Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve

Arthur B. Reeve was an American mystery writer born on October 15, 1880, and he is most closely associated with Professor Craig Kennedy, a detective character often described as a scientific counterpart to Sherlock Holmes. Kennedy appeared in a long-running series of stories and novels, with many of the best-known tales first published in Cosmopolitan during the 1910s.

Reeve’s fiction stood out for its use of laboratories, forensic ideas, and modern inventions at a time when that approach still felt fresh and exciting. His work helped popularize the idea of the detective as a scientist, and his storytelling often paired Kennedy with reporter Walter Jameson, giving the mysteries an energetic, news-driven feel.

He also wrote for early screen serials, including The Exploits of Elaine, showing how naturally his cliffhanger style fit the cinema of the silent era. He died on August 9, 1936, but his stories remain a lively snapshot of an era when crime fiction was discovering just how thrilling science could be.