Left-Handed Death by Richard Hull

I hadn't read anything by Richard Hull, so this was a first try. This is a compressed story, compared to the other titles by the Author, and built around a psychology, that I found confusing at times and interesting at others. I spent the first part of the book trying to figure out where the Author was going with the plot. Although, most Readers will see Guy as the star of the book, the time spent with Mr. Pennington, and with Cynthia Trent is much more interesting. She would normally be the love interest and it would have added more in my opinion, if it had gone that way.

I think this book would have worked better for me, if it had been longer. It would still have relied on much of the back and forth and irascible characters, but at times it felt a little flat. Hull is still worth reading and 1946 was a great Era for British Authors. I love the Golden Age Authors and their writing, so, I am going to read another Hull to compare.


Blurb:

His pen scratched the paper slowly, “I murd – I say, how do you spell ‘murdered’?”

Shergold Engineering Company has come into a bit of financial trouble. And it seems the Ministry-sent Barry Foster might just have something to do with it.

The company directors, Arthur Shergold and Guy Reeves, decide Foster must be stopped, and when Reeves confesses to the murder, it’s surely an open-and-shut case.

But as Detective Hardwick looks closer at the confession, he’s not so sure Reeves is their man.

Filled with comic wit and an ingenious plot, Left-Handed Death is a classic Richard Hull crime not to be missed.

Death in Room Five by George Bellairs

George Bellairs writes a tense mystery set in France with twists and turns back to the War Years. An Englishman named Alderman Dawson was stabbed, while Inspector Little John is on vacation with his wife. That leaves a group of English Tourists stranded and clamoring for Scotland Yard. Inspector Littlejohn is assigned to work with the French Police and unravel the facts.

Each of the characters have a background with things to hide and do a good job of it, until- the Inspector decides to visit their hometown in England on a day trip. Within the course of the investigation the murder becomes increasingly confusing but worse...will more murders occur? Littlejohn must race the clock to try and prevent more happening.

One of the best parts of the Littlejohn Series by Bellairs are the characters after the War years.  Blustery, desperate and coy Women, mixed with unhappily, browbeaten, or bullying men. I think the Author excels in a temperamental mix of old and young English. At times I can almost feel I know these people. The Landscape is rich in detail and has a voluminous appeal with vacationing French and the middle-class English. The English are touring in a scenery that has turned into a nightmare for them. Bellairs never disappoints me...although I favor some of his more English background works, this is a good mystery. I recommend this one for its description of the inner working of the police force in 1955 and for those of us who love this age of Mysteries.

Blurb:

The British bulldog does not let go until the murderer is brought to justice. But this is not Scotland Yard, Inspector. This is France…

This trip to the French Riviera isn’t what anyone signed up for: while Littlejohn loses his vacation, another man loses his life.
When Alderman Dawson, the victim of a deathly stabbing, calls Littlejohn to his deathbed, the inspector is left with no choice but to investigate.

With twelve suspects in play and motives dating back to WWII, this might be one of his toughest cases yet.

More bodies are turning up and the French police are unwilling to investigate… could this be the case that even Littlejohn can’t solve?

Death Has Deep Roots by Michael Gilbert

Michael Gilbert was an unknown Author to me. He published his first book in 1949 and this one in 1951, but had a long career in writing. This Story had its background in France during WWII... which led to a Murder several years after the War had ended. The odd circumstances are presented through the eyes of a great cast of characters. Several people are working to save Martine, part of the French Resistance, who they believe to be innocent.

The way Gilbert tells this story holds your interest all the way to the last page. There is a strong sense of urgency to save a young Woman's life, and find the guilty party. But is she innocent and if so how could the murder possibly have been committed? In some ways the setup is similar to a locked room but not quite. You have a tense, fast-moving plot, murder, attempted murder, and an ensemble of people all connected with the French Resistance.

I had never heard of this Author, but, simply found the Cover and blurb interesting. I have always had a love of World War II mysteries and this one does not disappoint. It may be set a few years after... but the heartbreak, courage and greed...the best and the worst of people, go hand- in-hand with this mystery. It is also a tribute to the Women they left behind in its own fashion, but mostly, it is just a good old heart-thumping mystery and I will be hunting for more of Gilbert's work.

Blurb:
An eager London crowd awaits the trial of Victoria Lamartine, hotel worker, ex-French Resistance fighter, and the only logical suspect for the murder of her supposed lover, Major Eric Thoseby. Lamartine—who once escaped from the clutches of the Gestapo—is set to meet her end at the gallows.
One final opportunity remains: the defendant calls on solicitor Nap Rumbold to replace the defense counsel,and grants an eight-day reprieve from the proceedings. Without any time to spare, Rumbold boards a ferry across the Channel, tracing the roots of the brutal murder back into the war-torn past.
Expertly combining authentic courtroom drama at the Old Bailey with a perilous quest for evidence across France, Death Has Deep Roots is an unorthodox marvel of the mystery genre.