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Sergeant Beef #8
Cold Blood
At first there seemed to be no doubt who killed Cosmo Ducrow, the recluse millionaire, with a croquet mallet, but the police are reluctant to arrest the obvious suspect. To force their hand, Sergeant Beef and his tireless chronicler, Townsend are called in to solve the crime. Then Beef's unorthodox methods almost lead to a second murder.
- GenresMystery
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1952
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 23, 2012
COLD BLOOD is a mystery of the golden age with the difference that the detective Sargent Bass is a common man who likes beer and is not at home in the manner houses. He is the one called on when Poirot and Lord Peter Wimsey are not available. Cold Blood will be liked by readers who like this period.
August 16, 2013
For being written in 1952, I found it very interesting. The story had a good flow. It was a bit Sherlock and Watson but Beef was a vivid character and made the story.
September 25, 2024
Sergeant Beef goes out in style.
At the beginning, narrator/sidekick Lionel Townsend tells us that this case is different from Beef's previous ones. For once, he's right. This one has a brooding sense of evil about it that spooks everyone involved, including Townsend and even Beef himself.
It's a murder, of course. Cosmo Ducrow was an odd man, but generous and kind-hearted with his fortune. Most observers thought he made a mistake marrying his nurse, much-younger and a dominant personality. However, he seemed happy with the imperious Freda. If she wasn't satisfied with him, he wasn't aware of it. But what if he found out?
He's brutally beaten to death and everyone in the household is a suspect. In addition to Freda, there's a nephew and his wife and Theo Grey, an old friend whose intelligence and common sense is a constant source of comfort to the pathologically shy Cosmo Ducrow. There's a rather shady estate manager, but he seems to have an alibi.
The young chauffeur also has a past, although Beef finds him useful. The Gabriels serve as cook and butler and outside there's Denton the gardener, whose wife helped in the house until she and Molly Gabriel had a fight. All of them benefit from the will, but Rudolf Decrow gets the largest cut and he's the one the local police settle on as a suspect. Why else would he have been walking around outside in the wee hours of the morning?
Convinced that Rudolf is innocent, Theo Grey hires Sgt Beef to find the real murderer. Naturally, Townsend goes along for the ride and it's a scary one.
In this complicated case, Beef comes into his own as an investigator. He still likes his beer and plenty of it and he loves a good game of darts, but he's more serious and more professional than previously. Still, he struggles to grasp all of the nuances of a situation where none of the puzzle pieces fit together. Both Ducrow's family and the police begin to wonder if Beef is up to the job, especially after there's another death. Accident, suicide, or murder?
At one point, Beef himself contemplates throwing in the towel, but that's not likely. Beef's way has always been to stick to the job until it's done. In addition to the usual stock characters that keep every mystery moving along, there are some surprises. Wise Theo Grey warns Beef that there's more to some of the family and staff than meets the eye and he's right.
Chief Inspector Stute comes from London, which is only fitting since he was involved in Beef's first case. His attitude has changed. If he's not exactly a fan of Sgt Beef, he does acknowledge Beef's special talents and he's always ready to exchange information with him. The local CID man is cooperative, if dubious, but Constable Spender-Hennessy steals the show. He's an example of the modern, well-educated police officer and you can have them as far as Beef is concerned.
Beef's methods ARE old-fashioned, but he knows that all that counts is seeing the guilty punished. If there's not enough evidence to convict a wily criminal, then you must force him to commit a crime for which there IS evidence. What about another murder?
Did Leo Bruce intend for this to be the last in the Sgt Beef series? We'll never know, but he left me wanting more. This one appeared in 1952 and many writers were finding it hard to get traditional mysteries published. Perhaps spy stories or "thrillers" sold better.
Some writers turned to other genres. When Bruce got back to writing mysteries in 1958, he used a new hero - history teacher and amateur detective Carolus Deene. I'm reading the first in that series now and Mr Deene isn't bad. But to my thinking, Sergeant Beef is a unique character and I wish his creator had stuck with him. Still, eight mysteries is better than none and I'm grateful to epublishing for making these available to me.
At the beginning, narrator/sidekick Lionel Townsend tells us that this case is different from Beef's previous ones. For once, he's right. This one has a brooding sense of evil about it that spooks everyone involved, including Townsend and even Beef himself.
It's a murder, of course. Cosmo Ducrow was an odd man, but generous and kind-hearted with his fortune. Most observers thought he made a mistake marrying his nurse, much-younger and a dominant personality. However, he seemed happy with the imperious Freda. If she wasn't satisfied with him, he wasn't aware of it. But what if he found out?
He's brutally beaten to death and everyone in the household is a suspect. In addition to Freda, there's a nephew and his wife and Theo Grey, an old friend whose intelligence and common sense is a constant source of comfort to the pathologically shy Cosmo Ducrow. There's a rather shady estate manager, but he seems to have an alibi.
The young chauffeur also has a past, although Beef finds him useful. The Gabriels serve as cook and butler and outside there's Denton the gardener, whose wife helped in the house until she and Molly Gabriel had a fight. All of them benefit from the will, but Rudolf Decrow gets the largest cut and he's the one the local police settle on as a suspect. Why else would he have been walking around outside in the wee hours of the morning?
Convinced that Rudolf is innocent, Theo Grey hires Sgt Beef to find the real murderer. Naturally, Townsend goes along for the ride and it's a scary one.
In this complicated case, Beef comes into his own as an investigator. He still likes his beer and plenty of it and he loves a good game of darts, but he's more serious and more professional than previously. Still, he struggles to grasp all of the nuances of a situation where none of the puzzle pieces fit together. Both Ducrow's family and the police begin to wonder if Beef is up to the job, especially after there's another death. Accident, suicide, or murder?
At one point, Beef himself contemplates throwing in the towel, but that's not likely. Beef's way has always been to stick to the job until it's done. In addition to the usual stock characters that keep every mystery moving along, there are some surprises. Wise Theo Grey warns Beef that there's more to some of the family and staff than meets the eye and he's right.
Chief Inspector Stute comes from London, which is only fitting since he was involved in Beef's first case. His attitude has changed. If he's not exactly a fan of Sgt Beef, he does acknowledge Beef's special talents and he's always ready to exchange information with him. The local CID man is cooperative, if dubious, but Constable Spender-Hennessy steals the show. He's an example of the modern, well-educated police officer and you can have them as far as Beef is concerned.
Beef's methods ARE old-fashioned, but he knows that all that counts is seeing the guilty punished. If there's not enough evidence to convict a wily criminal, then you must force him to commit a crime for which there IS evidence. What about another murder?
Did Leo Bruce intend for this to be the last in the Sgt Beef series? We'll never know, but he left me wanting more. This one appeared in 1952 and many writers were finding it hard to get traditional mysteries published. Perhaps spy stories or "thrillers" sold better.
Some writers turned to other genres. When Bruce got back to writing mysteries in 1958, he used a new hero - history teacher and amateur detective Carolus Deene. I'm reading the first in that series now and Mr Deene isn't bad. But to my thinking, Sergeant Beef is a unique character and I wish his creator had stuck with him. Still, eight mysteries is better than none and I'm grateful to epublishing for making these available to me.
December 31, 2024
Cosmo Ducrow, reclusive millionaire, is found murdered on his country estate. A croquet mallet is the weapon and it points to one of the inhabitants of the estate. The local police are hesitant to arrest the obvious suspect, the nephew, as the family is very prominent in the village.
Sergeant Beef is called in to solve the case and prove the nephew is innocent. It seem the other inhabitants: current wife, an old school friend, his secretary, his nephew and wife, and some of the staff all have a stake in his estate if he should die.
Narrated by Beef’s chronicler, Townsend, the plot moves at a steady pace as Beef makes progress. No one seems to have faith that Beef will solve the case, and his usual style of investigating does nothing to improve confidence. A second death and strange happenings do help Beef get on the right tract — somehow. (Beef’s appearance and Cockney personality are distracting from his common sense and dogged determination to solve cases.)
There is a bit of humour to the Sergeant Beef books, along with a few red herrings. It is also only a series of seven books, and I wish there were more.
Sergeant Beef is called in to solve the case and prove the nephew is innocent. It seem the other inhabitants: current wife, an old school friend, his secretary, his nephew and wife, and some of the staff all have a stake in his estate if he should die.
Narrated by Beef’s chronicler, Townsend, the plot moves at a steady pace as Beef makes progress. No one seems to have faith that Beef will solve the case, and his usual style of investigating does nothing to improve confidence. A second death and strange happenings do help Beef get on the right tract — somehow. (Beef’s appearance and Cockney personality are distracting from his common sense and dogged determination to solve cases.)
There is a bit of humour to the Sergeant Beef books, along with a few red herrings. It is also only a series of seven books, and I wish there were more.
June 3, 2023
This last of the eight Sergeant Beef novels does, I think, go some way towards answering the question about why Leo Bruce abandoned the character, apart from in some short stories, and embarked on a new series based around Carolus Deene. Partly it may be connected with his prosecution and imprisonment for homosexual activities and subsequent self-exile, but on the evidence of "Cold Blood" the series was running out of steam anyway
There is little entertainment to be found here, and the friction between Beef and his chronicler, Lionel Townsend, now seems forced. There are fewer metafictional references than usual and the only hint of a new direction, in the character of the slightly effete Constable Spender-Hennessy, is not pursued.
The plot has some interest, but the twist is predictable and the reveal is overly melodramatic: overall, I was neither gripped nor amused for long.
A mildly disappointing conclusion to a very worthwhile series.
3.5 stars.
There is little entertainment to be found here, and the friction between Beef and his chronicler, Lionel Townsend, now seems forced. There are fewer metafictional references than usual and the only hint of a new direction, in the character of the slightly effete Constable Spender-Hennessy, is not pursued.
The plot has some interest, but the twist is predictable and the reveal is overly melodramatic: overall, I was neither gripped nor amused for long.
A mildly disappointing conclusion to a very worthwhile series.
3.5 stars.
March 9, 2017
An atypical English mystery, it's got the manor house, the sudden death, and multiple red herrings. But things are not what they seem to be - including our detective.
April 3, 2017
Click on the link below to read my full review:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews