Gently between tides

Chief Superintendent Gently #29

by Alan Hunter

. Futura, clean copy, feint age toning to pages, Professional booksellers since 1981

Genres: Mystery

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Alan Hunter was born at Hoveton, Norfolk and went to school across the River Bure in Wroxham. He left school at 14 and worked on his father's farm near Norwich. He enjoyed dinghy sailing on the Norfolk Broads, wrote natural history notes for the local newspaper, and wrote poetry, some of which was published while he was in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

He married, in 1944, Adelaide Cooper, who survives him with their daughter. After the war he managed the antiquarian books department of Charles Cubitt in Norwich. Four years later, in 1950, he established his own bookshop on Maddermarket in the city.

From 1955 until 1998 he published a Gently detective novel nearly every year. He retired to Brundall in Norfolk where he continued his interests in local history, natural history, and sailing

Reviews

[Alan (the Lone Librarian rides again) Teder · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Married Gently back in Shinglebourne
Review of the Constable Kindle eBook edition (2016) of the original Constable hardcover (1982).

One of the first things Gently had noticed about her was her ready and eager appetite. How she kept her figure was a mystery perhaps known only to the French; it was because, she claimed, that unlike the English she didn’t stuff herself at breakfast . . .

Chief Inspector Gently has moved into the vicinity of the music festival community Shinglebourne with his new French wife Gabrielle. As was the case with Gently Instrumental (Gently #24 - 1977), another local musician is found murdered. The Czech immigrant Hannah was somewhat of a recluse and lived in the restored local Martello Tower (another hint that the fictional Shinglebourne was inspired by the real-life Aldeburgh).

The victim had many admirers and an ex-husband to add to the list of suspects. As usual, although it is not his official case, Gently is called in to assist and can't resist solving the mystery. He makes a few wrong turns along the way but gets there in the end.


The dust cover of the original US hardcover published by Walker Mysteries in 1983. Image sourced from Goodreads.

Trivia and Link
Gently Between Tides was not adapted for the Inspector George Gently TV series (2007-2017). Very few of the TV episodes are based on the original books and the characters are quite different, e.g. Sgt Bacchus does not appear in the books. The timeline for the TV series takes place in the 1960s only.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the outset of this book, George and Gabrielle are settling into their new home. Gabrielle's had to go back to France to take care of business matters, so George has taken some leave from work to get some serious decorating done. That is, of course, until the local police ask for his help in a murrrderrrr case... So much for decorating.

This instalment is a good, solid detective story with nary a flaw but nothing to elevate it to five star status either. Gently's frustration at being dragged into working while he's supposed to be decorating is palpable but I don't know who he's trying to kid; he can't resist a case! I really enjoyed this one.

[Les Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book got to be one of my favourites by Alan Hunter.

[bert-bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the British set of DVDs of Inspector Gently, so thought I would try the actual books. I enjoyed the writing style as well as the fact that it wasn't detailed gruesome action scenes but rather about the process of solving the crime - my style of mystery!

[Elizabeth Higginbotham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gently Between Tides is my first Alan Hunter mystery with his superintendent, George Gently. Published in 1982, it is an interesting tale with many twists and turns as he solves a crime in little village in England near the marsh area. The characters are amazing, as so many people had something to hide and figuring out just who was rough. People were in protective modes and many other stances. Gently is an interesting character as he has to pretend he is not in charge, when clearly he was the only one who could solve the crime.

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Gently’s first case since moving to his new house in Suffolk sees him try to solve the murder of a young woman found strangled in her floating dinghy in the mist of the river.