Bernard Capes

Born in 1854, Bernard Edward Joseph Capes was an English novelist and short-story writer whose career flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Modern publisher notes describe him as a prolific Victorian author of more than 40 books, and he is especially remembered now for his ghost stories and other dark, suspenseful fiction.

Capes wrote across several popular forms, including supernatural stories, mysteries, historical fiction, and adventure. One of his best-known later books, The Skeleton Key, was published in 1919 after his death and has been noted for its place in early crime publishing.

He died in 1918, but his fiction has continued to attract readers who enjoy atmospheric storytelling, uncanny twists, and the rich mood of fin-de-siècle popular literature.