Gently Between Tides

Chief Superintendent Gently #29

by Mr Alan Hunter

Drifting upstream on the flood-tide in a dank October mist, a loosed dinghy carries the body of a once lovely girl, strangled. No mystery about who she was . . . everyone in the small Suffolk community devoted to music and sailing knew Hannah, the pleasant, reclusive Czech girl who lived alone in a Martello Tower by a lonely stretch of sand and shingle. The question who could have wanted her dead?Chief Superintendent George Gently, now living in the neighbourhood with his new wife, Gabrielle, is busy painting the stairs when the telephone sighing, he agrees to help the local man with the initial stages of the investigation.But in spite of himself he's drawn into the mystery, as they start to question those who might have known Hannah well. Her ex-husband? Her bookshop employer? The local war-hero? The flashy ex-crook who now runs a pub?As the river ripples back and forth in the mellow autumnal sunshine, Gently and the lugubrious Inspector Leyston set about piecing together fragments from the dead girl's two dinghies drawn up on the riverbank by the church; a rendezvous note; two cigarette ends; a poem in Czech . . . it begins to seem that there was more to Hannah than met the eye. And gradually, into Gently's sympathetic and intuitive mind, understanding flows like the rising tide . . .

Genres: Mystery

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Alan (the Lone Librarian) Teder · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Married Gently back in Shinglebourne
Review of the Constable Kindle eBook edition (2016) of the original Constable hardcover (1982).

One of the first things Gently had noticed about her was her ready and eager appetite. How she kept her figure was a mystery perhaps known only to the French; it was because, she claimed, that unlike the English she didn’t stuff herself at breakfast . . .

Chief Inspector Gently has moved into the vicinity of the music festival community Shinglebourne with his new French wife Gabrielle. As was the case with Gently Instrumental (Gently #24 - 1977), another local musician is found murdered. The Czech immigrant Hannah was somewhat of a recluse and lived in the restored local Martello Tower (another hint that the fictional Shinglebourne was inspired by the real-life Aldeburgh).

The victim had many admirers and an ex-husband to add to the list of suspects. As usual, although it is not his official case, Gently is called in to assist and can't resist solving the mystery. He makes a few wrong turns along the way but gets there in the end.


The dust cover of the original US hardcover published by Walker Mysteries in 1983. Image sourced from Goodreads.

Trivia and Link
Gently Between Tides was not adapted for the Inspector George Gently TV series (2007-2017). Very few of the TV episodes are based on the original books and the characters are quite different, e.g. Sgt Bacchus does not appear in the books. The timeline for the TV series takes place in the 1960s only.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the outset of this book, George and Gabrielle are settling into their new home. Gabrielle's had to go back to France to take care of business matters, so George has taken some leave from work to get some serious decorating done. That is, of course, until the local police ask for his help in a murrrderrrr case... So much for decorating.

This instalment is a good, solid detective story with nary a flaw but nothing to elevate it to five star status either. Gently's frustration at being dragged into working while he's supposed to be decorating is palpable but I don't know who he's trying to kid; he can't resist a case! I really enjoyed this one.

[Les Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book got to be one of my favourites by Alan Hunter.

[bert-bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the British set of DVDs of Inspector Gently, so thought I would try the actual books. I enjoyed the writing style as well as the fact that it wasn't detailed gruesome action scenes but rather about the process of solving the crime - my style of mystery!

[Elizabeth Higginbotham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gently Between Tides is my first Alan Hunter mystery with his superintendent, George Gently. Published in 1982, it is an interesting tale with many twists and turns as he solves a crime in little village in England near the marsh area. The characters are amazing, as so many people had something to hide and figuring out just who was rough. People were in protective modes and many other stances. Gently is an interesting character as he has to pretend he is not in charge, when clearly he was the only one who could solve the crime.

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Gently’s first case since moving to his new house in Suffolk sees him try to solve the murder of a young woman found strangled in her floating dinghy in the mist of the river.