Francis Iles

Francis Iles was the pseudonym for Anthony Berkeley Cox (1893 - 1971). He was born in Watford and served in World War One before working as journalist for Punch and The Humorist magazines. He wrote his first novel in 1925 and enjoyed success with his many detective novels and short stories. In 1930 he co-founded the famous Detection Club alongside famous crime writers such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. He wrote three novels under the pseudonym Francis Iles of which Malice Aforethought was the most famous. On publication it created a storm by revealing the criminal right from the start and focusing on the character’s psychological state instead. He also wrote book reviews for the Daily Telegraph, Sunday Times, and The Guardian under the same pseudonym.