Vtg Alan Hunter 1st edit/1st print Gently Down the Stream 1st edit/1st print First Edition 1st edit/1st print London: Cassell & Co 1957 [Hardcover] Alan Hunter [Hardcover] Alan Hunter

Chief Superintendent Gently #3

by Alan Hunter

This rare and vintage book is a perfect addition to any bibliophile's collection

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Detective, British Literature, Ebooks, Classics

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

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 4 out of 5]

Life is but a Peppermint Cream
Review of the Constable Kindle eBook edition (2010) of the Rinehart and Company hardcover original (1957).

Gently had tapped a source of peppermint creams in Wrackstead and he produced his bag now and offered it to Hansom. Hansom took one suspiciously to sample.
‘I never could see what was so damned special about these things!’
Gently tossed one to Dutt and another to the short-hand Constable.
‘They soothe the nerves, you know, and keep the brain clear.’
‘There must be something in it – you seem to get results on them!’

After this last of the first 3 books of the George Gently series, the Chief Inspector's obsession with peppermint creams begins to fade. In the 4th book they are hardly mentioned. In the 5th not at all. It is perhaps for the best, as with Bruno, Chief of Police's croissants and Armand Gamache's pain au chocolat, I was beginning to worry that constant reading would provoke a constant craving.

Gently Down the Stream has our man from Central Office (apparently an old term for Scotland Yard's CID) called in on yet another baffling case out in the countryside. A burned out body had been found in a burned out boat and a businessman, his chauffeur and his secretary have all gone missing. Did the servants murder their employer and are now on the run? The locals have their own quick solution to the case, but, as usual, Gently has an entirely different idea.

I found this to be quite enjoyable and guessed the solution quite early, which helped in following the clues as Gently discovered them. I always say that a little flattery of the reader by the author never hurts 😊.


An early dustcover of 'Gently Down the Stream', although I don't know if it is the original Rinehart & Company edition. Image sourced from Fantastic Fiction.

Trivia and Link
An article about the George Gently novels' progression with the Peppermint Creams is available at Mud Skipper Press.

Jamie Oliver's recipe for Peppermint Creams is available here.

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. The timeline for the TV series takes place in the 1960s only. A trailer for the first episode can be seen here.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gently Down the Stream is the third book in this series and, tonally, it’s quite different from the first two.

In the previous books, Chief Inspector George Gently is portrayed as an unflappable veteran of the police force; he has the experience to know that if he keeps plugging away he’ll get the results he needs in the end. He’s a patient man. He is also a man who trusts his intuition and there’s a reason for that; his intuition never steers him wrong.

Until we get to this book. Sent to investigate a murder (possibly multiple murders) in a riverside town in Northshire (another fictional locale somewhere ‘up north’), Gently finds that his intuition is failing him. For the first time in his career he feels like he’s twisting in the wind, struggling to get a grip on the case.

He still has the facts at his disposal, though, and his keen detective’s brain… and let’s not forget competent, dependable Sergeant Dutt.

This wasn’t my favourite of the series so far; I think I prefer my CI Gently unflappable with his intuition firmly in place. Gently sans intuition was a bit like Captain America sans shield. It was still a cracking little detective story, though, with the usual amount of comical touches. I shall be moving on to book four, Landed Gently in short order.

[Dar vieną puslapį · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Džentlis leidžiasi pasroviui” - trečioji detektyvo Džentlio serijos byla. Šį kartą tenka griebtis itin kraupaus nusikaltimo tyrimo. Nuomotoje jachtoje randami apanglėję žmogaus palaikai. Netrukus išsiaiškinama nužudytojo tapatybė - tai Džeimsas Viljamas Lamasas. Tai senos Nordčesterio šeimos palikuonis, besivertęs prekyba, bet daug įdomesni jo santykiai su šeimynykščiais: žmona, dukra ir sūnumis. Nuo artimųjų ir prasideda detektyvo darbas. Pasirodo, žmona meluoja, duktė persigandusi, o sūnus kažką slepia.

Jei ankstesnėse bylose Džentlis meistriškai išnaudodavo sėkmę ir nuojautą, tai šįkart viskas kitaip: dėlionės detalės niekaip nesusieina į bendrą visumą ir kuo toliau, tuo viskas atrodo sudėtingiau. Džentlis sumušęs. Pasakojimas vystomas pamažu. Veiksmo nedaug. Pagrindinis dėmesys skiriamas žmonių tarpusavio santykiams bei sąveikai. Tarpasmeniai ryšiai ir tarpusavo manipuliacijos yra tai, dėl ko ši dalis man labai patiko. Tikriausiai, galiu sakyti, kad tai geriausia iki šiol skaityta Džentlio knyga. Tas siauras įtariamųjų sąrašas gerokai pakelia temperatūrą ir padidina smasumą išsiaiškinti, kas kaltas dėl kraupios žmogžudystės.

Atomazga netikėta. Viskas, švelniai tariant, apsiverčia aukštyn kojomis. Taigi istorija įtraukianti, smalsumas sužadintas, knyga mažutė, tad pasiteisinimų, kodėl negalite skaityti, tiesiog nebėra. Gero skaitymo

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first attempt at a George Gently mystery. It is the third in the series. I've watched and enjoyed the British TV series based on the books very much. Having said that, this book had a totally different feel than the TV series; most of the characters, other than Gently, were different and I believe even the setting is a different part of England. I still enjoyed the story mind you. It had a nice feel and pace to it and I liked Gently and his partner, Dutt. I will say that fairly early on, I had it basically figured out and found myself silently shouting at Gently as he worked methodically to come to his solution. All in all, I enjoyed and will read more of the series.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes the folks who rented boats from Sloley's Yard returned the water crafts late. Sometimes they returned them in worse shape than they took them out. But this is the first time one of the yachts didn't come back and is found burned out and the remains of the man who rented it onboard. It might have been an accident...there was a whole can full of petrol on board. Except James Lammas didn't die from the fire or smoke inhalation...he was shot through the head with .22 pistol.

Chief Inspector George Gently is brought in to help the local police force out. But the deeper into the case he gets, the less it makes sense. Of course it doesn't help that no one is telling the truth--not his wife, not his son, not his daughter...and none of the other witnesses who pop up along the way. And what has happened to Lammas's secretary and his chauffeur. Did they set the older man up and run off together? Just when Gently thinks he knows the answers, the case shifts and it looks like Mrs. Lammas and their son might be responsible. Then he finds a bit of gold paper and half of a set of dentures and everything becomes clear....

As I've mentioned in reviews of other Gently titles, for some reason that I can't quite pin down I keep coming back to these novels by Alan Hunter. I keep him on my TBF list (To Be Found) and pick the novels up whenever I see them. It must be Gently himself--I do like George Gently--and Hunter's way with characterization, because I can't say that any of the books I've read previously were knock-out mysteries. This one is better than most; the plot is really quite nifty--even if I did figure it out quite some time before Gently. Actually, I think that may be one of the reasons I liked it so much. In most of the novels I've reviewed here before, I'd felt that the clues weren't quite fairly given and that I didn't have a chance to solve it before (or at the same time) as our detective. The clues are definitely there this time and I was bright enough to latch onto them. Go me! One quibble that still remains is the dialogue style. In every book so far, there are many instances where I feel that I am overhearing a coded conversation; that there is much being left unsaid that Gently apparently understood and if I only had the code book I would understand the apparent non sequiturs too. That's somewhat annoying. Added to that this time is the river folks' dialect (which is pretty tough to work through) and it doesn't help that Gently starts talking that way too when he's questioning some of them.

Despite my quibbles, this is a nicely plotted mystery and I enjoyed it more than any I've reviewed previously on the blog. 3.5 stars (rounded up here)

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Pauline Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third in a very long series featuring the genial detective Inspector George Gently, he of the pipe and peppermint creams. This one is set in 1957 or thereabouts, and has the same faded postwar charm as its predecessors, describing an England which in reality probably didn’t survive the war, and certainly wouldn’t survive the brutal modernity of the sixties. This is an England where a landlady routinely provided three cooked meals a day for her guests, where everybody smokes and wealthy middle class suspects could be incredibly abusive to the police in their cut-glass accents and the police had no option but to politely grin and bear it. The past is a different country indeed.

Historical interest aside, the plot is a nicely convoluted affair, with a whole horde of suspects, all witholding information or outright lying, all in cahoots with one other, all with hugely plausible motives and a wonderfully tangled web of events to be teased into separate strands by our patient detective. Unlike previous books, this time our hero doesn’t just happen to bump into significant characters at exactly the right moment, or just happen to walk into the crucial location and conveniently spot a clue, he has to work things out from first principles. And this would be absolutely wonderful if only I hadn’t guessed the solution to the mystery instantly. Perhaps I’ve watched too many TV cop shows, I don’t know, but this one was really easy.

Nevertheless, I kept turning the pages just to see if I’d got it right and there were a satisfying number of red herrings. There are a few irritants, mind you. The cast of hick locals with unlikely regional accents is well to the fore and, sadly, just as irritating as in previous books. The author would do better to stick to straightforward English that needs less translation effort from the poor reader. Still, it doesn’t get in the way too much. This is a nicely gentle and readable story for those who can get past the odd accents and quaintness. Three stars.

[Susan Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gently is called in by the Starmouth police again. They have a body on the river - a body burned beyond recognition in a burned out yacht. They've figured out who it is, but they don't know why he was killed. At first they're not sure it's murder. They feel it must have been an accident, but the police surgeon said there was no smoke in the lungs. Gently and his assistant Sgt Dutt get right down into the case.
I am not sure that I like the solution, but that's not the fault of the character. Gently is an amusing, thoughtful detective and I quite like his quirks.

[stormhawk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had it figured out shortly after the body was found, but out was entertaining following it through to the end.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

GENTLY DOWN THE STREAM by Alan Hunter.
This title is the 2nd in Alan Hunter’s George Gently series. It is another interesting police procedural/detective story featuring Chief Inspector George Gently.
George Gently is a very methodical, measured, contemplative detective and we get a close-up glimpse of his detecting skills.
This series by the late Alan Hunter and the British tv production of the same name are both excellent with intricate plots and very complex, interesting characters. The time period and more out-of-the-way locations are also interesting.
We spend a lot of time on or near the water in this title. Stoley’s Boatyard reports one of its ‘hired’ yachts burned with the charred remains of the Boatyard’s client still aboard.
The descriptions of the waterways, rivers, inlets, bays and channels are all very well-done and I felt very comfortable in this area.
Another good title in the George Gently series.

[A.J. Blanc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gently Down the Stream is the weakest of the series thus far IMHO. It's not a bad story mind you, just too slow going to the point that I put the book down for an extended amount of time at least twice to read something else. Even Gently himself was getting frustrated in the story because the case was going nowhere. As per usual however, Gently eventually gets his killer and all is right with the world. This time though, the entire last chapter practically summarizes the whole book, as if the readers didn't understand how Gently worked everything out by then. It likely was a realistic path to solving the case, just would've been nice to have a couple more hints sprinkled about.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that I got this book only because I love the British TV series "Inspector George Gently." So, I went in with some strong ideas of what the characters and atmosphere "should" be -- and I was disappointed. But if you haven't seen the series and like straightforward police procedurals, this book is fine. It's not stellar, but the plot plays fair and the pace is good. It's also set in the 1950s (because that's when it was written) in a fictional provincial English area, which makes for interesting vocabulary and regional expressions.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to confess that I am done with this book series, and admit defeat in attempting to read this. Not that Hunter does an inadequate job in his fiction, on the contrary. But I just find this emphasis on rendering the local Brit dialects with veracity too fatiguing to deal with. Moreover, the plot -- a murder upriver in a rural community into which Gently and his associate must settle into -- just seems too tedious to contemplate, especially in light of the many other more engaging books I have on my shelf.

[Barry Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m really enjoying these books and made even better by an excellent narration. The stories are good, now that we’re getting over the incessant references to damn peppermint creams!! Is Mr Hunter being sponsored?

Fortunately the references are not as widespread as the first one or two books. It’s a shame because the stories are good and, as I said, the narration is excellent and he’s caught the Anglian accent a treat.

[Joe Borg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A detective story where I was aware who the murderer was from the outset.The author started writing when I was born in 1955 and this is very evident in the form of writing apart from the story itself.This is the first story that I have come across of Inspector Gently , but I would give another book a miss .

[Maggie Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having seen some of the television show, I picture the actor talking for George Gently. The dialogue is wonderful in these books. The mystery in this one was good -- Gently was pretty confused -- and many of the clues were there. It was a very quick read and great for reading in the hospital room of someone. I am now on to the next one in my kindle collection.

[Rene Nilsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but it almost felt like Gently was too slow in this one, as the mystery seemed extremely clear from very early on. And
he was so sloppy in technique, interviewing two people at once which let them get their stories straight together, and letting suspects confer between interviews. He did not feel at all as sharp as he was in the first two books.

[Catherine Maloney · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better Gently’s although with our modern knowledge of forensics it was obvious that the deceased wasn’t incorrectly identified.

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 3rd in the George Gently series. Another I enjoyed!

[The Villan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only got part way through. Slow plot

[jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chief Inspector George Gently is sent to investigate the burned-out yacht and incenerated body of wealthy businessman John Lammas along the rivebank somewhere in Northern England. As evidence suggests that he had his hot young secretary on board along with thousands of pounds in cash, and now the money, the girl, and the chauffeur who hated his boss are all missing, Gently has a good lead. But just the slightest digging uncovers Lammas' wife and son, who also hated him, and that Lammas had been quietly liquidating the business to his benefit.

This is the third in the Gently series but the first that I've read. I'd never heard of them before getting hooked on the British tv series, and I believe these books went out of print for many years before being revived by the popularity of the show. I would say that the characters in the book, and even the plot, have little resemblence to the t.v. versions. This book was written in 1957 and stands up as well as any from that period. There are red herrings and a dysfunctional family (including the requisite 'Belligerent But Frightened Young Female' who bounds her way into nearly every British mystery from the 20's through the 60's) and a good plot twist at the end. 3.5 stars

[Mayumi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan Hunter hits his stride with this third book in the Chief Inspector George Gently series of police procedurals. In "Gently Down the Stream," the titular inspector and his stolid and stalwart Cockney companion Sergeant Dutt are called in to investigate the mysterious death of James William Lammas, whose charred remains are found on a burnt-out boat on the Norchester Broads. Butting heads with the local police adds complication to the investigation, which already has plenty of cunning suspects and dangerous motives.

This is one of my favorite of the Gently books for its colorful storytelling and cast. There's red herrings and rumors, drama, humor, and action, as well as vivid description and solid characterization all around. The Norchester police - notably the sarcastic Inspector Hansom - offer a delightful contrast to Gently's methodical and intuitive process for catching the true culprit.

This is a fun, quick read for fans of period detective dramas that never get too dark or heavy.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another detective novel in the shape of George Gently. I found this one picked up much more compared to the previous book. I was captured by the genius in which the crime happened and the way Hunter kept me guessing throughout. The only disappointment I have with this particular 'case' is the authors need to show local accents - (I'm not sure if this is personal preference or not) but I found the accents hard to read, whereas normally I am confined to imagining how they talk. Other wise a very good story and I'm looking forward to the next in the Gently series.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having finished this, I've now worked my way through the 3 book boxset I received a few years ago (also including 'Gently does it' and 'Gently by the shore'). This was probably my favourite of the three but it still wasn't particularly good. With the exception yet more odd, dated regional stereotyping it was fairly inoffensive and even had a certain charm, but the characters are ever so flat. Gently doesn't strike me as having much of an inner life beyond sweets, tobacco and fishing and the writing isn't clever enough to make his bumbling approach entertaining. Sedate rather than exciting.

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well put together, as always, but I think this was a bit too twisty and turny to make sense of (which is why the last chapter was there just to summarise the previous 200+ pages).
Gently is a character I always enjoy, and there is constantly great colour in the supporting cast. On this outing however, the 'dialect' did get in the way of my enjoyment sometimes. I don't want to have to re-read dialogue several times to make sense of it.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 2 out of 5]

An unrecognizable corpse in a burnt out yacht begins the start of another case for George Gently.

Of the books in this the Inspector Gently series that I have read this was the weakest. It was obvious from a third of the way through who the killer was. The stilted narrative and curious wording made this a difficult story to take to.

One for the real fan rather than the general reader.

[Mumbler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a mess, in the way it shows some clear clues, and acts as if the detectives can't see them.

I liked it pretty well, anyway, because I like the writer & his detective, and I liked the plot, though it was clumsily handled. And most of all I love the setting, in this Norfolk series, and especially this installment.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

While well-written and I like Gently's style as a detective, the solution to this particular mystery was so bleeding obvious that I was impatient the entire way through. If you have two men missing and your identity of a body relies entirely on personal effects...

[Alison · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this as a light read after a gripping book - It was OK but not great. I only carried on reading it to check I'd got the the right murderer. (which i had) And I won't be rushing to read anymore - sorry!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Make me want to suck on a peppermint cream! Good story! This is a very different Detective Gently than portrayed on the TV series. A good surprising, but inevitable ending as all good mysteries should have.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm giving up on this series. The books just don't hold my interest. I am disappointed, as the TV series is marvelous, and this is one of the few times in which the books are not as good as the series or movie.