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Gideon #12
To Nail a Serial Killer
Nine suburban housewives are found murdered in their homes, and all have been raped. The evidence points to one Cedric Fadiman. Gideon is called upon to investigate and is depressed not only by the sickening nature of the crimes, but also the unintended interference with his first ever visit to New York; a scheduled business trip, yet nonetheless accompanied by his wife. But crime never stops, whether it be London or New York .....
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1965
6 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
John Creasey
697 books78 followersAKA Gordon Ashe, M E Cooke, Norman Deane, Robert Caine Frazer, Patrick Gill, Michael Halliday, Charles Hogarth, Brian Hope, Colin Hughes, Kyle Hunt, Margaret Lisle, Abel Mann, Peter Manton, J.J. Marric, Richard Martin, Rodney Mattheson, Anthony Morton, Jeremy York, Henry St. John Cooper and Margaret Cooke.
John Creasey (September 17, 1908 - June 9, 1973) was born in Southfields, Surrey, England and died in New Hall, Bodenham, Salisbury Wiltshire, England. He was the seventh of nine children in a working class home. He became an English author of crime thrillers, published in excess of 600 books under 20+ different pseudonyms. He invented many famous characters who would appear in a whole series of novels. Probably the most famous of these is Gideon of Scotland Yard, the basis for the television program Gideon's Way but others include Department Z, Dr. Palfrey, The Toff, Inspector Roger West, and The Baron (which was also made into a television series). In 1962, Creasey won an Edgar Award for Best Novel, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Gideon's Fire, written under the pen name J. J. Marric. And in 1969 he was given the MWA's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.
John Creasey (September 17, 1908 - June 9, 1973) was born in Southfields, Surrey, England and died in New Hall, Bodenham, Salisbury Wiltshire, England. He was the seventh of nine children in a working class home. He became an English author of crime thrillers, published in excess of 600 books under 20+ different pseudonyms. He invented many famous characters who would appear in a whole series of novels. Probably the most famous of these is Gideon of Scotland Yard, the basis for the television program Gideon's Way but others include Department Z, Dr. Palfrey, The Toff, Inspector Roger West, and The Baron (which was also made into a television series). In 1962, Creasey won an Edgar Award for Best Novel, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Gideon's Fire, written under the pen name J. J. Marric. And in 1969 he was given the MWA's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 14, 2017
Gideon is sent to America to coordinate with the US authories regarding two cases, smuggling and sabotage. Unusually for this series, the focus is almost exclusively on one case, the smuggling, with a widow in serious danger. There is also a Yard personnel issue that is worrying Gideon, as does a threat to his own wife. GIDEON'S BADGE has some loose ends, quite unusual for the series.
July 3, 2023
In this outing, Gideon and his wife Kate take an ocean liner to New York City. It's the first time for both, although it's primarily business as Gideon is investigating smuggling and sabotage on both sides of the Atlantic. It's nice to see a more detailed presentation of their married life. Gideon is loath to leave Lemaitre in charge, but he needs to see how he'll do. Unlike most of the Gideons, there isn't as much interweaving of crimes. There's a murder on shipboard that's solved before they dock and another murder connected to the smuggling case in New York, leaving a scared widow who uses herself as bait to help catch the killers. Gideon is mostly a bystander since the New York police are in charge, but they give him a badge as an honorary NYC cop--he's proud. There are two dangling problems back in London--a big post office office robbery that isn't solved and a serial killer of women. He denies everything and his wife finds the evidence and kills herself. So things run their course without much input from Gideon. He and Kate do like New York though!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2017
Reframing it in America, seeing New York through British eyes, and more a single unified plot make this one special.
July 19, 2025
Two stars mainly for the period and setting.
Too many loose ends and confusing plot lines for me. But, I might try another one from the series just to compare with this one.
Too many loose ends and confusing plot lines for me. But, I might try another one from the series just to compare with this one.
July 22, 2024
When I reread my Gideon's awhile back this one got missed. It's the only one I have in hardcover and as such wasn't with the rest, which are all paperbacks. As a result it got stuck in a box and ended up in the storage locker while the rest ended up here. Now it is here so I finally reread it.
This one starts off in London, moves to an ocean liner and then to New York City, with both Gideon and his wife travelling. Gideon is heading to the states to consult with Americans on two matters, one is industrial sabotage that appears to be aimed at harming England/US trade. The second case involves stolen watches and other stuff that is being smuggled into England. The sabotage case is mentioned from time to time but the representative of the British Trade Council, a Lord Allingham, is more concerned with it. In fact he departs for Washington and then only periodically calls Gideon to compare notes. Nothing is resolved during the book so I presume it is dealt with in more detail in a subsequent book. This was not unusual for Creasey with one case being carried over to another book. Kate, Gideon's wife, is going with him as after his official work is done he has booked some vacation time.
Near, or at, the end of the trip Gideon is asked to look into the disappearance of a passenger. He ascertains that it is a murder and the culprit likely the husband. We already know this as at the beginning of the book we are told that the husband intends to murder his wife during the trip. Why anybody would committ a crime in a confined area, i.e. a ship, when Commander George Gideon is around I have no idea. There is also a rumpus involving a gentleman with hands that are too free and a very jealous husband. It just so happens that the husband, a man named Orlick, is involved with the smuggling, though is wife doesn't know it.
The bulk of the book revolves around the Time Rite/smuggling case. The Americans involved with it are not too happy about the Brit's coming over and after the incident aboard ship decide he is too much of a liability and arrange for him to be killed. It is made to appear to be an accident, but his wife, who was with him at the time, insists to the police it was murder. Thus they launch an investigation, with the hope it might make the US based smugglers nervous and cause them to make mistakes. The smuggling case is wrapped up at the end of the book.
There were also a couple of cases that happened in London that were partially resolved by the end of the book. One was the arrest of someone in a case of a man poisoning housewives with strychnine and then while they were in their deaththroes having sex with them. This is one of the kinkier cases I can recall in a Gideon novel. The other was Post office raid, which Gideon's aid admitted was likely to be not solved. The first case was pretty much wrapped up by the end of the book while the latter to my recollection never did get solved.
This was a rather good story. Part of its appeal admittedly is getting to see Gideon operating in a different enviroment then we usually see him in. It was also nice to see Mrs. Gideon taking a bit of a more active role in the novel. She takes the wife of the murdered man under her wing, so to speak. The various policemen who have a part to play in the story also have some personality to them. They are not ciphers. So if you enjoy police procedurals give this one a go. Happy reading.
This one starts off in London, moves to an ocean liner and then to New York City, with both Gideon and his wife travelling. Gideon is heading to the states to consult with Americans on two matters, one is industrial sabotage that appears to be aimed at harming England/US trade. The second case involves stolen watches and other stuff that is being smuggled into England. The sabotage case is mentioned from time to time but the representative of the British Trade Council, a Lord Allingham, is more concerned with it. In fact he departs for Washington and then only periodically calls Gideon to compare notes. Nothing is resolved during the book so I presume it is dealt with in more detail in a subsequent book. This was not unusual for Creasey with one case being carried over to another book. Kate, Gideon's wife, is going with him as after his official work is done he has booked some vacation time.
Near, or at, the end of the trip Gideon is asked to look into the disappearance of a passenger. He ascertains that it is a murder and the culprit likely the husband. We already know this as at the beginning of the book we are told that the husband intends to murder his wife during the trip. Why anybody would committ a crime in a confined area, i.e. a ship, when Commander George Gideon is around I have no idea. There is also a rumpus involving a gentleman with hands that are too free and a very jealous husband. It just so happens that the husband, a man named Orlick, is involved with the smuggling, though is wife doesn't know it.
The bulk of the book revolves around the Time Rite/smuggling case. The Americans involved with it are not too happy about the Brit's coming over and after the incident aboard ship decide he is too much of a liability and arrange for him to be killed. It is made to appear to be an accident, but his wife, who was with him at the time, insists to the police it was murder. Thus they launch an investigation, with the hope it might make the US based smugglers nervous and cause them to make mistakes. The smuggling case is wrapped up at the end of the book.
There were also a couple of cases that happened in London that were partially resolved by the end of the book. One was the arrest of someone in a case of a man poisoning housewives with strychnine and then while they were in their deaththroes having sex with them. This is one of the kinkier cases I can recall in a Gideon novel. The other was Post office raid, which Gideon's aid admitted was likely to be not solved. The first case was pretty much wrapped up by the end of the book while the latter to my recollection never did get solved.
This was a rather good story. Part of its appeal admittedly is getting to see Gideon operating in a different enviroment then we usually see him in. It was also nice to see Mrs. Gideon taking a bit of a more active role in the novel. She takes the wife of the murdered man under her wing, so to speak. The various policemen who have a part to play in the story also have some personality to them. They are not ciphers. So if you enjoy police procedurals give this one a go. Happy reading.
September 11, 2013
Easy police read, always interesting
Want to read
February 14, 2019Synopsis: set in the 40s. Hardened policeman George Gideon, of London's CID, finds nine housewives murdered. Originally published 1966.
July 1, 2014
creasey's gideon
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews