John HallJohn Hall spent many years in the civil service before becoming a professional writer specialising in crime fiction. His book Death of a Collector, introducing Freddie Darnborough, won the Sherlock magazine's competition for the best new fictional deective. Freddie has since appeared in short stories and a couple of radio plays. John's other favourite fictional detectives are Peter Wimsey (before he married that dreadful woman!), Poirot, and of course Sherlock Holmes.John has a long association with the Sherlock Holmes world, but has other interests as well, including a large collection of tobacco pipes. John is a member of The international Pipe Smokers' Hall of Fame. Read More Read Less