A number of American writers of mystery and detective fiction have been called "American Conan Doyle," but only two created fictional detectives that have been called "American Sherlock Holmes," Jacques Futrelle, creator of Professor Augustus Van Dusen, and Arthur B. Reeve, creator of Professor Craig Kennedy.
Jacques Futrelle was an American journalist and mystery writer. He created Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, also known as "The Thinking Machine," one of the "American Sherlock Holmes" featured in a number of short detective stories.
Futrelle's writing career was cut short as he died at the age of 37 in the sinking of the RMS Titanic. In addition to the stories in which The Thinking Machine solves locked-room puzzles, kidnappings, and murders, he wrote seven novels, including "My Lady's Garter" that was published posthumously.
"The Chase of the Golden Plate," is the first novel-length story written by Jacques Futrelle and features The Thinking Machine only at the end. One of the short stories, 'The Yellow Diamond Pendant,' is lost, but May Futrelle, Jacques' wife, has written a story with the same title, although without The Thinking Machine.
The list of stories featuring The Thinking Machine as main character includes 50 short stories published mostly in 1905 and 1906. These stories are all incuded in this collection.