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The Last Best Friend
Ned Balfour endangers his own life when he attempts to investigate the mysterious death of a friend.
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First published August 1, 1967
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About the author
George Sims
61 books1 followerGeorge Sims served in the Army Intelligence Corps during WWII and then became a dealer in rare books and manuscripts, a world he exploits to the full in several of his thrillers including his first, The Terrible Door. Elected a member of the famous Detection Club, Sims was widely regarded as a master creator of creepy atmospheres in seemingly ordinary settings and his writing has been described as: "distinguished", "high above crime fiction average" and "sinister and unusual".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
December 2, 2017
In some ways, The Last Best Friend hasn’t aged very well. Ned Balfour’s a womanizing dealer in manuscripts, separated from his wife and prey to the easy sex of 1960s London. When the novel was first published in 1967, groping was obviously more acceptable with fictional sleuths (think James Bond, Charles Mordecai, Sam Spade) than in the era of Harvey Weinstein. The novel’s beginning is a middle-aged man’s fantasy come to life: The novel opens with Ned on vacation in Capri with a pretty, receptive blonde young enough to be his daughter — visions of Roy Moore.
However, Sims eventually gets past the sleazy sex and spins a yarn so suspenseful that I couldn’t put it down. (Forgive the cliché, but it’s true!) Balfour’s best friend, Sammy Weiss, a Jewish Holocaust survivor beset with a terror of heights, steps out on a high ledge and then plunges to his death. Balfour is puzzled why Weiss would pick such an unlikely route to suicide, or even why Weiss would kill himself at all. Balfour proves as relentless in seeking out the truth as he is in seeking out manuscripts. Despite the niggling rape culture disquiet, I still have to highly recommend this page-turner.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, British Library and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.
However, Sims eventually gets past the sleazy sex and spins a yarn so suspenseful that I couldn’t put it down. (Forgive the cliché, but it’s true!) Balfour’s best friend, Sammy Weiss, a Jewish Holocaust survivor beset with a terror of heights, steps out on a high ledge and then plunges to his death. Balfour is puzzled why Weiss would pick such an unlikely route to suicide, or even why Weiss would kill himself at all. Balfour proves as relentless in seeking out the truth as he is in seeking out manuscripts. Despite the niggling rape culture disquiet, I still have to highly recommend this page-turner.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, British Library and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.
September 9, 2017
Jan Williams McGreger A quick but interest-sustaining read, George Sims wrote this book in the 1960s, about a swinging and hip World War II veteran on the hunt for whoever murdered his concentration camp survivor friend. Ned Balfour, who is separated from his wife, alienated from his children, and has an infidelity problem, receives a telegram while playing with a bikini-clad nymph in the Mediterranean. His dearest friend, Sammy Weiss, needs his "advice on a terrible decision" that he must make. He requests Ned call him the next morning. Unfortunately Sammy doesnt live long enough to receive a call.
Returning to London, Ned must unravel the details of Sammy's last days leading to his death and make his own decisions regarding his family.
Not deep, and probably not suspenseful by today's standards, but I enjoyed this little diversion from my normal gut-wrenching, sob-provoking (I love using hyphenated words!) novels. I also enjoyed descriptions of the retro 1960s decor and the recurring theme of identity. Hint: If you read this one, note the number of times nameplates on doors are mentioned. (less)
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Returning to London, Ned must unravel the details of Sammy's last days leading to his death and make his own decisions regarding his family.
Not deep, and probably not suspenseful by today's standards, but I enjoyed this little diversion from my normal gut-wrenching, sob-provoking (I love using hyphenated words!) novels. I also enjoyed descriptions of the retro 1960s decor and the recurring theme of identity. Hint: If you read this one, note the number of times nameplates on doors are mentioned. (less)
1 minute ago · delete
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August 5, 2021When the reveal of who the bad guy was came my first reaction was: "Oh...now who was that again?" Because I really hadn't listened that attentively. Partly that was because I might have become a bit oversaturated by old-timey-crime-novels after consuming...a lot. But partly it was also because this book opens with our main character in bed with a woman young enough to be his daughter and being somewhat sleazy about it. And that simply does not make for an endearing character in the year of our lord 2021 and after that it was hard for this book to grab my attention...y'know considering it was distinctly average. (Admittedly it also suffers from "this twist was probably still very shocking at the time it was written but has since then been used by every other piece of crime fiction")
August 26, 2018
A man looks into the death of one of his friends.
The basic plot / storyline was good, but the writing was a bit clunky / dated.
The basic plot / storyline was good, but the writing was a bit clunky / dated.
September 20, 2017
The introduction by Martin Edwards illuminates further who George Sims was (d. 1999) and perhaps why he isn’t as well known as his contemporaries of the time (the “Swinging Sixties”) like John le Carre and Len Deighton.
Sims’s style is descriptive, literary, revealing a deep knowledge of London. Ned Balfour can’t reconcile that his friend Sam, a concentration camp survivor, has committed suicide. Both Balfour and Sam are antiquarian booksellers (as Simms was until his death), and Ned is driven to find the answer to his friend’s state of mind. The antique books world is wonderfully depicted as this is Sim’s home turf.
I loved Ned Balfour for his self-analysis, his somewhat jaded view of the world. His descriptions of women are archaic, but not as problematic as the homophobia that Sims’s prose touches on. It’s the 1960s, however, and I’ve read worse from modern authors. The writing and the plot were too good, and I don’t want to give you the wrong idea.
For an antiquarian bookseller, he’s pretty tough, but both he and Sam are the WWII generation. Ned easily charms women into bed, and he finds himself, as he approaches middle age, kind of creepy. The plot twists and turns as Ned gradually figures out Sam was murdered and drives himself hard to find out who and why. Charming and engaging, I’ll be reading more of George Simms.
Sims’s style is descriptive, literary, revealing a deep knowledge of London. Ned Balfour can’t reconcile that his friend Sam, a concentration camp survivor, has committed suicide. Both Balfour and Sam are antiquarian booksellers (as Simms was until his death), and Ned is driven to find the answer to his friend’s state of mind. The antique books world is wonderfully depicted as this is Sim’s home turf.
I loved Ned Balfour for his self-analysis, his somewhat jaded view of the world. His descriptions of women are archaic, but not as problematic as the homophobia that Sims’s prose touches on. It’s the 1960s, however, and I’ve read worse from modern authors. The writing and the plot were too good, and I don’t want to give you the wrong idea.
For an antiquarian bookseller, he’s pretty tough, but both he and Sam are the WWII generation. Ned easily charms women into bed, and he finds himself, as he approaches middle age, kind of creepy. The plot twists and turns as Ned gradually figures out Sam was murdered and drives himself hard to find out who and why. Charming and engaging, I’ll be reading more of George Simms.
June 29, 2023
It’s summer, 1966. London. No mention of the World Cup but the Beatles do get a shout thus solidifying their position as the go-to reference to the time. A good little story based on the mysterious apparent suicide of a Jewish antique dealer and the efforts of his best friend and specialist in ancient manuscripts, Ned Balfour, to find out what had happened. You see Ned has received an odd telegram from Sammy while on holiday on Corsica where he’s idling about, water skiing, diving and bedding a girl half his age while just about avoiding the temptations of her mother. Ned then gets a message from his estranged wife that Sammy is dead which abruptly curtails his amorous sojourn and forces him to begin his enquiries — but not before a rather thrilling encounter with his wife’s married friend.
November 30, 2014
An enjoyable crime-fic story through late sixties London, with a soundtrack of Be-Bop and Beatles, and some fascinating descriptions of the Capital of the time.People may be interested in a blog looking at other London based crime novels. https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
June 3, 2025
The Last Best Friend may be one of the most erudite noir novels I’ve ever read. Set in a then (novel published in 1967) contemporary England (with a portion of the story taking place on Corsica), the plot deals with an antiquities dealer specializing in manuscripts and letters, a rare book dealer, art dealers, and an import/export firm. This allows references to artists like Dutch artists Carel Fabritius, Willem Muys, and either Hendrik or Jan Claesz Rietschoof (p. 81--the book does not specify the first name and both were Dutch painters of seascapes during the 18th century, though the latter died in the early 18th century). There is a nod to Dr. John Wall’s 18th century Worcester porcelain (p. 97). Frederick Hollyer, English photographer known for mezzotint, American portrait artist John Singer Sargent (both on p. 97), and art collector Fritz Mannheimer (p. 131—whose collection was largely confiscated by the Nazis during the war).
It is very much a mystery set in the world of art collecting with ties to Nazi looting and a mysterious death. Unlike James Joyce (quoted in the front matter), the readers are not immediately sure if the death is suicide (Joyce suggested in a rather antisemitic statement that when it is a Jew, he always suspected suicide).
The protagonist is a fellow dealer in valuable collectibles, a friend of the victim and not one prone to this type of investigation. Yet, as is the case throughout the mystery genre, the amateur has advantageous skills, access, or knowledge that may be unavailable to the police. The protagonist, Ned Balfour, would be said today to be suffering from mid-life crisis. He can’t be satisfied with life, and he seduces in order to dull the dissatisfaction. We initially see him with a “young blonde,” but he proves to be as interested in mature lovers. He also doesn’t seem all that interested in solving the loose ends of his friend’s death until additional information and threats come his way.
The literary quotations are not well-trod verses from the bard. We read Matthew Prior: “What trifling coil do we poor mortals keep;
Wake, eat and drink, evacuate and sleep.” (p. 60).
In a similar vein, we find a rhyme from Thomas Herrick:
“Our life is short and our days run
As fast away as does the sun.” (p. 47).
In one scene, one reads a brief bit of Tennyson: “The woods decay, the woods decay and fall…” (p. 83).
Slightly more optimistic is the scan from Sir Thomas Browne:
“We are more than ourselves in sleep, and the slumber of the Body seems to be but the waking of the Soul.” (p. 79)
Perhaps, reflective of events that set off the story was this quip from Oscar Wilde:
“It is what we fear that happens to us.” (p. 127)
And the resolution of the mystery? Well, we find out who did it, but the novel ends as abruptly as an Alfred Hitchcock episode. For some readers, it may end up being “The Lady or the Tiger?”
The truth is that I have ambiguous feelings toward the book. The suspense was not sustained for me; I didn’t really care whether Balfour lived or died; and although character growth was hinted, I put the book down with very little hope. The book has the trappings and set up for what could have been a typical noir novel, but I suspect that it is too sophisticated for the target audience. I suppose those who disagree with my low rating on this book will assert that it was too sophisticated for me, especially since I wasn’t able to translate many of the (untranslated) German phrases off the top of my head.
It is very much a mystery set in the world of art collecting with ties to Nazi looting and a mysterious death. Unlike James Joyce (quoted in the front matter), the readers are not immediately sure if the death is suicide (Joyce suggested in a rather antisemitic statement that when it is a Jew, he always suspected suicide).
The protagonist is a fellow dealer in valuable collectibles, a friend of the victim and not one prone to this type of investigation. Yet, as is the case throughout the mystery genre, the amateur has advantageous skills, access, or knowledge that may be unavailable to the police. The protagonist, Ned Balfour, would be said today to be suffering from mid-life crisis. He can’t be satisfied with life, and he seduces in order to dull the dissatisfaction. We initially see him with a “young blonde,” but he proves to be as interested in mature lovers. He also doesn’t seem all that interested in solving the loose ends of his friend’s death until additional information and threats come his way.
The literary quotations are not well-trod verses from the bard. We read Matthew Prior: “What trifling coil do we poor mortals keep;
Wake, eat and drink, evacuate and sleep.” (p. 60).
In a similar vein, we find a rhyme from Thomas Herrick:
“Our life is short and our days run
As fast away as does the sun.” (p. 47).
In one scene, one reads a brief bit of Tennyson: “The woods decay, the woods decay and fall…” (p. 83).
Slightly more optimistic is the scan from Sir Thomas Browne:
“We are more than ourselves in sleep, and the slumber of the Body seems to be but the waking of the Soul.” (p. 79)
Perhaps, reflective of events that set off the story was this quip from Oscar Wilde:
“It is what we fear that happens to us.” (p. 127)
And the resolution of the mystery? Well, we find out who did it, but the novel ends as abruptly as an Alfred Hitchcock episode. For some readers, it may end up being “The Lady or the Tiger?”
The truth is that I have ambiguous feelings toward the book. The suspense was not sustained for me; I didn’t really care whether Balfour lived or died; and although character growth was hinted, I put the book down with very little hope. The book has the trappings and set up for what could have been a typical noir novel, but I suspect that it is too sophisticated for the target audience. I suppose those who disagree with my low rating on this book will assert that it was too sophisticated for me, especially since I wasn’t able to translate many of the (untranslated) German phrases off the top of my head.
November 6, 2017
The Last Best Friend opens with recently separated Ned Balfour enjoying a lighthearted Mediterranean vacation with a young woman. He receives a cable from his best friend Sammy Weiss telling him he has a “terrible decision” to make and needs Ned’s advice. Before Ned can call him, he gets another telegram telling him his friend is dead and he must come home.
He can’t quite understand why his friend would kill himself, particularly since jumping out a window is probably that last choice of an acrophobe with vertigo. He asks around among their mutual friends to see if he can understand what the terrible decision might be and if there is some explanation.
He is soon warned off by a menacing enforcer accompanied by a few hired strongmen. I really don’t understand why bad guys “warn off” folks like Balfour who without their intervention might soon have decided there was really nothing to investigate. Once you are warned off, you know there is something to investigate. It’s a big flashing neon sign that there is some crime.
George Sims wrote The Last Best Friend in the Sixties and that is when it takes place. Seeing the date 1966 in the story, though, always left me disconcerted because it felt so much more like a post-World War II novel. It felt out of its time. Did England in the late Sixties still orient itself fully around World War II or what that a generational orientation? I just felt the time and the mood of the novel were incongruent.
I like the way Sims writes. I was interested in Ned Balfour and his friend’s death. I wanted to know the answers. I figured it out, but I think that’s because this plot has been used several more times since it was published in 1967. It would have been so much fresher then. It is unfortunate his work has gone out of fashion because he was a clever writer.
I received an e-galley of The Last Best Friend from the publisher through NetGalley.
The Last Best Friend at Poisoned Pen Press
George Sims at GoodReads
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
He can’t quite understand why his friend would kill himself, particularly since jumping out a window is probably that last choice of an acrophobe with vertigo. He asks around among their mutual friends to see if he can understand what the terrible decision might be and if there is some explanation.
He is soon warned off by a menacing enforcer accompanied by a few hired strongmen. I really don’t understand why bad guys “warn off” folks like Balfour who without their intervention might soon have decided there was really nothing to investigate. Once you are warned off, you know there is something to investigate. It’s a big flashing neon sign that there is some crime.
George Sims wrote The Last Best Friend in the Sixties and that is when it takes place. Seeing the date 1966 in the story, though, always left me disconcerted because it felt so much more like a post-World War II novel. It felt out of its time. Did England in the late Sixties still orient itself fully around World War II or what that a generational orientation? I just felt the time and the mood of the novel were incongruent.
I like the way Sims writes. I was interested in Ned Balfour and his friend’s death. I wanted to know the answers. I figured it out, but I think that’s because this plot has been used several more times since it was published in 1967. It would have been so much fresher then. It is unfortunate his work has gone out of fashion because he was a clever writer.
I received an e-galley of The Last Best Friend from the publisher through NetGalley.
The Last Best Friend at Poisoned Pen Press
George Sims at GoodReads
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
May 5, 2018
Princess Fuzzypants here: Sometimes I am overwhelmed with books and do not get to book at the time they are released. I try to go back but it would have been impossible for me to go back the 50 plus years since it first came out. It was rereleased last year and it is a good one, well worth the effort to find.
When we first meet Ned Balfour, he lives a shallow sybaritic life, flowing from one pleasure to another, never really growing up, never taking on the mantle of responsibility for anything but his own pleasures. His world is about to change when he receives the cable that his best friend is dead and the circumstances are troubling. He had received an earlier cable from Sammy, the friend, saying they needed to speak the next day about a serious matter. What could have happened? Sammy, a sufferer of vertigo, fell to his death from a tall building. Nothing makes sense to Ned.
He reaches out to mutual friends and colleagues until he is attacked and told to back off by some vicious thugs. He is convinced he should leave the investigation to the police....until he shows up at an auction in the suburbs of London that is very strange indeed. Instead of walking away from the mystery, Ned finds himself right in the middle of a conspiracy to cover up the crime.
This is a taut and tight book with elegant language. I found myself looking up the definition of some words that I had never come across before. It does not detract from the story. The twisted tale takes Ned from Concentration camps to Germany at the end of WW II to London of 1966. Every step builds up the suspense and the final outcome is a real nail biter.
If you enjoy a sophisticated mystery, this book is for you. I give it five purrs and two paws up
When we first meet Ned Balfour, he lives a shallow sybaritic life, flowing from one pleasure to another, never really growing up, never taking on the mantle of responsibility for anything but his own pleasures. His world is about to change when he receives the cable that his best friend is dead and the circumstances are troubling. He had received an earlier cable from Sammy, the friend, saying they needed to speak the next day about a serious matter. What could have happened? Sammy, a sufferer of vertigo, fell to his death from a tall building. Nothing makes sense to Ned.
He reaches out to mutual friends and colleagues until he is attacked and told to back off by some vicious thugs. He is convinced he should leave the investigation to the police....until he shows up at an auction in the suburbs of London that is very strange indeed. Instead of walking away from the mystery, Ned finds himself right in the middle of a conspiracy to cover up the crime.
This is a taut and tight book with elegant language. I found myself looking up the definition of some words that I had never come across before. It does not detract from the story. The twisted tale takes Ned from Concentration camps to Germany at the end of WW II to London of 1966. Every step builds up the suspense and the final outcome is a real nail biter.
If you enjoy a sophisticated mystery, this book is for you. I give it five purrs and two paws up
November 8, 2023
The Last Best Friend has a lot of good qualities. The opening chapter is one of the most powerful descriptions of a man on a ledge. The writing drew me in immediately because I could feel the man's panic, the man's desperation, and even the wind as he teetered on the edge of a ledge.
The descriptions in this book were, sadly, the very best part. The author excels at describing people, their clothing, their facial shapes, etc. Some of the most interesting parts of this book were in the descriptions of people. He also did a good job describing various architecture.
Set in the 1960's The plot has its familiar roots in World War II. The hero is on holiday when he getrs a telegram from his best friend urging a long-distance phone call to discuss a terrible decision. That telegram is followed almost immediately by one which notifies the hero of the friend's death. Knowing that his friend had a terrible fear of heights is the planted seed that grows into the serious doubt that his friend's death is a suicide. As the plot progresses, the hero begins to investigate and discovers that the plot involves antique manuscripts (which he happens to buy and sell) and a Nazi connection.
There are a few moments of danger, but it isn't handled as deftly as his desriptions of people and places. In fact, the conclusion is wrapped up in four or five overly rushed pages with an ending that must be English in style, because the bad guy simply surrenders.
While this is not a great book, the descriptions made most of it a wonderful experience to read. I won't be seeking out the author's other works, if they exist, but this was a pleasant change-of-pace for me.
The descriptions in this book were, sadly, the very best part. The author excels at describing people, their clothing, their facial shapes, etc. Some of the most interesting parts of this book were in the descriptions of people. He also did a good job describing various architecture.
Set in the 1960's The plot has its familiar roots in World War II. The hero is on holiday when he getrs a telegram from his best friend urging a long-distance phone call to discuss a terrible decision. That telegram is followed almost immediately by one which notifies the hero of the friend's death. Knowing that his friend had a terrible fear of heights is the planted seed that grows into the serious doubt that his friend's death is a suicide. As the plot progresses, the hero begins to investigate and discovers that the plot involves antique manuscripts (which he happens to buy and sell) and a Nazi connection.
There are a few moments of danger, but it isn't handled as deftly as his desriptions of people and places. In fact, the conclusion is wrapped up in four or five overly rushed pages with an ending that must be English in style, because the bad guy simply surrenders.
While this is not a great book, the descriptions made most of it a wonderful experience to read. I won't be seeking out the author's other works, if they exist, but this was a pleasant change-of-pace for me.
October 2, 2017
"The Last Best Friend" is a mystery set mostly in England in 1966 and was originally published in 1967. The mystery involved something that happened during WWII. However, the first 27% of the story was mostly a mid-aged man (Ned Balfour) carrying on an affair with a girl half his age and, later on, having sex with a friend of his wife. The actual sex happened "off screen" and was thought or talked about using euphemistic terms, but there was one scene with graphically described upper body female nudity.
Anyway, it took a while for Ned to decide that his best friend's death was suspicious and that he should look into what his friend was doing that last week. He wasn't particularly clever in how he tracked down clues. Sam's other friends passed on most of the needed information, and some thugs let him know that he was on the right track. Once all of the information came together, Ned tried to deal with it himself before finally deciding to tell the police what he knew. Vengeance is his. There was some bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting mystery (though it took a while to get going).
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
Anyway, it took a while for Ned to decide that his best friend's death was suspicious and that he should look into what his friend was doing that last week. He wasn't particularly clever in how he tracked down clues. Sam's other friends passed on most of the needed information, and some thugs let him know that he was on the right track. Once all of the information came together, Ned tried to deal with it himself before finally deciding to tell the police what he knew. Vengeance is his. There was some bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting mystery (though it took a while to get going).
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
July 20, 2024
Having read The End of the Web first (also a British Library Classic Thriller reissue) the impression is given that Sims is an author of quite a narrow range (both plots revolve around the unravelling of a mysterious list). However, if I read more (which I definitely plan to do) this may turn out to be unfair. These books are well plotted, have interesting characters but mainly are atmospheric in a wide ranging way (in this book from an overseas dalliance under baking sunshine to a shabby and crooked auction in a house that is the last to be demolished in a street.) Despite being "a known quantity" (in the same way that John Buchan is for example) these are well worth your time if you like something well put together in the crime/thriller line which gives a real feeling of the time it is writing about.
May 24, 2025
Having bought this novel because of the Calvi connections, I wasn’t expecting anything other than a run of the mill whodunnit/ thriller. It is actually much more than that, with some very accurate descriptions of both Corsica and London and à dive into the murky world of looting and art theft from WW2. The opening scenes of the affair with the young girl are dated and frankly unnecessary but the story itself moves with some pace. The main characters are, affair aside, quite well formed and the plot is character driven to a certain extent.
The core issues of art looting and “ownership” are even more relevant today. Sims was writing about about a subject and places that he understood well and this makes for an intriguing read.
The core issues of art looting and “ownership” are even more relevant today. Sims was writing about about a subject and places that he understood well and this makes for an intriguing read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2020
Noir crime novel from the sixties in London with a link to the Nazi realm.
Ned Balfour does not understand why would his friend would kill himself, so he starts to ask. Being warned off, he knows that there is a why.
The book reads more like a social novel with a mystery undertones than a mystery novel.
While I appreciate the intelligent writing and the dry humour - and the cause is worthy - the entertainment factor and the readability is lacking for me. The novel is short, but the actual story comes off as a bit slow.
Still, this is an interesting foray into the rich historical annals of the British mysteries!
Ned Balfour does not understand why would his friend would kill himself, so he starts to ask. Being warned off, he knows that there is a why.
The book reads more like a social novel with a mystery undertones than a mystery novel.
While I appreciate the intelligent writing and the dry humour - and the cause is worthy - the entertainment factor and the readability is lacking for me. The novel is short, but the actual story comes off as a bit slow.
Still, this is an interesting foray into the rich historical annals of the British mysteries!
April 6, 2020
Slightly better read than my last outing with Sims - The End of the Web. There is a little more of a mystery to solve - why his friend committed suicide and why is he being warned off - could the two be related (of course they are). Ned Balfour is your typical noir character and perfectly at home on the pages of Sims' novel. Readers should allow for the obviously different social mores as this was written over 50 years ago.
September 1, 2017
Why does Sam Weiss fall ten stories to his death, when he suffers from vertigo? Was he killed? Ned investigates until he finds the answers lying back in time to art stolen during WWII. A fast-paced suspenseful book with twists that will leave you breathless. Thank you to The Poisoned Pen Press for reprinting George Sims' books. I can't wait to read the next heart-pounding tale by this author.
April 7, 2018
This book was written in the 60's and is set in the 60's, mostly London. It is a real throw back in time. The writing is very descriptive about furnishings, art and fashion. It was very easy to "see" the story unfold. Sims has a strong knowledge of London, it's streets, buildings, bridges, neighborhoods. As for the story, it kept me turning the pages. A good mystery.
December 5, 2017
Another absorbing 60s set mystery story from British Library Classics.
It is very atmospheric and bowls along at a good pace.
Recommended.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.
It is very atmospheric and bowls along at a good pace.
Recommended.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.
January 14, 2018
Picked this one up from the library on a whim. The story is a bit clunky, but the strong sense of place and the peeks into the world of collecting are fun.
October 18, 2018
This was a DNF. I don't normally do that, but I was just so...bored with the whole story. And the writing was very confusing in places.
February 16, 2019
Sort of proto-Lovejoy meets sort of London 60s noir.
July 18, 2024
3.5 stars. Nothing flashy ..not too long, not too short. not like a typical detective novel. Just straightforward story and a nice ending
September 16, 2025
a succinct, emotionless->emotion tale of friendship, history, determination. A thin novella packed with so much story.
September 22, 2025
7/10 another pacy thriller.
June 15, 2021
This is a 1967 book written by English antiquarian bookseller and crime thriller author George Sims. The setting is in London in August of 1966. It is a short book. While the second half of the book is very good and is a solid thriller with a strong plot, I find the first half of the book extremely slow-going and boring. I have a feeling Sims finished writing the real story in the second half, found it to be too short, so he decided to beef it up by adding some loosely related background story on the protagonist up front. The version I read is published as part of the British Library Classic Thriller series (not to be confused with the more popular and more publicized British Library Crime Classics series). Like many books in the British Library republication series, the book came with an introduction by Martin Edwards. The title of the book is a phrase used by the famous English poet Robert Southey to describe death (My name is Death; the last best Friend am I). The book also has quite an interesting backdrop on the antique, antiquarian and arts world scene in Europe, not surprising given Sims is an antiquarian bookseller by profession and writing novel is just a hobby for him.
Spoiler Alert. The book starts out with our protagonist Ned Balfour, a middle-aged dealer in manuscripts and autograph letters in London, finding out that his best friend Sammy Weiss, a London jeweler, has died after falling ten floors off a ledge from a tall building. Balfour, a womanizer recently separated from his wife Barbara, was on vacation in Corsica with a young girlfriend. After receiving a telegram informing him of Weiss’s death, Balfour returned to London. The general belief at the time was Weiss either committed suicide or it was an accident. Balfour was suspicious because Weiss has vertigo and it is not likely he would get anywhere close to a window ledge. Balfour started interviewing various people who have seen Weiss in recent weeks to figure out what led up to the last day of his life. It turns out the story is related to Nazi German’s looting of European arts during the World War II and its aftermath. At the beginning of the war, there was a famous Jewish arts collector called Fritz Mannheimer. Part of his extensive and valuable arts collection was in Amsterdam. When Germany invaded the Netherlands, there were multiple teams of specialist Nazi soldiers whose job is to hunt down those European art treasures and seize them for Germany. During the war, they were secured at secret locations and guarded by German soldiers. At the end of the war after Germany has surrendered, one of those German soldiers (now calling himself Max Weber) made a deal with a British soldier, a Captain L. K. Green (now calling himself Leonard K. G. Cato) whereby Weber told Green where the treasures are hidden. In return, Green smuggled both the loot and Weber into Switzerland. Since then, both have settled down in London and have prospered from the loot. Weber is now a highly successful and rich art dealer and Cato is a captain of industry and financier extraordinary. After twenty years, however, their successful life was suddenly threatened after Cato’s father died in 1966. Back in 1945, when Cato (called Captain Green at that time) came back to England with the loot, he temporarily stored them in his father’s home, a Colonel F. K. Green. Subsequently, the two had a fallout and Cato never set forth in his father’s home again. In July 1966, a month before Weiss’s death, Weiss attended an estate sale at the home of the recently deceased Colonel F.K. Green. While Weiss was going through some discarded old papers in the house, Weiss came across some documents that reference the Fritz Mannheimer arts collection as well as a photo of Captain L.K. Green. Weiss. With his knowledge of Nazi looted arts, Weiss was able to put the pieces together. After doing quite a lot of solid research, Weiss figured out the Weber and Cato looted the Mannheimer arts collection after the War and smuggled them away. The two men then built a fortune out of the spoils. Weiss let Weber and Cato know he was on to them but has not decided whether he will expose them or not. Weber and Cato then hired a gangster called Victor Maddox to try to scare Weiss into silence. Maddox pushed Weiss onto a window ledge to scare him, not knowing Weiss has vertigo. As a result of that, Weiss lost his footing and fell to his death. In the end, Balfour retraced Weiss’ steps and he was able to hunt down the bad guys and brought them to justice.
Spoiler Alert. The book starts out with our protagonist Ned Balfour, a middle-aged dealer in manuscripts and autograph letters in London, finding out that his best friend Sammy Weiss, a London jeweler, has died after falling ten floors off a ledge from a tall building. Balfour, a womanizer recently separated from his wife Barbara, was on vacation in Corsica with a young girlfriend. After receiving a telegram informing him of Weiss’s death, Balfour returned to London. The general belief at the time was Weiss either committed suicide or it was an accident. Balfour was suspicious because Weiss has vertigo and it is not likely he would get anywhere close to a window ledge. Balfour started interviewing various people who have seen Weiss in recent weeks to figure out what led up to the last day of his life. It turns out the story is related to Nazi German’s looting of European arts during the World War II and its aftermath. At the beginning of the war, there was a famous Jewish arts collector called Fritz Mannheimer. Part of his extensive and valuable arts collection was in Amsterdam. When Germany invaded the Netherlands, there were multiple teams of specialist Nazi soldiers whose job is to hunt down those European art treasures and seize them for Germany. During the war, they were secured at secret locations and guarded by German soldiers. At the end of the war after Germany has surrendered, one of those German soldiers (now calling himself Max Weber) made a deal with a British soldier, a Captain L. K. Green (now calling himself Leonard K. G. Cato) whereby Weber told Green where the treasures are hidden. In return, Green smuggled both the loot and Weber into Switzerland. Since then, both have settled down in London and have prospered from the loot. Weber is now a highly successful and rich art dealer and Cato is a captain of industry and financier extraordinary. After twenty years, however, their successful life was suddenly threatened after Cato’s father died in 1966. Back in 1945, when Cato (called Captain Green at that time) came back to England with the loot, he temporarily stored them in his father’s home, a Colonel F. K. Green. Subsequently, the two had a fallout and Cato never set forth in his father’s home again. In July 1966, a month before Weiss’s death, Weiss attended an estate sale at the home of the recently deceased Colonel F.K. Green. While Weiss was going through some discarded old papers in the house, Weiss came across some documents that reference the Fritz Mannheimer arts collection as well as a photo of Captain L.K. Green. Weiss. With his knowledge of Nazi looted arts, Weiss was able to put the pieces together. After doing quite a lot of solid research, Weiss figured out the Weber and Cato looted the Mannheimer arts collection after the War and smuggled them away. The two men then built a fortune out of the spoils. Weiss let Weber and Cato know he was on to them but has not decided whether he will expose them or not. Weber and Cato then hired a gangster called Victor Maddox to try to scare Weiss into silence. Maddox pushed Weiss onto a window ledge to scare him, not knowing Weiss has vertigo. As a result of that, Weiss lost his footing and fell to his death. In the end, Balfour retraced Weiss’ steps and he was able to hunt down the bad guys and brought them to justice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2017
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
George Sims, (1923-1999) has been referred to contemporaneously and posthumously as a prodigiously talented writer of noir, memoirs and gritty realistic mystery/thrillers. He was also an antiquarian bookseller in real life and wrote about his acquaintances and acquisitions in the rare book trade. His writing garnered praise from a host of fellow writers and this particular book, The Last Best Friend , was included in H.R.F. Keating's list of '100 best books'.
The Last Best Friend (title taken from a poem by Robert Southey) begins abruptly with the falling death/suicide of Sammy Weiss, best friend of the main character, Ned Balfour. Ned, who is an antiquarian/rare book seller, is out of the country at the time, but immediately travels back to London to investigate. Sammy was extremely acrophobic and Ned can't get his head around the idea of him intentionally committing suicide in such a way.
I was immediately struck by the quality of the writing. Technically flawless and gripping, the author manages to write two simultaneous scenes at the same time without detracting from either one, and also without being confusing in the slightest degree for the reader. The writing is very simple and pared-down. Sims was a master of 'show, don't tell'.
I devoured this book in one sitting and immediately reread it (and noticed a lot of things which I had missed on the first read-through). Wonderfully written with a solid plot and dialogue that is pitch perfect. A lot of reviews mention 'swinging 60's London', but apart from mentioning place names, the setting and time period weren't really central to the plot line. It didn't read as terribly dated as one might expect from other novels of the time period (compared to, for example, John Creasey (who is one of my secret passions - love his books, too)). I really admire that Sims never puffs up or shows off his writing. The descriptions are well rendered but not overly so, the characters are believable and the dialogue is spot on. There are, admittedly, some quotes which are dated ("He looked like a homosexual of the rare, vicious kind") and jarring (along with some *cough* relatively innocent(?) misogyny), but in general, the book reads well to a modern audience.
This is an author who deserves a much wider readership. For fans of Ross Macdonald, Mickey Spillane, Ed McBain and company, Sims, though certainly less famous (and British), will fill the bill nicely.
Originally released in 1967, and republished in all formats Nov 7th, 2017 by Poisoned Pen, with a new introduction for this edition by Martin Edwards.
Five enthusiastic stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
George Sims, (1923-1999) has been referred to contemporaneously and posthumously as a prodigiously talented writer of noir, memoirs and gritty realistic mystery/thrillers. He was also an antiquarian bookseller in real life and wrote about his acquaintances and acquisitions in the rare book trade. His writing garnered praise from a host of fellow writers and this particular book, The Last Best Friend , was included in H.R.F. Keating's list of '100 best books'.
The Last Best Friend (title taken from a poem by Robert Southey) begins abruptly with the falling death/suicide of Sammy Weiss, best friend of the main character, Ned Balfour. Ned, who is an antiquarian/rare book seller, is out of the country at the time, but immediately travels back to London to investigate. Sammy was extremely acrophobic and Ned can't get his head around the idea of him intentionally committing suicide in such a way.
I was immediately struck by the quality of the writing. Technically flawless and gripping, the author manages to write two simultaneous scenes at the same time without detracting from either one, and also without being confusing in the slightest degree for the reader. The writing is very simple and pared-down. Sims was a master of 'show, don't tell'.
I devoured this book in one sitting and immediately reread it (and noticed a lot of things which I had missed on the first read-through). Wonderfully written with a solid plot and dialogue that is pitch perfect. A lot of reviews mention 'swinging 60's London', but apart from mentioning place names, the setting and time period weren't really central to the plot line. It didn't read as terribly dated as one might expect from other novels of the time period (compared to, for example, John Creasey (who is one of my secret passions - love his books, too)). I really admire that Sims never puffs up or shows off his writing. The descriptions are well rendered but not overly so, the characters are believable and the dialogue is spot on. There are, admittedly, some quotes which are dated ("He looked like a homosexual of the rare, vicious kind") and jarring (along with some *cough* relatively innocent(?) misogyny), but in general, the book reads well to a modern audience.
This is an author who deserves a much wider readership. For fans of Ross Macdonald, Mickey Spillane, Ed McBain and company, Sims, though certainly less famous (and British), will fill the bill nicely.
Originally released in 1967, and republished in all formats Nov 7th, 2017 by Poisoned Pen, with a new introduction for this edition by Martin Edwards.
Five enthusiastic stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
March 26, 2019
As this novel moves to its conclusion, it offers a terrific idea for a story in its suggestions that British forces looted art objects from wartime Europe and that ex-Nazis could be living in Britain under new identities. The latter usually want to launch a Nazi revival (see, e.g. James Herbert's The Spear), but in this novel they have no such megalomaniac ambitions and are motivated purely by personal profit. I enjoyed the final third of the novel as a result, but I deserve a medal for sticking with the dreadful opening section in which the hero is 'enjoying the favours' (for want of a more appalling euphemism) of a young woman during a holiday fling. Nothing wrong with this in itself, but Balfour is such a charmless character that I can't understand why any woman would want to go to bed with him.
This is really two books in one. The first is a worm's-eye view of the London book and antique world c.1966 which is very evocative and thoroughly believable. The second is a crime novel which skates across this world, often digressing to no clear purpose and frequently giving us information or urban impressions for the hell of it. Balfour moves from place to place in the same mechanical way that a character traverses a Cluedo board, with each chapter introducing a new antique/book dealer, another sneering aside about men who are too well dressed/tanned/camp, and a few jaded reflections on middle-aged life. It's all rather unsatisfactory, but it had enough in it to make me persistent and in the final revelations, made me wonder what someone like Deighton or Le Carre (or Robin Cook/Derek Raymond, or Alexander Baron) might have made from the material. It really needed another draft and a different opening section - a little late-flowering lust goes a very long way.
This is really two books in one. The first is a worm's-eye view of the London book and antique world c.1966 which is very evocative and thoroughly believable. The second is a crime novel which skates across this world, often digressing to no clear purpose and frequently giving us information or urban impressions for the hell of it. Balfour moves from place to place in the same mechanical way that a character traverses a Cluedo board, with each chapter introducing a new antique/book dealer, another sneering aside about men who are too well dressed/tanned/camp, and a few jaded reflections on middle-aged life. It's all rather unsatisfactory, but it had enough in it to make me persistent and in the final revelations, made me wonder what someone like Deighton or Le Carre (or Robin Cook/Derek Raymond, or Alexander Baron) might have made from the material. It really needed another draft and a different opening section - a little late-flowering lust goes a very long way.
August 31, 2024
Few people would do what Ned Balfour does in George Sims’ The Last Best Friend. After Balfour’s friend, Sam Weiss, falls out a window and dies, Ned drops his sunny holiday in Corsica and heads back to London to find out why. It doesn’t make sense that Weiss would commit suicide. Plus, there is the telegram he sent Balfour about a “terrible decision” he had to make. The best clue that Weiss didn’t kill himself comes later in the book, when Balfour is beaten up. Every mystery reader knows that that the detective is definitely asking the right questions when someone beats them up...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration.
October 16, 2017
3.5 star.
Overall an enjoyable, quick suspenseful read. Poisoned Pen Pressed advertises "The Last Best Friend" as a thriller but this isn't much a thriller to me. Suspenseful enough, the plot certainly is somewhat captivating and memorable, slightly more than satisfactory but nothing spectacular.
What I love about the book is the simple but intriguing plot. Is the death of the protagonist's best friend incidental, intentional or suicidal? What happened? Who's involved? "The Last Best Friend" has all the successful elements to build a strong suspense novel yet George Sims' attention to extremely trivial details, at times, is distracting. In most cases, though, the extremely descriptive details do secure a strong noir atmosphere which makes "The Last Best Friend" an unique reading experience.
Thanks Poisoned Pen Press for introducing this long forgotten gem.
Overall an enjoyable, quick suspenseful read. Poisoned Pen Pressed advertises "The Last Best Friend" as a thriller but this isn't much a thriller to me. Suspenseful enough, the plot certainly is somewhat captivating and memorable, slightly more than satisfactory but nothing spectacular.
What I love about the book is the simple but intriguing plot. Is the death of the protagonist's best friend incidental, intentional or suicidal? What happened? Who's involved? "The Last Best Friend" has all the successful elements to build a strong suspense novel yet George Sims' attention to extremely trivial details, at times, is distracting. In most cases, though, the extremely descriptive details do secure a strong noir atmosphere which makes "The Last Best Friend" an unique reading experience.
Thanks Poisoned Pen Press for introducing this long forgotten gem.
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