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Inspector Hazlerigg #6
Fear to Tread
Once you start to follow Mr. Wetherall, headmaster of a London high school, in his one-man war on crime and the black-market, you will find it hard to leave him until victory is his.
508 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1953
2 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Michael Gilbert
143 books91 followersLibrarian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
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August 5, 2024Deeply satisfying crime novel of the 1950s in which a London headmaster gets mixed up in food rationing scams. Unexpectedly violent and ruthless, well plotted, entirely absorbing.
September 17, 2017
Michael Gilbert loved a good underdog story. In this outing, his protagonist is an unlikely schoolmaster named Weatherall, who notices some unpleasant goings-on in his South London neighborhood. Someone is running a protection racket of sorts on area restaurants. Then there is a former student, Patsy Donavon, now a disgraced policeman; Patsy is seeking for revenge for the death of his wife at the hands of the same racketeers. Before long, the stubbornly moral Weatherall and most of the Donavon family are deep into a dangerous investigation, seeking the mastermind behind a network of thefts and money-laundering. But the villains know where to find Weatherall, his friends, and his pregnant wife.
This is one of Gilbert's more satisfying books, if, like me, you like to see the bad guys get their comeuppance. Gilbert's greatest gift is his highly believable characters, and his skill at revealing their features and flaws. Recommended.
This is one of Gilbert's more satisfying books, if, like me, you like to see the bad guys get their comeuppance. Gilbert's greatest gift is his highly believable characters, and his skill at revealing their features and flaws. Recommended.
August 24, 2018
Now this is a superbly delightful story that follows Mr Wetherall, a local headmaster, as he follows a path that begins with a simple enquiry into a missing package and ends with him single-handedly taking on the London black market. This may sound a little far-fetched but the tale weaved by Gilbert is anything but as Mr Wetherall's role as headmaster leaves him with ties a wide variety of people from local law enforcement to the crime families behind the black market and everyone in between. A real cosy read from a more reserved, friendly and relaxed time of writing.
December 13, 2022
Mr. Wetherall is the headmaster of a boys' school in south London. He seems to be the only one interested in solving the problem in this book. He goes to various people to ask them for a solution to the problem. They’ll explain to him what the problem is, but won’t help him in coming up with a solution. It isn’t until Inspector Hazlerigg of Scotland Yard comes into the story that Mr. Wetherall finally gets to a solution. This happens on page 180 of the book. There are 262 pages in the book. It takes a long time until someone starts solving the problem. The solution is a bit anti-climax compared to the rest of the story.
This book is good if you want something easy to read. It just seems to me that the people involved discuss the problem too much and take too long finding a proper solution.
This book is good if you want something easy to read. It just seems to me that the people involved discuss the problem too much and take too long finding a proper solution.
February 6, 2022
3 1/2 stars. The police only enter the story when it's well underway. Mr. Wetherall, the headmaster of a state school, who appears to be (but is not!) an ordinary man, is drawn into the dangerous world of London's postwar black market, with serious consequences. Gilbert's series detective, Inspector Hazelrigg must lend him a hand.
This is not a lighthearted novel, but it is well written, and the characters are lively. My only complaint is that it seems to drag a bit in the middle. (And the type in my edition is teeny, but that's my problem!)
Well worth reading if only for the picture of postwar London.
PS This book would, even now, make an excellent movie.
This is not a lighthearted novel, but it is well written, and the characters are lively. My only complaint is that it seems to drag a bit in the middle. (And the type in my edition is teeny, but that's my problem!)
Well worth reading if only for the picture of postwar London.
PS This book would, even now, make an excellent movie.
April 22, 2020
"Well Im sure it's all come out for the best. Though why you ever had to get mixed up in it at all-"
It was people, really, thought Mr. Wetherall..."The fact of the matter is," he said, and was aware as he said it that it sounded silly, "that I've always been against bullying. Someone starts a thing like this, and he takes a risk and if it comes off he makes a profit, like any other business, and it seems all right at his end. But at the other end, it always seems to come down to plain bullying. That's really all there is to it."
It was people, really, thought Mr. Wetherall..."The fact of the matter is," he said, and was aware as he said it that it sounded silly, "that I've always been against bullying. Someone starts a thing like this, and he takes a risk and if it comes off he makes a profit, like any other business, and it seems all right at his end. But at the other end, it always seems to come down to plain bullying. That's really all there is to it."
April 16, 2023
An unlikely protagonist and a different kind of ending. I was on pins and needles to see which way the book would end because I couldn't guess. You could really see these situations happening. Putting a stark light on the gray morally ambiguous zone and the don't get involved attitudes that do dominate a lot of people when trouble or potential trouble is in the offing. I enjoyed this book.
September 5, 2022
A clever book which deals with a post-war Britain where large amounts of money can be made from the black market. Add a murder and a wanna be mystery writer this book is a snapshot of world long gone in the not so golden age.
April 17, 2020
I love that the protagonist is a headmaster AND he is smart, moral, and humane--refreshingly against stereotype. Very satisfying from start to finish. One of the best Michael Gilbert mysteries.
April 15, 2020
Gilbert is terrific even now. Reading this and one other of his work from the 1950's makes me want to reread some of his other books. On the other hand, while this is technically "Inspector Hazelrigg #6," the Inspector is only peripherally involved. The story is really a one-off about a high school headmaster named Wilfrid Wetherall.
The plot is one set in Britain's history just after World War II, and concerns the food shortages and black market response to them. The plot is intricate but not confusing, and has twists and turns which are more organic than flashy. There are many well-drawn characters, especially the Donovan family, three of whom play a major role in how things go. The bad guys are just caricatures, each with a single memorable trait or appearance.
Most of all, though, this is wonderfully witty writing. There are gently comic moments, and one wonderful school board meeting which could have come right out of the song "Harper Valley PTA."
Wetherall attended Marlborough and Oxford, but he is not at all like the typical elite central character in British detective fiction. He has a sense of justice and a calmness which are endearing. It's fun and unusual to read a book from this period in British history which is not about how the upper classes live.
Clearly from the number of reviews for this book Gilbert is no longer widely read. That's too bad; he is very worth revisiting.
The plot is one set in Britain's history just after World War II, and concerns the food shortages and black market response to them. The plot is intricate but not confusing, and has twists and turns which are more organic than flashy. There are many well-drawn characters, especially the Donovan family, three of whom play a major role in how things go. The bad guys are just caricatures, each with a single memorable trait or appearance.
Most of all, though, this is wonderfully witty writing. There are gently comic moments, and one wonderful school board meeting which could have come right out of the song "Harper Valley PTA."
Wetherall attended Marlborough and Oxford, but he is not at all like the typical elite central character in British detective fiction. He has a sense of justice and a calmness which are endearing. It's fun and unusual to read a book from this period in British history which is not about how the upper classes live.
Clearly from the number of reviews for this book Gilbert is no longer widely read. That's too bad; he is very worth revisiting.
August 16, 2020
Michael Gilbert is a terrific story teller. A founding member of The British Crime Writers Association, he was named a Grand Master in 1988. During his life he wrote and published 40 books and short stories from 1947 to 1998. Fear to Tread's subtitle is Inspector Hazlerigg, #6, but the protagonist is Wilfred Weatherall, headmaster of a Boys' School, an ordinary man in all respects, an aspiring writer of fiction. Through an apparently innocuous situation, Mr. Wetherall becomes entwined in a nationwide black market operation. By dint of his stubborn moral character, fights a one-man battle against tremendous. Gilbert tells this gripping story with a liberal dose of humor.
January 8, 2015
6,5/10
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews