author
J. A. (John Alexander) Ferguson
1871–1952
A Scottish clergyman who turned to writing, he brought a quiet wit and a strong sense of place to mystery novels and one-act plays. His work ranges from detective fiction to stage pieces such as Campbell of Kilmhor, showing an easy movement between suspense and drama.
1 Audiobook
The man in the dark
by J. A. (John Alexander) Ferguson
About the author
Born in 1871 in Callander, Perthshire, John Alexander Ferguson was a Scottish clergyman, playwright, and mystery writer. Sources agree that he later served in the Episcopalian church, and that his ministry took him to several different places, experiences that seem to have fed the varied settings and atmosphere of his fiction.
Ferguson became known for both stage and prose writing. He is especially associated with the one-act play Campbell of Kilmhor and with detective and suspense fiction including The Man in the Dark. His writing was remembered for its style as well as its storytelling, and he has continued to be read through reprints and public-domain editions.
He died on December 3, 1952, in Lymington, Hampshire, England. While he is not as widely known today as some of his contemporaries, his mix of clerical life, theatrical work, and mystery writing gives him a distinctive place among early 20th-century British popular authors.