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Chief Inspector Littlejohn #15
The Case of the Famished Parson
Dr James Macintosh, the Bishop of Greyle, is a mysterious man; for a long time, nobody even seems to know his last name. But things suddenly take a turn for the worse when his body is found completely emaciated and battered having being pushed face-first off the edge of a cliff…
Inspector Littlejohn faces an incredibly peculiar case and must figure out how to explain the savage murder of a gentle Bishop? Perhaps he know too much about the secretive citizens of Cape Marvin, the seaside resort and the place of his murder. Or did it have something to do with the strange family he had left behind in Medhope?
Above all, why was the Bishop’s body so undernourished that death by violence won out by only a few days over death by starvation?
The Case of the Famished Parson was first published in 1949.
Inspector Thomas Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is a shrewd yet courteous sleuth who splits his time between quaint English villages, the scenic Isle of Man and French Provinces. With a sharp tongue and a dry sense of humour, Littlejohn approaches his work with poise and confidence, shifting through red-herrings and solving even the most perplexing of cases.
‘One of the subtlest and wittiest practitioners of the simon-pure British detective story’ – The New York Times
‘Mr Bellairs always gives good value’ – The Sunday Times
‘Pure British detective story’ – The New York Times
Inspector Littlejohn faces an incredibly peculiar case and must figure out how to explain the savage murder of a gentle Bishop? Perhaps he know too much about the secretive citizens of Cape Marvin, the seaside resort and the place of his murder. Or did it have something to do with the strange family he had left behind in Medhope?
Above all, why was the Bishop’s body so undernourished that death by violence won out by only a few days over death by starvation?
The Case of the Famished Parson was first published in 1949.
Inspector Thomas Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is a shrewd yet courteous sleuth who splits his time between quaint English villages, the scenic Isle of Man and French Provinces. With a sharp tongue and a dry sense of humour, Littlejohn approaches his work with poise and confidence, shifting through red-herrings and solving even the most perplexing of cases.
‘One of the subtlest and wittiest practitioners of the simon-pure British detective story’ – The New York Times
‘Mr Bellairs always gives good value’ – The Sunday Times
‘Pure British detective story’ – The New York Times
207 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1949
383 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
George Bellairs
73 books100 followersAKA Hilary Landon
George Bellairs is the nom de plume of Harold Blundell, a crime writer and bank manager born in Heywood, near Rochdale, Lancashire, who settled in the Isle of Man on retirement. He wrote more than 50 books, most featuring the series' detective Inspector Littlejohn. He also wrote four novels under the alternative pseudonym Hilary Landon.
George Bellairs is the nom de plume of Harold Blundell, a crime writer and bank manager born in Heywood, near Rochdale, Lancashire, who settled in the Isle of Man on retirement. He wrote more than 50 books, most featuring the series' detective Inspector Littlejohn. He also wrote four novels under the alternative pseudonym Hilary Landon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
August 15, 2018
I know I write a lot of bad reviews but I swear I don't mean to. This one was about Inspector Littlejohn who works at Scotland yard being on vacation with his wife when a priest dies at the hotel they are staying in and he inevitable gets dragged into the investigation. The writing is okay, but there's zero character development or story telling. The book is mostly dialogue and when it's not its which every character's point of view it is telling us everything. Was this written by a third grader? I honestly couldn't get into the book at all. There wasn't really any substance to it. I felt like I read someone's first draft for a script for a day time crime show. Also why did the author use ellipses at least twice per page, it got really annoying.
October 5, 2020
I read this several days ago and held of writing a review because I couldn't think of what I wanted to say. While that can be a good thing when I finish a book, it wasn't in this case. This was left me decidedly neutral.
This isn't going to be listed as my favourite Inspector Littlejohn story. It was a bit better than just ok and I did like a lot of the story but the solution left me disappointed. It wasn't that the back third wasn't done well it's just that it hinged on the part of the story I was least interested in. I was least interested in that thread because I was bored. On the positive side, we meet Mrs. Littlejohn and there's a good bit of action in the beginning of the Inspector's investigation. I also enjoyed a good many of the possible suspects through most of the story.
If you skip this period in Littlejohn's life, you'll be just fine.
This isn't going to be listed as my favourite Inspector Littlejohn story. It was a bit better than just ok and I did like a lot of the story but the solution left me disappointed. It wasn't that the back third wasn't done well it's just that it hinged on the part of the story I was least interested in. I was least interested in that thread because I was bored. On the positive side, we meet Mrs. Littlejohn and there's a good bit of action in the beginning of the Inspector's investigation. I also enjoyed a good many of the possible suspects through most of the story.
If you skip this period in Littlejohn's life, you'll be just fine.
July 18, 2018
Poor Detective Inspector Thomas Littlejohn can get no rest! The detective inspector and his understanding wife Letty go to the Cape Mervin Hotel for a well-earned vacation. But their holiday is cut short when the lugubrious Bishop of Greyle, James Macintosh, is murdered at isolated Bolter’s Hole near the seashore. Who would kill the inoffensive bishop?
Littlejohn examines his fellow hotel guests and Macintosh’s family in a search for the culprit. While I had suspicions of whom the murderer was, I was wrong as to motivation and I never guessed several of the twists. Author George Bellairs has crafted any other satisfying read.
Littlejohn examines his fellow hotel guests and Macintosh’s family in a search for the culprit. While I had suspicions of whom the murderer was, I was wrong as to motivation and I never guessed several of the twists. Author George Bellairs has crafted any other satisfying read.
January 3, 2022
The Bishop of Greyle, James Macintosh, is bashed over the head and his body dumped over a cliff edge into Bolter's Hole, a convenient little place along the coast at Cape Mervin. But, unfortunately for the murderer, the body isn't washed out to sea. The bishop gets lodged between some rocks and is found relatively quickly by Harry Keast when he goes out early in the morning looking for golf balls hit just a little too hard off the green near the cliffs. Allain, the proprietor of the Cape Mervin Hotel, calls upon his illustrious guest from Scotland Yard, Inspector Thomas Littlejohn, to make a busman's holiday and lend a hand with the investigation. He hopes that the matter will be cleared up with little fuss and less publicity.
But odd things begin to complicate the case and it doesn't look like a solution will come quickly. There's the matter of emaciated state of Macintosh's body. And the millionaire's shoes that went for a walk that night--without the millionaire. There's the mysterious phone call that lured the bishop from the hotel after 11 pm. And the bishop's loony family. And the fact that somebody takes a potshot at Littlejohn when he visits said loony family, hitting him in the thigh and laying him up for several days. There's also the curious lights in the harbor and the fact that nobody seems to have seen anything that night--not even the night watchman in the little shed near the hotel. But when a second murder follows closely on the first it becomes clear that at least one person knew something...unfortunately, he's now dead as well. Littlejohn, his right-hand man Sergeant Cromwell, and the local inspector have their hands full sifting alibis and deciding whether the motive for murder lies with the bishop's family or in something he discovered while on holiday in Cape Mervin. But what could an inoffensive bishop with a interest in psychology and Eastern religions have found out in the short time he was at the hotel?
This was a much more satisfying read than my previous book. And I have to say that I positively adore Harry Keast who makes up long words because he doesn't know enough real ones (example in quote below). He's a quite lovable, quirky character that we see too little of. I also really enjoy Bellairs's writing--it's clear and concise and move things along nicely without missing out on any of the fun of language. I could tell he was having a good time with vocabulary in this one (both Harry's made-up vocabulary and honest-to-goodness words).
After the shooting incident, Littlejohn spends several days conducting the investigation from bed, reminding me of The Daughter of Time and The Wench Is Dead--though investigating a current crime instead of a historical mystery. I enjoyed watching his impatience at not being able to get out and investigate...but he was able to pick up some nifty clues while watching out his window.
The one thing that keeps this from being a five-star book, was the plot. It becomes obvious pretty quickly what's going on and I was a little let down by the motive for the murder. Still...this is an excellent read from Bellairs and I quite enjoyed myself this evening.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
But odd things begin to complicate the case and it doesn't look like a solution will come quickly. There's the matter of emaciated state of Macintosh's body. And the millionaire's shoes that went for a walk that night--without the millionaire. There's the mysterious phone call that lured the bishop from the hotel after 11 pm. And the bishop's loony family. And the fact that somebody takes a potshot at Littlejohn when he visits said loony family, hitting him in the thigh and laying him up for several days. There's also the curious lights in the harbor and the fact that nobody seems to have seen anything that night--not even the night watchman in the little shed near the hotel. But when a second murder follows closely on the first it becomes clear that at least one person knew something...unfortunately, he's now dead as well. Littlejohn, his right-hand man Sergeant Cromwell, and the local inspector have their hands full sifting alibis and deciding whether the motive for murder lies with the bishop's family or in something he discovered while on holiday in Cape Mervin. But what could an inoffensive bishop with a interest in psychology and Eastern religions have found out in the short time he was at the hotel?
This was a much more satisfying read than my previous book. And I have to say that I positively adore Harry Keast who makes up long words because he doesn't know enough real ones (example in quote below). He's a quite lovable, quirky character that we see too little of. I also really enjoy Bellairs's writing--it's clear and concise and move things along nicely without missing out on any of the fun of language. I could tell he was having a good time with vocabulary in this one (both Harry's made-up vocabulary and honest-to-goodness words).
After the shooting incident, Littlejohn spends several days conducting the investigation from bed, reminding me of The Daughter of Time and The Wench Is Dead--though investigating a current crime instead of a historical mystery. I enjoyed watching his impatience at not being able to get out and investigate...but he was able to pick up some nifty clues while watching out his window.
The one thing that keeps this from being a five-star book, was the plot. It becomes obvious pretty quickly what's going on and I was a little let down by the motive for the murder. Still...this is an excellent read from Bellairs and I quite enjoyed myself this evening.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
June 18, 2019
I found George Bellairs through the recommendation of a Golden Age Mystery site. He is one of the English Writers from a time period of the 1940's that produced small Village Murders, often set around a manor house or Hotel with intricately woven plots and characters. I will say up-front that I am a huge fan of these type of mysteries and relish them when I find them. So I jumped at the chance to read one of his.
Inspector Littlejohn is on vacation and run down. He is looking forward to his time at Cape Mervin Hotel, when a Bishop is coshed over the head, and he is asked to investigate. The body of the religious leader is emaciated from lack of food, which on the surface is a very odd thing, until you find out he is trying to follow psychology through the Eastern Religions, which recommends fasting. But as the Inspector tracks... through a bewildering amount of interviews, it becomes apparent this won't be the only murder.
Bellairs has a way with words and from the first page I was in my chair until I finished the book. He throws a lot of red herrings at the reader- but they are worth pursuing. I especially like his gift for story telling. The Characters are well- developed and I particularly enjoyed the eccentricities of the Macintosh family. So I highly recommend George Bellairs, as a new Author, to people who love the golden age of Mysteries and who read Nagio Marsh and Dorothy Sayers. Five stars...
Inspector Littlejohn is on vacation and run down. He is looking forward to his time at Cape Mervin Hotel, when a Bishop is coshed over the head, and he is asked to investigate. The body of the religious leader is emaciated from lack of food, which on the surface is a very odd thing, until you find out he is trying to follow psychology through the Eastern Religions, which recommends fasting. But as the Inspector tracks... through a bewildering amount of interviews, it becomes apparent this won't be the only murder.
Bellairs has a way with words and from the first page I was in my chair until I finished the book. He throws a lot of red herrings at the reader- but they are worth pursuing. I especially like his gift for story telling. The Characters are well- developed and I particularly enjoyed the eccentricities of the Macintosh family. So I highly recommend George Bellairs, as a new Author, to people who love the golden age of Mysteries and who read Nagio Marsh and Dorothy Sayers. Five stars...
January 12, 2021
Inspector Littlejohn is supposed to be on holiday, taking a break after running himself into the ground on too many cases. As ever, a busman's honeymoon is sure to follow, and Littlejohn finds himself investigating the murder of a parson, found in an astonishingly emaciated state with his head bashed in. Needless to say, it isn't a very restful holiday, and Littlejohn even finds himself shot while he's still making routine inquiries...
When I first read one of Bellairs' books in the British Library Crime Classics, I thought it was fun, and I've definitely found that to be so with all his books. Maybe not the most inventive or technically brilliant, but likeable. I feel like Bellairs really enjoyed writing these books, these competent mysteries where the world is restored to rights by the finding and apprehending of the killer -- without police violence, without prying too deeply into people's psyches. Somehow cosy, even when the crimes are horrible. The Case of the Famished Parson fits well into that mould, and I enjoyed it very much.
I do have to say that I'd expected something a bit more weird, from that title. In the end, the fact that the man was starving is the least part of the mystery -- easily sorted out, though it does have a part to play in explaining what happened.
I probably won't be picking up another book by Bellairs immediately -- but I'll definitely be picking one up again in the near-ish future. They're even on Kindle Unlimited!
When I first read one of Bellairs' books in the British Library Crime Classics, I thought it was fun, and I've definitely found that to be so with all his books. Maybe not the most inventive or technically brilliant, but likeable. I feel like Bellairs really enjoyed writing these books, these competent mysteries where the world is restored to rights by the finding and apprehending of the killer -- without police violence, without prying too deeply into people's psyches. Somehow cosy, even when the crimes are horrible. The Case of the Famished Parson fits well into that mould, and I enjoyed it very much.
I do have to say that I'd expected something a bit more weird, from that title. In the end, the fact that the man was starving is the least part of the mystery -- easily sorted out, though it does have a part to play in explaining what happened.
I probably won't be picking up another book by Bellairs immediately -- but I'll definitely be picking one up again in the near-ish future. They're even on Kindle Unlimited!
February 26, 2022
Another busman's holiday when Bishop is bashed over the head.Littlejonh is in trouble from his wife for running their lives again special when he gets shot.
This was so good I read it in 5 hours
This was so good I read it in 5 hours
April 10, 2022
An enjoyable book but with a strange ending.
April 28, 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Ipso Books for an advance copy.
Bellairs is currently one of my favourite writers. I love the titles- the parson here is actually a bishop whose emaciated body is found on a cliff near a seaside resort. I love Inspector and Mrs Littlejohn and his sidekick Cromwell. I love the cast of eccentric and oh -so- well-depicted characters including the usual awful family. The writing is excellent.
As for the plot…well, it is often secondary to the glorious fun! As well as murder and attempted murder we have smuggling thrown in here.
Bellairs has been unjustly neglected but is now experiencing a bit of a revival.
Do read this and any others you come across.The earlier titles are often the best but all are interesting.
June 19, 2017
If you like classic British mysteries, then consider reading George Bellairs. While this book is #15 in the Littlejohn series, this is the first I have read and it stands alone well. It has good characterization and entertaining character names. A "clean" read without vulgarity. Evocative description of a seaside village. As a U.S. reader, some British English terminology can be puzzling, but it doesn't distract from the plot and makes the book that much more exotic.
September 18, 2018
Kindle Deal | Will not be numbered among my favorite mysteries, but reasonable | For my taste, Bellairs gave too much page real estate to the wrong things. So much intricate physical description of every character who even barely wandered through, nearly all of whom were remarkable in some way--physically, mentally, somehow strange or damaged--yet very little actual character building. It's as if a person's quirks were meant to stand in for their personality. The culprit descended very suddenly from a person to a caricature in the final climax, and the lesser villains were treated to a reconstruction of the crime that the reader had already had explained to them twice. That said, the author's style grew on me over the course of the book (those ellipses were maddening at the start), and I enjoyed Littlejohn quite a bit more by the final page than I expected to at the start.
January 7, 2021
This is my second Inspector LittleJohn book after The death of a busybody.
This novel started with the murder of a Bishop and then subsequent quest to find the murderer .
This story had the usual ingredients of a mystery novel to keep the readers hooked but what I like about the author George Bellairs is the description of various countryside which features in his stories, he mainly writes stories based in villages which gives readers an insight into rural English life instead of concentrating on London.
I guess there are 20+ stories in this series and I am looking forward to reading the series.
This novel started with the murder of a Bishop and then subsequent quest to find the murderer .
This story had the usual ingredients of a mystery novel to keep the readers hooked but what I like about the author George Bellairs is the description of various countryside which features in his stories, he mainly writes stories based in villages which gives readers an insight into rural English life instead of concentrating on London.
I guess there are 20+ stories in this series and I am looking forward to reading the series.
September 27, 2019
2 1/2 stars. This is not my favorite of the series. Some of the characters seemed flat here, particularly the card players. It didn't seem to flow quite as well as some of the other books. That being said, I enjoy Bellairs style, his humor and he writes a solid mystery.
Read
September 10, 2021Short police procedural. Fairly bland.
November 15, 2022
I did enjoy reading this, I particularly enjoy his little jokes with the reader, however I felt we weren't really given all the clues to join Littlejohn in solving the mystery.
Poor Littlejohn never gets to enjoy his holidays !
Poor Littlejohn never gets to enjoy his holidays !
August 25, 2018
Enjoyable
What a witty introduction to Inspector Littlejohn. The writing is crisp, paints a vivid picture and is sometimes laugh out loud hilarious!
What a witty introduction to Inspector Littlejohn. The writing is crisp, paints a vivid picture and is sometimes laugh out loud hilarious!
May 15, 2023
I enjoyed how this book was not a “one man show.” The two defectives worked together to solve the case and it was satisfying. I truly enjoy murder mystery books, and this one is a good pick!👍
May 18, 2019
I’m a bit of a rusted-on Bellairs reader and raced through this one with my usual engagement in spite of the fact that the narrative stalled a few times and dissolved into a summary by Littlejohn of what he had worked out by hunch, deduction and fact-checking, It felt a bit lazy to me, as if Bellairs couldn’t quite be bothered to create a community with relationships and history from which the crime emerges.
It has a Famous Five feel about it - and serves similar purposes - to engage a reader, make it easy and enjoyable for them, and bring them back. I will be back for more, but on the strength of the others I have read rather than this one.
It has a Famous Five feel about it - and serves similar purposes - to engage a reader, make it easy and enjoyable for them, and bring them back. I will be back for more, but on the strength of the others I have read rather than this one.
October 9, 2021
Wonderful golden age mystery
Inspector Littlejohn goes on a holiday with his wife. A dead Bishop is killed just days before he would have likely died of starvation .This is just the beginning of a twisted plot that finds another murder, to be investigated. Great page turning mystery.
Inspector Littlejohn goes on a holiday with his wife. A dead Bishop is killed just days before he would have likely died of starvation .This is just the beginning of a twisted plot that finds another murder, to be investigated. Great page turning mystery.
July 3, 2018
Rest and Recreation? 3.5 rounded up to 4
In this novel, Inspector Littlejohn and his wife are on holiday in a little coastal town, as the Inspector is suffering from overwork. However, it turns out to be a busman’s holiday as another guest staying at the hotel is found murdered in a nearby bay. The hotel proprietor, who is known to Littlejohn, wants him to keep a watching brief on the case, but the local Superintendent, who has worked with Littlejohn before, wants him to act as a consultant.
As it turns out, Littlejohn does most of the work on the case with the Superintendent assisting him and providing manpower when and where needed for routine work.
There are many characters in this book and most of them are described in quirky caricature, both physically and in personality. An unlovely foursome of gents who drink and gamble at the same time every day, at the same table and sitting in the same chairs. The Irish priest who is an avid billiards player; the bald night porter who keeps getting caught without his wig; the emaciated bishop, and his obnoxious relatives, not to mention the singing constable. Throw in a few more colourful characters like the customs officer at the port, the apoplectic millionaire, and more than one strand to this murder-mystery, and the plot gets twisted this way and then that before reaching the conclusion.
Bellairs is noted for his gently mocking wit, along with his good use of language and ability to spin an enjoyable old-fashioned tale, although I don't think this is one of his best.
In this novel, Inspector Littlejohn and his wife are on holiday in a little coastal town, as the Inspector is suffering from overwork. However, it turns out to be a busman’s holiday as another guest staying at the hotel is found murdered in a nearby bay. The hotel proprietor, who is known to Littlejohn, wants him to keep a watching brief on the case, but the local Superintendent, who has worked with Littlejohn before, wants him to act as a consultant.
As it turns out, Littlejohn does most of the work on the case with the Superintendent assisting him and providing manpower when and where needed for routine work.
There are many characters in this book and most of them are described in quirky caricature, both physically and in personality. An unlovely foursome of gents who drink and gamble at the same time every day, at the same table and sitting in the same chairs. The Irish priest who is an avid billiards player; the bald night porter who keeps getting caught without his wig; the emaciated bishop, and his obnoxious relatives, not to mention the singing constable. Throw in a few more colourful characters like the customs officer at the port, the apoplectic millionaire, and more than one strand to this murder-mystery, and the plot gets twisted this way and then that before reaching the conclusion.
Bellairs is noted for his gently mocking wit, along with his good use of language and ability to spin an enjoyable old-fashioned tale, although I don't think this is one of his best.
August 28, 2019
I’m not a fan of the ‘if you like that, then you’ll love this’ type review but I can think of no better shorthand evaluation than to say this puts me in mind of a post-war Midsomer Murders.
Well, that may have put off half of those reading this review, but it may encourage the other half to try a Bellairs novel.
I know it has been said before but so much of modern crime fiction really does revolve around horrific descriptions of mutilation and murder and the twisted serial killers involved. Don’t get me wrong, I do ‘enjoy’ this type of fiction but how nice to pick up a book that doesn’t demand a constitution of iron to read but still is very much a crime novel.
The murder and discovery of the body may be grisly but the focus is not put on the graphic details. The murder is in fact almost incidental, being a device around which to construct a number of puzzles. The main point of the novel is the solving of these clever and entertaining puzzles.
Set in a relatively recent but much more genteel time that now sadly feels like another country, it is very much a novel of its time but is none the worse for that. In fact, how pleasing it is to be able to read a novel set seventy years ago not written by a modern author with a cynical view of the past, imagining how people should have thought, interacted, and reacted to events. Listening to a voice contemporary with the age is for me one of the most interesting and occasionally surprising aspects of this book. However, at its heart, this is still a warm, funny and entertaining story with gentle plotting and gentle (if occasionally black) humour adding to the cosy, reminiscent feel of the book.
This is my first George Bellairs novel and I stumbled across it simply when looking for something worth reading on Kindle Unlimited (quite a task…) On the basis of this single experience I am very pleased that George Bellairs has been made available to me and a modern audience once again. I intend to read more in the future.
Well, that may have put off half of those reading this review, but it may encourage the other half to try a Bellairs novel.
I know it has been said before but so much of modern crime fiction really does revolve around horrific descriptions of mutilation and murder and the twisted serial killers involved. Don’t get me wrong, I do ‘enjoy’ this type of fiction but how nice to pick up a book that doesn’t demand a constitution of iron to read but still is very much a crime novel.
The murder and discovery of the body may be grisly but the focus is not put on the graphic details. The murder is in fact almost incidental, being a device around which to construct a number of puzzles. The main point of the novel is the solving of these clever and entertaining puzzles.
Set in a relatively recent but much more genteel time that now sadly feels like another country, it is very much a novel of its time but is none the worse for that. In fact, how pleasing it is to be able to read a novel set seventy years ago not written by a modern author with a cynical view of the past, imagining how people should have thought, interacted, and reacted to events. Listening to a voice contemporary with the age is for me one of the most interesting and occasionally surprising aspects of this book. However, at its heart, this is still a warm, funny and entertaining story with gentle plotting and gentle (if occasionally black) humour adding to the cosy, reminiscent feel of the book.
This is my first George Bellairs novel and I stumbled across it simply when looking for something worth reading on Kindle Unlimited (quite a task…) On the basis of this single experience I am very pleased that George Bellairs has been made available to me and a modern audience once again. I intend to read more in the future.
March 13, 2017
4 and 1 / 2 stars
Inspector Littlejohn and his wife are taking a holiday at the seaside. When a body is found on the beach, Littlejohn gets reluctantly drawn into the investigation.
The body is that of a Bishop. The autopsy shows that he was emaciated to the point of starvation. That in itself is odd enough, but when Littlejohn and Cromwell begin to interview the witnesses, family and acquaintances the situation gets even more complicated. The family is angry and combative and the witnesses are vague and unsure.
When a near tragedy strikes, the case turns even more serious. Then another body is found. What is going on? Who disliked the Bishop so much as to violently kill him? And the other body; what is going on there? As time drags on, Littlejohn and Cromwell have no leads. Everyone they interview has an alibi it seems. Then something fortuitous happens. The story picks up speed at a rapid pace as we are led to the killer.
An ongoing subplot of this book has to do with the smuggling of goods from Ireland. It seems no one knows that it is going on, except Littlejohn suspects that it is. Our story all comes together at this point. I must admit that my number one suspect was indeed the guilty party. Some inconsistencies in the behavior of this person is what clued me in.
However, that did not take away from the adventure of getting to the conclusion of the story. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next in the series. The books are both well written and plotted.
Mr. Bellairs was a great writer and well ahead of his time with his books. I am extremely pleased to be reading his books after all this time.
I want to thank Amazon, Netgalley and Ipso Books for forwarding to me a copy of this most delightful book to read.
Inspector Littlejohn and his wife are taking a holiday at the seaside. When a body is found on the beach, Littlejohn gets reluctantly drawn into the investigation.
The body is that of a Bishop. The autopsy shows that he was emaciated to the point of starvation. That in itself is odd enough, but when Littlejohn and Cromwell begin to interview the witnesses, family and acquaintances the situation gets even more complicated. The family is angry and combative and the witnesses are vague and unsure.
When a near tragedy strikes, the case turns even more serious. Then another body is found. What is going on? Who disliked the Bishop so much as to violently kill him? And the other body; what is going on there? As time drags on, Littlejohn and Cromwell have no leads. Everyone they interview has an alibi it seems. Then something fortuitous happens. The story picks up speed at a rapid pace as we are led to the killer.
An ongoing subplot of this book has to do with the smuggling of goods from Ireland. It seems no one knows that it is going on, except Littlejohn suspects that it is. Our story all comes together at this point. I must admit that my number one suspect was indeed the guilty party. Some inconsistencies in the behavior of this person is what clued me in.
However, that did not take away from the adventure of getting to the conclusion of the story. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next in the series. The books are both well written and plotted.
Mr. Bellairs was a great writer and well ahead of his time with his books. I am extremely pleased to be reading his books after all this time.
I want to thank Amazon, Netgalley and Ipso Books for forwarding to me a copy of this most delightful book to read.
October 10, 2016
It is possible that two is my limit on these Inspector Littlejohn mysteries despite the fact that this book did make me laugh. I do value that, but the prose toward the end, winding up all the crimes and criminals, got out of hand. The author enjoyed character physical descriptions to their expense - very unique in my reading experience. It would be a simple thing for a cartoonist to turn these books to comic books.
Littlejohn and his wife are attempting a rest by the sea, but that is not to be. In this one he manages to get shot while walking on a country road during his investigation of a murder. After a hospital stay he is back at the Inn where the culprits reside and more chicanery ensues. Another murder, smuggling and complicated family relations are examined by Scotland Yard.
What I liked: comic characters, beautiful countryside descriptions, Littlejohn's constancy as he determines what is going on in this village from his bed as he watches from the Inn's window.
What I did not like: too much prose to wind up solutions with too many characters as if he had been forced to reach a certain word count.
The first finder of the first murder was a man out early on the links looking for golf balls. He loved long words, though he did not know any, so he made them up as he went along. "'Obsequious portentatiousness,' said Harry Keast expressing to himself his awe at the sight. He surveyed the grandeur of the cliffs with the gulls flying to them and then rising with wild cries as though the earth had shaken them off." As he enjoyed the view of Bolter's Hole he observed "what looked like a pair of boots." Thus begins the murder mystery.
Littlejohn and his wife are attempting a rest by the sea, but that is not to be. In this one he manages to get shot while walking on a country road during his investigation of a murder. After a hospital stay he is back at the Inn where the culprits reside and more chicanery ensues. Another murder, smuggling and complicated family relations are examined by Scotland Yard.
What I liked: comic characters, beautiful countryside descriptions, Littlejohn's constancy as he determines what is going on in this village from his bed as he watches from the Inn's window.
What I did not like: too much prose to wind up solutions with too many characters as if he had been forced to reach a certain word count.
The first finder of the first murder was a man out early on the links looking for golf balls. He loved long words, though he did not know any, so he made them up as he went along. "'Obsequious portentatiousness,' said Harry Keast expressing to himself his awe at the sight. He surveyed the grandeur of the cliffs with the gulls flying to them and then rising with wild cries as though the earth had shaken them off." As he enjoyed the view of Bolter's Hole he observed "what looked like a pair of boots." Thus begins the murder mystery.
December 31, 2018
Three and a half, rounded up.
I joined the Reading the Detectives group here on GR and have run into a whole host of authors I have never even heard of.
George Bellairs being one of them. Now, over on Amazon, this one is Littlejohn #1, so I don't understand the difference between that and GR's numbering. But I started here, and it's a lovely, old fashioned murder mystery - no big bunches of blood and guts described. I am thankful for this.
Liked the characters and can see that I will continue to like them as the series progresses.
Not sure the mystery was actually "fair" - whether there was enough info to actually solve along with the Inspector, but it was good. And I had pretty much figured out WHAT was going on, if not exactly how and why.
Thanks to Kindle Unlimited, the next in the series (according to Amazon, anyway) is available to me for free. I shall definitely read it.
I joined the Reading the Detectives group here on GR and have run into a whole host of authors I have never even heard of.
George Bellairs being one of them. Now, over on Amazon, this one is Littlejohn #1, so I don't understand the difference between that and GR's numbering. But I started here, and it's a lovely, old fashioned murder mystery - no big bunches of blood and guts described. I am thankful for this.
Liked the characters and can see that I will continue to like them as the series progresses.
Not sure the mystery was actually "fair" - whether there was enough info to actually solve along with the Inspector, but it was good. And I had pretty much figured out WHAT was going on, if not exactly how and why.
Thanks to Kindle Unlimited, the next in the series (according to Amazon, anyway) is available to me for free. I shall definitely read it.
March 22, 2017
A mystery that, to me, was neither fish nor foul - a typically cozy-ish Inspector and sidekick (they struck me as very Alleyn and Fox) but with a hearty ladling of the seedy hardness of a certain type of noir. There are two chapters especially that serve no purpose, not even as red herrings, other than to give the author an opportunity to describe odious people and their dirty homes. The mystery itself is neither here nor there and the victim is a cipher of the highest order. Not satisfying but not really bad either. A solid C.
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.
February 8, 2017
The usual story but better
This story by Bellaire contains all his usual trademarks, humour, claustrophobic little plot and some delightful and descriptive turns of phrase with some interesting peripheral characters. If this were your first Bellairs I am sure you would be hooked.
This story by Bellaire contains all his usual trademarks, humour, claustrophobic little plot and some delightful and descriptive turns of phrase with some interesting peripheral characters. If this were your first Bellairs I am sure you would be hooked.
October 30, 2019
This was really boring, but since it's part of a box set I'll give the other books a go.
December 23, 2017
The Case of the Famished Parson
Cape Mervin is a seaside resort on the northwest coast of England where Inspector Tom Littlejohn and his wife have gone for rest and a well-deserved vacation. Another guest at the hotel, James Macintosh, Bishop of Greyne, has gone missing, however, and is found dead at the bottom of a seaside cliff. He might have fallen to his death, except he had suffered a grievous blow to the back of his head. Moreover, the corpse shows signs of malnutrition, even starvation. Reluctantly Inspector Littlejohn gives up his vacation to assist in the murder investigation of such a high profile victim.
What follows is a classic British police procedural, where the reader knows as much or as little as those investigating the crime. The town and the hotel are filled with memorable characters, many potential suspects who are red herrings.
Character development is on the slight side, made up for by dialogue that rings true to my ear as something out of movies from the 1940s. (Bear in mind the book was published in 1949.)
Speaking of the 1940s, one wonders why a movie was not made of the book. The location and the physical presence of odd characters should have made for a solid B detective movie of the times (except, perhaps, there might not be sufficient “noir” element.I can see the character actor of skeletal build, John Carradine playing a cameo role as Bishop Macintosh.
This is not my first Inspector Littlejohn mystery, and I have to say, the book I red earlier, The Case of the Headless Jesuit, published the following year, 1950, seemed better plotted, with broader humor and fewer distracting red herrings.
My thanks to the publisher and the George Bellairs Literary Estate for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.
Cape Mervin is a seaside resort on the northwest coast of England where Inspector Tom Littlejohn and his wife have gone for rest and a well-deserved vacation. Another guest at the hotel, James Macintosh, Bishop of Greyne, has gone missing, however, and is found dead at the bottom of a seaside cliff. He might have fallen to his death, except he had suffered a grievous blow to the back of his head. Moreover, the corpse shows signs of malnutrition, even starvation. Reluctantly Inspector Littlejohn gives up his vacation to assist in the murder investigation of such a high profile victim.
What follows is a classic British police procedural, where the reader knows as much or as little as those investigating the crime. The town and the hotel are filled with memorable characters, many potential suspects who are red herrings.
Character development is on the slight side, made up for by dialogue that rings true to my ear as something out of movies from the 1940s. (Bear in mind the book was published in 1949.)
Speaking of the 1940s, one wonders why a movie was not made of the book. The location and the physical presence of odd characters should have made for a solid B detective movie of the times (except, perhaps, there might not be sufficient “noir” element.I can see the character actor of skeletal build, John Carradine playing a cameo role as Bishop Macintosh.
This is not my first Inspector Littlejohn mystery, and I have to say, the book I red earlier, The Case of the Headless Jesuit, published the following year, 1950, seemed better plotted, with broader humor and fewer distracting red herrings.
My thanks to the publisher and the George Bellairs Literary Estate for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.
August 2, 2018
I was sent a free electronic copy of this novel from the Poison Pen website in exchange for an honest review.
The Case of the Famished Parson was not ultimately about the parson, who was in fact a bishop, but rather how his fate led to a bigger and wider crime. I expected village rectories, teas and gossiping, but found instead rough old sea dogs with their bad language strictly censored. Bellairs regrettably lapses temporarily into sensationalism when his detective narrowly escapes a murder attempt, and does he question the blind and devoted respect we automatically pay to the clergy? It’s arguable.
The novel is well written and the plot moves along at a respectable pace, notwithstanding the brief interludes devoted to evoking the minor characters with admirable skill - the long suffering wife, the night porter’s scrounging habits and poor work ethic, and the poverty-stricken fisherman caught up in nefarious adventures to earn the money to pay for his sick wife’s medicine. If anything, it is the central detective who seems a little too flat and cerebral on the page, though he does inspire his wife’s loving patience and his assistant’s unswerving devotion. Humour pops up here and there, not least in the recurring mention of the millionaire’s shoes, and these touches give the novel a warmth and human interest which enhance the crime story.
I think the revival of Bellairs’ output is justified by his writing which is engaging, entertaining and well worth a read by any aficionados of crime writing.
The Case of the Famished Parson was not ultimately about the parson, who was in fact a bishop, but rather how his fate led to a bigger and wider crime. I expected village rectories, teas and gossiping, but found instead rough old sea dogs with their bad language strictly censored. Bellairs regrettably lapses temporarily into sensationalism when his detective narrowly escapes a murder attempt, and does he question the blind and devoted respect we automatically pay to the clergy? It’s arguable.
The novel is well written and the plot moves along at a respectable pace, notwithstanding the brief interludes devoted to evoking the minor characters with admirable skill - the long suffering wife, the night porter’s scrounging habits and poor work ethic, and the poverty-stricken fisherman caught up in nefarious adventures to earn the money to pay for his sick wife’s medicine. If anything, it is the central detective who seems a little too flat and cerebral on the page, though he does inspire his wife’s loving patience and his assistant’s unswerving devotion. Humour pops up here and there, not least in the recurring mention of the millionaire’s shoes, and these touches give the novel a warmth and human interest which enhance the crime story.
I think the revival of Bellairs’ output is justified by his writing which is engaging, entertaining and well worth a read by any aficionados of crime writing.
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