Uel Key was the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

of British author Samuel Whittell Key (1874–1948), who wrote

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

regarding Prof. Arnold Rhymer, the Spook Specialist. These tales appeared in ''

Pearson's Magazine ''Pearson's Magazine'' was a monthly periodical that first appeared in Britain in 1896. A US version began publication in 1899. It specialised in speculative literature, political discussion, often of a socialist bent, and the arts. Its contribut ...

'' in 1917 and

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

and were later collected in ''The Broken Fang and Other Experiences of a Specialist in Spooks'' ( 1920). A novel concerning Prof. Rhymer, entitled ''The Yellow Death'', was published the following year.

Prof. Arnold Rhymer, M.D.

Key's recurring

occult detective Occult detective fiction is a subgenre of detective fiction that combines the tropes of the main genre with those of supernatural, fantasy and/or horror fiction. Unlike the traditional detective who investigates murder and other common crimes ...

, Prof. Arnold Rhymer, is an English

medical doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and

lecturer Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...

who works closely with

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

on various cases involving the unusual, weird and/or exotic. Portrayed as a tall, lean, agile and young man, Rhymer is a ghostbuster who depends on his

Holmes Holmes may refer to: Name * Holmes (surname) * Holmes (given name) * Baron Holmes, noble title created twice in the Peerage of Ireland * Chris Holmes, Baron Holmes of Richmond (born 1971), British former swimmer and life peer Places In the Uni ...

-like deductive mind and cunning wits to defeat supernatural opponents.

Bibliography

*''The Broken Fang and Other Experiences of a Specialist in Spooks'' (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1920) *''The Yellow Death (A Tale of Occult Mysteries): Recording a Further Experience of Professor Rhymer the "Spook" Specialist'' (London: Books Limited, 1921)

References

External links

*
The Supernatural Fiction Database: Uel Key

Samuel Whittell Key
in

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the OCL ...

library records {{DEFAULTSORT:Key, Uel 1874 births 1948 deaths English horror writers 20th-century English novelists English short story writers English male short story writers English male novelists 20th-century British short story writers 20th-century English male writers