Johnny Under Ground

Inspector Henry Tibbett Mystery #6

by Patricia Moyes

Chief Inspector Henry Tibbett of Scotland Yard helps his wife reveal the mystery behind the murder of her old flame.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, British Literature, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary, Procedural

253 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Moyes was born in Dublin on 19 January 1923 and was educated at Overstone girls' school in Northampton. She joined the WAAF in 1939. In 1946 Peter Ustinov hired her as technical assistant on his film School for Secrets. She became his personal assistant for the next eight years. In 1960 she wrote the screenplay for the film School for Scoundrels starring Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas, and Alastair Sim. She married photographer John Moyes in 1951; they divorced in 1959. She later married James Haszard, a linguist at the International Monetary Fund in The Hague. She died at her home on the island of Virgin Gorda (British Virgin Islands) on 2 August 2000.

Her mystery novels feature C.I.D. Inspector Henry Tibbett. One of them, Who Saw Her Die (Many Deadly Returns in the US) was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1971. She also wrote several juveniles and short stories.

Series:
* Inspector Henry Tibbett Mystery

Reviews

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

”It seemed to Emmy that her tiny hesitation had been as explicit as a public confession, a confession not merely of her feeling for Beau in 1943 but of the fact that those feelings still persisted, that in twenty years little Blandish had apparently not succeeded in growing up.” p. 22

Sometimes revisiting the past is a big mistake. Let sleeping dogs lie, the old adage says. In this case, Emmy who is married to Inspector Henry Tibbett quickly figures out that attending her reunion was an error. However, she has enough pride that her blunder is hard to admit. Of course, the complications grow and before Emmy knows it, she is involved in a murder mystery.

This is my second Inspector Henry Tibbett mystery and I enjoyed it as much as the first. As I said in the review of Twice in a Blue Moon I have a British mystery environment in my head thanks to all the mysteries I have read set in England. I like visiting that part of my reading life whenever possible.

If you have not read Patricia Moyes and you like Christie, Allingham, or other mystery writers from England, try to find a Henry Tibbett mystery. You won’t be disappointed.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Emmy Tibbett was uneasy about attending her twentieth Royal Air Force reunion. Emmy had been a naive nineteen-year-old auxiliary officer at Dymfield Air Base during the war when she had fallen in love with the handsome hero pilot Beau Guest. She had been devastated when he committed suicide by deliberately crashing his plane into the North Sea. At the reunion Emmy was shocked to discover she had been the very last to see Guest alive. Even more disturbing was her discovery that everyone connected with the fatal flight had something to hide.

"Chief Inspector Henry Tibbett of Scotland Yard knew his wife had stumbled onto something sinister. But he couldn't keep her from investigating the past -- not even when anonymous letters and a suspicious suicide made it clear someone meant to keep a nasty secret buried and wouldn't hesitate to kill."
~~back cover

This book is a great example of why Patricia Moyes is one of my favorite English cozy authors. All the characters are well drawn, the plot thickens slowly, with a few clues scattered along the way until the moment of truth arrives via the ever-omniscient Chief Inspector Tibbs. I read the last two-thirds all in one sitting, and I think you will too.

[Patrick O'Hannigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The late Patricia Moyes was Irish, but she populates this crime novel with an interesting assortment of stereotypically British Royal Air Force veterans, circa 1963. I'm tempted to pigeonhole the story as a clever literary meditation on the perils of attending squadron reunions. or not letting the sleeping dogs of World War Two lie.

After awhile, my American ears grew weary of the many instances of "old boy," "old chap," and "old man" sprinkled throughout the dialog. This is not a comedy of manners, but several characters explain their actions with emotionally constipated references to what is "not done" or wouldn't do, for the sake of keeping up appearances. My favorite character in the story is the only one who doesn't seem to care about keeping up appearances.

Forty-something homemaker and former radar technician Emmy Blandish seems like the story's protagonist early on, because she's invited to the squadron reunion that kickstarts the plot. By the middle of the book, however, Emmy has surrendered the protagonist mantle to her husband, the chief inspector. Emmy's out of her depth, and the Scotland Yard detective has gravitas that his younger wife does not have. Yet even he is almost seduced by the spouse of a used car salesman.

I dropped what would have been a three star rating down to two stars because we readers never get to meet a woman who should have made at least a cameo appearance, given the way her long-estranged husband talks about her. One presumes that a chief inspector could attempt to interview even an alcoholic in a mental institution, had he thought the venture likely to pay investigative dividends. Meanwhile, the book is chockablock with lunches at various clubs, and its violent episodes are described after the fact rather than in real time. For example, a police "strong-arm squad" is hastily assembled, but never used. Pity, that.

[Alonzo Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting: mid-60s England, amongst the middle-aged who served in the War, and who cannot forget it.

Plot: Heroine, before she married her Scotland Yard husband, was stationed in a Air Force base, where she got a crush on “Beau” Geste, a flying ace of the Battle of Britain with a rebuilt face, an unpleasant wife, and, seemingly, no future. He disappears, probably in an air mishap, and is assumed to be a suicide.

At a 20 year reunion of her unit, our heroine, bored with just being a housewife, agrees to research a book about Mr. Geste’s heroic life. She soon discovers that everyone in her unit has a secret and does not want to talk. In about 70 pages, the proposed author of the book is murdered.

Detective: Chief Inspector Henry Tibbett. A man well known for his nose for hidden crime. He is warns his Heroine wife away from this book project. She goes ahead, stirs up a mess. He must solve the crime to save her.

Should You Read It? Ms. Moyes comes up with an unusually rich setting and an intriguing plot idea. The execution is lacking. The heroine does the stupid things heroines do in detective novels. While it is the mid-sixties, perhaps the lowest point in how women are depicted in fiction, this is obnoxious. At least Heroine does not promise to simply mind the pot roast in the future. But that’s only because the villain has shot her up with sleeping drugs. Still, the intriguing bits of this rate 3.5 stars, rounded up.

[Linniegayl · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this entry in the series, Emmy goes off to a WWII reunion (she worked on an air force base during the war when she was 19). While there, Emmy is convinced to do research for a book one of her former colleagues is going to write about the death of Beau Guest, a pilot during the war who was presumed to commit suicide. Nothing seems right about it, and soon there's a murder. Henry and Emmy spend a lot of time talking with all of Emmy's former colleagues, and it's clear everyone is keeping secrets.

I found the mystery interesting, and at times wasn't sure what was going to happen. Emmy and Henry weren't quite as annoying as they were in the last book I read in the series, so I will probably give another one a try. The books feel like historical mysteries, as they're set in the mid-1960s ....but that's when they were written, so I'm classifying them as cozy mysteries.

Overall I'd give this a C+//B-, so am rounding to 4 stars.

[Eugene · Rating 3 out of 5]

🍷
A for-sure good read - there’s absolutely no evidence to “solve” the 20 year old murder, but Henry Tibbett, a’ la Hercule Poirot’s “little grey cells,” has it all figured out in his head. Now all he needs to do is get the guilt party to ‘fess up. And so he does, even if he puts his wife Emmy is predictable danger. And we just turn the pages, loving it all.
Now that’s great mystery writing! Moyes wrote nineteen of these, and I’d long ago read them all, but decided recently to read them again. Memory says the last couple flaggd a bit, but Moyes is top-of-form here, and I’m looking forward to another helping.

[Calum Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

B:

It took me a good 80 pages to get into the setting and central mystery. The book is involving from the point of the present-day murder, very good at concealing the killer up until late in the day, and features a lot of Emmy, which is always welcome.

I think the series could do with a break from personal peril, though. This is the 2nd time in 5 books that Emmy has come close to being done in. It feels like there should be ways to integrate the Tibbetts into a mystery organically without them being so close to the suspects? Nevertheless, a good read.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emmy Tibbett is invited to a reunion of old airforce comrades, who worked at Dymfield airbase during the war. One of Emmy’s colleagues, Beau Guest, apparently committed suicide, and now his former wife is keen to have a book written about him, and Emmy is asked to help with the research, This is the start of a dramatic adventure in which Emmy plays a central role. This is a gripping story, with occasional flashbacks to the events of 1943. Some interesting characters and lots of unexpected twists.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reunion evening leads to sinister events. Remembering WW2 and meeting friends again seems to lead one person to take drastic steps. But the police believe he was killed.
The trail is quite convoluted and moves from Chelsea to a town where eventually a long-lost body is found. This isn't even the end of the story.
I thought this was okay, I didn't get to like anyone. I could see potential if this had been written in two time periods. As it is we don't learn much about the 1940s and the Chelsea set today just are boring.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been on a tear reading Inspector Tibbett mysteries. I think this is the 7th one I have read in less than a month. This one is based around a death that occurred when Tibbett's wife Emmy was working at an R.A.F. station during WW II. Emmy seems more of a ditz than in other books, but perhaps the problem is that I am not reading them in order and she just was more mature in later books. Ditz or not, I enjoyed the book.

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very lucidly written whodunnit in the Christie mode .Ofcourse the detective is not so remarkable but the husband wife pairing is very likable .The mystery is solid and it builds up quite a lot of suspense towards the end .There are lots of reasons to laugh too .
I liked this one almost as much as "Who saw her die" . Here the final setpiece is a bit awkward and very unlikely but the mystery and its solution is impeccable .

[Jeff Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real pager. Emmy Tibbett takes centre stage after she attends an RAF reunion and talk turns to Battle of Britain ace Beau Guest who's possible suicide involved many unanswered questions. Emmy starts researching a book about Beau when one of her former colleagues is murdered. Very enjoyable murder mystery with Patricia Moyes ramping up the tension with unexpected twist. A must read for fans of comfy murder mysteries.

[Caryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this British whodunit! Inspector Henry Tibbett is an intelligent and charming sleuth. The twists and turns kept me turning the pages. This book is hard to put down.

This novel is a quick, easy read. I didn't care for the profanity.

I won a copy. All views expressed are my honest opinion.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy these books.

Polite, restrained. Family men. Not children fighting and bragging like in modern American series. Violence and suspense are not my cup of tea. I did get rather disgusted with the author having Emmy put herself in danger and Henry letting her. Dumb. But otherwise a good story.

[Heatherinblack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure what I think

They were all unpleasant people. Henry should be nicer to Emmy. The age of these books shows the most by how many cigarettes people start smoking in the narrative.

[Pipina · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book which kept me guessing until the end. Interesting and nuanced set of characters; I especially liked Reverend Guest.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early Bird Book Deal

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I figured this out early on. What a great insight into Air Fight from Europe.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Wayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

First and I would think the last Patricia Moyes novel for me. Found it too far fetched and boring. A " filler book" for me in between more interesting books.

[Regine]

Implausible.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

engaging Characters

Such well drawn characters. Believable in familiar ways that everyone knows someone like “that”! Suspenseful mystery with plenty of action!

[Lyle Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good "Who-Dun-it"

[Allison Henle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really hated seeing Emily 1) in danger and 2) being even more of an idiot than in previous books.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well-written mystery, and very appealing detective and wife.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

[Grey Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a reissued classic and probably all the more powerful for having been written in the mid 1960s, when most of the action is set. There is no need for faux sixties kitsch, we get a genuine feel of the period simply from her writing.

The reunion serves as the gateway to the story, in both the present and the wartime past, and introduces us to the half dozen central characters who, with one addition, will power the plot. Some have aged well in twenty years, some have not, some are successful, some are not, the divergent strands of life from 1943 having led them to grow apart, but now the idea for a book brings them all back together.

There are some delightful things, such as Emily not knowing the real first name of the man she adored, whom everyone called by a nickname in the war. Also, Lofty, I used to know a Lofty from that period and could not have told you his real name, because nobody ever used it.

The plot is cleverly done, first as a find-the-facts exercise for the book and then after the murder as a dual find-the-truth and find-the-murderer device, which neatly ties the early 1960s back in with the early 1940s.

Without giving anything away, there are red herrings, lovable rogues, secret gays, and nasty secrets from the past, and they all come together in a shocking denouement.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emmy isn't sure she really wants to go to the reunion for those who served at R.A.F. Dymfield, but in the end she does. And somehow she gets pressured into agreeing to help work on a history of the airfield. But then Lofty Parker, who is actually going to do the writing, while Emmy does the research, changes the focus. Instead of the story of the airfield, he wants to write about "Beau" Guest, an award-winning pilot, whose final flight ended with his disappearance and presumed death. Beau's widow is extremely enthusiastic, but her second husband is completely against the change of focus. So when Lofty is found dead of an apparent suicide, Emmy's husband, Inspector Henry Tibbett is suspicious. Excellent story with great characterization.

[Teri Am · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this series. They remind me of the cozy mystery series set in the 1920s and 1930s , yet they are set in the 1960s/1970s. Inspector Henry Tibbet is a marvelous character and I enjoy how the author shows some, but not all of his deduction process. However, in this story, Henry's wife, Emmy, is the star. We learn about Emmy's life prior to meeting Henry, and how it intersects with current events. The reveal was a total surprise to me, which makes reading the story more enjoyable. Will be reading all of the books in this series.

[Carolyn F.]

I read this in the 1990s. I remember Emmy thinking about her work during WWII and the man she was in love with at the time, but that's about it.