Editing H. C. McNeile (section)

===Post-war years===
McNeile had a quiet life after the war; his biographer [[Jonathon Green]] notes that "as in the novels of fellow best-selling writers such as [[P. G. Wodehouse]] or [[Agatha Christie]], it is the hero who lives the exciting life".{{sfn|Green|2004}} Although he was an "unremittingly hearty man",{{sfn|Adrian|Symons|1992|p=70}} he suffered from delicate health following the war.{{sfn|Bourn|1990|p=30}} He had a loud voice and a louder laugh, and "liked to enliven clubs and restaurants with the sight and sound of military good fellowship"; his friend and collaborator Gerard Fairlie described him as "not everybody's cup of tea",{{sfn|Watson|1971|p=63}} and commented that "he was loud in every possible way—in his voice, in his laugh, in his clothes, in the unconscious swagger with which he always motivated himself, in his whole approach to life".{{sfn|Fairlie|1952|p=15}} McNeile and his wife had two sons.{{sfn|Who Was Who|1967|p=883}}

On 13 June 1919 McNeile retired onto the reserve officer list and was confirmed in the rank of major.<ref name="Gaz: Major" /> The same year he also published a novel, ''Mufti'', in which he introduced a type of character as "the Breed", a class of Englishman who was patriotic, loyal and "physically and morally intrepid".{{sfn|DelFattore|1988|p=223}} Although well received by the critics, the book failed commercially and, by the end of 1922, had only sold 16,700 copies from its first print run of 20,000; the unsold copies were pulped and the novel went out of print later that year.{{sfn|Jaillant|2011|p=163}}
{{Quote box|align=left|quote = "Demobilised officer,&nbsp;... finding peace incredibly tedious, would welcome diversion. Legitimate, if possible; but crime, if of a comparatively humorous description, no objection. Excitement essential."|source = Advertisement placed in ''[[The Times]]'' by Drummond in [[Bulldog Drummond (novel)|''Bulldog Drummond'']]{{sfn|McNeile|1920|p=25}}|width = 300px|salign = right}}
In 1920 McNeile published ''[[Bulldog Drummond (novel)|Bull-Dog Drummond]]'', whose [[Bulldog Drummond|eponymous hero]]—a member of "the Breed"—became his most famous creation.{{sfn|Jaillant|2011|p=137}} He had first written Drummond as a detective for a short story in ''[[The Strand Magazine]]'', but the character was not successful and was changed for the novel, which was a [[Thriller (genre)|thriller]].{{sfn|DelFattore|1988|p=223}} Captain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond [[Distinguished Service Order|DSO]], MC was described in the novel's sub-title as "a demobilised officer who found peace dull" after service during the First World War with the fictional [[Loamshire Regiment]]. Drummond went on to appear in ten full-length novels by McNeile{{efn|The ten Drummond novels are: ''Bull-Dog Drummond'' (1920), ''The Black Gang'' (1922), ''The Third Round'' (1924), ''The Final Count'' (1926), ''The Female of the Species'' (1928), ''Temple Tower'' (1929), ''The Return of Bull-Dog Drummond'' (1932), ''Knock-Out'' (1933), ''Bull-Dog Drummond at Bay'' (1935) and ''Challenge'' (1937).{{sfn|Neuburg|1983|p=41}}}} and a further seven by his friend [[Gerard Fairlie]].{{sfn|Treadwell|2001|p=54}} The character was an amalgam of Fairlie, himself, and his idea of an English gentleman.{{sfn|DelFattore|1988|p=223}}{{efn|Bourn disputes the Fairlie background to the character, noting that it was Fairlie who made the claim, although "he was still at school when Sapper created his&nbsp;... hero".{{sfn|Bourn|1990|p=31}}}} Drummond also had roots in the literary characters [[Sherlock Holmes]], [[Sexton Blake]], [[Richard Hannay]] and [[The Scarlet Pimpernel]].{{sfn|Panek|1981|p=78}} Drummond was characterised as large, very strong, physically unattractive and an "apparently brainless hunk of a man",{{sfn|Usborne|1983|p=150}} who was also a gentleman with a private income;{{sfn|Jaillant|2011|p=153}} he could also be construed as "a brutalized ex-officer whose thirst for excitement is also an attempt to reenact {{sic}} the war".{{sfn|Jaillant|2011|p=138}} The character was later described by [[Cecil Day-Lewis]], author of rival gentleman detective [[Nigel Strangeways]], as an "unspeakable public school bully".{{sfn|Watson|1971|p=69}} Drummond's main adversary across four novels is Carl Peterson,{{efn|The four Drummond novels with Carl Peterson are: ''Bull-Dog Drummond'' (1920), ''The Black Gang'' (1922), ''The Third Round'' (1924) and ''The Final Count'' (1926).{{sfn|Treadwell|2001|p=132}}}} a master criminal with no national allegiance, who is often accompanied by his wife, Irma.{{sfn|Treadwell|2001|p=131}} Irma is described by Jonathon Green as "the slinky epitome of a twenties '[[femme fatale|vamp]]{{' "}},{{sfn|Green|2004}} and by Lawrence Treadwell as dark, sexy and from an oriental background, "a true ''femme fatale''".{{sfn|Treadwell|2001|p=132}} After Carl Peterson's death in ''The Final Count'', Irma swears revenge on Drummond and kidnaps his wife—whom he had met in ''Bull-Dog Drummond''—with the intent of killing him in the ensuing chase.{{sfn|DelFattore|1988|p=225}} Irma Peterson appears in six of McNeile's books, and in a further five by Fairlie.{{sfn|Treadwell|2001|p=132}}{{efn|The six Drummond novels with Irma Peterson are: ''Bull-Dog Drummond'' (1920), ''The Black Gang'' (1922), ''The Third Round'' (1924), ''The Final Count'' (1926), ''The Female of the Species'' (1928) and ''The Return of Bulldog Drummond'' (1932).{{sfn|Treadwell|2001|p=132}}}}
[[File:Bulldog Drummond lobby card 1.jpg|thumb|[[Lobby card]] for US screenings of the 1922 film, ''[[Bulldog Drummond (1922 film)|Bulldog Drummond]]'']]
McNeile adapted ''[[Bulldog Drummond (play)|Bulldog Drummond]]'' for the stage.  It was produced at [[Wyndham's Theatre]] during the 1921–22 season, with [[Gerald du Maurier]] playing the title role;{{sfn|DelFattore|1988|p=224}} it ran for 428 performances.{{sfn|Treadwell|2001|p=23}}{{efn|Du Maurier again played the role on 8 November 1932 in a special charity performance at the [[Adelphi Theatre|Royal Adelphi Theatre]] attended by King [[George VI]].{{sfn|Treadwell|2001|p=182}}}} The play also ran in New York during the same season, with [[A. E. Matthews]] as Drummond.{{sfn|Treadwell|2001|p=23}}{{efn|The play was later adapted for the screen and became the [[silent film|silent]] 1922 film [[Bulldog Drummond (1922 film)|''Bulldog Drummond'']], with [[Carlyle Blackwell]] as the lead.{{sfn|Treadwell|2001|p=22}}}} Later in 1922 McNeile resigned his reserve commission with the rank of lieutenant-colonel,<ref name="Gaz: Lt Col" /> and moved as a [[tax exile]] to [[Territet]], [[Montreux]], Switzerland, with his wife;{{sfn|Bertens|1990|p=52}} the Swiss countryside was later described in a number of his stories.{{sfn|Bourn|1990|p=30}}{{sfn|Treadwell|2001|p=114}}

The following year McNeile introduced the character of Jim Maitland, a "footloose sahib of the period".{{sfn|Usborne|1983|p=178}}{{efn|Although published in the 1920s and 30s, the Maitland stories were set in 1912–13.{{sfn|Usborne|1983|p=178}}}} Maitland was the protagonist of the 1923 novel ''Jim Maitland''; he later appeared in a second novel in 1931, ''The Island of Terror''. Around the time McNeile killed off the Carl Peterson character in ''The Final Count'' (1926), he also introduced the character Ronald Standish, who first appeared in ''The Saving Clause'' (1927) and ''Tiny Carteret'' (1930){{sfn|DelFattore|1988|p=225}} before becoming the protagonist in two collections of short stories, ''Ronald Standish'' (1933) and ''Ask for Ronald Standish'' (1936). The character also appeared in the final three Drummond novels, ''Knock-Out'' (1933), ''Bull-Dog Drummond at Bay'' (1935) and ''Challenge'' (1937).{{sfn|DelFattore|1988|p=225}} Standish was a sportsman who played cricket for England and was a part-time consultant with the [[War Office]].{{sfn|Treadwell|2001|p=152}}

In 1929 McNeile edited a volume of short stories from [[O. Henry]], ''The Best of O. Henry''; the stories had served as models for him when he had started as a writer.{{sfn|Treadwell|2001|p=124}} The same year, the film [[Bulldog Drummond (1929 film)|''Bulldog Drummond'']] was released, starring [[Ronald Colman]] in the title role. Colman was nominated for an [[Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] at the [[3rd Academy Awards]] ceremony.<ref name="Academy Awards: 1930" /> The film earned $750,000 at the box office,{{sfn|Frank|1997|p=86}} and McNeile received an estimated £5,000 for the rights to his novel.<ref name="S Times: Obit" /> The same year he wrote his second play—''The Way Out''—which was staged at the [[Harold Pinter Theatre|Comedy Theatre]] in January 1930.{{sfn|Treadwell|2001|p=170}}{{efn|The cast for ''The Way Out'' included [[Ian Hunter (actor)|Ian Hunter]] and [[Beatrix Thomson]].{{sfn|Treadwell|2001|p=170}}}} About a year later he and his wife returned to England, and settled near [[Pulborough]], West Sussex.{{sfn|Treadwell|2001|p=114}}

In 1935 McNeile, Fairlie, [[Sidney Gilliat]] and [[J.O.C. Orton]] collaborated on the screenplay ''[[Bulldog Jack]]'', a "comedy thriller" with [[Jack Hulbert]] and [[Fay Wray]], which was produced by [[Gaumont British]].{{sfn|DelFattore|1988|p=226}}<ref name="BFI: Bulldog Jack" />