Beatrice Adela Bradley is a fictional detective created by Gladys Mitchell. Mrs (later Dame Beatrice) Bradley is Mitchell's most significant and long-lived character, appearing in 66 novels that were published between 1929 and 1975.[1]
| Mrs Bradley | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Speedy Death |
| Created by | Gladys Mitchell |
| Portrayed by | Mary Wimbush and Margaret Yarde (BBC Radio) Diana Rigg (TV) |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Title | Mrs, later Dame |
| Occupation | Psychiatrist |
| Spouse | Mr Lestrange (first husband; deceased) Unnamed second husband (deceased) Mr Bradley (third husband; deceased) |
| Children | Sir Ferdinand Lestrange (son) Unnamed second son by her second husband |
| Relatives | Derek Lestrange (grandson) Sally Lestrange (granddaughter) Juliet Lestrange (ex-daughter-in-law) Caroline Lestrange (daughter-in-law) |
| Nationality | British |
Life
editMrs Bradley is the first female character to be both a detective heroine and a member of an 'established profession'.[2] A fully qualified medical doctor and a psychoanalyst, she is a consultant for the Home Office, and she also acts as an amateur detective.[2]
Mrs Bradley lives in the village of Wandles Parva, located in the New Forest. Her sidekicks include her chauffeur George Cuddleup, and her secretary Laura Menzies.
Books
edit- Speedy Death, (London: Gollancz, 1929)
- The Mystery of a Butcher's Shop, (London: Gollancz, 1929)
- The Longer Bodies, (London: Gollancz, 1930)
- The Saltmarsh Murders, (London: Gollancz, 1932)
- Death at the Opera, (London: Grayson, 1934) also known as Death in the Wet (Philadelphia: Macrae Smith Company, 1934)
- The Devil at Saxon Wall, (London: Grayson, 1935)
- Dead Men's Morris, (London: Michael Joseph, 1936)
- Come Away, Death, (London: Michael Joseph, 1937)
- St Peter's Finger, (London: Michael Joseph, 1938)
- Printer's Error, (London: Michael Joseph, 1939)
- Brazen Tongue, (London: Michael Joseph, 1940)
- Hangman's Curfew, (London: Michael Joseph, 1941)
- When Last I Died, (London: Michael Joseph, 1941)
- Laurels Are Poison, (London: Michael Joseph, 1942)
- The Worsted Viper, (London: Michael Joseph, 1943)
- Sunset Over Soho, (London: Michael Joseph, 1943)
- My Father Sleeps, (London: Michael Joseph, 1944)
- The Rising of the Moon, (London: Michael Joseph, 1945)
- Here Comes a Chopper, (London: Michael Joseph, 1946)
- Death and the Maiden, (London: Michael Joseph, 1947)
- The Dancing Druids, (London: Michael Joseph, 1948)
- Tom Brown's Body, (London: Michael Joseph, 1949)
- Groaning Spinney, (London: Michael Joseph, 1950)
- The Devil's Elbow, (London: Michael Joseph, 1951)
- The Echoing Strangers, (London: Michael Joseph, 1952)
- Merlin's Furlong, (London: Michael Joseph, 1953)
- Faintley Speaking, (London: Michael Joseph, 1954)
- Watson's Choice, (London: Michael Joseph, 1955)
- Twelve Horses and the Hangman's Noose, (London: Michael Joseph, 1956)
- The Twenty-Third Man, (London: Michael Joseph, 1957)
- Spotted Hemlock, (London: Michael Joseph, 1958)
- The Man Who Grew Tomatoes, (London: Michael Joseph, 1959)
- Say It with Flowers, (London: Michael Joseph, 1960)
- The Nodding Canaries, (London: Michael Joseph, 1961)
- My Bones Will Keep, (London: Michael Joseph, 1962)
- Adders on the Heath, (London: Michael Joseph, 1963)
- Death of a Delft Blue, (London: Michael Joseph, 1964)
- Pageant of Murder, (London: Michael Joseph, 1965)
- The Croaking Raven, (London: Michael Joseph, 1966)
- Skeleton Island, (London: Michael Joseph, 1967)
- Three Quick and Five Dead, (London: Michael Joseph, 1968)
- Dance to Your Daddy, (London: Michael Joseph, 1969)
- Gory Dew, (London: Michael Joseph, 1970)
- Lament for Leto, (London: Michael Joseph, 1971)
- A Hearse on May-Day, (London: Michael Joseph, 1972)
- The Murder of Busy Lizzie, (London: Michael Joseph, 1973)
- A Javelin for Jonah, (London: Michael Joseph, 1974)
- Winking at the Brim, (London: Michael Joseph, 1974)
- Convent on Styx, (London: Michael Joseph, 1975)
- Late, Late in the Evening, (London: Michael Joseph, 1976)
- Noonday and Night, (London: Michael Joseph, 1977)
- Fault in the Structure, (London: Michael Joseph, 1977)
- Wraiths and Changelings, (London: Michael Joseph, 1978)
- Mingled with Venom, (London: Michael Joseph, 1978)
- Nest of Vipers, (London: Michael Joseph, 1979)
- The Mudflats of the Dead, (London: Michael Joseph, 1979)
- Uncoffin'd Clay, (London: Michael Joseph, 1980)
- The Whispering Knights, (London: Michael Joseph, 1980)
- The Death-Cap Dancers, (London: Michael Joseph, 1981)
- Lovers, Make Moan, (London: Michael Joseph, 1981)
- Here Lies Gloria Mundy, (London: Michael Joseph, 1982)
- The Death of a Burrowing Mole, (London: Michael Joseph, 1982)
- The Greenstone Griffins, (London: Michael Joseph, 1983)
- Cold, Lone and Still, (London: Michael Joseph, 1983)
- No Winding-Sheet, (London: Michael Joseph, 1984)
- The Crozier Pharaohs, (London: Michael Joseph, 1984)
- Sleuth's Alchemy, Cases of Mrs. Bradley and Others (Crippen & Landru, 2005)
The last-named is a collection of all but one of Gladys Mitchell's short stories from 1938 to 1956, many previously uncollected; edited and with a comprehensive introduction by Nicholas Fuller.
Portrayals
editMrs Bradley was portrayed by Diana Rigg in the television series The Mrs Bradley Mysteries, and on radio by Margaret Yarde[3] and Mary Wimbush.
References
edit- ^ Rosemary., Herbert (2003-01-01). Whodunit? : a who's who in crime & mystery writing. Oxford University Press. pp. 22. ISBN 0195157613. OCLC 252700230.
- ^ a b Bright, Brittain (2015). Beyond the Scene of the Crime: Investigating Place in Golden Age Detective Fiction. PhD thesis (Goldsmiths, University of London). pp. 34, 127, 142.
- ^ "BBC Home Service Basic - 28 September 1940 - BBC Genome".