Pearl Foley

Charlotte Beatrix "Pearl" Foley (September 3, 1888 – October 12, 1953) was a Canadian crime writer. She sometimes went by the pseudonym Paul de Mar.

Early life and education

Charlotte Beatrix Foley was born to Mr. and Mrs. John A. Foley[1] in Toronto, Ontario, on September 3, 1888.[2] She attended the University of Toronto as well as the Ontario College of Art.[1]

As of 1924, Foley lived at 165 Wellesley Crescent in Toronto.[3]

Career

Foley wrote four books: The Gift of the Gods (1921), The Octagon Crystal (1929), The Gnome Mine Mystery (1933, as Paul de Mar) and The Yellow Circle (1937).[4]

Octagon Crystal follows "Red Hawk", described as a "Narragansett chief", beset by criminals seeking the eponymous crystal.[5] In parallel, the young couple of Forrest Selwyn and Ralph Lorriston engaged in a "checkered" courtship.[6] A reviewer in The Buffalo Times was not thrilled with the read, calling it a "detective story without the detective".[7]

Gift of the Gods is about a Chinese girl who visits North America.[8]

A mediocre review in The New York Times described Yellow Circle, a murder mystery, as reminiscent of the Philo Vance novels.[9] The novel features Richard North, a detective who appears in some of Foley's other works. It was serialized in the Toronto Star beginning in 1938.[10]

Gnome Mine Mystery is about a crime involving a mine in northern Ontario.[4]

As of 1938, Foley also worked in a department store evaluating customers' credit.[11]

Works

  • The Gift of the Gods (Toronto: Allen, 1921)[12]
  • The Octagon Crystal (Brentano; New York: Carrier, 1929)[13][14]
  • The Gnome Mine Mystery: A Northern Ontario Mining Story, as Paul de Mar (London: Hamilton, 1933)[12]
  • The Yellow Circle (Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1937)[13]

Death

Foley died at Toronto General Hospital on October 12, 1953.[1][15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Bury Pearl B. Foley Wrote 'Gift of Gods'". Toronto Star. October 14, 1953. p. 2. Retrieved April 5, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Pearl Foley (1988-1953)". Canada's Early Women Writers. August 1, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Author Quite Ill". The Globe and Mail. April 28, 1924. p. 37 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 Thomas, Clara (1946). Canadian Novelists, 1920–1945. Longmans, Green & Company. p. 30.
  5. ↑ Dana, Mira (September 22, 1929). "Foley Novel Is Mysterious". The Sunday Standard. New Bedford, Massachusetts. p. 36 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Mystery Tale, Minus a Detective". The Times. Trenton, New Jersey. October 9, 1929 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Octagon Crystal Hides No Mystery". The Buffalo Times. September 29, 1929 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "A Story of China". The Gazette. November 5, 1921 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Anderson, Isaac (December 19, 1937). "New Mystery Stories". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  10. ↑ "Best Critic Is Her Mother, Detective Writer States". Toronto Star. November 11, 1938 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Sets Credit Rating by Day, Gets Book Plot in Sleep". Toronto Star. October 15, 1938. p. 13. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  12. 1 2 Watters, Reginald Eyre (1972). A Checklist of Canadian Literature and Background Materials, 1628–1960 (2nd ed.). University of Toronto Press. pp. 289. ISBN 978-0-8020-1866-3.
  13. 1 2 Hagen, Ordean A. (1969). Who Done It? A Guide to Detective, Mystery and Suspense Fiction. New York: R. R. Bowker. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-8352-0234-3.
  14. ↑ "The Weekly Record of New Publications". Publishers Weekly. Vol. 116, no. 12. September 21, 1929. p. 1355.
  15. ↑ The Macmillan Dictionary of Canadian Biography. 1963. pp. 237–238. OCLC 1090991921.
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