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Chief Superintendent Gently #1
Gently Does It
The last thing you need when you're on holiday is to become involved in a murder. For most people, that would easily qualify as the holiday from hell. For George Gently, it is a case of business as usual. The Chief Inspector's quiet Easter break in Norchester is rudely interrupted when a local timber merchant is found dead. His son, with whom he had been seen arguing, immediately becomes the prime suspect, although Gently is far from convinced of his guilt. Norchester City Police gratefully accept Gently's offer to help investigate the murder, but he soon clashes with Inspector Hansom, the officer in charge of the case. Hansom's idea of conclusive evidence appalls Gently almost as much as Gently's thorough, detailed, methodical style of investigation exasperates Hansom, who considers the murder to be a straightforward affair. Locking horns with the local law is a distraction Gently can do without when he's on the trail of a killer.
205 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1955
156 people are currently reading
940 people want to read
About the author
Alan Hunter
105 books62 followersAlan 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
April 23, 2011
The pace of this book is slow, measured and thoughtful, just like its protagonist. And I loved it for that. Detective Inspector George Gently is a pleasure to spend time with: a methodical, deep-thinking man in his fifties, Gently is mild, quiet and rather humble. He's fond of fishing, food and peppermint creams. He's also a particularly fine detective: the type who is precise, observant and never satisfied with less than the truth.
Where other policemen rush to close a case early, Gently believes in taking his time. He's presented with a house full of tangled characters, each hiding secrets about the afternoon that the master of the house was killed. Gently will slowly but surely untangle all of these muddled stories until he identifies the culprit.
What's interesting about this book is that it isn't quite a classic whodunnit. The reader discovers the truth about the murder relatively early - about three-quarters of the way through the book - and the rest deals with the challenge of uncovering enough evidence about the crime to arrest and charge the murderer. It's intriguing watching Gently match wits with a clever, ruthless killer who's planned out his crime almost too perfectly.
Set (and in fact originally published) in the mid-fifties, this book is also a pleasant trip into the mid twentieth century. It appears that Alan Hunter wrote a lot of books about George Gently; I can easily imagine reading them all in time and I hope I'll get the chance to.
Where other policemen rush to close a case early, Gently believes in taking his time. He's presented with a house full of tangled characters, each hiding secrets about the afternoon that the master of the house was killed. Gently will slowly but surely untangle all of these muddled stories until he identifies the culprit.
What's interesting about this book is that it isn't quite a classic whodunnit. The reader discovers the truth about the murder relatively early - about three-quarters of the way through the book - and the rest deals with the challenge of uncovering enough evidence about the crime to arrest and charge the murderer. It's intriguing watching Gently match wits with a clever, ruthless killer who's planned out his crime almost too perfectly.
Set (and in fact originally published) in the mid-fifties, this book is also a pleasant trip into the mid twentieth century. It appears that Alan Hunter wrote a lot of books about George Gently; I can easily imagine reading them all in time and I hope I'll get the chance to.
August 19, 2016
In the foreword to this novel the author explains (or perhaps warns) the readers that this isn't a 'whodunit'. It's true; while this is a detective novel, the reader finds out who the murderer is reasonably early on. It's more about watching the titular Chief Inspector George Gently put together the proof that will enable him to nail the murderer to the wall.
Gently is a great character. The book is set in the mid-1950s and Gently himself is in his mid-fifties. He's not a young hotshot out to prove himself; he's a veteran of the Force with many years of experience. He knows his stuff and has the patience to go about his business meticulously and methodically, confident that he will get what he needs for a conviction in the long run.
That's not to say he's robot-like or, perish forbid, dull. He's an entertaining character with a few quirks, most notably his addiction-like obsession with peppermint creams. He even makes for a convincing, if untraditional, action hero when things heat up towards the end.
This novel was a comfortable, enjoyable read. While Gently is nothing like Sherlock, reading this book gave me the same kind of feeling as reading the Holmes books does.
P.S. For the Anglophiles out there, these books are quintessentially English.
Gently is a great character. The book is set in the mid-1950s and Gently himself is in his mid-fifties. He's not a young hotshot out to prove himself; he's a veteran of the Force with many years of experience. He knows his stuff and has the patience to go about his business meticulously and methodically, confident that he will get what he needs for a conviction in the long run.
That's not to say he's robot-like or, perish forbid, dull. He's an entertaining character with a few quirks, most notably his addiction-like obsession with peppermint creams. He even makes for a convincing, if untraditional, action hero when things heat up towards the end.
This novel was a comfortable, enjoyable read. While Gently is nothing like Sherlock, reading this book gave me the same kind of feeling as reading the Holmes books does.
P.S. For the Anglophiles out there, these books are quintessentially English.
April 3, 2023
Gently Begins
Review of the Constable Kindle eBook edition (2010) of the Rinehart and Company hardcover original (1955).
I recently binge watched the entire Inspector George Gently TV series on Britbox Canada and thoroughly enjoyed them. Actor Martin Shaw is quite fantastic as the crusty and incorruptible lead character contrasted with his often fumbling assistant Sergeant Bacchus portrayed by Lee Ingleby. I had never read any of the Alan Hunter novels though and was surprised to discover that there were 46 of them in the series written between 1955 and 1999, basically one published every year.
The front cover of the original 1955 hardcover edition of 'Gently Does It'. Image sourced from Goodreads.
I wasn't very far into this first book of the series Gently Does It before it became apparent that the book character is almost completely different from the one in the later TV series. The George Gently of the books smokes a pipe and is addicted to eating peppermint cream candies (which he consumes at an alarming rate). He is similarly persistent in pursuing his investigations but there isn't any indication that he is working against corruption in the police force (which is the overall theme arc of the TV series).
The case involves Gently (who is otherwise based in the London CID head office) assisting in a case while he is supposedly on vacation. His ideas of the culprit are in opposition to the local police who are quick to suspect the estranged son of a murdered timber baron. The usual suspicious family members, servants and business associates are involved and there is a bit of a twist when the apparent culprit is also murdered. Gently solves it regardless and explains all in the end.
I enjoyed the book even if it is much more 'old school' and more along the lines of the Golden Age of Crime than the slightly more hard-boiled adaptations in the TV show. I'm sure that I'll read a few more of them as part of my lighter reading selections.
Trivia and Link
The George Gently books were adapted as a TV series Inspector George Gently (2008-2017) with actor Martin Shaw in the title role. Very few of the TV episodes are based on the original books though and the characters are quite different. A trailer for the first episode can be seen here.
Review of the Constable Kindle eBook edition (2010) of the Rinehart and Company hardcover original (1955).
Gently said: ‘There’s a time in every case that I’ve had anything to do with when you suddenly find yourself over the top of the hill … usually, there’s no good reason for it. You just keep pushing and pushing, never seeming to get anywhere, and then some time you find you don’t have to push any longer … the thing you’ve been pushing starts to carry you along with it. It’s odd, isn’t it?’
I recently binge watched the entire Inspector George Gently TV series on Britbox Canada and thoroughly enjoyed them. Actor Martin Shaw is quite fantastic as the crusty and incorruptible lead character contrasted with his often fumbling assistant Sergeant Bacchus portrayed by Lee Ingleby. I had never read any of the Alan Hunter novels though and was surprised to discover that there were 46 of them in the series written between 1955 and 1999, basically one published every year.
The front cover of the original 1955 hardcover edition of 'Gently Does It'. Image sourced from Goodreads.
I wasn't very far into this first book of the series Gently Does It before it became apparent that the book character is almost completely different from the one in the later TV series. The George Gently of the books smokes a pipe and is addicted to eating peppermint cream candies (which he consumes at an alarming rate). He is similarly persistent in pursuing his investigations but there isn't any indication that he is working against corruption in the police force (which is the overall theme arc of the TV series).
The case involves Gently (who is otherwise based in the London CID head office) assisting in a case while he is supposedly on vacation. His ideas of the culprit are in opposition to the local police who are quick to suspect the estranged son of a murdered timber baron. The usual suspicious family members, servants and business associates are involved and there is a bit of a twist when the apparent culprit is also murdered. Gently solves it regardless and explains all in the end.
I enjoyed the book even if it is much more 'old school' and more along the lines of the Golden Age of Crime than the slightly more hard-boiled adaptations in the TV show. I'm sure that I'll read a few more of them as part of my lighter reading selections.
Trivia and Link
The George Gently books were adapted as a TV series Inspector George Gently (2008-2017) with actor Martin Shaw in the title role. Very few of the TV episodes are based on the original books though and the characters are quite different. A trailer for the first episode can be seen here.
June 15, 2017
Gently Does It by Alan Hunter is the 1st book in the Inspector George Gently mystery series. I had previously read another, but now that I've got the first few books in the series, wanted to start from the beginning.
I'll preface this by saying that one of my favourite TV mystery series has been the George Gently mysteries, starring Martin Shaw as the Inspector. I'm not sure where the TV series begins in relation to the book series, but of the two I've read so far, the feel is quite different between the two. The TV series shows Gently working in Newcastle, whereas in the books I've read thus far, he is still working for CID in London.
With that long preamble, Gently Does It finds the Inspector on vacation in Norchester when he gets involved in investigating the murder of a lumber baron. Gently volunteers to assist the local police and his assistance is grudgingly accepted. Then begins an interesting investigation of the case, with Gently basically trying to gather evidence and clues to discover the guilty party. That is a key difference between Gently and the local police; who basically set their minds on a suspect and don't particularly care to ensure they have the necessary evidence to prove their case.
Gently is an intuitive police investigator, but also likes to conduct a proper investigation. He doesn't agree with the locals about their first suspect; firstly based on intuition, but also then based on what he discovers. It's an interesting process and Gently is an interesting person and we get to discover more about how he works in this first book. Overall I enjoyed the story very much and liked the conclusion, which was satisfying. Looking forward to continuing the adventure. (4 stars)
I'll preface this by saying that one of my favourite TV mystery series has been the George Gently mysteries, starring Martin Shaw as the Inspector. I'm not sure where the TV series begins in relation to the book series, but of the two I've read so far, the feel is quite different between the two. The TV series shows Gently working in Newcastle, whereas in the books I've read thus far, he is still working for CID in London.
With that long preamble, Gently Does It finds the Inspector on vacation in Norchester when he gets involved in investigating the murder of a lumber baron. Gently volunteers to assist the local police and his assistance is grudgingly accepted. Then begins an interesting investigation of the case, with Gently basically trying to gather evidence and clues to discover the guilty party. That is a key difference between Gently and the local police; who basically set their minds on a suspect and don't particularly care to ensure they have the necessary evidence to prove their case.
Gently is an intuitive police investigator, but also likes to conduct a proper investigation. He doesn't agree with the locals about their first suspect; firstly based on intuition, but also then based on what he discovers. It's an interesting process and Gently is an interesting person and we get to discover more about how he works in this first book. Overall I enjoyed the story very much and liked the conclusion, which was satisfying. Looking forward to continuing the adventure. (4 stars)
August 14, 2019
Detektyvų mylėtojai tikriausiai prisimena tas mažulytes Agatha Christie detektyvų knygeles. Tokios mažos, bet įtraukia taip, kad paleisti iš rankų neįmanoma! Kaip saulėgražos. “Džentlis kimbą į darbą” - lygiai to pačio formato ir turiniu nei kiek nenusileidžia detektyvų karalienei.
Detektyvas Džentlis netikėtai priverstas nutraukti savo atostogas, nes mažame Anglijos Nordčesterio miestelyje įvykdoma turtingo verslininko žmogžudystė. Velionio sūnus, pagarsėjęs nesutarimais su tėvu, taip pat dingsta kaip į vandenį. O kur dar iš tėvo seifo dingę pinigai. Sūnus tampa pagrindiniu įtariamuoju žmogžudystės byloje. Veiksmas prasideda. Nors gal tiksliau veiksmo didelio čia nėra. Detektyvas gana lėtas, išlaikytas ir visos mįslės sprendžiamos pasitelkiant logiką. Gudraudamas, strateguodamas ir pasitelkdamas dedukciją detektyvas Džentlis imasi bylos nagrinėjimo.
Detektyvo Džentlio figūra neatitinka dabartinių mados standartų. Jis nėra destruktyvaus tipo kaip pavyzdžiui Nesbo sukurtas Haris Hūlė. Nėra ir toks ekscentriškas kaip pavyzdžiui Puaro. Šis vyrukas turi tik vieną silpnybę - mėtines pastiles. Thats it! Skamba nuobodžiai? Taip nėra! Na bent jau senųjų klasikinių logika paremtų detektyvų mėgėjams nuobodu nebus. Susiskaito greitai, įtraukia, o ir formatas toks, kad drąsiai galima šį mažytį detektyvą nešiotis su savim! Perskaitėt visą Christie ir Doyle? Manau, Alan Hunter detektyvai Jūsų nenuvils. Gero skaitymo.
Detektyvas Džentlis netikėtai priverstas nutraukti savo atostogas, nes mažame Anglijos Nordčesterio miestelyje įvykdoma turtingo verslininko žmogžudystė. Velionio sūnus, pagarsėjęs nesutarimais su tėvu, taip pat dingsta kaip į vandenį. O kur dar iš tėvo seifo dingę pinigai. Sūnus tampa pagrindiniu įtariamuoju žmogžudystės byloje. Veiksmas prasideda. Nors gal tiksliau veiksmo didelio čia nėra. Detektyvas gana lėtas, išlaikytas ir visos mįslės sprendžiamos pasitelkiant logiką. Gudraudamas, strateguodamas ir pasitelkdamas dedukciją detektyvas Džentlis imasi bylos nagrinėjimo.
Detektyvo Džentlio figūra neatitinka dabartinių mados standartų. Jis nėra destruktyvaus tipo kaip pavyzdžiui Nesbo sukurtas Haris Hūlė. Nėra ir toks ekscentriškas kaip pavyzdžiui Puaro. Šis vyrukas turi tik vieną silpnybę - mėtines pastiles. Thats it! Skamba nuobodžiai? Taip nėra! Na bent jau senųjų klasikinių logika paremtų detektyvų mėgėjams nuobodu nebus. Susiskaito greitai, įtraukia, o ir formatas toks, kad drąsiai galima šį mažytį detektyvą nešiotis su savim! Perskaitėt visą Christie ir Doyle? Manau, Alan Hunter detektyvai Jūsų nenuvils. Gero skaitymo.
February 6, 2017
This book deserves more than three stars. As I read along I was reminded more of Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret than of the British TV series, George Gently.
In this early book in Hunter's series, we find Chief Inspector Gently (based in London) taking a holiday to fish in the Midlands. More by happenstance than anything else, he is asked to lend some insight into a local murder of a wealthy timber merchant. Gently is reluctant but agrees to take a look at a few things. Within a chapter or two, the roles are reversed with the local police sure that they have their man, and Gently not nearly as sure. The case proceeds with the locals getting more and more frustrated with Gently's presence. (Even though this book isn't a conventional whodunit, to reveal more would spoil your pleasure.)
Like Simenon's Maigret, we go along with Gently conversing with people and observing their reactions. There are no big "busts," shootouts or chases. Like Maigret, Gently is a keen observer and both believe that when you completely understand each of the suspects, the perpetrator will be revealed. Perhaps, there is a bit of Miss Marple also thrown in.
I believe that Gently and this series will please me more as I get into it. I have no qualms about reading another this year.
In this early book in Hunter's series, we find Chief Inspector Gently (based in London) taking a holiday to fish in the Midlands. More by happenstance than anything else, he is asked to lend some insight into a local murder of a wealthy timber merchant. Gently is reluctant but agrees to take a look at a few things. Within a chapter or two, the roles are reversed with the local police sure that they have their man, and Gently not nearly as sure. The case proceeds with the locals getting more and more frustrated with Gently's presence. (Even though this book isn't a conventional whodunit, to reveal more would spoil your pleasure.)
Like Simenon's Maigret, we go along with Gently conversing with people and observing their reactions. There are no big "busts," shootouts or chases. Like Maigret, Gently is a keen observer and both believe that when you completely understand each of the suspects, the perpetrator will be revealed. Perhaps, there is a bit of Miss Marple also thrown in.
I believe that Gently and this series will please me more as I get into it. I have no qualms about reading another this year.
August 22, 2023
This book opens with a curious warning from the author, advising the reader not to expect a whodunit. Given that he went on to publish a further 45 Chief Inspector George Gently novels, this little outbreak of imposter syndrome was, with hindsight, clearly unnecessary. Indeed the series made the small screen.
That said, Gently Does It exhibits the traits of a writer finding his feet: a linear plot, clunky narrative, and monotone dialogue. Interestingly, these characteristics dovetail well with the personality of the ageing and stoic inspector. And at least he is not a cranky divorced alcoholic with an improbable IQ.
Set in a thinly disguised Norwich (‘Norchester’) and published in 1955, the novel does paint a realistic post-war perspective, which I always enjoy as an inadvertent bonus of vintage works. There is a sub-plot which will irritate the football aficionado (the author skipped the rule, “know what you write”), and a foible duopoly that needs to be streamlined: make it the pipe or the peppermints, but please not both!
I shall have to read the second book to find out.
That said, Gently Does It exhibits the traits of a writer finding his feet: a linear plot, clunky narrative, and monotone dialogue. Interestingly, these characteristics dovetail well with the personality of the ageing and stoic inspector. And at least he is not a cranky divorced alcoholic with an improbable IQ.
Set in a thinly disguised Norwich (‘Norchester’) and published in 1955, the novel does paint a realistic post-war perspective, which I always enjoy as an inadvertent bonus of vintage works. There is a sub-plot which will irritate the football aficionado (the author skipped the rule, “know what you write”), and a foible duopoly that needs to be streamlined: make it the pipe or the peppermints, but please not both!
I shall have to read the second book to find out.
didnt-finish-didnt-start
October 19, 2020Decided not to start the books. Just finished the 8 seasons of the TV show and i will leave it there.
April 21, 2019
I believe I like these books. George Gently of the CID is on vacation, planning to fish, when he reads about a murder in the local paper. He goes along to the station and offers his assistance. The murdered man's son us the main suspect, but Gently does not believe he did it. He saw the son ride the Wall of Death at the carnival. But there are a number of other people with suspicious alibis and e doggedly checks them out. The local police are not thrilled that he won't go along with their ideas, but they are willing to let him check things out and if he needs help, they will probably assist him.
July 6, 2016
I am in love with the TV show George Gently so when I saw it was based on a book, I knew I had to read it. The show's George (brilliantly played by Martin Shaw) and the book's George are completely different, but that does diminish the enjoyment of either one. I will definitely be reading (and watching) more of George!
August 12, 2023
Įdomus, lengvas detektyvas. Žudikas buvo visai kitas žmogus, negu, kad aš galvojau, kad bus. Kai kurios vuetos buvo painios, bet šiek tiek pasukus galvą jas išspręsdavau. Ką jau ką, vetik tikrai išmokau - kad net mažiausia dalelė yra svarbi.
April 4, 2022
Calm, measured, sedate.
August 7, 2022
Dizisini severek izliyordum kitabını da severek okudum.
August 23, 2014
This is the first in the Detective Inspector George Gently series and one I have been looking for, for a while since it makes the start of a series of detection novels I have found surprisingly entertaining to read. The stories are set in 50s England and more precisely east Midlands and the East Coast down to London - areas which I am familiar with (there are in fact several reference to Leicester in this novel).
The book was originally printed in 1955 so I guess at the time it was pretty much a book of its times however it is so atmospheric that now well over 50 years later it still invokes the same ambience and feel, I wonder how many other authors can claim that.
The book is an interesting one as the author noted - it is not a whodunnit but rather an exploration of the process of detection - you quickly form an idea of who did the crime but it take the length of the book to find the evidence and the situation to properly resolve the crime and bring the case to a close.
The books and there is no pun intended - a gentle read which reflects the times it was written in.
The book was originally printed in 1955 so I guess at the time it was pretty much a book of its times however it is so atmospheric that now well over 50 years later it still invokes the same ambience and feel, I wonder how many other authors can claim that.
The book is an interesting one as the author noted - it is not a whodunnit but rather an exploration of the process of detection - you quickly form an idea of who did the crime but it take the length of the book to find the evidence and the situation to properly resolve the crime and bring the case to a close.
The books and there is no pun intended - a gentle read which reflects the times it was written in.
May 13, 2014
Although a slow start to the story, I have to confess to rather enjoying the way Alan Hunter draws you in. It's not a whodunit but a book which asks questions by finding evidence. This is a welcome change to the usual crime thrillers that I read. I also have to confess to being surprised at the differences between both TV series and book, both take on the Gently character exceptionally well - the book having the edge as I'm not sure the BBC casting is as effective as what it could be. I'm sure to be continuing the series once I find my peppermint creams!!
November 30, 2019
Atmospheric.
This is a well written, well paced exciting murder novel. It evokes the atmosphere of an industrial port and builds to an exciting climax. There’s plenty of misleading plotting and a fair measure of unpleasant characters. It’s well worth reading.
This is a well written, well paced exciting murder novel. It evokes the atmosphere of an industrial port and builds to an exciting climax. There’s plenty of misleading plotting and a fair measure of unpleasant characters. It’s well worth reading.
June 12, 2025
What a kind, GENTLE and dogged inspector. This is a quiet pleasant police procedural with an interesting plot. I will read others but don't expect to ever read all 46.
September 12, 2018
Ramus, tvarkingas detektyvas.
Situacija - kaip whodunnit, bet tai nėra whodunnit. Nusikaltėlis išaiškėja likus dar gerų penkiasdešimt puslapių iki knygos galo ir inspektorius Džentlis plūkiasi, bandydamas tai įrodyti. Tie paskutiniai 50 psl gal ir buvo įdomiausi: atsirado kažkokios frustracijos, nuovargio, natūralumo, besiskiriančio nuo didžiosios knygos dalies, kuri ėjosi labai jau gently.
Inspektorius Džentlis iš pradžių mane erzino, bet paskui pamačiau, kad tai pirmoji serijos apie jį knygą, tai pamaniau, kad gal ir atleistina. T.y. manau, kad autorius kūrė personažą galvodamas, kad, pvz, reikia jam suteikti kokių nors ypatingų charakteristikų ar pomėgių. Pavyzdžiui, valgyti mėtines pastiles! Na, ir valgo jis tas pastiles nesustodamas, bet ar iš tiesų reikia kiekvieną jų dokumentuoti? Arba: dažnai į apklausiamo įtariamojo žodžius Džentlis atsako: "A." Ok - čia gal jam būdingas pertaras. Bet kai tų "A." susikaupia tam tikras kiekis per skyrelį, ima gožti pačių personažų žodžius.
Beje, dialogai labai faini ir gyvi (nepaisant "A."), atrodo, taip ir matai, kaip apklausiamieji natūraliai muistosi.
Paskui, atrodo, autorius nusprendė, kad individualios Džentlio charakteristikos jau įtvirtintos ir nebereikia minėti pastilės ir "A." kiekviename sakinyje, tai skaityti pasidarė daug smagiau (o gal tiesiog pripratau ir nustojau pastebėti).
Situacija - kaip whodunnit, bet tai nėra whodunnit. Nusikaltėlis išaiškėja likus dar gerų penkiasdešimt puslapių iki knygos galo ir inspektorius Džentlis plūkiasi, bandydamas tai įrodyti. Tie paskutiniai 50 psl gal ir buvo įdomiausi: atsirado kažkokios frustracijos, nuovargio, natūralumo, besiskiriančio nuo didžiosios knygos dalies, kuri ėjosi labai jau gently.
Inspektorius Džentlis iš pradžių mane erzino, bet paskui pamačiau, kad tai pirmoji serijos apie jį knygą, tai pamaniau, kad gal ir atleistina. T.y. manau, kad autorius kūrė personažą galvodamas, kad, pvz, reikia jam suteikti kokių nors ypatingų charakteristikų ar pomėgių. Pavyzdžiui, valgyti mėtines pastiles! Na, ir valgo jis tas pastiles nesustodamas, bet ar iš tiesų reikia kiekvieną jų dokumentuoti? Arba: dažnai į apklausiamo įtariamojo žodžius Džentlis atsako: "A." Ok - čia gal jam būdingas pertaras. Bet kai tų "A." susikaupia tam tikras kiekis per skyrelį, ima gožti pačių personažų žodžius.
Beje, dialogai labai faini ir gyvi (nepaisant "A."), atrodo, taip ir matai, kaip apklausiamieji natūraliai muistosi.
Paskui, atrodo, autorius nusprendė, kad individualios Džentlio charakteristikos jau įtvirtintos ir nebereikia minėti pastilės ir "A." kiekviename sakinyje, tai skaityti pasidarė daug smagiau (o gal tiesiog pripratau ir nustojau pastebėti).
September 16, 2018
I just read my first Alan Hunter book from the George Gently series. I loved the TV show, in which Martin Shaw, played Gently. 
The book had a lot of differences, as far as location and back story, however the character of George Gently himself shines through. Martin Shaw did a superb job bringing this character to life. In Gently Does It, a wealthy timber dealer is murdered at the same time his errant son happens to be in town. All fingers point to the son, but Gently doesn’t believe it. Calmly and methodically, Gently uncovers the truth leading to a climactic resolution to the case. Along the way are some very telling quotes that stick with me like, “Justice belongs to the courts. It’s nothing to do with the police.”
I will definitely be reading more in this series.
The book had a lot of differences, as far as location and back story, however the character of George Gently himself shines through. Martin Shaw did a superb job bringing this character to life. In Gently Does It, a wealthy timber dealer is murdered at the same time his errant son happens to be in town. All fingers point to the son, but Gently doesn’t believe it. Calmly and methodically, Gently uncovers the truth leading to a climactic resolution to the case. Along the way are some very telling quotes that stick with me like, “Justice belongs to the courts. It’s nothing to do with the police.”
I will definitely be reading more in this series.
December 4, 2018
Recently, I watched the first episode of Inspector George Gently with Martin Shaw and liked it, so I thought I might try the books.
However, the story is a bit dated and the written inspector soon got on my nerves : he's self-deprecating (apparently, anyway), knows everything and guesses everything while everybody's mocking or underestimating him. A kind of Columbo, Miss Marple, Father Brown all together.
I wasn't caught up in the story, or even remotely interested in finishing it, so I gave up.
The slow pace had nothing to do with the DNF, just the characters.
However, the story is a bit dated and the written inspector soon got on my nerves : he's self-deprecating (apparently, anyway), knows everything and guesses everything while everybody's mocking or underestimating him. A kind of Columbo, Miss Marple, Father Brown all together.
I wasn't caught up in the story, or even remotely interested in finishing it, so I gave up.
The slow pace had nothing to do with the DNF, just the characters.
March 11, 2024
This is a new series for me. Gently would be very frustrating in person, but as a sleuth, he's entertaining.
December 21, 2017
I very much enjoyed this book and plan to continue the series. Gently is a wonderful character and it was a delight to learn a bit about him.
March 2, 2012
I read this because I enjoyed the TV series - not the best basis for reading a book I know. It took me a long time to read it - I kept putting it down to read other things and then coming back to it. This was because I didn't particularly like or find any of the characters interesting enough, apart from Inspector Gently himself (and that was probably because I was thinking of the TV character).
But I did finish it eventually, and ended up quite liking it - but I think that is because I really like detective fiction of past eras. If you don't normally read this genre then I don't think it will grab you.
However, bear in mind this is the first book in a 46 book series! Maybe this one was more about establishing the characters and environment in order to prepare for the rest of the series? Perhaps one day I'll read the next one ...
But I did finish it eventually, and ended up quite liking it - but I think that is because I really like detective fiction of past eras. If you don't normally read this genre then I don't think it will grab you.
However, bear in mind this is the first book in a 46 book series! Maybe this one was more about establishing the characters and environment in order to prepare for the rest of the series? Perhaps one day I'll read the next one ...
April 7, 2015
I picked up a few of these Gently books, entirely based upon my love of the BBC series. The books are a bit different than the series, and the character of Gently himself is different. Both are strong, quiet, reserved men, but the books' Gently is harsher, ruder, more rough around the edges. He is also a very large man, addicted to peppermint cremes, which he ingests like a chain-smoker.
Chief Inspector Gently is on a well-deserved holiday in Norchester, when he becomes involved with a local murder. The police are at first grateful for his offer of help, but come to regret it when they find a quick and easy solution in the son of the murdered man. But Gently doesn't believe the young man guilty, because of a number of small points that mean nothing to anyone but him. Quick and easy solutions just aren't the Gently way--he wants only the truth.
Chief Inspector Gently is on a well-deserved holiday in Norchester, when he becomes involved with a local murder. The police are at first grateful for his offer of help, but come to regret it when they find a quick and easy solution in the son of the murdered man. But Gently doesn't believe the young man guilty, because of a number of small points that mean nothing to anyone but him. Quick and easy solutions just aren't the Gently way--he wants only the truth.
October 19, 2011
Charmingly comfortable mystery. I found out about the series by way hung episodes of the TV series. I'm always on the lookout for the words "based on the novel(s) by..."
The story ambles through suspects much like Chief Inspector Gently ambles though the town on holiday, questioning.g suspects likely and unlikely with the dame quiet patience he might apply to fishing, waiting to set the hook in the most proper fish, not necessarily the biggest.
I don't even know what they are, but now I have a craving for peppermint creams...
The story ambles through suspects much like Chief Inspector Gently ambles though the town on holiday, questioning.g suspects likely and unlikely with the dame quiet patience he might apply to fishing, waiting to set the hook in the most proper fish, not necessarily the biggest.
I don't even know what they are, but now I have a craving for peppermint creams...
January 5, 2013
Neil downloaded this one after we both enjoyed the TV series. I really enjoyed it. Despite the warning at the beginning that we will find out whodunnit well before the end, it was three quarters of the way through before the killer was revealed and I found the tussle to find the evidence to sustain a charge kept me turning the pages just as effectively.
I look forward to reading more - there are over 40 in the series, so it could become an expensive habit!
I look forward to reading more - there are over 40 in the series, so it could become an expensive habit!
August 29, 2014
This is the first book in the series. I have watched the George Gently TV series which I have enjoyed immensely so I thought I'd start reading the books. I enjoyed the book but as I suspected it is rather different from the TV series. I particulary liked the way we are told who the murderer was but it was up to the police to find the evidence to convict the person. That was a very interesting process.
September 24, 2024
What really intrigued me about this tale is it’s provenance. Given the benefit of informed hindsight, it’s fairly clear from the start that here is a writer finding his way into a character. It’s a tale told by a man who is looking to sell not just one book but maybe a number of them; it’s a tale told by a man creating a central character.
The writing is a bit hesitant, he’s feeling his way into the character, aided by a knowledge of an environment which will be novel to most readers … a fictionalised Norfolk. He’s developing a voice – he plays it for laughs in places, eschews the potential bleakness of a murder enquiry. No gore, no sensationalism, nothing to frighten the servants or horses. Simply death.
And Gently emerges – a planned pregnancy, everything on hand to ensure a problem-free delivery. This was a clinically designed, planned love child, with ten fingers, ten toes, with carefully choreographed traits and idiosyncrasies.
Yet, maybe, subjected to forensic enquiry, we can see in places the nervousness or hesitancy of a novice writer not quite sure of his central character. Does Gently come across as being mechanically constructed rather than as organically emerging in the course of the narrative?
Alan Hunter grew up on a farm. After service with the RAF during the Second World War he ran a bookshop – so we can assume a love of the written word (he’d had a book of poetry published during the War).
In 1955, ‘Gently Does It’ appeared, his first novel, the first of 46 Gently novels. And Gently novels are what he wrote, publishing pretty much one per year until 1999.
This was in a pre-Internet era, an era when there were very few ‘How To’ books telling wannabe writers how to – so he didn’t pore through millions of bullshit websites and advice pages explaining that anyone could write a best seller by following these five, or seven, or ten golden rules. Hunter had worked it out for himself, had presumably read hundreds of whodunnits, had devised plot and characters for himself.
So, if this first one does look a bit naïve in places or contrived at times, it’s also clearly a labour of love and, if he doesn’t always get it quite right … well, it’s a learning process. I suspect the seasoning of humour reflects a degree of hesitancy about the recipe, or maybe just relief from the intensity of building a character.
Of course, I opted to read this after watching the TV Gently – 25 programmes in all, set in the 1960s, set in the North East of England rather than Norfolk and, from the pilot first aired in 2007 (2 years after Hunter’s death) having a central character with a developed backstory and with a more physical approach to policing and its politics.
Two years after Hunter’s death, half a century after ‘Gently Does It’ was published – different times, different creatures … different audiences.
So back to this title. A tad over-written in places. A new novelist, an aspirational one, a new novelist working hard to establish himself, creating a creature, creating the atmosphere of a mythical reality grown from a real one.
In places, the writing lacks fluency … there’s a stumbling, a falling back on the contrived and the convenient, a reliance on words and phrases which have been consciously and carefully elaborated rather than being allowed to flow.
A reader – well, certainly this reader – can sense the writing gets laboured at times, breaking your engagement with the flow. You can lose momentum, have to snap yourself back into the story. There are even the odd words he uses which stop you in your tracks. Gently interviews a ‘stuggy man’. ‘Stuggy’, apparently, means overweight. Amongst other words I had to go look up are ‘spuffle’, ‘bosky’.
Meanwhile, the police are caricatures. Not so much cliché good cop / bad cop as visionary cop / functionary cop. Hunter knew about a few things – his description of the canal trade is engaging. He hadn’t talked to many coppers, though.
The characters can be one dimensional. Gently has no back story – he’s some sort of supersleuth, on holiday from the Yard and drawn into this local crime. Hunter gives him an idiosyncrasy – he devours bags full of peppermint creams, which can really piss you off if you develop a sweet tooth reading this when the shops are shut.
And the plot? Maybe not quite as simplistic as some of the 1930s cozies. Maybe. There are moments when it looks like it’s a stage play – you can visualise the murder scene as a stage – so, we have Mr.Dutchvictim, in the study, with a knife … enter police, stage left.
Deconstructing the book was probably more enjoyable than reading it. I’m now left wondering if I’d read any more of the Gently stories? I’m tempted to opt for the last one, to see how the character and plotting changed – to see if, in fact, the character had been developed at all. If I do, I’ll make sure I’ve got bags of peppermint creams to hand.
The writing is a bit hesitant, he’s feeling his way into the character, aided by a knowledge of an environment which will be novel to most readers … a fictionalised Norfolk. He’s developing a voice – he plays it for laughs in places, eschews the potential bleakness of a murder enquiry. No gore, no sensationalism, nothing to frighten the servants or horses. Simply death.
And Gently emerges – a planned pregnancy, everything on hand to ensure a problem-free delivery. This was a clinically designed, planned love child, with ten fingers, ten toes, with carefully choreographed traits and idiosyncrasies.
Yet, maybe, subjected to forensic enquiry, we can see in places the nervousness or hesitancy of a novice writer not quite sure of his central character. Does Gently come across as being mechanically constructed rather than as organically emerging in the course of the narrative?
Alan Hunter grew up on a farm. After service with the RAF during the Second World War he ran a bookshop – so we can assume a love of the written word (he’d had a book of poetry published during the War).
In 1955, ‘Gently Does It’ appeared, his first novel, the first of 46 Gently novels. And Gently novels are what he wrote, publishing pretty much one per year until 1999.
This was in a pre-Internet era, an era when there were very few ‘How To’ books telling wannabe writers how to – so he didn’t pore through millions of bullshit websites and advice pages explaining that anyone could write a best seller by following these five, or seven, or ten golden rules. Hunter had worked it out for himself, had presumably read hundreds of whodunnits, had devised plot and characters for himself.
So, if this first one does look a bit naïve in places or contrived at times, it’s also clearly a labour of love and, if he doesn’t always get it quite right … well, it’s a learning process. I suspect the seasoning of humour reflects a degree of hesitancy about the recipe, or maybe just relief from the intensity of building a character.
Of course, I opted to read this after watching the TV Gently – 25 programmes in all, set in the 1960s, set in the North East of England rather than Norfolk and, from the pilot first aired in 2007 (2 years after Hunter’s death) having a central character with a developed backstory and with a more physical approach to policing and its politics.
Two years after Hunter’s death, half a century after ‘Gently Does It’ was published – different times, different creatures … different audiences.
So back to this title. A tad over-written in places. A new novelist, an aspirational one, a new novelist working hard to establish himself, creating a creature, creating the atmosphere of a mythical reality grown from a real one.
In places, the writing lacks fluency … there’s a stumbling, a falling back on the contrived and the convenient, a reliance on words and phrases which have been consciously and carefully elaborated rather than being allowed to flow.
A reader – well, certainly this reader – can sense the writing gets laboured at times, breaking your engagement with the flow. You can lose momentum, have to snap yourself back into the story. There are even the odd words he uses which stop you in your tracks. Gently interviews a ‘stuggy man’. ‘Stuggy’, apparently, means overweight. Amongst other words I had to go look up are ‘spuffle’, ‘bosky’.
Meanwhile, the police are caricatures. Not so much cliché good cop / bad cop as visionary cop / functionary cop. Hunter knew about a few things – his description of the canal trade is engaging. He hadn’t talked to many coppers, though.
The characters can be one dimensional. Gently has no back story – he’s some sort of supersleuth, on holiday from the Yard and drawn into this local crime. Hunter gives him an idiosyncrasy – he devours bags full of peppermint creams, which can really piss you off if you develop a sweet tooth reading this when the shops are shut.
And the plot? Maybe not quite as simplistic as some of the 1930s cozies. Maybe. There are moments when it looks like it’s a stage play – you can visualise the murder scene as a stage – so, we have Mr.Dutchvictim, in the study, with a knife … enter police, stage left.
Deconstructing the book was probably more enjoyable than reading it. I’m now left wondering if I’d read any more of the Gently stories? I’m tempted to opt for the last one, to see how the character and plotting changed – to see if, in fact, the character had been developed at all. If I do, I’ll make sure I’ve got bags of peppermint creams to hand.
May 17, 2017
Plot summary:
Inspector George Gently is on holidays one Easter when the owner of a timber mill is stabbed to death and his safe robbed of a large sum of money. The local police invite Gently to assist them as he is an acknowledged expert in murder investigation. The locals quickly decide that the son of the mill owner is responsible and arrest him. Gently is not convinced and through patient, thoughtful work is able to demonstrate that the son is unlikely to be the killer. Suspicion then falls on the owner’s chauffeur and the locals are once again convinced especially when the chauffeur appears to commit suicide. Gently again is not happy and keeps probing, pointing the finger at the mill’s manager. Gently confronts the manager inside the saw mill, and the manager admits to killing the chauffeur as well as the owner, in order to protect the fraud he was committing against the firm. Gently only narrowly escapes being the third victim.
Overall:
Old-fashioned but well-thought-out procedural that gives us plenty of meat to chew on. The interest lies in how Gently will gradually break through the fog of lies and deceits and gather the evidence he needs to find the true killer.
Plotting:
Subtle but credible.
Characterisation:
Hunter builds up a number of convincing portraits of his characters including the sceptical police detectives, the religious but hypocritical daughter, the ambitious housemaid, the slippery chauffeur, the cynical manager and the innocent son. Even the minor characters ring true. Gently is well-portrayed as a shrewd, thoughtful man who will never give up. However we learn nothing of his background or his personal life, assuming he has one.
Dialogue:
I enjoyed seeing Gently’s clever wordplay with various witnesses and suspects.
Setting and Description:
A convincing portrait of an industrial town in the north east of England in the post-War austerity period.
Readability:
Very readable but requires a lot of concentration.
Sub-plots:
The conflict between the locals and Gently is a persistent sub-plot. Initially regarding Gently as an expert, the locals increasingly view him as ridiculous and over-zealous - until they are forced to eat humble pie.
Read another by same author?
Yes. I’d like to follow the series but the idea of 46 novels is a bit daunting!
www.davidkilner.com
Inspector George Gently is on holidays one Easter when the owner of a timber mill is stabbed to death and his safe robbed of a large sum of money. The local police invite Gently to assist them as he is an acknowledged expert in murder investigation. The locals quickly decide that the son of the mill owner is responsible and arrest him. Gently is not convinced and through patient, thoughtful work is able to demonstrate that the son is unlikely to be the killer. Suspicion then falls on the owner’s chauffeur and the locals are once again convinced especially when the chauffeur appears to commit suicide. Gently again is not happy and keeps probing, pointing the finger at the mill’s manager. Gently confronts the manager inside the saw mill, and the manager admits to killing the chauffeur as well as the owner, in order to protect the fraud he was committing against the firm. Gently only narrowly escapes being the third victim.
Overall:
Old-fashioned but well-thought-out procedural that gives us plenty of meat to chew on. The interest lies in how Gently will gradually break through the fog of lies and deceits and gather the evidence he needs to find the true killer.
Plotting:
Subtle but credible.
Characterisation:
Hunter builds up a number of convincing portraits of his characters including the sceptical police detectives, the religious but hypocritical daughter, the ambitious housemaid, the slippery chauffeur, the cynical manager and the innocent son. Even the minor characters ring true. Gently is well-portrayed as a shrewd, thoughtful man who will never give up. However we learn nothing of his background or his personal life, assuming he has one.
Dialogue:
I enjoyed seeing Gently’s clever wordplay with various witnesses and suspects.
Setting and Description:
A convincing portrait of an industrial town in the north east of England in the post-War austerity period.
Readability:
Very readable but requires a lot of concentration.
Sub-plots:
The conflict between the locals and Gently is a persistent sub-plot. Initially regarding Gently as an expert, the locals increasingly view him as ridiculous and over-zealous - until they are forced to eat humble pie.
Read another by same author?
Yes. I’d like to follow the series but the idea of 46 novels is a bit daunting!
www.davidkilner.com
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up, because I really like the slow, methodical, low-key, peppermint creme guzzling Gently.
This was my first time encountering him, and I understand there is a tv show in the UK based on the books. I’ve never seen it. But definitely plan to read on with the Reading the Detectives group, which introduced me to the Scotland Yard man.
He’s vacationing as the mystery opens, hoping to get in some fishing, but at a fair watching a young daredevil ride his motorcycle on the Wall of Death. Then he picks up a newspaper and reads a local timber company owner has been murdered in his home. It just so happens, the young daredevil was the dead man’s estranged son.
Gently goes by local police hq offering his assistance, despite his vacation. The estranged son apparently visited his father and the two argued, making him an ideal suspect for the murder - but Gently is convinced the young man couldn’t have ridden as well as he did if he’d just come from killing his father.
So the chase commences; Gently goes along, talking to witnesses, suspects, anyone who might help him find a pattern. Local police settle on first one suspect, then another, getting frustrated that Gently won’t go along.
I really liked his dogged determination, innate decency and honesty, and low-key manner. The setting is 1955, and some of the police indicate a bit of tough questioning will get a suspect to confess - I know this might have been common behavior everywhere back then, but Gently just doggedly carries on asking questions, retracing steps, checking alibis. He’s not going to beat anyone up, but he does get answers. He may move slowly, but like many of my favorite Golden Age detective favorites of the last few years, he’s not flashy, but thorough and honorable, and enjoyable.
This was my first time encountering him, and I understand there is a tv show in the UK based on the books. I’ve never seen it. But definitely plan to read on with the Reading the Detectives group, which introduced me to the Scotland Yard man.
He’s vacationing as the mystery opens, hoping to get in some fishing, but at a fair watching a young daredevil ride his motorcycle on the Wall of Death. Then he picks up a newspaper and reads a local timber company owner has been murdered in his home. It just so happens, the young daredevil was the dead man’s estranged son.
Gently goes by local police hq offering his assistance, despite his vacation. The estranged son apparently visited his father and the two argued, making him an ideal suspect for the murder - but Gently is convinced the young man couldn’t have ridden as well as he did if he’d just come from killing his father.
So the chase commences; Gently goes along, talking to witnesses, suspects, anyone who might help him find a pattern. Local police settle on first one suspect, then another, getting frustrated that Gently won’t go along.
I really liked his dogged determination, innate decency and honesty, and low-key manner. The setting is 1955, and some of the police indicate a bit of tough questioning will get a suspect to confess - I know this might have been common behavior everywhere back then, but Gently just doggedly carries on asking questions, retracing steps, checking alibis. He’s not going to beat anyone up, but he does get answers. He may move slowly, but like many of my favorite Golden Age detective favorites of the last few years, he’s not flashy, but thorough and honorable, and enjoyable.
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