criminal cyril

[swedeheart]

I've only just found out that my Dad's mother apparently was a fan of British crime fiction and that one of Dad's given names - Cyril - was inspired by this. My Dad was born in 1923. Any ideas on who this Cyril might have been? Was he a Lord Peter Wimsey kind of fellow, I wonder, or was he a James Moriarty - or was he just a character appearing on page 98 and disappearing on page 99 never to be seen again.

Here in Sweden Cyril is a most unusual name; I'm sort of hoping it isn't too common in the UK either and that some clever ABer will recall a (crime) fictional character by that name.

[LoftyLottie]

I had an uncle Cyril! Does that help?

[shaneystar2]

There was a writer called Cyril Hare .He wrote a few crime novels which were published in the 1940's the protaganist of which was francis pettigrew ,a barrister .
There were Maurice and Cyril the private eye types but I can't remember who wrote the books and they are probably long out of print .I think they were during the thirties ..
I can't think of any fictional sleuth or writer of crime fiction called Cyril otherwise .

[dothawkes31]

The Creator of Bulldog Drummond was called Cyril: published 1920
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulldog_Drummond

[swedeheart]

Is it Alan Thomas, Shaney? If so, then yes that seems to have been the thirties and that's too late obviously http://gadetection.pbworks.com/Thomas,+Alan - what a shame, they sound lovely, "Maurice and Cyril" - like two little mice ;-)

Dot you may have nailed it, if McNeile's real name was known at the time - Wikipedia says his pen name was Sapper. But if he appeared in magazine interviews and such, it may well have reached Sweden.

Thanks an awful lot folks, and keep'em coming. Haven't you got any cousins as well, Lofty, do chuck'em in, by all means, every little bit helps ;-)