessions of a Ladies' Man.
[plot unknown]

11 Recounts the Mystery of a Front Door Recounts the Mystery of a Front Door
short story
Written by William Le Queux
Copyright: 1905

Contained in the collection Confessions of a Ladies' Man.
[plot unknown]

12 Relates a Grave Peril Relates a Grave Peril
short story
Written by William Le Queux
Copyright: 1905

Contained in the collection Confessions of a Ladies' Man.
[plot unknown]

13 Shows the Three Pins Shows the Three Pins
short story
Written by William Le Queux
Copyright: 1905

Contained in the collection Confessions of a Ladies' Man.
[plot unknown]

14 Tells a Mysterious Story Tells a Mysterious Story
short story
Written by William Le Queux
Copyright: 1905

Contained in the collection Confessions of a Ladies' Man.
[plot unknown]

15 Which Contains Open Confession Which Contains Open Confession
short story
Written by William Le Queux
Copyright: 1905

Contained in the collection Confessions of a Ladies' Man.
[plot unknown]

MY COMMENTS

I cannot have too much to say in the way of My Comments on a series that I have not yet read. Based on the comments mentioned above, I would be interested in reading a couple of them to see if I thought similarly to either of those publications but I am not sure if I would want to read much more.

I have seen it mentioned elsewhere that most of the author's recurring character heroes tend to be similar to each other and that Cuthbert Croom is in the same mold as his immediately 'predecessor' Duckworth Drew. The author did love his alliteration names like the two mentioned and Stella Steele and Ray Raymond.

GRADE

My Grade: -

YOUR OPINIONS

Be the first to leave your own comments about this series.

Tell us what you think of the series. Give your grade and comments.

Your Grade:
Your Comments:

To give your opinion, you must be logged in.

Sign In

Register
Disclaimer
SpyGuysAndGals is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, and links with the Buy from Amazon button are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.