The Pit Prop Syndicate - Dodo Press Author:Freeman Wills Crofts Freeman Wills Crofts (1879-1957) was an Irish- English mystery author, one of the ‘Big Four’ of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. His first novel, The Cask (1920) established him as a new master of detective fiction. Crofts continued to write steadily, producing a book almost every year for thirty years, in addition to a number of short s... more »tories and plays. He is best remembered for his favourite detective, Inspector Joseph French, who was introduced in his fifth book, Inspector French’s Greatest Case (1924). He also wrote one religious book, The Four Gospels in One Story, several short stories, and short plays for the BBC. Amongst his other works are The Mystery of the Sleeping Car Express (1921), The Greuze (1921), The Ponson Case (1921), The Pit Prop Syndicate (1922), Inspector French and the Starvel Tragedy (1927), The Sea Mystery (1928), Sudden Death (1932) and Found Floating (1937).« less