Biggles in the Underworld by W. E. Johns was first published in 1968 by Brockhampton. There have been only 2 subsequent editions in the English language, a Knight books paperback and a reprint. The events in the book take place in England.
Synopsis[]
Biggles is asked to track down a particularly nasty criminal and prison escapee named "Nick the Sheikh" or "Lazor the Razor" because his trademark is attacking people with a razor.
Plot[]
Note: The sections below contain spoilers. In particular, the plot subpage (click here) has an extended summary of the narrative in the book
Characters[]
The Special Air Police/Scotland Yard[]
- Air Commodore Raymond
- Biggles
- Algy Lacey
- Ginger Hebblethwaite
- Bertie Lissie
- Gaskin - mentioned in Chapter 1
Others[]
- Nicholas Lazor - otherwise known as "Nick the Sheikh" or "Lazor the Razor".
- Rigby
- Lady Crantonby
- Constantine Nestos
- Carlo
- Brian Basil Caine
- Kendrick Seaton-Thompson
Aircraft[]
- Auster J1 Autocrat
- De Havilland Gipsy Moth
- Auster Aiglet - two, on the inventory of the Podbury Flying Club
- Piper Cub - on the inventory of the Podbury Flying Club
- Starfinder
Places[]
Visited[]
- London
- Clayhangar, Hampshire
- Podbury, Surrey
Mentioned[]
- London
Other Research Notes[]
- The title is somewhat of a misnomer because Biggles doesn't really go into the underworld, undercover or otherwise, unlike in Biggles on the Home Front.
References to the other stories[]
Incongruities[]
Chronology[]
- Podbury Flying Club was registered on 5 August 1964, so the events in the book would be in this ballpark.
Editions[]
- Brockhampton, 1968
- Knight Books, 1971. Reprint 1972
- Norman Wright, 2011
International titles[]
- Czech: Biggles v podsvětí (Riopress 2002)