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Johnny Black #1
Black Eye
‘Steed’s debut ... won the John Creasey Memorial Award for the best first crime novel of 1986; his second consolidates this promise.’ — The Times
1937, Devon.
Johnny Black is a young and penniless pilot turned detective in the glamorous yet dangerous thirties.
His girlfriend, the lovely Tracy Spencer-King, enlists him to help a friend, Diana Travers, and the unfolding tragedy becomes his first case.
Diana’s sister, Deborah, died a few months before in what Diana believes are suspicious circumstances.
Apparently Deborah was riding with her husband, the actor Michael Seagrave, in his new Frazer-Nash sports car on Bigbury Sands when – like the star Isadora Duncan – her long scarf got tangled in the wheels and broke her neck.
Despite police being satisfied that Deborah’s death was a tragic accident, Diana thinks that Seagrave murdered his wife. But does Diana know more than she is letting on?
Johnny’s investigations soon begin to support Diana’s doubts, for Seagrave proves to be a long standing philanderer and is currently pursuing a girl employed by a dancing academy, Daphne Phipps, and Susan Prendergast the daughter of a rich tycoon.
Suspicions deepen when the dancer disappears and Johnny unearths some unsavoury facts about Seagrave’s past.
Soon Black is up to his neck in murder and mayhem, as another key figure disappears and a blood-stained jacket turns up on the back of a murderer who has escaped from Dartmoor.
It soon becomes clear that whoever is behind the disappearances might just want Johnny and Tracy dead too ...
Black Eye, a novel in the great classic tradition of British thrillers, recounts the first case handled by the Black Eye Detective Agency, set up in Torquay, Devon, by a young and impecunious ex-pilot, Johnny Black.
Praise for Neville Steed:
‘Steed’s debut Tinplate ... won the John Creasey Memorial Award for the best first crime novel of 1986; his second consolidates this promise.’ — The Times
‘Mr Steed’s sense of humour endears ... all the details about model-making are fascinating.’ — Punch
Neville Steed lives in South Devon, where the main action of Black Eye takes place. He read Law at Oxford and has travelled extensively. His interests include anything and everything connected with the motor car, aviation, the cinema and the Art Deco world of the 1930s. He is married with four sons.
Endeavour Press is the UK’s leading independent publisher of digital books. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.
1937, Devon.
Johnny Black is a young and penniless pilot turned detective in the glamorous yet dangerous thirties.
His girlfriend, the lovely Tracy Spencer-King, enlists him to help a friend, Diana Travers, and the unfolding tragedy becomes his first case.
Diana’s sister, Deborah, died a few months before in what Diana believes are suspicious circumstances.
Apparently Deborah was riding with her husband, the actor Michael Seagrave, in his new Frazer-Nash sports car on Bigbury Sands when – like the star Isadora Duncan – her long scarf got tangled in the wheels and broke her neck.
Despite police being satisfied that Deborah’s death was a tragic accident, Diana thinks that Seagrave murdered his wife. But does Diana know more than she is letting on?
Johnny’s investigations soon begin to support Diana’s doubts, for Seagrave proves to be a long standing philanderer and is currently pursuing a girl employed by a dancing academy, Daphne Phipps, and Susan Prendergast the daughter of a rich tycoon.
Suspicions deepen when the dancer disappears and Johnny unearths some unsavoury facts about Seagrave’s past.
Soon Black is up to his neck in murder and mayhem, as another key figure disappears and a blood-stained jacket turns up on the back of a murderer who has escaped from Dartmoor.
It soon becomes clear that whoever is behind the disappearances might just want Johnny and Tracy dead too ...
Black Eye, a novel in the great classic tradition of British thrillers, recounts the first case handled by the Black Eye Detective Agency, set up in Torquay, Devon, by a young and impecunious ex-pilot, Johnny Black.
Praise for Neville Steed:
‘Steed’s debut Tinplate ... won the John Creasey Memorial Award for the best first crime novel of 1986; his second consolidates this promise.’ — The Times
‘Mr Steed’s sense of humour endears ... all the details about model-making are fascinating.’ — Punch
Neville Steed lives in South Devon, where the main action of Black Eye takes place. He read Law at Oxford and has travelled extensively. His interests include anything and everything connected with the motor car, aviation, the cinema and the Art Deco world of the 1930s. He is married with four sons.
Endeavour Press is the UK’s leading independent publisher of digital books. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.
269 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1989
76 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Neville Steed
22 books5 followersPseudonym of Norman Keith Sharam. He worked in advertising before setting up his own advertising agency. After six years he sold the business to become a novelist. He lives in Devon with his wife Kate Sharam.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 10, 2016
Started out quite well, and was pretty funny during the first few pages, but became really tedious and annoying as it went on, till it became difficult for me to follow all of the "quirky" "bright young things" characters and their cars, which seem to be the most important thing to the author. I'm not into old classic cars, and if I want a good cozy early-20th-century mystery, I'll read something more authentic like Agatha Christie, rather than a series written in the '80s but tries very hard to feel like it was written in the '20s. Giving up.
October 12, 2018
This might even be a two and a half, but I liked the main character and his love interest. There is not much plot. In a book of 224 pages, way too many are devoted to describing cars. If you are an antique car lover, this is the book for you. Otherwise, there is a lot to not a care whit about.
Like so many of this ilk, the starring main character is a newly minted private eye who pretty much stumbles upon everything he learns. He and the damsel get distressed at the end and make a miraculous recovery - how else could he narrate if he did not survive.
Pretty pat plot, some good time (1937) references and settings, but overall, not a lot much that is noteworthy. I doubt I will move on to Johnny Black #2.
Like so many of this ilk, the starring main character is a newly minted private eye who pretty much stumbles upon everything he learns. He and the damsel get distressed at the end and make a miraculous recovery - how else could he narrate if he did not survive.
Pretty pat plot, some good time (1937) references and settings, but overall, not a lot much that is noteworthy. I doubt I will move on to Johnny Black #2.
October 23, 2018
This book was so fun to read. It takes you back to the Thin Man movies and really captures that era. Johnny was a pilot who got into an accident and can no longer fly. So what's a guy to do? Start his own PI agency. He lands a big case via his girl pal. It seems Diana Travers believes her sister was murdered by her husband and he made it look like an accident. The police believe the accident story so the case is closed. Johnny starts out slow with few leads but soon he is in the thick of it and people around him are disappearing. The atmosphere and language brings this book alive. I enjoyed it.
March 25, 2020
Totally loved this late-1930s PI romp!
A tightly-constructed, well-written story, although there were quite a few glaring typos (perhaps they were scanning or auto-correct errors). Neville Steed captured the mood of the times, the setting and the genre perfectly. Great characters and with just the right amount of danger, derring-do and humour. All-in-all, Black Eye was a terrific read.
A tightly-constructed, well-written story, although there were quite a few glaring typos (perhaps they were scanning or auto-correct errors). Neville Steed captured the mood of the times, the setting and the genre perfectly. Great characters and with just the right amount of danger, derring-do and humour. All-in-all, Black Eye was a terrific read.
January 25, 2019
Other readers were turned off by the antique cars and 1930’s antics of This Johnny Black novel, but I found them charming if not riveting. I do love old sports cars and the dream of a 1937 Bugatti racing along the coast made me swoon. The plot was a bit cheesy but the whole thing held together. I do agree that it was too long, but otherwise it was light and amusing read.
January 18, 2022
This is a fun read with a good story line, interesting characters, sexy women and evil villains set in a delightfully English town in 1937. The period references are entertaining and the dialog is delightful.
December 26, 2018
To me this was not a good book. I suppose some might find it cute but I thought it very unbelievable and ameturist.
March 16, 2022
Torquay 1937. John Black has his first case thanks to a friend. Diana Travers believes that her very wealthy sister Deborah was murdered by her husband Michael Seagrave and wants Black to investigate.
An entertaining murder mystery
An entertaining murder mystery
March 1, 2016
What a lovely debut novel. I love British themed suspense/mystery novels and this had me thinking of Agatha Christie. It's a fantastic elegant time period, well written with a likable hero and his lady love (a bit like Nick and Nora Charles). Wonderfully written and so fun to read! I also have book 2 in the series.
I definitely recommend this books to lovers of Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett, suspense and period pieces.
*I'd like to thank the author/publisher/Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*
I definitely recommend this books to lovers of Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett, suspense and period pieces.
*I'd like to thank the author/publisher/Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*
February 19, 2016
Thoroughly readable and witty throwback to the adventure stories, and adventurers, of the pre-WWII era in British fiction. A very good time.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews