A.V.G.E. Jones, inevitably nicknamed 'Average' is a college graduate and heir to a fortune. Seeking something to do, he adopts the advice of his friend Bernard and starts perusing the personal ads for items of interest. In this way he becomes an 'Ad-visor', helping people through his deductive skills.
Jones is bright and unsentimental -- until the final story when he becomes involved with a pretty client. He has a Holmesian talent for disguise and is dogged enough to pursue a conman through the Mexican desert and a poisoner into the swamps of New Jersey. His 'props' at one time or another involve black beetles, a banner with three-foot-high letters, a knowledge of Latin, and his own personal ads, which he often uses to devastating effect. Apart from a brief excursion into biological implausibility, the stories are all entertaining. They also cast some light on Adams's own newspaper background and political involvement.
Average Jones is available as a free download from Project Gutenberg.
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