Dover One

Inspector Dover #1

by Joyce Porter

For its own very good reasons, Scotland Yard sends Dover off to remote Creedshire to investigate the disappearance of a young housemaid, Juliet Rugg. Though there's every cause to assume that she has been murdered - she gave her favours freely and may even have stooped to a bit of blackmail - no body is to be found. Weighing in at sixteen stone, she couldn't be hard to overlook. But where is she? And why should Dover, of all people, be called upon to find her? Or, for that matter, even bother to solve the damned case?

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Humor, Audiobook, Cozy Mystery, Mystery Thriller

Hardcover

First published April 1, 1964

About the author

Joyce Porter was born in Marple, Cheshire, and educated at King's College, London. In 1949 she joined the Women's Royal Air Force, and, on the strength of an intensive course in Russian, qualified for confidential work in intelligence. When she left the service in 1963 she had completed three detective novels.

Porter is best known for her series of novels featuring Detective Inspector Wilfred Dover. Dover One appeared in 1964, followed by nine more in a highly successful series. Porter also created the reluctant spy Eddie Brown, and the "Hon-Con", the aristocratic gentlewoman-detective Constance Ethel Morrison Burke.

Reviews

[Gail C. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Humor is an individual thing, and as such, this book may have been intended for someone with a vastly different sense of humor than mine. Based on what I read about the book, I was expecting this to be a humorous, engaging mystery novel that offered a few laughs, or at least some snickers, and a mystery that stretched the limits of disbelief. With some anticipation I opened the book, and sat down to read. What I experienced was a book so filled with characters devoid of anything positive. As that unfolded, the book quickly became an unpleasant read for me. The best thing I can say about this book is that it is grammatically well-written and the plot has a definite beginning, middle, and end.
The chief inspector is a lazy, bumbling policeman who spends the majority of his energy trying to figure out ways to avoid working. The potential suspects in the case have little to no redeemable features, and give the reader nothing and no one to root for. It may be designed to be a tongue in cheek type book, but if that is the case it completely went over my head.
The victim is written as an extremely unpleasant character about whom no one has anything positive to say. There is ample information given related to the unpleasant characteristics of the other characters, from the description of a dissipated drug addict to a randy senior citizen who gleefully hints at his sexual exploits. The final solution is wrapped up in actions that are beyond those considered acceptable by society. To say more would be to give away a significant plot point and I refrain from doing so in deference to other readers who may want to experience this book for themselves.
There may be an audience that is appropriate for this novel. After all, I have no interest in seeing “The Walking Dead”, “Game of Thrones”, or “Orange is the New Black”, either, and yet they are wildly popular. I simply have no description that I can give that would help people who would be drawn to this book to want to pick it up and read. My thanks to Farrago Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader digital copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 stars rounded up. An oldie but a goodie: a British police procedural which first appeared in 1964, being offered once again by Farrago Press. It features the irascible Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover of Scotland Yard. In this first book in the series, Dover and Sergeant Charles MacGregor are assigned to investigate the disappearance of a young woman who is the companion of an elderly man in Creedon. Was she kidnapped or murdered? Without a corpus delicti, what do Dover and MacGregor have to go on but interview after interview, making Dover even grumpier.

I thought the characters in the story were hilarious; the mystery, intriguing. I did guess the 'who' but not 'how' or 'why'. I'm not even sure the police can agree on that last one. Ok, it's somewhat dated, but still a gem of a mystery. I would like to read more of this series, if only to see if poor Sergeant MacGregor ever gets out from under the thumb of Dover.

Many thanks to Pete at Farrago Books for offering me a copy of the book via NetGalley. I think I enjoyed this one even more than the Colin Watson's Flaxborough series you lead me to read, Pete! Very enjoyable!

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl goes missing, and the local constabulary soon realizes they should probably call in the Yard. It's just their luck that the Yard sends Wilfred Dover, along with Sgt. MacGregor, to their aid. When he arrives at the scene of the crime, he's faced with an assortment of rather eccentric people (and some who are just plainly weird) who, as it turns out, all had a reason to do away with the girl. He deduces that she didn't leave of her own accord, and is either being held as a kidnap victim or worse, she is dead. Normally the wheels of Scotland Yard detection would begin turning in this case, but Dover would much rather have a nap.

This is a rather comic sort of mystery -- Dover is an obnoxious man who relies on luck and the work of others to solve cases rather than his own efforts. He's a slob -- one of the characters watched in horror as dandruff flaked off of his head. He loves to eat, has been known to put away the pint or two, and his detection skills leave a lot to be desired.

While some of the characters come off as being a bit over the top, this novel works and it works well. Dover is a person with absolutely zero redeeming qualities, but you can't help but like him. The book was written before political correctness entered the picture, so the author allows her characters to speak their minds. It's entirely different than anything I've ever read, and it's a treasure. I hope the rest of the series is as good as this series opener.

Die-hard fans of serious British mysteries might find this book a little out there and silly, but there is actually a good mystery at the core of this novel. There are a wealth of suspects, some red herrings, and the solution is satisfying. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who reads British mysteries -- but beware: it stands police procedurals on their heads. If you're looking for something entirely different, you have to give this one a try.

[Judy Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrago for an e-galley of this novel.

This is my first experience reading one of the Dover mystery novels by Joyce Porter. I think Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover of New Scotland Yard, as a character, needs to grow on me some before I would classify him as a favorite. I did enjoy reading this first adventure in investigation of the now very politically incorrect series first published in 1964. Dover does pretty much anything he wants in his job without regard to rules or for whose feelings he upsets next. Actually, he pretty much upsets everybody so in that regard he's an equal opportunity boor. Beneath all the nonconformity written into the lead character there is actually quite a good mystery and that is what saves this book for me and makes me interested in reading more in the series.

Dover and Sergeant Charles MacGregor have been sent out of London to investigate a missing person report for Juliet Rugg. The more they investigate Juliet the more they think she's just run off with some man and she will be coming back to the village as soon as she's ready. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance are odd, yes, but then so is Juliet and most of the people in this small community. Dover and MacGregor keep picking up tiny scraps of clues that make the situation more and more serious but they can't seem to make any progress. Absolutely everybody has a secret they don't want revealed so this case looks like it may never be solved. Certainly not by Dover.

I'm quite willing to read another book in this series to see if the author continued to have Dover be such an anti-hero type character. Often a softening of an astringent character will take place as a series develops so I would like to know if that happens here. The only way I'll know is to read more.

[Betsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover is dreadful. There is one reference to his wife in the book, and it makes you wonder what kind of woman would be desperate enough to marry him. He has lucked out enough to be promoted, but again you have to wonder why. His sergeant is a friendly, intelligent man who doesn't deserve to be stuck with this curmudgeon. I could hardly wait until I finished the novel. It had fleeting moments of humor, but mostly I had a hard time reconciling New Scotland Yard's willingness to put up with such an arrogant, lazy bellyacher.

[Ashley Lambert-Maberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this so much (and turns out I've read other Joyce Porters and liked them, she does the Hon Con series), but would have liked it more if there hadn't been so much fat shaming. I'm fairly good about recognizing different times held different attitudes and making allowances (e.g. I'm reading an Edward Eager's children's fantasy which features both black cannibals, and attacking Indians, and I'm rolling my eyes but it's fine, I get it). But, in this book, the victim is apparently very, very, very, very fat, and is constantly referred to in the most negative terms imaginable, as if Ms. Porter had had her entire family killed by a very fat woman and was taking literary revenge. She's laying it on, excuse the pun, a bit thick.

Other than that, it's delightful—an engaging set of well-differentiated suspects, clear clues, she played fair with her readers, the detectives nonetheless were a little sharper than me and solved it before I could, all the things you want from a mystery. It's just that she really has it in for fat people. Now, the main character (Dover himself) is also fat, so maybe she thought she had to pile on the adjectives to make it clear how much more fat poor dead Juliet was. But it's offputting:

"She was so fat that it was frankly unbelievable."

"She kept simpering like a great fat cow"

"All that fat and bouncing flesh—it was revolting!"

(These are the first three mentions of her fat. It goes on like this throughout the book).

And yet she was supposedly not quite so obese as to lack sexually desirability, having various lovers and being widely regarded as the town bad girl.

So as long as you can put up with that (I could, it's annoying but not a deal breaker) everything else was worth reading.

Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful.

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspector Dover is lazy, selfish, and hardly cares about the victims. Somehow the crimes get solved anyway.

[Steph Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author and Farrago and NetGalley. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

An overweight, nymphomaniac teenage housemaid has vanished and Detective Inspector Dover is on the case… barely!

I have no idea how I managed to miss the Joyce Porter Dover series previously, as I am an avid fan of classic murder mysteries and also of humour, and this book has both.

D.I. Dover is what you would get if the Poirot books focused on Japp instead of Poirot. And if Japp was large, lazy and thoroughly unpleasant to everyone he meets. Oh, and incompetent. Even with the help of the – rather more palatable – Sergeant MacGregor, it is a wonder that Dover has ever managed to get a case solved, as his technique consists mainly of glowering at people and taking a nap. I have never come across a character so completely unfazed by his own ineptness!

This series was originally published in the 60s, so obviously some aspects haven’t aged well, such as the attitudes towards women and foreigners. However, this is surprisingly less noticeable than I had anticipated, being as how the main character loathes everyone indiscriminately and pretty much equally.

Instead I found myself increasingly amused and engaged by Dover’s antics – much like I would by an elderly pet that is a bit smelly and growls/hisses at everyone, but they are part of the family anyway and you just humour their little foibles). I loved the clever tongue-in-cheek way the author tips the reader the nod regarding clues the brave detectives miss or dismiss, making the story almost an inside joke between writer and reader, with poor old Dover as the butt.

Fans of classic golden-era crime fiction (Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Edmund Crispin and similar) will enjoy this mystery that has a similar plot structure and style, but with an added sly humour that updates the tone.



He turned back to the telephone. There was only one man for the job. ‘I’ll send you one of my chief inspectors,’ he said. ‘Good chap. Name’s Dover. I’ll get him down to you first thing in the morning.’
The Assistant Commissioner dropped the receiver back in place and grinned wickedly. A man in his exalted position shouldn’t indulge in petty spite where his subordinates were concerned, but it was, oh, so pleasant to give way to these little human frailties, once in a while.
‘I’d love to see the old bugger’s face when he hears what he’s got landed with this time!’ The Assistant Commissioner chuckled happily to himself and picked up his phone again to send the good news down the line.

– Joyce Porter, Dover One

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...

[Madelon · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this day and age of social and political unrest in so many places in the world, it is a bit difficult to put DOVER ONE into its proper place in history. Let's start out with the fact the overweight and poorly groomed Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover is not a very nice man. Then let's add a case in which he has no interest that centers around Juliet Rugg who is described as standing 5 feet, 3 inches tall in stiletto heels, and weighs in at 16 stone (that's 224 pounds in American - yes, I googled it). So we start out with an unattractive police inspector with a misogynistic attitude toward a potential victim. All of this would seem to place the action in the mid-twentieth century before the words 'political correctness' were ever spoken.

However, a thoroughly boorish and unlikeable protagonist does not necessarily make a book unreadable. In fact, once you wrinkle your nose at his characteristics several times, you will find that he is surrounded by the very essence of BBC mystery suspects.

First published over fifty years ago, DOVER ONE is a book of its time. The 1960s was a time of change, not all of which was acceptable to the post-WWII generation. Bits and pieces of the time are interspersed quite subtly throughout the novel. This subtlety makes the book somewhat timeless. Young, modern readers may have difficulty with concepts of being "on the phone" indicating whether or not one had landline in their home, but older folks, like myself will see this as a sign of those times.

The first half of DOVER ONE is pretty much dedicated to making you thoroughly dislike Wilfred Dover while introducing his sergeant, Charles Edward MacGregor, almost as a minor character hardly worth mentioning. Detective Sergeant MacGregor lives in the background but does all the actual work. The residents of Irlam Old Hall are a colorful lot; just the sort you would expect to find in an English village where class structure runs rampant.

I have always enjoyed reading books where inuendo rather than blatant four-letter words are used in delicate situations. The nod to human nature and frailty is given in this way here.

Overall, DOVER ONE is a throwback to an earlier time. Once that is discerned, the case moves on apace. If I had thoughts of stopping this series at book one, I have certainly changed my mind.

The end of the book is priceless!

[Ann Hein · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this day and age (or is it my age) these old British mysteries aren't so funny.

[Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A different kind of mystery!

Detective Chief Inspector Dover of Scotland Yard is the most unlikely of mystery protagonists. He is fat, lazy, unkempt, irascible, and totally unlikeable. He is only too happy to let his Sargent MacGregor do most of the leg work when he is sent off by his superiors to solve some case far from the home office. This is the first of the Dover series (appriately titled Dover One) first published in 1964 and thankfully republished 50+ years later for a new generation of mystery lovers. Juliet Rugg was a young woman with few appealing attributes herself. Barely five feet tall and weighing over 16 stone (about 240 pounds) she worked as a companion to Sir John, an elderly man, who lived in one of several homes built on the grounds of an old manor house. Juliette disappeared one night while returning from her day off. The rest of the estate's residents all become suspects in her disappearance. Dover and MacGregor set off for the small town near the estate where they begin their investigation. True to form Dover is not happy to get this case and becomes increasingly hostile to townspeople, MacGregor and all the estate residents as the case proceeds with seemingly little chance of solution. Dover is convinced Juliet has been murdered but there are no signs of a body. The characters are all very comical and Dover the most comical of all. I laughed out loud many times but also came to admire the investigative skills of the team of Dover and MacGregor. The ending was surprising. After many twists and turns they solved the case and apprehended the bad guy(s). I would be happy to read more installments in the Dover series.

I was intrigued to read more about the author Joyce Porter who died in 1990. Her estate donates all proceeds of publication to a charity that rescues and preserves neglected and abandoned churches in England and Wales to save them from demolition. I love the old churches in the U.K. and am so grateful for their preservation.

I received an Advanced Review Copy of this book from Book Sirens and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This first in the Inspector Dover series appeared in 1964 and I was shocked to learn that some people consider it the best of the series. In my view, Porter had not yet hit her stride and the Dover we meet here is an anemic version of the truly bizarre character he would become. Sure, he's fat and lazy and badly dressed and inclined to grab at any straw in order to pin the murder on someone (ANYONE) and put his feet up. But Dover addressing the public (and even other coppers!) as "Sir" and "Madam" takes some getting used to. I for one am happy that Porter let out her corset stays and allowed Dover to become the outrageous buffoon that we all know and love.

Dover's not at his best, but it's still a lively tale. Accompanied by the reluctant Sergeant MacGregor, he's sent to the small village of Creedon because 1) the case is too insignificant to merit an officer of any ability and 2) his supervisors like any opportunity to get him out of London - even temporarily. The disappearance of Juliet Rugg is bothersome to no one but the wealthy elderly man who employs her as a "companion." Everyone else is indifferent or happy to be rid of her. Well, being a blackmailer doesn't win you any friends, does it?

As a mystery it's effective. Juliet Rugg - hugely fat, lazy, dishonest, and promiscuous - has obviously not run off and trying to narrow down the suspects is a task as mammoth as Juliet herself. And where's the (enormous) body? But the beauty of Porter's books is her genius for drawing wildly eccentric, but completely believable characters and Dover never comes up against a more entertaining cast than the inhabitants of Irlam Old Hall.

Then a strange ransom demand is received and must be dealt with, leading to the truly memorable clash between Inspector Dover and and the equally strong-minded Woman Police Sergeant Joan Kempton. That's more like it! It's not the best Dover, but it's still well worth your time.

I'm so happy that this series is now available in Kindle edition. They are unique books and deserve a wide audience.

[Sid Nuncius · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy Dover One nearly as much as I’d hoped. Farrago have done an excellent job in finding and reissuing some really good humorous series – notably Colin Watson’s Flaxborough books, the Bandy series by Donald Jack and Miss Seeton; sadly, for me this wasn’t nearly as enjoyable.

Written and set in the mid 60s, the book features the eponymous Chief Inspector Dover who is idle, unscrupulous and offensive in both manner and person. He and his super-keen and squeaky-clean sidekick are called to investigate the disappearance of a young woman in “Creedshire” where we meet, Agatha Christie style, a cast of locals who may all have had a motive for doing away with her, but her (very substantial) body is nowhere to be found.

The mystery is decently plotted and well written but I’m afraid I became pretty tired of it all by about half way and began to skim. I still can’t quite put my finger on why, but it’s partly that the characters are a collection of almost uniformly repellent caricatures which I found rather heavy-handed rather than witty. Things do move pretty slowly, so in the absence of an engaging character or of much to make me smile I got quite bogged down. Also, even allowing for the prevailing attitudes of the time, I found some of it pretty jarring and using the hideous suffering survived by one character in a concentration camp as a humorous (even darkly humorous) plot device really did seem a bit much.

It may just be me; the prose is well written and it’s well plotted, so others may enjoy Dover far more than I did, but personally I can’t really recommend it.

(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Farrago for an advance copy of Dover One, the first novel to feature DCI Wilfred Dover of Scotland Yard, first published in 1964.

When teenager Juliet Rugg goes missing the newly appointed Chief Constable of Creedshire decides to play it safe and calls in Scotland Yard. DCI Dover and his long suffering sergeant, MacGregor, are sent to investigate.

Dover One has its moments but overall it’s showing its age. I could imagine that in the sixties many readers found it highly amusing but as most of the humour revolves around the victim, Juliet, who is a sixteen stone redhead with a penchant for tight clothing, high heels and frequent sex do I need to say any more?

The plot itself is clever with a convoluted solution and a lovely touch of irony at the end so that held my interest but all the prejudice and shaming that accompanied it was a bit of a slog.

DCI Dover is a most unlovely specimen, slovenly and lazy with occasional flashes of brilliance. There are so many books to read that I don’t think I will be spending more time with such an unlikeable character, especially when there is no comeuppance.

[Melisende · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it!

DCI Wilfred Dover is not your usual Scotland Yard detective - he is not exactly likeable; he is described as tall, fat, unkempt, lewd, obnoxious; and never without his trademark bowler hat. His Sergeant, Charles MacGregor, is the total opposite - and like Nero Wolfe's Archie Goodwin, does all the leg work for Dover.

For reasons known only to the Scotland Yard hierarchy, Dover & MacGregor are sent to the investigate the seemingly innocuous disappearance of a local girl, Juliet Rigg, from Creedshire. Upon arriving in the village, Dover finds the eccentric inhabitants all had good reason to do away with the victim - for as Dover announces, murder it is.

I am really enjoying discovering some of these lost gems of British crime. This title originally was published back in the early 1960s - so to the modern senses, it may appear to be slightly un-PC - but get over it, afterall what is PC today may not be in 40 years time!

I am certainly interested in following up with the rest of the books in the 10 book series.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful glimpse into 1960’s Britain. Humorously written with a cast of eccentric villagers. Chief Inspector Dover is out of London into the country to investigate the disappearance of a rather large missing young woman. Woefully he leaves London and begins (between naps) canvassing the village for witnesses and evidence. He meets a motley crew of locals who have plenty of peculiarities and opinions, but few helpful facts. His sidekick, Sergeant MacGregor is not especially happy to be lumbered with the cigarette cadging Dover for several reasons.
The pace is slow, but the characters are lively and it is a pleasure to investigate village life and crime as it was 50 years ago.
Thank you Farrago books and Netgalley for an advance copy, I look forward to reading more in the series.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The new chief constable doesn't want to miss anything, so he sends for Scotland Yard when a local girl disappears. And, as though in some cosmic joke, the Yard sends Chief Inspector Dover, the rudest, laziest man on the Force. Accompanied by his horrified sergeant, Dover then shows the one characteristic he has of a good detective--luck. Sure enough, he captures the culprit, though he never does figure out the motive. (A little old lady who reads detective stories does that--and Dover doesn't believe her, either.)

[Denise Spicer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book features the inimitable Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover of Scotland Yard and his handsome long-suffering Sergeant, Charles MacGregor as they are sent to investigate a missing girl in a small country town. Wry humor and exceptionally eccentric English characters abound in this well-written, well-plotted tale with a truly bizarre (for 1964) ending.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

A humorous, entertaining, engaging crime fiction novel. Detective Dover is an obnoxious, annoying, surprisingly at times astute, lazy detective who makes his subordinates do most of his he groundwork. There are a number of funny scenarios and a number of interesting oddball characters and good plot momentum.

This book was first published in 1964.

[Morgan James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, though it felt a bit dated to me. Perhaps I'm overloaded in the genre right now with so many great mysteries to read.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This first book in the Dover series was published in 1964, and while it bears the familiar setup of a "Golden Age" British mystery (someone goes missing in a country village, Scotland Yard sent to investigate), it is anything but that. The author appears to have set her sights on creating a satire featuring the most offensive police detective possible as protagonist. Rest assured that between DCI Dover and the cast of supporting characters, no prejudice is absent from the story: misogyny, racism, classism, homophobia, anti-semitism, weightism, slut-shaming, it's all here. This is, of course, naturally the point, and any reader who's not OK with these prejudices being employed for satirical effect will not want to pick this up.

DCI Dover is a lazy, slovenly, rude, somnolent, irritable, unimaginative, bullying, credit-stealer of a detective who never buys his round at the pub, and so naturally his superiors are keen to send him far away to deal with the most inconsequential of cases. Here, he is dispatched on a long train-ride to find out what has happened to a large young housemaid who has gone missing. It seems she's been entirely indiscriminate in her sexual favors, and has an unpleasant personality, thus no one is particularly bothered by her absence. Dover and his long-suffering assistant, Sgt. MacGregor, turn up and start questioning everyone (and of course, almost everyone has some kind of secret).

Invariably, Dover heads down the wrong investigative path, leaves all the work to MacGregor while he has a "think" (ie. nap), and then MacGregor turns up the telling clue that starts them down a fresh trail. It will be clear to most readers very early on as to where the missing girl is, and the "whodunnit" part is at least partially clear as well, but the motive is completely over-the-top. This is in keeping with the absurd cast of characters, but might be a bridge too far for some. The extent to which you enjoy all this will depend on your own taste for satire and ability to enjoy a story populated by so many unpleasant people. I found it all mildly amusing, but in 1964 this was presumably much more lethal stuff. I haven't decided if I'll continue with the series -- I'm curious to see if it's all just more of the same, but the books are  not the easiest to get a hold of, so perhaps not.

Note: One aspect that very much stood out was the background story of one character, who is a Holocaust survivor. In the midst of this snarky murder mystery, he gives a harrowing account of his time in a concentration camp, including his sexual slavery there, and it's a bit shocking to come upon. I'm very curious to know how that would have been received when the book originally was published.

Other note: My copy of the Farrago edition has a peculiar production error in the digital typesetting that resulted in random letters missing from words on almost every page. Midway through I thought that perhaps it was some kind of coded clue, but couldn't be bothered to go back and see. 

[Marj · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Dover referred to in the title is the name of the detective--Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover. He is based in London, but is sent out to a small village to find a missing person. Sergeant Charles Edward McGregor is sent to help Dover out.

The plot revolves around a missing young lady. When Dover finds out she was promiscuous, he feels that he shouldn't make much effort, as she is probably off with a new fellow. His sergeant tries to do some investigating, as it seems impossible that a young woman, weighing over 200 pounds, with red hair, should disappear between the front gate and the house with no one seeing her anywhere after.

Dover is not your run of the mill detective. He is lazy, takes credit for other people's ideas, and doesn't think the missing woman is a big deal, but wants to look good to his boss. He sends Sergeant McGregor out to do all of the leg work, doing as little as possible himself, while he stays back to nap, eat or otherwise not do anything constructive.

Whenever anything goes right, it is because that is the way Dover planned it. If it goes wrong, it's because someone else didn't do what he was supposed to do--which is whatever it took to make it go right and make Dover look good.

I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. I don't like Dover, his sergeant seems to be resigned to having to do all the leg work and trying to talk Dover into at least agreeing to some investigating. I found it a bit annoying, and a little sad.

I might read another and if I like it better, but I'm not going to make any kind of effort to do it.

[Olga Miret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thank NetGalley and Farrago for providing me an ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review. Let me clarify that this novel was first published in 1964 by Cape, and Farrago is now republishing all the books in the series.
In brief, this book is a blast. I hadn’t heard of the Dover series and had never read any of Joyce Porter’s books before (more fool me!), but I’m pleased to have discovered both, the character and the author. While the character is truly dislikeable, the author had a talent for creating solid and engaging mysteries inhabited by a fantastic array of characters, and her observational skills and her comedic timing turn her books into a peculiar creation, somewhere between the satire and the farce.
I’ve been trying to find a way to describe this book. It is clearly a mystery and as I said above, it is a good, solid mystery, with red herrings, twists, turns and enough clues to make most lovers of the genre enjoy the putting together of the puzzle. You even have the mandatory summing up at the end, by Detective Chief Inspector Dover, but like everything else in the book, any similarity with what would happen in a true golden age mystery (yes, Agatha Christie comes to mind) is pure coincidence. You’ll have to read the book to judge by yourselves what you think of the ending, but it made me chuckle. I guess I would call it a vintage cozy mystery (if such a thing exists). It is not a standard modern cozy mystery, because although we do have some of the typical elements of those (a peculiar investigator, a strange crime, and a weird assortment of characters), the investigator here is a professional of law enforcement (to call him something) from Scotland Yard and all (the fact that the Yard are keen on sending him as far away as possible notwithstanding), and rather than being engaging and likeable, he is quite the opposite. In some ways, the novel has element of the police procedural, of the period, of course, and the mystery plays a more important part than it does in some of the modern cozy mysteries, where the main character is usually an amateur and his personality, her relationships, her business/profession, and her adventures can take up much of the novel.
Dover is a great creation. He is terrific and horrible all at the same time. He is lazy. He will go to any extents not to make any effort, either mental or physical. He is completely self-centred and totally uninterested in his job. There is no rule he won’t break in order to make his life easier and get a quick result. He exploits Sergeant MacGregor, making him do all the donkey work, and scrounging his cigarettes; there isn’t an invitation to food or drink he ever turns down; he is prejudiced, short-tempered and blows his top at the drop of a hat; he is pompous and never listens to anybody… As the back matter of the book says: “Detective Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover is arguably the most idle and avaricious hero of any novel, mystery or otherwise. Why should he even be bothered to solve the case?” This is not a novel for those who are looking for a character to root for. Although his sergeant is the total opposite, when it comes to solving crimes, he is methodical but not a great asset, either. The mystery takes place in a small town, mostly around what would nowadays be called a luxury housing state, and we come across a fantastic catalogue of characters and suspects, from the slightly odd to the wildly eccentric, and every shade in between. The local law enforcement sounds pretty normal in comparison, although the police women we meet are something else as well. Sorry, I’d rather not spoil it for readers.
The story is narrated in the third person, and although we mostly follow Dover’s adventures, we are clearly outside observers, rather than seeing things from his point of view. We might be privy to some of his thoughts and those of the other characters, but always as spectators. People who read the novel and feel disgusted by the lack of political correctness and the character’s flaws miss the distance between the narrative’s perspective and the character, in my opinion. We are not meant to like him or agree with his approach, quite the opposite. Of course, the novel is of its time, and that’s another one of the joys of it. I loved the language, the references to popular culture, the snippets of information about clothing, habits, social mores… It occurred to me that people researching the era (writers, designers, scholars…) would have a field day with this book.
I don’t want to go into too many details about the plot, but we have a pretty special victim, a bunch of characters from the ridiculous to the more ridiculous (dope fiends, yapping dogs, leery aristocrats, amateur detectives, defrocked priests (well, sort of), a writer interested in little known tribes…), blackmail, a ransom note, a missing body, adultery… and more. Take your pick.
Although I know comedy and sense of humour are very personal, and many of the references in the book are very British, I found it really funny and witty. The book is eminently quotable, but I had to try to offer you at least a few snippets, so you can get an idea:
I was nearly fifty when I married. Up till then I had always avoided matrimony like the plague, going on the principle that there is no need to throw yourself into the river to get a drink of water.
Dover didn’t approve of foreigners, mainly on the irrefutable grounds that they were un-English, and he was looking forwards to giving Boris Bogolepov, guilty or not, a rough old time just for the sheer hell of it.
It’s no good going round with an open mind like a vacuum cleaner because all you’ll finish up with is…’ Dover paused to work this one out ‘… is fluff!’ he concluded triumphantly.
I recommend this book to people who love cozy mysteries but are looking for something leaning more towards the police procedural side, and who prefer their humour rather sharp and British. Although I’ve read far worse, and there is only limited violence (fairly slapstick), the novel is non-PC (not that it condones the points of view exposed, but…) so it could be offensive to people reading it as a straight narrative. On the plus side, royalties from the book got to the work of the Friends of Friendless Churches (yes, they do exist, and do a great job as well). Go on, try it. You know you want to!

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was given a free e-copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for my opinion.

I wanted to like this book. It had so many great elements. Set in post-WW II England, a mysterious disappearance in a little town in the countryside, clever writing, eccentric characters. But...

The whole series hinges on the main character detective being bad at his job. This could have been hilarious. It was not. He was rude and completely un-likable. To be honest, I didn’t like most of the characters. They were meant to be eccentric, and they were, but not in a charming way. Even the girl who had disappeared seemed to have few redeeming qualities, so it kind of seemed like few people even cared what happened to her or if she was found.

Many of the character interactions did not age well. The missing girl is apparently very short and very overweight, and EVERY character waxes on about how disgustingly fat she is. The main detective is extremely chauvinistic, and he and his partner (the only basically normal and likable character in the book) openly ogle one of the attractive female suspects. The fat shaming and treatment of females was perfectly normal in the 1960s when this novel was written, but it rubbed me the wrong way in 2020.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3/5 stars

The story follows DCI Dover and his long-suffering assistant, Sergeant MacGregor, as they investigate a missing person case that evolves into something more sinister. Porter's writing style is straightforward and easy to follow, making for a quick read.

At the time of its publication, "Dover One" was likely considered a refreshing and humorous take on the traditional detective novel. Porter's decision to create an anti-hero in Dover – lazy, gluttonous, and often incompetent – was a bold move that subverted reader expectations. However, the humor that made the book stand out in the 1960s has not aged well.

Pros:
- Unique protagonist for its time
- Easy-to-follow writing style
- Attempts to subvert traditional detective novel tropes

Cons:
- Humor has not aged well
- Main character may be too unlikeable for some readers
- Mystery plot takes a backseat to character antics

"Dover One" earns a 3 out of 5 stars, recognising its historical place in the genre while acknowledging its limitations for modern readers.

[Lu Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a lazy, slovenly, pig-headed, boorish, beady-eyed bully of a detective then look no further. Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover is everything on the list. He's Scotland Yard's despair and the Peter principle's best example. If there's an out of town case that's unlikely to be solved and even less likely to make headlines even if it is then Dover is at the top of the list for the job.

Most of the humor comes from the way that other people react to Dover especially his smart, ambitious, handsome, unfailingly polite sergeant, Charles Edward MacGregor.

The book was first published in 1964 and there are some racist comments that would have been common for the time (such as "savage natives" that some of the characters met while abroad) that are not tolerated today. On the plus side the swearing is typical of the time and that's the " 'strewth".

[Dominic Audy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A most unsympathetic Inspector, a small English village where a ton of fairly sordid improprieties are going on, Dover One reads mostly as a satire of golden age of British crime fiction, turning on its head many of its tropes, while still functioning as a competently developed whodunnit.

Dover One needs a certain frame of mind to be appreciated. This was no doubt at the time of publication an hilariously improper and even edgy or mildly offensive read, In the light of 2024, it alas feels a lot like it's trying too a little too hard to shock and awe and be funny, and as a result the humour is sadly very dated and a bit flat, even in the way it attempts to satirize misogyny, homophobia, the upper class, addictions and so on. It should still please readers who love "vintage humour" oddballs from the 60s.

[Eugene · Rating 4 out of 5]

🍷
OK, so maybe a new fave series, that’s always exciting. Here we meet New Scotland Yard’s Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover, portly, irascible and given to taking every shortcut available; he’s ably (and, luckily) assisted by bright young Sergeant MacGregor. His Commander senses a great opportunity to see less of Dover by posting him off to remote Creedshire where young housemaid Juliet Rugg has disappeared - and if Dover bollixes the case, all the better!
There’s a strong comedic element to the novel, a touch of theatre-of-the-absurd, and in a way the antidotal image of Colin Watson’s DI Purbright - Purbright is the phlegmatic copper working his way through inane situations, Dover the clownish figure in a straightforward world. Of course, I love them both! And joy of joys, I’ve several more of each to read!

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

First published in 1964 'Dover One' is showing its age. There is one particular reference to Hitler and the Jews that is way out of line - I have heard the sentiment expressed several times in conversation but not in the last two decades.
While 'Dover One' is funny, it is not as funny as it thinks it is - and a lot of the humour is at the expense of others.
Chief Inspector Dover is not a likeable character and his intended foil, Sgt. McGregor, is not up to the job.
One thing I did like was the single footnote explaining that this is not the first time the two have worked together ["'Inspector Dover and the Spilt Milk' - this case has not been and will not be published at any price."]
Like the curate's egg it is good in parts.

[Trevor Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first came across Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover via an episode of the 1968 BBC series 'Detective' which is available on YouTube and I was so taken with him that I was prompted to seek out the books in which he appears.

The opening paragraph gives you some idea of the tone and style of the book:
"It was spring. The windows of the chain-stores bloomed with plastic daffodils and the first buds were beginning to burgeon through layers of London soot. The Assistant Commissioner took a deep breath and smiled happily as he detected a vernal whiff in the mingled petrol and diesel fumes".

The scene where a ladies' public convenience is kept under surveillance is particularly entertaining.

The novel is politically incorrect and irreverent.