Sky High

by Michael Gilbert

Tim appears to have had an exciting war, but is fairly secretive about what he had been up to. He lives in a sleepy village with his mother Liz, who is concerned about him not least because he is equally unforthcoming about the job he has in London. Meanwhile, the local choir rehearses, but there are sinister undercurrents and not all of its seemingly respectable members may be have been entirely honest about their past. Then a house in the village explodes, killing the occupant with whom Tim had previously quarrelled. The police immediately latch onto the fact that Tim worked with explosives during the war. Moreover, he could possibly be a suspect in respect of a series of country house burglaries. With the finger pointing at him, should Tim explain, investigate, or solve the mysteries? The final twist, as always, remains with Gilbert until the reader stumbles across it.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, British Literature

218 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Born in Lincolnshire in 1912, Michael Francis Gilbert was educated in Sussex before entering the University of London where he gained an LLB with honours in 1937. Gilbert was a founding member of the British Crime Writers Association, and in 1988 he was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America - an achievement many thought long overdue. He won the Life Achievement Anthony Award at the 1990 Boucheron in London, and in 1980 he was knighted as a Commander in the Order of the British Empire. Gilbert made his debut in 1947 with Close Quarters, and since then has become recognized as one of our most versatile British mystery writers.

He was the father of Harriett Gilbert.

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

A nice post war thriller set in a sleepy English village of the twee Golden Age type, but with a bunch of people who've been through a brutal war, and high explosives. The disjunct between old and new style is pretty jarring at times, but that's generally the point, and it mostly works well. Except for the traditional 'returning war hero falls in love with the schoolgirl he grew up with who is now 18 and thus A Woman but still easily 12 years younger than him' which is not made more comfortable because he's literally been off enforcing colonialism and stabbing people. Excellent final scene.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good post-war mystery/thriller. Gilbert isn’t perfect with plots—I think he uses too many characters—but he is excellent with snappy dialogue and tension; the locating of the bomb is a great, white-knuckle scene.

[Justine Shenton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable

[Eric Tanafon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book, which could be classified as a cozy thriller if that were a genre (which I guess it is, now!) The setting is post-World War Two Britain and many of the characters are ex-military--adapting, with various degrees of success, to life in peacetime. The characters aren't too sympathetic at first, but they grow on the reader. There's a touch of romance, which adds some humor and keeps things civilized. And the story's windup--though not offering too many challenges in the whodunit department--is exciting and well done.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing book. I'm not sure I grasped it as fully as necessary for complete appreciation—for instance, the epigraphs from Love's Labour's Lost, what significance would someone familiar with that play (i.e., not me) attach to the particular quotes the author chose? I also struggled with some of the British-isms. Sentences like After a pause the General added: "I'd like to see some of his critics trying to do Q to an army group." probably didn't convey to me as much as the author intended. But language and literacy barriers aside, I enjoyed the story and liked the characters.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ingenious mystery. And the hero and the girl get together at the end (not really spoiling, just reassuring--sometimes in a Gilbert novel, they justifiably do not). Tim Artside is one hero I wish Gilbert had used in another book. He is multi-talented enough to justify it, but alas, Gilbert chose not. Of all the Gilbert books I have read so far, this comes closest to a cozy that he has, and I liked that, too.

[Cora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure I fully understood the wrap up on this, and I definitely didn’t like the frequent objectification of eighteen-year-old Sue by a couple of men old enough to be her father, but the characters (especially Liz) were solid, and I enjoyed the many musical references in the text and chapter headings.

[Regine · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a Michael Gilbert mystery, the reader is in good hands. The plot is well-crafted and the characters appealing. Liz and the General are quite a team. The postwar countryside is not quite what it once was. Those who survived the war have been changed by it, but despite tribulations there is a sense of thanksgiving.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good puzzle by Mr. Gilbert.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.com/2026/...

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liz Artside can't help but worry about her son Tim. He won't tell her about his job in London, and after an exciting wartime career, he seems unable to settle down. Then a man in their village, with whom Tim had quarreled, is killed when his house explodes. The police know that Tim worked in high explosives during the war. Liz also can't forget that her husband was killed in an explosion shortly after World War I. When one of their friends, who is involved with the police force, talks about the plague of country house burglaries, Liz is afraid that Tim will be a suspect. It may help to consider this a post-World War II historical, although of course it was published in 1955. Immensely appealing characters make this a winner.

[Alex Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Gilbert almost always writes excellent books. I admit I tend to prefer his earlier works. Very nice mystery story. As usual with Gilbert's books, the characters make the story enjoyable. Although taking place at the time it was written, viewed from today we get a wonderful perspective of British village life in the aftermath of the war. Very nice plot twist at the end.

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic mystery with the sly humor well known in Gilbert's work that make reading the mystery both enjoyable as well as keeping you challenged to figure out the mystery. As usual, not a simple explanation to the crime, but every thing makes sense.

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this dusty old book from my shelf and should have left it there. Boring!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read. I wish there were other titles that featured Liz and the General. They make a wonderful duo.