Joseph Commings
Encyclopedia
Joseph Commings was an American writer of locked room mysteries
. He wrote a series of soft-core sex novels, but is best known for his locked-room mystery/impossible crime stories featuring Senator Brooks U. Banner."
Commings began writing in 1947, and was first published in 10-Story Detective magazine in March, 1947. After three stories, Commings also began writing for Ten Detective Aces. For some reason, the editors of both magazines thought it would be a good idea to have a different detective. Commings merely changed the name of Banner to Mayor Thomas Landin, but kept everything else the same. All stories that were first printed in Ten Detective Aces and that have since been reprinted have changed the name of Landin back to Banner."
By the 1950s, Commings submitted stories to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
, but Frederic Dannay (half of the writing/editorial team known as Ellery Queen
) didn't like the character of Banner, so Commings was never printed in EQMM. It wouldn't be until 1957 that Commings would be able to print another Banner story."
In 1957, Commings published stories in an offbeat mystery magazine, Mystery Digest. It was during this time that Commings would write his best-known story, The X Street Murders. Commings would continue to be published in Mystery Digest until it went bankrupt, his last story being The Giant's Sword in 1963."
Commings would publish a few stories in The Saint Mystery Magazine until 1968. Commings would also publish a series of part crime/part sex novels. Commings attempted to write normal mystery novels, and locked room mystery novels, none of which was published. It wouldn't be until 1979, in Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, that Commings would publish another Banner story, cowritten by Edward D. Hoch
. (Commings was a friend of both John Dickson Carr
and Edward D. Hoch
.) Commings would continue to publish in MSMM until 1984; he died in 1992. The last Banner story, The Whispering Gallery, was not published until 2004, in the collection Banner Deadlines, published by Crippen and Landru."
2. Fingerprint Ghost
3. The Spectre on The Lake
4. The Black Friar Murders
5. The Scarecrow Murders
6. Death By Black Magic
7. Ghost in the Gallery
8. The Invisible Clue
9. Serenade to a Killer
10. The Female Animal
11. The Bewitched Terrace
12. Through the Looking Glass
13. Three Chamberpots
14. Murderer's Progress
15. A Lady of Quality
16. Castanets, Canaries, and Murder
17. The X Street Murders
18. Open to Danger
19. Hangman's House
20. Betrayal in the Night
21. The Giant's Sword
22. The Last Samurai
23. The Cuban Blonde
24. The Glass Gravestone
25. The Moving Finger
26. Stairway to Nowhere (with Edward D. Hoch
)
27. Nobody Loves a Fatman
28. Assassination-Middle East
29. Dressed to Kill
30. Murder of a Mermaid
31. The Fire Dragon Caper
32. The Grand Guignol Caper (also known as The Vampire in the Iron Mask)
33. The Whispering Gallery (first published in Banner Deadlines)
Locked room mystery
The locked room mystery is a sub-genre of detective fiction in which a crime—almost always murder—is committed under apparently impossible circumstances. The crime in question typically involves a crime scene that no intruder could have entered or left, e.g., a locked room...
. He wrote a series of soft-core sex novels, but is best known for his locked-room mystery/impossible crime stories featuring Senator Brooks U. Banner."
Commings began writing in 1947, and was first published in 10-Story Detective magazine in March, 1947. After three stories, Commings also began writing for Ten Detective Aces. For some reason, the editors of both magazines thought it would be a good idea to have a different detective. Commings merely changed the name of Banner to Mayor Thomas Landin, but kept everything else the same. All stories that were first printed in Ten Detective Aces and that have since been reprinted have changed the name of Landin back to Banner."
By the 1950s, Commings submitted stories to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine is an American monthly digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction...
, but Frederic Dannay (half of the writing/editorial team known as Ellery Queen
Ellery Queen
Ellery Queen is both a fictional character and a pseudonym used by two American cousins from Brooklyn, New York: Daniel Nathan, alias Frederic Dannay and Manford Lepofsky, alias Manfred Bennington Lee , to write, edit, and anthologize detective fiction.The fictional Ellery Queen created by...
) didn't like the character of Banner, so Commings was never printed in EQMM. It wouldn't be until 1957 that Commings would be able to print another Banner story."
In 1957, Commings published stories in an offbeat mystery magazine, Mystery Digest. It was during this time that Commings would write his best-known story, The X Street Murders. Commings would continue to be published in Mystery Digest until it went bankrupt, his last story being The Giant's Sword in 1963."
Commings would publish a few stories in The Saint Mystery Magazine until 1968. Commings would also publish a series of part crime/part sex novels. Commings attempted to write normal mystery novels, and locked room mystery novels, none of which was published. It wouldn't be until 1979, in Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, that Commings would publish another Banner story, cowritten by Edward D. Hoch
Edward D. Hoch
Edward Dentinger Hoch was an American writer of detective fiction. Although he wrote several novels, he was primarily known for his vast output of over 950 short stories.-Biography:...
. (Commings was a friend of both John Dickson Carr
John Dickson Carr
John Dickson Carr was an American author of detective stories, who also published under the pen names Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson and Roger Fairbairn....
and Edward D. Hoch
Edward D. Hoch
Edward Dentinger Hoch was an American writer of detective fiction. Although he wrote several novels, he was primarily known for his vast output of over 950 short stories.-Biography:...
.) Commings would continue to publish in MSMM until 1984; he died in 1992. The last Banner story, The Whispering Gallery, was not published until 2004, in the collection Banner Deadlines, published by Crippen and Landru."
Banner Stories
1. Murder Under Glass2. Fingerprint Ghost
Fingerprint Ghost
Fingerprint Ghost is a locked room mystery short story by Joseph Commings, featuring his detective Brooks U. Banner.-Plot summary:Senator Brooks U. Banner is making a phone call outside the Sphynx club, when he hears angry yelling a few booths down. Magician Larry Drollen is arguing with someone,...
3. The Spectre on The Lake
4. The Black Friar Murders
5. The Scarecrow Murders
6. Death By Black Magic
7. Ghost in the Gallery
8. The Invisible Clue
9. Serenade to a Killer
10. The Female Animal
11. The Bewitched Terrace
12. Through the Looking Glass
13. Three Chamberpots
14. Murderer's Progress
15. A Lady of Quality
16. Castanets, Canaries, and Murder
17. The X Street Murders
The X Street Murders
"The X Street Murders" is a locked room mystery short story by Joseph Commings, featuring his detective Brooks U. Banner.-Plot summary:The story begins on X Street in Washington, D.C., where the New Zealand legation is located. Caroll Lockyear walks out of the legation at 11:29. The secretary,...
18. Open to Danger
19. Hangman's House
20. Betrayal in the Night
21. The Giant's Sword
The Giant's Sword
The Giant's Sword is a locked room mystery short story by Joseph Commings, featuring his fictional detective Brooks U. Banner. It was the last Banner story published in Mystery Digest.-Plot summary:...
22. The Last Samurai
23. The Cuban Blonde
24. The Glass Gravestone
25. The Moving Finger
26. Stairway to Nowhere (with Edward D. Hoch
Edward D. Hoch
Edward Dentinger Hoch was an American writer of detective fiction. Although he wrote several novels, he was primarily known for his vast output of over 950 short stories.-Biography:...
)
27. Nobody Loves a Fatman
28. Assassination-Middle East
29. Dressed to Kill
30. Murder of a Mermaid
31. The Fire Dragon Caper
32. The Grand Guignol Caper (also known as The Vampire in the Iron Mask)
33. The Whispering Gallery (first published in Banner Deadlines)