The Best of Jules de Grandin

This pulpy collection comprises 20 short supernatural detective tales from the prolific Quinn (1889–1969), all originally published in Weird Tales magazine between 1926 and 1945 and featuring Jules de Grandin, a French “occult detective” who resembles both Holmes and Poirot. Throughout these action-packed but dated adventures, De Grandin and his Watsonian sidekick, Dr. Samuel Trowbridge of Harrisonville, N.J., confront a wide range of monstrous creatures, ancient superstitions, and then little-understood science. “Restless Souls” pits them against vampires, “The Jest of Warburg Tantavel” features visitations from the dead, and “Isle of Missing Ships” sees the pair contend with cannibals, while “The Devil’s Rosary” hinges on atomic theory. With unquestioning support from Trowbridge, de Grandin invariably defeats evil monsters and rescues scantily clad beauties, presaging the paranormal romance novels and supernatural soap operas of today. Pulp devotees will take a historical interest in this collection, but formulaic plots and abundant clichés will make it an easy pass for most readers. (June)