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Hedley Nicholson #1
The Spoilt Kill
Artistic temperaments and rivalries hinder Detective Nicholson in his investigation of industrial expionage at Shentall's, an important English pottery, and may be responsible for the dead body found in a vat of liquid clay
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
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351 people want to read
About the author
Mary Kelly
14 books10 followersMary Kelly was an English crime writer best known for the Inspector Brett Nightingale series. Writing in the 1950s and 1960s, Kelly was celebrated for the sense of refreshingly dark suspense in her mysteries. Her novel , published in 1961, won the Gold Dagger Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
June 17, 2023
Сигурно за много криминални книги е писано, че не са като обикновените криминални истории, но тази наистина е такава. Най-малкото защото основното престъпление не е убийство, а индустриален шпионаж. В семейна фабрика за порцелан изтича ценна информация за новите дизайни, която конкурент-имитатор използва, за да бълва евтино менте. Собственикът наема детектив, който да разплете случая. Както казва и самият разследващ, мотивите зад всяко едно престъпление могат да бъдат само четири - отмъщение, любов, пари или психопатщина.
Изплуват много теми, много разнообразни характери и чувства, които надхвърлят идеята за криминален роман. Това е от тези книги, които само привидно са плитки води, след като нагазиш в тях, течението те отнася където дори не си предполагал. Героите са идеалисти, объркани и тревожни същества, но не и истински престъпници. На читателя му става жал за всички.
60-те години на 20 век, когато е писана книгата, е бумът на популярната култура и консуматорско общество. Тези теми днес са достатъчно обговорени, има си и цели контра течения като минимализма и редовния declutter, но за горките хора от следвоенната епоха, чието детство е минало във военновременни лишения, това изобилие е нещо съвършено ново и никога невиждано в човешката история. Никой не осъзнава какви рискове за личната почтеност крие стремежа към социална удовлетвореност, които дава демонстрацията на нови и красиви вещи.
Засегната е темата с кражбата на интелектуална собственост, външно представена от евтини имитации, бързо изместващи старите традиционни и скъпи занаятчийски продукти, с които са се идентифицирали заможните класи от предните поколения. Макар че престъплението не е никак безобидно - наготово ограбване на чуждо въображение и изстрадана идея, за която някой е платил солиден хонорар, Мери Кели се отнася иронично и към това. Първите собственици на керамични и порцеланови фабрики масово са крали работници и идеи едни от други.
Книгата е от поредицата на Британската библиотека, която изважда на бял свят забравени криминални шедьоври, или поне такава е анотацията. Не знам дали тази книга може да се причисли към шедьоврите, но със сигурност не заслужава забрава.
Изплуват много теми, много разнообразни характери и чувства, които надхвърлят идеята за криминален роман. Това е от тези книги, които само привидно са плитки води, след като нагазиш в тях, течението те отнася където дори не си предполагал. Героите са идеалисти, объркани и тревожни същества, но не и истински престъпници. На читателя му става жал за всички.
60-те години на 20 век, когато е писана книгата, е бумът на популярната култура и консуматорско общество. Тези теми днес са достатъчно обговорени, има си и цели контра течения като минимализма и редовния declutter, но за горките хора от следвоенната епоха, чието детство е минало във военновременни лишения, това изобилие е нещо съвършено ново и никога невиждано в човешката история. Никой не осъзнава какви рискове за личната почтеност крие стремежа към социална удовлетвореност, които дава демонстрацията на нови и красиви вещи.
Засегната е темата с кражбата на интелектуална собственост, външно представена от евтини имитации, бързо изместващи старите традиционни и скъпи занаятчийски продукти, с които са се идентифицирали заможните класи от предните поколения. Макар че престъплението не е никак безобидно - наготово ограбване на чуждо въображение и изстрадана идея, за която някой е платил солиден хонорар, Мери Кели се отнася иронично и към това. Първите собственици на керамични и порцеланови фабрики масово са крали работници и идеи едни от други.
Книгата е от поредицата на Британската библиотека, която изважда на бял свят забравени криминални шедьоври, или поне такава е анотацията. Не знам дали тази книга може да се причисли към шедьоврите, но със сигурност не заслужава забрава.
August 16, 2020
The body in the clay…
The prestigious old firm of Shentall’s Potteries has a problem – it seems someone may be leaking its designs, allowing counterfeiters to flood the market with cheap copies. The current head of the firm, Luke Shentall, has his suspicions of who is guilty, so calls in a private investigator to find proof, or alternatively to prove someone else is the culprit. It’s the investigator, Nicholson, who tells us the story, and he starts in the middle with the discovery of a body in the ark, a vault in which the liquid clay is stored…
This is a very different take on the traditional detective story. The narration gives it something of the style of the noir first-person private eye stories of the US, but without the true noir feel. Nicholson (we never learn his first name) is indeed a man with his own sorrows, somewhat world-weary but still with the ability to believe in the good in people. The other characters however are all fundamentally decent even if they each have their flaws, so that the effectiveness of the story comes from the fact that quite soon neither Nicholson nor the reader really wants any of them to be the guilty party. And especially we want Corinna Wakefield, Luke’s suspect, to be innocent – the reader because she quickly gains our sympathy and liking; Nicholson because he increasingly finds himself developing a deep attraction to her.
The quality of the writing is wonderful; this could as easily be read as literary fiction as crime. Kelly paints a full and affectionate portrait of the landscape and culture of the Staffordshire area and its traditional pottery industry, showing how the old methods and family-run businesses are gradually giving way to newer techniques, more cost efficient, perhaps, and certainly cleaner than the old coal-fired kilns, but also more impersonal. Shentall’s is one of the old firms, and while Luke has introduced up-to-date machinery and equipment, he works hard to retain the traditional atmosphere and values of this being a family concern – not just his own family, but his employees also passing their skills down through the generations, father to son, mother to daughter. This is partly why his suspicions have fallen on Corinna – as a talented designer, she has been brought in from the outside, and Luke can’t bring himself to believe that his long-term employees, many of whom worked for his father and even his grandfather before him, could betray the firm.
Kelly shows the soot-blackened buildings, the constantly-burning furnaces that can be seen from the older coal-fired kilns day and night, the pit, known as Etruria, where Wedgwood’s factory once stood, now the site of an iron works. These could easily be made visions of an industrial hell, but Kelly shows them as having a kind of dark beauty and as the beating heart of this community whose existence is inextricably linked with the potteries that provide their pay and their purpose.
The plot is divided into three sections: the first, a short one describing the finding of the body, though we aren’t given the victim’s identity at this early stage; then two long sections, one set before the finding of the body and one after. Because of the more literary, descriptive prose style it took me a little longer than usual to settle in, but once I had I became completely involved in the slow playing out of the story and in the characters that Kelly creates so well – not just the main players, but the other members of the staff and workers of the pottery, each of whom has their own part to play. The mystery is rather secondary to Nicholson’s growing dilemma – his distaste for the job grows as his feelings for Corinna deepen, and his initial pretence of befriending her so he can get close to her feels sordid now that he discovers he would like to be more than her friend. But he’s a hired hand and must do his best for Luke, and it seems more and more that, innocent or guilty, Corinna is at the heart of the mystery.
I thought this was great, and the ending, when it came, arose perfectly from the characterisation and motivations Kelly had so carefully and subtly built throughout. Shall I admit that it actually made me cry, just a little? Not a thing that happens often, especially in crime novels. A travesty that this one should ever have been allowed to become “forgotten” – Martin Edwards refers to it as her “masterpiece” and for once that word seems perfectly chosen to me.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
The prestigious old firm of Shentall’s Potteries has a problem – it seems someone may be leaking its designs, allowing counterfeiters to flood the market with cheap copies. The current head of the firm, Luke Shentall, has his suspicions of who is guilty, so calls in a private investigator to find proof, or alternatively to prove someone else is the culprit. It’s the investigator, Nicholson, who tells us the story, and he starts in the middle with the discovery of a body in the ark, a vault in which the liquid clay is stored…
This is a very different take on the traditional detective story. The narration gives it something of the style of the noir first-person private eye stories of the US, but without the true noir feel. Nicholson (we never learn his first name) is indeed a man with his own sorrows, somewhat world-weary but still with the ability to believe in the good in people. The other characters however are all fundamentally decent even if they each have their flaws, so that the effectiveness of the story comes from the fact that quite soon neither Nicholson nor the reader really wants any of them to be the guilty party. And especially we want Corinna Wakefield, Luke’s suspect, to be innocent – the reader because she quickly gains our sympathy and liking; Nicholson because he increasingly finds himself developing a deep attraction to her.
The quality of the writing is wonderful; this could as easily be read as literary fiction as crime. Kelly paints a full and affectionate portrait of the landscape and culture of the Staffordshire area and its traditional pottery industry, showing how the old methods and family-run businesses are gradually giving way to newer techniques, more cost efficient, perhaps, and certainly cleaner than the old coal-fired kilns, but also more impersonal. Shentall’s is one of the old firms, and while Luke has introduced up-to-date machinery and equipment, he works hard to retain the traditional atmosphere and values of this being a family concern – not just his own family, but his employees also passing their skills down through the generations, father to son, mother to daughter. This is partly why his suspicions have fallen on Corinna – as a talented designer, she has been brought in from the outside, and Luke can’t bring himself to believe that his long-term employees, many of whom worked for his father and even his grandfather before him, could betray the firm.
Kelly shows the soot-blackened buildings, the constantly-burning furnaces that can be seen from the older coal-fired kilns day and night, the pit, known as Etruria, where Wedgwood’s factory once stood, now the site of an iron works. These could easily be made visions of an industrial hell, but Kelly shows them as having a kind of dark beauty and as the beating heart of this community whose existence is inextricably linked with the potteries that provide their pay and their purpose.
I stared down into the pit, at the black buildings silhouetted against the flushed sky, buildings, some of them, flickering within, as if a river of liquid gold were rolling through them. Clouds of steam and smoke drifted across the shadowy vale, rosy steam, lit from the fires below. There was a continuous hollow rushing sound, broken by clanks of shunting. An engine, raised on a bank, black and red, like a slide, moved slowly backwards and forwards. The whole pit seemed to breathe as it worked; for though it was past midnight on Saturday, and the Newcastle neighbours’ windows were dark, naked lights on gantries and signals glittered all over Etruria.
The plot is divided into three sections: the first, a short one describing the finding of the body, though we aren’t given the victim’s identity at this early stage; then two long sections, one set before the finding of the body and one after. Because of the more literary, descriptive prose style it took me a little longer than usual to settle in, but once I had I became completely involved in the slow playing out of the story and in the characters that Kelly creates so well – not just the main players, but the other members of the staff and workers of the pottery, each of whom has their own part to play. The mystery is rather secondary to Nicholson’s growing dilemma – his distaste for the job grows as his feelings for Corinna deepen, and his initial pretence of befriending her so he can get close to her feels sordid now that he discovers he would like to be more than her friend. But he’s a hired hand and must do his best for Luke, and it seems more and more that, innocent or guilty, Corinna is at the heart of the mystery.
I thought this was great, and the ending, when it came, arose perfectly from the characterisation and motivations Kelly had so carefully and subtly built throughout. Shall I admit that it actually made me cry, just a little? Not a thing that happens often, especially in crime novels. A travesty that this one should ever have been allowed to become “forgotten” – Martin Edwards refers to it as her “masterpiece” and for once that word seems perfectly chosen to me.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
March 21, 2023
Private investigator Hedley Nicholson is engaged by a family-owned pottery firm in Staffordshire to look into industrial espionage, as cheap knock-offs of their designs are appearing on the international market. Nicholson is undercover as a writer researching the history of the business for a retrospective book when a death occurs. The author, who won the CWA Gold Dagger award for this when it was published in 1961, demonstrates thorough knowledge of the pottery industry and its practices. She also has considerable skill in crafting a well-honed plot and characters whose tangled alliances engage the reader. As series editor Martin Edwards says in his introduction: "...an impressive feature of the story is the way in which crime appears to be a natural consequence of particular personalities and patterns of behaviour. There is no sense of contrivance, of stock figures being manipulated to suit the plot" (vii). Also, while Kelly could have chosen a conventional ending, I applaud the fact that she didn't; I loved every word, every moment of understated drama in the very last section. I read her Inspector Brett Nightingale novel, The Christmas Egg, last year, but this a bit stronger story, and yet another excellent entry in the British Library Crime Classics series.
June 2, 2021
Just to prove that not all murder mysteries need to take place in a country house, or the excitement of London, this novel from 1961 is set in a pottery in Staffordshire. It is very educational in terms of the process of creating tableware from design to final sale, and the details are carefully woven into a clever plot of murder and industrial espionage. This novel has been reprinted in the highly successful British Library Crime Classics series. As Martin Edwards points out in his informative Introduction, it marked a high point for writer Mary Kelly with its blend of a realistic workplace setting with almost lyrical descriptions of the surrounding area. It is also excellent on characters – Corinna as the designer with a mysterious past, Gillian being a demanding wife, the ambitious Dudley, attractive Freddy and the responsible Luke. Others jostle for attention as they work in Shentall’s Pottery or are linked to it, and they are all considered by the thoughtful Hedley Nicholson, private investigator who narrates in a calm, sometimes resigned way. The unusual structure of this book means that a body is discovered “What happened” with its identity concealed from the reader, then a section which explained the build up to the find “What happened before”, and then a section of “What happened after” which explains the events which followed. I particularly enjoyed this section, as sometimes the crime is solved and all the characters instantly disappear from view, which can be frustrating if I have developed an interest in them. This is a well written and satisfying addition to the series, and I was very pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this intelligent and sensitively narrated novel.
The novel begins with Nicholson observing the subdued Corinna guiding a party around the pottery, gloomily aware of her sadness. The tourists ask questions, allowing her to expand on the description of the site. In a quiet way she explains how the kilns are no longer coal heated but gas fired, cleaner and less effort. In time she will show Nicholson the area which has been transformed by this change of fuel; this is a carefully researched book in which the setting is enhanced by the dialogue, as well as being deeply rooted in character. Nicholson is attracted by Corinna, but her reticence is deep rooted and he is confused by her sudden bursts of revelation. Can he trust her, or indeed any of the other characters he has been brought in to investigate, as potentially lucrative designs have been appearing elsewhere on inferior products. The system of design and production has some gaps which would allow the designs to be misappropriated, but there seems no easy way to discover who is responsible. The appearance of a body in a shocking way elevates the investigation to a new level, but is Nicholson ready to discover the truth?
This is a novel which is outstanding for its sense of place and setting, as well as its resigned narration by Nicholson. It is never easy to review a mystery novel without giving too much away, but it is easy to point out how genuinely well written this novel is, revealing so much about the fictional characters Kelly has created through as seen through Nicholson’s eyes. I recommend it as a very readable book which reveals much about its time and setting.
The novel begins with Nicholson observing the subdued Corinna guiding a party around the pottery, gloomily aware of her sadness. The tourists ask questions, allowing her to expand on the description of the site. In a quiet way she explains how the kilns are no longer coal heated but gas fired, cleaner and less effort. In time she will show Nicholson the area which has been transformed by this change of fuel; this is a carefully researched book in which the setting is enhanced by the dialogue, as well as being deeply rooted in character. Nicholson is attracted by Corinna, but her reticence is deep rooted and he is confused by her sudden bursts of revelation. Can he trust her, or indeed any of the other characters he has been brought in to investigate, as potentially lucrative designs have been appearing elsewhere on inferior products. The system of design and production has some gaps which would allow the designs to be misappropriated, but there seems no easy way to discover who is responsible. The appearance of a body in a shocking way elevates the investigation to a new level, but is Nicholson ready to discover the truth?
This is a novel which is outstanding for its sense of place and setting, as well as its resigned narration by Nicholson. It is never easy to review a mystery novel without giving too much away, but it is easy to point out how genuinely well written this novel is, revealing so much about the fictional characters Kelly has created through as seen through Nicholson’s eyes. I recommend it as a very readable book which reveals much about its time and setting.
January 4, 2021
Definitely not one of my favorites in the British Library reissues. It was OK, but I guess I just didn't get into it, although it picked up towards the end.
Shentall is an old pottery firm that hires a private investigator, Nicholson, our narrator, to find out how their designs are being copied. The main suspect is Corinna Wakefield, a designer relatively new to the firm. Nicholson ends up falling for her, and most of the story is the emotional rollercoaster that everyone in the firm seems to be riding on. When a dead body is discovered in the clay, secrets start spilling out as the mystery moves from stolen designs to murder.
The story is presented in three (non-chronological) parts - the discovery of the body, what happened before, and what happened after. It is only what happened after where it picks up steam. The description of the pottery works and surrounding countryside are extremely interesting and well-written, the best part of this novel. But the emotional characterizations that make up the bulk of this story weren't my cup of tea.
Shentall is an old pottery firm that hires a private investigator, Nicholson, our narrator, to find out how their designs are being copied. The main suspect is Corinna Wakefield, a designer relatively new to the firm. Nicholson ends up falling for her, and most of the story is the emotional rollercoaster that everyone in the firm seems to be riding on. When a dead body is discovered in the clay, secrets start spilling out as the mystery moves from stolen designs to murder.
The story is presented in three (non-chronological) parts - the discovery of the body, what happened before, and what happened after. It is only what happened after where it picks up steam. The description of the pottery works and surrounding countryside are extremely interesting and well-written, the best part of this novel. But the emotional characterizations that make up the bulk of this story weren't my cup of tea.
January 10, 2021
This was my favourite so far in the Martin Edwards series of classic crime novels. It's a long way from an Agatha Christie whodunnit. The crimes themselves are not centre stage for most of it, they are hooks to draw us into a vividly portrayed world of post war industrial Britain, and psychologically convincing studies of the struggle for love and money. In a way it's more like a film noir in which the investigator himself is emotionally involved and his narration is hard-boiled and fraught. The book could have been a novel on its own without the whodunnit aspect. In some crime novels the minor characters are little more than ciphers, but these are well-drawn and interesting in their own right.
July 2, 2024
Bought this book in beautiful Ely while visiting with my lovely friend Georgia.
I absolutely loved this book. This was partly due to the novel's setting. The references to Stoke on Trent and the wider Staffordshire area were very nostalgic for me. The writing is brilliant, emphasising how detective fiction can be great literature. I found the depicted relationships beautiful in their complexity. I did not expect to be so moved by this book! Would recommend so much.
I absolutely loved this book. This was partly due to the novel's setting. The references to Stoke on Trent and the wider Staffordshire area were very nostalgic for me. The writing is brilliant, emphasising how detective fiction can be great literature. I found the depicted relationships beautiful in their complexity. I did not expect to be so moved by this book! Would recommend so much.
January 17, 2022
Very good. Very noir.
April 27, 2024
Character driven, mystery, police procedural. Very well written by an author I'd not come across before. Especially liked the setting and the mores of the 60's. Well worth a look at.
September 27, 2022
A moody, dark, English Catholic mystery. I’m not sure it reminds me of anything else—the missing link between Graham Greene, P.D. James, and Margery Allingham? Buried beneath the northern clay and the subtle symbolism and the male/female psychology and the post-war disillusionment is a tricky, misleading-in-the-best-way puzzle.
Not everything works. The language gets purple, the characters get overdone, the timeline gets fancy for no good reason. But approach it with patience and you’ll love it—or it will drive you nuts, like Greene, James, and Allingham sometimes do.
Not everything works. The language gets purple, the characters get overdone, the timeline gets fancy for no good reason. But approach it with patience and you’ll love it—or it will drive you nuts, like Greene, James, and Allingham sometimes do.
February 20, 2022
Small things ruined this book for me: single quotation marks, frequent use of "he" instead of a name. I did not find it an easy book to read, got impatient in the middle when there were various (artificial?) ways to introduce the characters (at parties) and frustrated towards the end when I felt confused as to the murderer's identity. And yet, having finished it and read the introduction, I think the final two pages merit at least 2.5 stars if not three, but then I remember how trying the middle section was.
Would I recommend it? That is harder to say. I certainly enjoyed the pottery setting. It is also good to discover authors who've been out of print for long.
Would I recommend it? That is harder to say. I certainly enjoyed the pottery setting. It is also good to discover authors who've been out of print for long.
October 23, 2025
Cozy mystery is a subgenre I enjoy, and The Spoilt Kill by Mary Kelly initially appealed to me because of its place in the modern mystery classics. I was eager to explore more of the classic British mystery tradition, and the idea of setting a murder within a pottery factory felt fresh and innovative for its time. Mary Kelly’s deep understanding of the trade gives the novel authenticity, grounding the mystery in an unusual yet atmospheric setting that fits the cozy mystery tone.
However, despite its originality, I struggled with the pacing and found it difficult to connect with any of the characters. The middle of the story dragged, and the slow unraveling of the mystery made it hard to stay engaged. While the final act picked up slightly, the resolution left me somewhat confused and unsatisfied.
Overall, I appreciated Kelly’s craftsmanship and her effort to merge industrial realism with a classic whodunit, but the execution didn’t quite capture the charm or momentum I look for in cozy mysteries. The Spoilt Kill stands out as an innovative experiment within the genre, though it ultimately felt more like an intellectual exercise than an emotionally engaging mystery.
However, despite its originality, I struggled with the pacing and found it difficult to connect with any of the characters. The middle of the story dragged, and the slow unraveling of the mystery made it hard to stay engaged. While the final act picked up slightly, the resolution left me somewhat confused and unsatisfied.
Overall, I appreciated Kelly’s craftsmanship and her effort to merge industrial realism with a classic whodunit, but the execution didn’t quite capture the charm or momentum I look for in cozy mysteries. The Spoilt Kill stands out as an innovative experiment within the genre, though it ultimately felt more like an intellectual exercise than an emotionally engaging mystery.
February 23, 2023
The cover is good, but it's not what piqued my interest. What made me read the book was the blurb. The story sounded very interesting. If the setting had not been described so well, I would not have thought about the year. I really didn't expect to like it this much.
The action takes place in a porcelain and ceramics factory in Staffordshire. Private investigator Nicholson is challenged with the daunting task of finding out who is behind a leak of information about their latest products. Someone inside will be charged with espionage. But who will it be? Nicholson is undercover, tracking the newest addition to the team, Corrina. Meanwhile, a terrible incident occurs that looks a lot like murder. Is the perpetrator the same though?
I really liked the author's way of keeping us in the dark about who the victim is. Thus, chapter after chapter, we get to know the characters and all the time we wonder which of them will die. At the same time, I wondered who would want to kill whom. I will admit that I had two suspects for the victim and it turned out to be one of them, but the motive eluded me. Mary Kelly very skilfully skated us literally to the last page.
As for the espionage, I couldn't guess who was behind it. The action is not particularly dynamic, but it moves in a moderate rhythm that helps us feel the situation and start making guesses. Clues have been cleverly dropped here and there, and we're walking side by side with Detective Nicholson and building theories. I liked the idea of a community in the factory that was like one big family.
The action takes place in a porcelain and ceramics factory in Staffordshire. Private investigator Nicholson is challenged with the daunting task of finding out who is behind a leak of information about their latest products. Someone inside will be charged with espionage. But who will it be? Nicholson is undercover, tracking the newest addition to the team, Corrina. Meanwhile, a terrible incident occurs that looks a lot like murder. Is the perpetrator the same though?
I really liked the author's way of keeping us in the dark about who the victim is. Thus, chapter after chapter, we get to know the characters and all the time we wonder which of them will die. At the same time, I wondered who would want to kill whom. I will admit that I had two suspects for the victim and it turned out to be one of them, but the motive eluded me. Mary Kelly very skilfully skated us literally to the last page.
As for the espionage, I couldn't guess who was behind it. The action is not particularly dynamic, but it moves in a moderate rhythm that helps us feel the situation and start making guesses. Clues have been cleverly dropped here and there, and we're walking side by side with Detective Nicholson and building theories. I liked the idea of a community in the factory that was like one big family.
February 9, 2021
This book isn't just a murder mystery. It's literary fiction that happens to include a murder mystery. Its narrator is a private investigator hired to find out who has been selling a company's original designs to competitors. While he is engaged in that job, a murder occurs on the worksite. By then, Nicholson, the investigator, is entangled in various ways with some of the company's employees.
The book is really a close look at what it's like to extract information about people by forming relationships with them. Nicholson observes himself while doing his job, and often does not like what he sees, both in himself and others. The importance of social position, money, debts, one's accent, and what sort of car one drives are a snapshot of life in an English industrial town soon after WWII.
I found the setting--an industrial pottery in Staffordshire--to be interesting in itself. The processes and machinery, and the terms used for those things, are fascinating. The characters are presented in vivid, even merciless detail. It could be argued that there is too much detail and analysis of nuances and implications, but everything is explained in the end.
This is not a cheerful book by any means. The few touches of humour are low-key and ironic. It is, however, an engrossing and interesting read.
The book is really a close look at what it's like to extract information about people by forming relationships with them. Nicholson observes himself while doing his job, and often does not like what he sees, both in himself and others. The importance of social position, money, debts, one's accent, and what sort of car one drives are a snapshot of life in an English industrial town soon after WWII.
I found the setting--an industrial pottery in Staffordshire--to be interesting in itself. The processes and machinery, and the terms used for those things, are fascinating. The characters are presented in vivid, even merciless detail. It could be argued that there is too much detail and analysis of nuances and implications, but everything is explained in the end.
This is not a cheerful book by any means. The few touches of humour are low-key and ironic. It is, however, an engrossing and interesting read.
October 10, 2021
It is a long time since I've managed to read a book in a weekend, especially in term time, but this had me hooked from the mysterious 'start-in-the-middle' opening. MAry Kelly won the CWA Gold Dagger for this book and it is easy to see why: well paced, well plotted, excellent characterisation, really evocative setting - the Staffordshire potteries in the early 1960s - and descriptions so visual I felt I was seeing it rather than reading it. (In fact, this would make a fabulous television series in the 'Endevour' vein!) Highly recommended if you like your mysteries twisty... and have a love of pottery!
April 27, 2022
Someone is stealing designs from Shentalls' potteries. Nicholson, a studious private investigator, is hired and told that designer Corinna is the most likely suspect. But he finds himself falling in love with her. When the two discover a body, the police come into the story, although Nicholson doesn't know if the murder has anything to do with the thefts. Lots of information about making bone china, china, and pottery (Shentalls does all three) and what the industrial midlands were like in the 1950's.
May 31, 2024
Много, много добра кримка, която през далечната 1961 г. е спечелила британската награда за криминален роман. Има и атмосфера, и интересна загадка, и неординарен протагонист - частен детектив, разчитащ на наблюдателност, разсъждения и разговори, и неочакван финал. Има и нетрадиционна главна героиня, изобщо книжката се чете много леко и приятно и се запомня, за разлика от купища други кримки.
Want to read
April 30, 2019Synopsis: freelance detective Nicholson is hired to uncover which employee is leaking new fashion designs to a competitor.
June 8, 2021
Loved the unusual setting of a Staffordshire pottery. The characterizations were well done.
December 29, 2023
I just couldn't get into this one. I think Mary Kelly's writing is not a fit, for me. This is the second of her books that I've dnf'd.
April 3, 2023
A year or so ago, I read and loved Due to a Death, a brooding psychological mystery by the English crime writer Mary Kelly. The Spoilt Kill was published a year before Due to a Death, and it shares something of the same mood – a doomed, fatalistic tone that runs through the book. In short, it’s another triumph for this underappreciated writer, a brilliant literary mystery with shades of Dorothy B. Hughes.
Set in the Staffordshire Potteries in the early 1960s, The Spoilt Kill is narrated by Hedley Nicholson, a private investigator in his mid-forties. Someone has been leaking the new designs at Shentall’s, a traditional, family-run pottery manufacturer in the area, resulting in cheap, copycat versions of their ceramics appearing overseas. With the US representing a lucrative market for pottery, the firm’s MD, Luke Shentall, has hired Nicholson to investigate the situation, preferring a more discreet approach than involving the police. In order to carry out his investigations, Nicholson is posing under the guise of a writer, tasked by Luke to capture the firm’s story in an updated promotional brochure – a cover story that enables Nicholson to go poking around the factory asking probing questions without raising too many suspicions.
The stealth, the pains taken, the risks to livelihood that were involved all added up to one word; money. For all Luke’s information about staff and access and cameras, it was money that I had chiefly to look for; money needed or money spent; someone poor, desperately, habitually, or suddenly; or someone merely greedy; or extravagant. That was why I wanted to see the salary sheets. As for wages – time enough to think about them when I’d fruitlessly exhausted the staff. A great thing was to remember that nothing was impossible; nothing, and no one. (p. 47–48)
The nature of the leaks suggests the culprit is someone with early access to the designs, a factor that narrows the suspects down to a handful of individuals – chief amongst them Corinna Wakefield, a talented artist who produces the firm’s new designs. Moreover, Corinna is one of the few ‘outsiders’ at Shentall’s. A former textiles designer from Manchester with no previous links to the pottery business or the local area, she rarely mixes with the others at the factory, setting her apart from those with generations of family loyalty to the firm.
As Nicholson’s investigation gets underway, the situation is further complicated by two significant factors. Firstly, the world-weary Nicholson finds himself developing feelings for Corinna, an attractive thirty-five-year-old widow with a somewhat shady, mysterious past. Consequently, Nicholson feels torn between his duty to Luke Shentall and his growing personal feelings towards a leading suspect in the case. Secondly, during one of the regular guided tours of the factory, a dead body is discovered in one of the vaults for liquid clay, raising the possibility of foul play in an already tense environment…
To read the rest of my review, please visit:
https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2023...
Set in the Staffordshire Potteries in the early 1960s, The Spoilt Kill is narrated by Hedley Nicholson, a private investigator in his mid-forties. Someone has been leaking the new designs at Shentall’s, a traditional, family-run pottery manufacturer in the area, resulting in cheap, copycat versions of their ceramics appearing overseas. With the US representing a lucrative market for pottery, the firm’s MD, Luke Shentall, has hired Nicholson to investigate the situation, preferring a more discreet approach than involving the police. In order to carry out his investigations, Nicholson is posing under the guise of a writer, tasked by Luke to capture the firm’s story in an updated promotional brochure – a cover story that enables Nicholson to go poking around the factory asking probing questions without raising too many suspicions.
The stealth, the pains taken, the risks to livelihood that were involved all added up to one word; money. For all Luke’s information about staff and access and cameras, it was money that I had chiefly to look for; money needed or money spent; someone poor, desperately, habitually, or suddenly; or someone merely greedy; or extravagant. That was why I wanted to see the salary sheets. As for wages – time enough to think about them when I’d fruitlessly exhausted the staff. A great thing was to remember that nothing was impossible; nothing, and no one. (p. 47–48)
The nature of the leaks suggests the culprit is someone with early access to the designs, a factor that narrows the suspects down to a handful of individuals – chief amongst them Corinna Wakefield, a talented artist who produces the firm’s new designs. Moreover, Corinna is one of the few ‘outsiders’ at Shentall’s. A former textiles designer from Manchester with no previous links to the pottery business or the local area, she rarely mixes with the others at the factory, setting her apart from those with generations of family loyalty to the firm.
As Nicholson’s investigation gets underway, the situation is further complicated by two significant factors. Firstly, the world-weary Nicholson finds himself developing feelings for Corinna, an attractive thirty-five-year-old widow with a somewhat shady, mysterious past. Consequently, Nicholson feels torn between his duty to Luke Shentall and his growing personal feelings towards a leading suspect in the case. Secondly, during one of the regular guided tours of the factory, a dead body is discovered in one of the vaults for liquid clay, raising the possibility of foul play in an already tense environment…
To read the rest of my review, please visit:
https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2023...
January 15, 2023
Историята в „Мъртва партида“ е разделена на три част. В първата, която е най-кратка, описва намирането на тялото, но самоличността на убития не е разкрита. Втората и третата част насочват вниманието на читателя съответно към събитията, случили се преди убийството и съответно след откриването на трупа. Мери Кели е заложила на един доста интересен и държащ в напрежение подход – главният герой разпознава мъртвеца, но не разкрива нейната или неговата самоличност, докато не разкаже чрез ретроспекция събитията, които са довели до това отвратително деяние. Общо-взето, това е книга от типа „Коя е жертвата?“ и част от удоволствието на читателя е свързано с мистерията около самоличността на умрелия.
„Мъртва партида“ е част от класическите криминални романи, подбрани от Британската библиотека. И тази криминална мистерия носи невероятната атмосфера на епохата, в която е писана, и ненапразно печели „Златния кинжал“ на Асоциацията на авторите на криминални романи. Препоръчвам книгата с две ръце, защото и до ден днешен е един от шедьоврите в жанра, изящен като порцелана, който изработват във фабрика „Шентълс“.
Цялото ревю е тук: https://booksguidebg.wordpress.com/20...
„Мъртва партида“ е част от класическите криминални романи, подбрани от Британската библиотека. И тази криминална мистерия носи невероятната атмосфера на епохата, в която е писана, и ненапразно печели „Златния кинжал“ на Асоциацията на авторите на криминални романи. Препоръчвам книгата с две ръце, защото и до ден днешен е един от шедьоврите в жанра, изящен като порцелана, който изработват във фабрика „Шентълс“.
Цялото ревю е тук: https://booksguidebg.wordpress.com/20...
May 12, 2022
Private investigator Hedley Nicholson takes on the role of a writer working for a Shentall's, a long-established institution of the Staffordshire potteries industry, but in reality he is there to gather clues to who is stealing the company's pottery designs and selling them to international competition. The easy answer seems to be the designer herself and shortly after taking on the job, Nicholson finds himself in the unenviable role of spy and for once he is not comfortable in that role.
By 'working' at the factory and getting to know the owner and his employees, Nicholson finds there is no clean way to finding the solution; he may not be friends but he's begun to care. And then there's a body. Nicholson can say it has nothing to do with him but it does and out of concern and fear for one individual, he has to continue through to the end.
An amazingly complex, deeply moving story by a talented and little known English crime writer. Mary Kelly's characters are all so real — we all know people just list those who revolve around Nicholson. The dialogue is clear, realistic and at times so heartbreaking. Yet, though it all, this is a wonderful story that impresses over and over again.
By 'working' at the factory and getting to know the owner and his employees, Nicholson finds there is no clean way to finding the solution; he may not be friends but he's begun to care. And then there's a body. Nicholson can say it has nothing to do with him but it does and out of concern and fear for one individual, he has to continue through to the end.
An amazingly complex, deeply moving story by a talented and little known English crime writer. Mary Kelly's characters are all so real — we all know people just list those who revolve around Nicholson. The dialogue is clear, realistic and at times so heartbreaking. Yet, though it all, this is a wonderful story that impresses over and over again.
February 8, 2021
This is part of the British Library Crime Classics series of lesser known but still important mystery titles. Author Mary Kelly, according to the introduction by Martin Edwards, was not primarily a mystery writer. But this title won the Golden Dagger Award when it came out in 1961, apparently beating out John LeCarre. My husband found this edition on the new bookshelf at the library.
The setting is industrial England--specifically the pottery making area of Stoke-on-Trent, and the information about the industry is very detailed and interesting. The title, in fact, is a reference to the kiln used in firing the pottery, and the spoilt refers to a mistake, problem, etc. in a process. As it turns out, a body is found in the kiln. The narrator is a private detective hired to find out who is stealing and selling some of the company's designs. He gets very involved in the lives of some of the key people in the work environment. Very psychological, dark, and many references to class inequities.
It was a good, engaging read, and apparently, it was one of her best.
The setting is industrial England--specifically the pottery making area of Stoke-on-Trent, and the information about the industry is very detailed and interesting. The title, in fact, is a reference to the kiln used in firing the pottery, and the spoilt refers to a mistake, problem, etc. in a process. As it turns out, a body is found in the kiln. The narrator is a private detective hired to find out who is stealing and selling some of the company's designs. He gets very involved in the lives of some of the key people in the work environment. Very psychological, dark, and many references to class inequities.
It was a good, engaging read, and apparently, it was one of her best.
May 4, 2021
Private Investigator Hedley Nicholson is tasked with going undercover at Shentall's Pottery Foundry to uncover who is leaking their new designs to rivals. Corinna Wakefield is pointed out by boss Luke as an outsider and Hedley becomes slowly entangled in her life. When a murder is discovered he fears it could be Corinna. In the preview Martin Edwards stated that this was Mary Kelly's masterpiece (yeah right I thought) but he was right. Stoke is area I'm familiar with as is Shentall's but at the centre is the relationship between Corinna and Hedley. I despair that this couple are considered old at 35 and 45 years of age but I again I'm familiar with the attitudes from the time. There is a murder to solve but it doesn't matter because I can't think of a book that has captured my frustration as this couple. It's shame Mary Kelly stopped writing and is almost forgotten but The Spoilt Kill rights that wrong.
July 28, 2021
Published originally in the 1960s and set in the Potteries, Staffordshire, The head of the firm of Shentall Pottery calls in a private investigator to find out who is stealing designs and selling them to an overseas company. It is told from the perspective of Nicholson, the investigator.
There was an unusual feel to this story. It began in the middle with the discovery of a body, then flashed back to the beginning building up the plot, back story and characters until you arrived again at the body. This time we discover who is dead. From there is the investigation culminating in apprehending the culprits.
The writing style was exceptional and while long passages covered the pottery industry, manufacturing techniques and travels around Staffordshire, it didn’t become boring. The characters were so well described that it felt as if I knew them, and the plotting was intricate but tight.
The only downside for me was Corinna. I didn’t like her at all and couldn’t feel any empathy towards her. However, I think that the author set up the people, relationships, and motives to allow the reader to make their own decisions on how they felt towards them. It wasn’t set in stone - you must like this one and dislike that one. They were everyday people with normal feelings and reactions.
Unfortunately, Nicholson begins to have feelings for Corinna even though she is the lynchpin of the mysteries and begins to wonder if he can step back from his involvement showing his self-disgust at what he must do to reach a conclusion.
It was a slow-moving story but never boring for me. The outcome gave very common reasons for the crimes because the motivation belonged to ordinary people. I found them very sad but not unexpected. The story didn’t need the final twist at the end, but it rounded everything off completely. I enjoyed the whole book very much.
I’m glad that this was republished, and I’ll certainly keep my eyes open for any further reprints from Mary Kelly.
There was an unusual feel to this story. It began in the middle with the discovery of a body, then flashed back to the beginning building up the plot, back story and characters until you arrived again at the body. This time we discover who is dead. From there is the investigation culminating in apprehending the culprits.
The writing style was exceptional and while long passages covered the pottery industry, manufacturing techniques and travels around Staffordshire, it didn’t become boring. The characters were so well described that it felt as if I knew them, and the plotting was intricate but tight.
The only downside for me was Corinna. I didn’t like her at all and couldn’t feel any empathy towards her. However, I think that the author set up the people, relationships, and motives to allow the reader to make their own decisions on how they felt towards them. It wasn’t set in stone - you must like this one and dislike that one. They were everyday people with normal feelings and reactions.
Unfortunately, Nicholson begins to have feelings for Corinna even though she is the lynchpin of the mysteries and begins to wonder if he can step back from his involvement showing his self-disgust at what he must do to reach a conclusion.
It was a slow-moving story but never boring for me. The outcome gave very common reasons for the crimes because the motivation belonged to ordinary people. I found them very sad but not unexpected. The story didn’t need the final twist at the end, but it rounded everything off completely. I enjoyed the whole book very much.
I’m glad that this was republished, and I’ll certainly keep my eyes open for any further reprints from Mary Kelly.
February 13, 2024
This book of Mary Kelly is also mostly built of conversation and the internal musings of the protagonist. He is a detective investigating the illegal sale of a new china pattern to another factory, and he falls in love with his main suspect. And then there is a murder, and the body is of a man his suspect has thrown clay at earlier in the day.
The murder case is good, and the solution is not predictable, but the writing is difficult to get through - it is slow and most of it yields no new or interesting information. Nicholson is not just introspective, he's whiny and self-centred, as well as self-deprecative, and not in a funny way. There is too much about his jealousy and not enough about the case. The book is a star-crossed lovers drama with a murder in the background, with some open mentions of sex and the evil of capitalism. It is not a book I would have selected for a series of classic criminal novels.
The murder case is good, and the solution is not predictable, but the writing is difficult to get through - it is slow and most of it yields no new or interesting information. Nicholson is not just introspective, he's whiny and self-centred, as well as self-deprecative, and not in a funny way. There is too much about his jealousy and not enough about the case. The book is a star-crossed lovers drama with a murder in the background, with some open mentions of sex and the evil of capitalism. It is not a book I would have selected for a series of classic criminal novels.
June 7, 2024
The Spoilt Kill is a detective story set in the Potteries in the early 1960s. It begins with the discovery of a body and then the book reveals the backstory that led to that moment. The final act of the book is the investigation and solution.
This is a British detective story influenced by the great American noir novels of the 30s & 40s. Only set in Stoke. It's cynical and gloomy, and won't be for everyone. I must admit that at first I wasn't sure about it, but that was because I went in expecting something else. What I got was a social drama, as the first person narration from the private detective reveals the inside lives of a group of workers at a potters. Along the way he becomes attracted to a co-worker, who may well be the killer.
As I said, it won't be for everyone, but it's worth the effort. If Ken Loach or Mike Leigh made a detective story, it would probably be like this.
This is a British detective story influenced by the great American noir novels of the 30s & 40s. Only set in Stoke. It's cynical and gloomy, and won't be for everyone. I must admit that at first I wasn't sure about it, but that was because I went in expecting something else. What I got was a social drama, as the first person narration from the private detective reveals the inside lives of a group of workers at a potters. Along the way he becomes attracted to a co-worker, who may well be the killer.
As I said, it won't be for everyone, but it's worth the effort. If Ken Loach or Mike Leigh made a detective story, it would probably be like this.
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