In Camera

Keith Calder #17

by Gerald Hammond

Keith Calder’s gunsmithing used to be confined to the tools of sport. Did he ever expect to encounter an assassin? Along with whisky, bagpipes, and golf, the Scots have added in the last decade another robust, entertaining the Highland mysteries of Gerald Hammond, peopled with a colorful assortment of characters and, in his best-known Keith Calder series, filled with fascinating gun lore. In Camera finds Calder, during a slow summer at the gunshop, interviewing a new job candidate. But when a series of questions about the applicant’s references reveals a sinister tale suggesting nothing less than an assassination plot, Calder is met with a case whose repercussions may reach far beyond rural Newton Lauder. Praise for Gerald “Gerald Hammond’s series about gunsmith Keith Calder is rewarding indeed.” - Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine Born in 1926, Gerald Hammond lived in Scotland, where he retired from his profession as an architect in 1982 to pursue his love of shooting and fishing and to write full time. After his first novel, Fred in Situ, was published in 1965, Gerald became a prolific author with over 70 published novels. Most of his novels were published under his own name, but he also wrote under the pseudonyms Arthur Douglas and Dalby Holden.

Genres: Mystery

154 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 23, 1991

About the author

Gerald Hammond, (Gerald Arthur Douglas Hammond) son of Frederick Arthur Lucas (a physician) and Maria Birnie (a nursing sister) Hammond; married Gilda Isobel Watt (a nurse), August 20, 1952; children: Peter, David, Steven. Education: Aberdeen School of Architecture, Dip. Arch., 1952. He served in the British Army, 1944-45. Although born in Bournemouth, Hampshire, England, he worked in and retired to the country he most loved, Scotland.

He also writes under the names of Arthur Douglas and Dalby Holden. He was an architect for thirty years before retiring to write novels full-time in 1982. He has written over 50 novels since the late 1960s.

His novels center around guns, shooting, hunting, fishing, and dog training.

Reviews

[Viva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won't explain the setting and the characters as this series should be started from book 1. Spoilers ahead.

I was just thinking who Hammond was going to choose for the protagonist this time and it happened that he chose none of them. The POV changes from person to person but perhaps Fellowes gets most of the action.

A gunsmith (Hall) goes to Calder in response to an advert looking for assistants. Calder asks for references and why Hall left the last establishment. After being pressed, Hall said that his former employer, a shady gunsmith named Ailmer, appeared to have taken an order for an automatic gun for assassination and as he didn't want to be involved or to be a scapegoat if something went wrong, he left. Calder notes that it's something he will have to inform the police of. Hall reluctantly agrees. When Hall does not appear for work on Monday, Calder thinks that Hall might have been silenced and reports everything to the police. The police's hands are tied as there is really nothing to go on other than hearsay but they put (Detective Sergeant) Fellowes on observing Ailmer's shop anyway.

Meanwhile an artist (Sheila Blayne) is sketching a sea scape and happen to see and sketch a man (Munster) and a woman (Dora) doing an exchange. These two are involved in the assassination plot and find that their likenesses have been sketched into Sheila's drawing so they decide to kidnap and kill her. Fortunately Fellowes had been following the man and was hiding nearby. He quickly knocks down Munster and Dora and runs down to the dock with Sheila where they steal a small yacht and escape. Munster follows with a motor dinghy but is unable to catch them because of heavy sea fog. The next portion of the book deals with the yacht trying to find a spot to land while being chased by the bad guys. By this time, Dora had put a contract out to kill Fellowes and Sheila wherever they landed.

Meanwhile, in a different side-plot, a retired American detective (Cardinal) comes to Scotland to find some items his ancestors had robbed from a Russian envoy from Peter the Great. The envoy had been tasked with buying some Scottish pistols and sword hilts and Cardinal believes these items are still hidden somewhere in Scotland. He looks up Keith Calder in order to ask him to help find the items. Cardinal is drawn into the plot when he recognizes Munster (the American assassin) and agrees to help.

Long story short, Cardinal calls in a favor and gets a helicopter to pick up Fellowes and Sheila from a remote island beach. Meanwhile, Munster had figured out that Hall had answered Calder's ad and decided to stake out Calder's shop (the reasoning is a bit tenuous here).

Deborah had found an old bible with the clues that Cardinal's ancestor had left behind and deciphered them to say that the stolen items were buried under the heath in an old fortification in the middle of nowhere. Deb, Calder, Sheila and Cardinal then drive there in their Land Rover to search. Munster follows and Fellowes follows Munster.

The four get there, dig and find the items (one ancient pistol and 2 sword hilts) and Munster following behind, lays an ambush with the automatic gun. Fellowes circles around to warn the four and they lay their own trap. While Munster is distracted, Calder crawls up behind him and they exchange fire. Calder's ancient pistol fires and kills Munster. Later on Cardinal disappears with his ancestor's stolen pistol. Pretty much the end.

Overall not a bad story. The two interesting parts were the yacht voyage, and the story with the stolen items which I believe is a true story, so I learned a bit about old Scottish pistols and sword hilts. I rated the book 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

[Evonne Hutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gerald Hammond does it again!
Although old fashioned in some respects, his plot line and characters still hold enormous vitality today! Guns, whisky and ........
An action packed read focusing on Ian Fellows as Mr Plod