The Body in the Dumb River

Chief Inspector Littlejohn #35

by George Bellairs, Martin Edwards (Introduction)

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder

'A decent, hardworking chap, with not an enemy anywhere. People were surprised that anybody should want to kill Jim.'

But Jim has been found stabbed in the back near Ely, miles from his Yorkshire home. His body, clearly dumped in the usually silent ('dumb') river, has been discovered before the killer intended – disturbed by a torrential flood in the night.

Roused from a comfortable night's sleep Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is soon at the scene. With any clues to the culprit's identity swept away with the surging water, Bellairs' veteran sleuth boards a train heading north to dredge up the truth of the real Jim Teasdale and to trace the mystery of this unassuming victim's murder to its source.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Classics, British Literature, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1961

About the author

AKA 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.

Reviews

[Beata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing my adventure with the murder classics by authors unknown to me, I was happy to plunge into a novel by George Bellairs written in 1961. Those classics have qualities which are nowadays considered out-of-fashion by writers of the genre: lack of drastic scenes and slow, very slow unearthing the truth by a detective. And I liked this non-rush story. Superintendent Littlejohn happens to be near the place located on the Dumb River when a body is found. The investigation begins and gradually the identity of the victim is discovered. Or is it? Jim Lane or rather James Teasdale was a quiet man who enjoyed his job. But there is more to his life than meets the eye. George Bellairs wrote about small-town mentality, ambitions which were too grand and dreams which did not come true eventually.
*Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*

[Carol, She's so Novel ꧁꧂ · Rating 2 out of 5]

One beautiful cover.

If I start a review like this you know there is a problem! I loved the previous British Crime Libraries book I read by E.C.R. Lorac and couldn't understand why Lorac has fallen into obscurity. Based on this novel, I'm not having any trouble understanding the same thing about Bellairs.

Mild mannered and diminutive James Teasdale had been living a double life. But who wanted him dead?

By the 40% I no longer cared.

✎ Really dull, pedestrian writing.

At Basilden, he was the only traveller to descend from the train. It was 4 oo'clock and the sun was still shining.In spite of late October, it was warm and dry. The ticket collector had a rose in the lapel of his coat. Littlejohn asked him the way.

Rivetting.

✎ Other than Teasdale's girlfriend and wannabe singer Henry Wood, no characters stood out in a believable way. The Major was a fascinating if gross caricature. The solution seemed unlikely to me.

What lifted the book above 1★
✎ The above mentioned cover.
✎ Martin Edwards informative introduction (which I think shows Bellairs in his heart of hearts never had much faith in his writing ability)
✎ A quirky final outcome. Appealed to my warped sense of humour.

Thanks very much Poisoned Pen Publishers & Net Galley for this review copy and for being happy for me to share my opinions.

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[☕️Hélène⚜️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was writen in the 1950's this one was published in 1956 a cozy whodunnit british crime novel, which I did enjoy. But, something was bothering about the book so I Google the author Georges Bellairs and to my total surprise The Body in the Dumb River is the 35th book in the Chief Inspector LittleJohn; not what I'd expected and it has affected my reading because I'm debating if I should DNF or not.
I decided to continue but I'm not sure of the overall story. I don't know the background story.
A bunch of characters with a lot to say about the murder. Secrets is the main problem for the victime James Lane aka Teasdale. A surprise to his family about his secret lifestyle. But, everyone knew of his double life prior to his murder.
A nice cozy read but couldn't enjoy it knowing it was the 35th in the series.
I want to thank NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Georges Bellairs for an early copy in exchange of an honest review.

[☕️Hélène⚜️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will come back to write a review

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victim Jim Teasdale was so inoffensive that no one can believe he’s been murdered; he’s described as “a decent, hardworking chap, with not an enemy anywhere.” Nevertheless, his corpse was found in the Dumb River (referring to dumb as “silent” rather than dumb as “stupid.”) — so somebody wasn’t a fan!

Although the corpse was found in the south, Detective Inspector Thomas Littlejohn and his trusted, lugubrious Sergeant Robert Cromwell head to Basilden near Ely in Yorkshire, where they are sure the murderer really came from. There, they untangle Teasdale’s complicated double life and meet Teasdale’s snobbish, social-climbing family.

Newbies can enjoy The Body in the Dumb River as much as longtime Bellairs fans like me, even though it is the 35th book in the long-running series. First released in 1961, The Body in the Dub River remains as witty and suspenseful as ever, even decades later. Highly recommended.

[Stephen Robert Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This classic crime book first published in 1961 long out of print has been reprinted by British Libuary Classics introduce by Martin Edwards who Does the classic short story collections for same publication group. So the cover is different as it's completely different copy.
Who would want to kill good old Jim ? Every body loves Jim but there he is dumped in the silent (dumb) River miles from home.
A classic Littlejohn murder from Harold Blundell 1902-1985
I enjoyed this classic so much I have ordered more books by this author on eBay. This lot like the Insp.Gentle books, ( not TV series) best of all it is funny too & has NOT dated.

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

Superintendent Littlejohn is visiting Ely when a body turns up in the river in the nearby village of Tylecote. It soon emerges that Jim Lake, who works a Hoop-la stall in a travelling fair has been leading a double life. During the week he lives with Martha Gomm, but at weekends he becomes James Teasdale and travels back to Basilden to spend the weekend with his family. Littlejohn has to work out where the mystery of his murder lies, in the travelling fair community or up North with his social-climbing family.
This is the first George Ballairs story that I've read, although it is the 35th in the series. This didn't really make any difference and it could easily be read as a stand alone. It didn't really wow me, but it was compelling enough to keep me reading. I'd be happy enough to try more of his novels when they come my way.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion*

[Judy Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite types of English mystery novels, this is book number thirty-five in the Chief Inspector Littlejohn series. I have recently discovered the works of George Bellairs and like this main character and the way he is portrayed. Scotland Yard was called in when a murdered man was found caught up in debris in the flooding Dumb River. The identity is established as James Lane, a friendly sideshow operator in the vicinity to prepare for the opening of the local fair. The problem is that James Lane turns out to be someone else entirely and the questions about who murdered him just keep piling up. Littlejohn and Sergeant Cromwell have to settle the victim's identity before they can move on with the case.

I really enjoyed the way Bellairs wrote the character of James Lane. The puzzle of who would want to murder such a nice man kept the police at bay for quite some time. To understand the murder they had to unlock the truth about Lane and his relatives in a completely different part of the country. Some nifty investigating paved the way to the solution of this case, but as a reader I was never quite sure everything had been discovered about the victim and the solution came as a surprise. If you are a fan of the older mysteries, Bellairs is a great author for you to try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an e-galley of this novel.

[Calzean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good old days when the Detective helps to do the dishwashing, fetch the coal and other household chores whilst trying to conduct an interview. The good Inspector Littlejohn had an entertaining way of naming and categorising his interviewees. The pomposity of the British middle class and their focus on keeping up appearances gave the author plenty of ammunition also.
It's a fairly standard murder mystery of a rather nice man living a dual life - a happy one as a carnival stall holder during the week and then a dour depressed one at the weekend with a horrid wife, snobbish daughters and a father-in-law from hell.

[Lady Wesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of the audiobook narrated by Gordon Griffin

3.5⭐️ rounded up.

My second Bellairs and I liked it just fine. Good characterization and description of the scenes. Littlejohn is fairly bland, but he gets the job done.

I found it a bit melancholy, though, as the victim was such a sympathetic fellow. And so was his lady friend. The rest of the cast not so much.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The man with two lives...

When the body of a man is discovered in the Dumb River in a small town in East Anglia, stabbed through the chest, the local police have a problem. Torrential rain has caused the fenland district to flood and they are fully stretched helping residents and farmers get themselves and their animals to safety. Luckily Inspector Littlejohn of the Yard is in the area and he agrees to take on the murder investigation. The murdered man turns out to be Jim Lane, who runs a hoopla stall and travels around the south of England from fair to fair. A little investigation soon reveals that he has another identity too, though – James Teasdale, a married man from Yorkshire, whose wife and family believe he is a commercial traveller. Littlejohn must discover which of his lives has led to his death...

This is my favourite of the Bellairs novels I’ve read so far. Both settings are handled very well – the flooded fenlands and the hard-drinking, mostly working-class Yorkshire town. Teasdale has married “above” himself, and his selfish wife and her money-grabbing father never let him forget it, making sure that his daughters grow up to look down on him too. So Littlejohn understands why James has developed a second life as Jim the fairground man. Not only does it allow him to make more money than his failing arts and crafts shop in Yorkshire, but in this environment he has the respect of his fellows and is well-liked. Littlejohn rather wonders that he hasn’t broken all ties with his family, but James clearly feels a sense of duty towards them. However, now, as Jim, he has met another woman, one who admires and respects him, and James/Jim’s loyalties are torn.

There is a mystery here, but it’s not really laid out as a traditional whodunit, with lots of suspects with different motives and conflicting clues, and so on. Instead, it’s more of a police procedural, as we follow Littlejohn and his colleague Sergeant Cromwell painstakingly collecting information through interviewing people and putting this together with what the forensic evidence shows. This makes the characterisation particularly important, and it’s done very well. Written in the third person, we mostly see the story from the perspective of Littlejohn, occasionally shifting to Cromwell. Littlejohn seems better developed here for some reason – Bellairs allows us to see his uncertainty as to how to proceed at points, and his dependence on Cromwell as someone with whom to talk things over as well as being a skilled investigator in his own right. But all the secondary characters are very well drawn too – all James’ unlikeable snobbish relatives up in Yorkshire, and the much more sympathetic girlfriend and friends from his fairground life. The flooding adds an extra touch as we see the community come together to help each other, and the harassed local police trying to provide assistance to Littlejohn while dealing with matters that seem more immediately urgent.

Up in Yorkshire, where the rain is also falling (it is Britain, after all), the hideous family give us quite a bit of humour at their expense, although Bellairs gradually allows both Littlejohn and the reader to see the rather tragic underside of their lives, brought on by themselves and their unjustifiable regard for their “position” admittedly, but nevertheless leaving them rather isolated from their community and even from each other. It’s an excellent, if rather cruel, portrait of selfishness.

At just two hundred pages, it neither outstays its welcome nor leaves the reader feeling short-changed – it’s the perfect length for its plot. Highly recommended, and I hope the BL keeps the Littlejohn novels coming...

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.

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[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I read the Kindle edition.

Superintendent Littlejohn and his trusty sidekick DS Cromwell have a sure puzzler on their hands in this one.

A man's body has been found in a rushing river in the middle of a downpour and major flooding. He has been stabbed. Once identified, it was learned that he led an unusual life. He didn't use his own name and worked for a carnival. He was in a relationship with a young woman who was not his wife. He had told his wife that he had a job on the road, but didn't tell her what he was doing because he was embarrassed.

The investigation leads Littlejohn and Cromwell up north where they meet a variety of potential suspects. Some of them are deadly and Littlejohn himself may be in danger.

This is written and plotted in Mr. Bellairs' usual style, that is to say well. I didn't care for t his story as much as the previous ones I've read. It didn't seem to have the Littlejohn I've come to know and like. Something was off.

I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read and review.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

With flooding in the area, the local police find themselves stretched to the limit. Since Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard wrapped up a case in the area, they call on him to investigate. The victim James Teasdale, aka Jim Lane, suffers the misfortune of being married to a woman from a snobbish family. He owned a carnival game attraction and spent most of the time on the road. His income helped maintain his wife's standard of living, but she nor her family knew how he really earned the income. While on the road, he lived with another woman to save money. Although the author includes several red herrings, the perpetrator seemed obvious. The writing style did not really grab me. I received an advance electronic copy from the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.

[Andréa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Jürgen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Der Kriminalroman “The Body in the Dumb River” erschien erstmalig 1961 in London. Damit liegt das Buch in der Mitte der Schaffensphase des leider heute nur noch wenig beachteten Harold Blundell alias George Bellairs, der zwischen 1941 und den 1970er Jahren insgesamt über 50 Kriminalromane und mehrere Novellen verfasste. Blundell, der bis zu seiner Pensionierung als Bankdirektor arbeitete, war ein umtriebiger Mensch. Neben seiner beruflichen Tätigkeit engagierte er sich in mehreren Ehrenämtern und erhielt u.a. dafür einen Master-Abschluss ehrenhalber der Universität Manchester. Zusätzlich schrieb er zahlreiche Zeitungsartikel, sehr häufig über Frankreich und seine Reisen dorthin. Der in Lancashire geborene Blundell übersiedelte nach dem Ende seiner Berufstätigkeit auf die Isle of Man. Dort starb er im April 1982, nach langer Krankheit, kurz vor seinem achtzigsten Geburtstag.

In den Fluten eines ansonsten stillen Flüsschens wird während einer heftigen Regenperiode ein Toter geborgen. James Lane, der eher unauffällige Betreiber eines Jahrmarkts-Fahrgeschäftes wurde erstochen. Die Lokalpolizei von Fenshire hat mit den Stürmen und Überschwemmungen alle Hände voll zu tun und so ist man heilfroh, dass sich der zufällig anwesende Detective Superintendent Thomas Littlejohn von New Scotland Yard bereit erklärt, den Fall zu übernehmen. Schnell zeigt sich, dass der scheinbar so harmlose und freundliche Jahrmarktsbeschicker ein Doppelleben geführt hat.

Gleich vorweg: Ich habe das Buch, meinen ersten Bellairs-Krimi, ausgesprochen genossen. Seit Längerem lese ich bevorzugt Romane aus der Zeitraum der 1930er, 40er und 50er. Einerseits, weil meine eigenen Romane in diesen Jahrzehnten spielen, aber vor allem aus Interesse an der guten alten Zeit der Verbrechensbekämpfung, in der Kriminalbeamte noch ohne Internet, Computer und DNA-Analyse auskommen mussten. Dem so genannten ‚Goldene Zeitalter‘ der Kriminalgeschichten wird in letzter Zeit durch Neuerscheinungen der British Library und deutschen Übersetzungen im Klett-Cotta Verlag wieder mehr Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt. Zu verdanken ist dies auch der Arbeit von Peters Fraser & Dunlop, einer der ältesten und profiliertesten Literaturagenturen Großbritanniens

Die fein ausgearbeiteten Charaktere, mit aufmerksamem Auge in die Umgebung eingepasst, sind die Stärke dieses Kriminalromans. Bellairs ist es gelungen, mit Superintendent Littlejohn einen starken, aber nicht erdrückenden Ermittler zu schaffen. Souveränität und Selbstzweifel sind hier kein Widerspruch, sondern gehören ganz selbstverständlich zur Figur. Auch die anderen Figuren sind liebevoll und glaubhaft charakterisiert. Man merkt, dass Bellairs in seinem Beruf als Bankdirektor sicher mit einer großen Palette an Menschen in Kontakt kam und offenbar ein guter Beobachter war.
Der Plot selbst scheint anfangs relativ einfach gestrickt, schlägt aber immer wieder kleine Haken und bleibt bis zum Ende spannend. Wie häufig bei den Kriminalromanen der ‚Goldenen Ära‘ wird die Spannung nicht durch blutige Szenen und dicke Portionen Gewalt erzeugt, sondern durch fein gestreute Zweifel und die Eigenschaften der Charaktere.
Alles in allem ein absolut gelungener Kriminalroman. Leichte Abzüge in der Bewertung gibt es nur dafür, dass eine Nebenhandlung für meine Begriffe nicht befriedigend abgeschlossen wurde.

[Eva Müller · Rating 1 out of 5]

The workpeople had returned to their factories and offices and the market was almost deserted now. All the bargains had gone. The man with the cheese and the chickens had sold up and was packing up his belongings and dismantling his stall. Fruit salesmen were altering their prices, chalked up on brown paper bags and stuck among the fruits on the end of a stick. Oranges at 4d. each in the morning were now four a shilling. A man who sold curtains was holding an auction sale. He was drunk already and now and then gave away a length of material for nothing.

Aren't you fascinated by that paragraph? Isn't it...thrilling? Especially considering nothing plot-relevant happens on this market. The investigator simply passes it at the end of his workday. And that's one of the problems of this book; it gets clogged down with so much description of unnecessary details. It's not enough to say that a character grabbed his coat and left. We'll read how he got up, walked to his coat, put it on, walked to the door, opened it and went out. It's extremely boring and there's no good mystery to distract me from it. The murder victim is a man who turns out to have been leading a double life. He told his family that he was a travelling salesman but actually had a stall on a travelling carnival and lived there with another woman. The investigation quickly focusses on his first family and every single one is a flat caricature whose only aim is to appear as unlikeable as possible. His father-in-law is even described as having "an indescribable odour of evil and corruption around him". Just so know he even smells evil...

Of course, these kinds of characters aren't terribly rare in mysteries. Especially horrible family patriarch is a staple in mysteries. But the thing is that these characters usually get murdered in chapter two or three and so you don't have too much time to think about just how flat this character really is. Sometimes there are books that have the setup "horrible person gets murdered but only halfway through the book" and honestly, I already have a hard time getting through those because I find it exhausting. Here, none of the horrible people get murdered, they just spent all their time being horrible about each other and about the victim. It's not particularly enjoyable to read about and so the book left me feeling bored and annoyed in turn.

ARC received from NatGallely

[Marilyn Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Lane is found face down in a dirty, flooded area wrapped around a tree. Inspector Littlejohn has one of his more interesting cases because Jimmy was leading a double life. He had owned a shop that was unsuccessful and so he had taken to the road to earn a living. Those monies went to support a wife who considered herself much too good for him and their three Daughters. But a double life is bound to come out as will murder.

George Bellairs writes a tight plot with very defined characters in this Book. The plot has a lot of twists and turns which always makes for great reading. This is a part of English village life that moves in greed, violent temper and strong drink. The Women are particularly interesting in their whining, dis-satisfied lives trying to keep up appearances. Inspector Littlejohn has a lot on his plate when he interviews them and tries to separate who is lying from the rest of the cast of villagers.

I have become an Admirer of George Bellairs. His characters are not always attractive but they are real and convincing. They build the story often through shadowy lives. The unintended consequences are almost as prevalent if we had a cast of Oliver Twist nineteenth century models to follow. If you like older murder mysteries set in England from the 1940's to the 1960's this is a very good Author to read. Personally I do. I give this five stars and highly recommend it.

My thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press

[Lorena · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery was decent, and the writing was very descriptive, which made for an almost cinematic, atmospheric experience. Unfortunately, the physical descriptions were not limited to just the scenery, or to the characters' psychological characteristics. The author seemed to have an obsession with his characters' physical appearances, particularly the overweight characters. There was endless obsession over the obesity of certain characters (all of whom were "bad guys" in the book, of course), and endless snide commentary on all the eating and drinking they did, and how lazy they were. It was obtrusive and detracted from the story, for me. Also, note that one of the characters is constantly referred to as looking like a "gipsy," so be aware of that issue.

[Victor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Very well characterized detective story with a relatively simple mystery at its core.
The characters and their setting and atmosphere is very well done ...So much so that I actually started disliking almost all the characters ...And that's the problem .
The previous 3 Bellairs were peopled with mostly pleasant characters ...Here almost no one except Martha Gomm is shown in good light.Even Littlejohn seems to have gone a bit sour from his experiences.
This was originally published in 1961 and maybe that explains this.
So..I did not quite like this book that much...But I assume that the solid character creation will please many.

[Jazzy Lemon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent murder mystery.

[Puzzle Doctor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the strongest Bellairs title. Full review at classicmystery.blog

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shall we call the Scotland Yard man Superintendent Plod? Better at due diligence than most in spite of nasty weather and even nastier relatives of the deceased. Everybody who knew the man, except for the family, was flabbergasted that the nice man had been murdered (thought his wife and father in law were more likely prospects). But Littlejohn kept on and kept nudging until the truth came out. I loved the atmosphere, detailed descriptions, and insights into the past. Now I need to read more by the author!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Body in the Dumb River is a well crafted murder mystery by George Bellairs. Originally published in 1961, this reprint and reformat in the British Library Crime Classics series includes an introduction by Martin Edwards. Due out 1st Dec 2019 by Poisoned Pen Press, it's 224 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a well written mystery, the 35th in the series to feature Inspector Littlejohn. I've really enjoyed these new (beautifully presented) classic British mysteries, many of which have been long out of print. This particular volume was well plotted and written with a satisfyingly twisty denouement which managed to surprise me on a couple of points. The epilogue was especially ironic and well played on the author's part. This is a solidly entertaining mystery and it wears its age (58+ years) surprisingly well.

Mr. Edwards' introductions are always erudite, full of interesting tidbits, and worth the price of admission. I enjoyed the commentary and the mystery itself very much.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Anjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a much later book than the others I have read of the series but worked well too.
It jumps right into the plot with the literal surfacing of a dead body. This is of a man known to work in the fairground, but it turns out that that is an alias. This leads to a family of nagging women and high expectations where one's name comes with a tag. If I had read such a situation elsewhere, I might have been offended by the extremely despicable women being shown here. The balance was restored by the way the author talks of the woman who one would ordinarily categorize as a villain but was depicted in a very flattering light.
The geographic location of the investigation is limited, as is the suspect pool. Given the sequence of events, it is not very probably for a reader to arrive at an accurate conclusion. Despite that fact, it does not feel like we are being cheated. The descriptions of the people as cuttingly observant as usual, which helps add to the atmosphere. I must admit I found it a quick read which did help my reading mood in general.
I would recommend this book to people who like old classic mysteries with a dash of humour.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

[EuroHackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor James Teasdale. He truly was a victim. After putting up with all he did during his life, he deserved to be happy. Instead, he ends up stabbed in the back and floating in a flood-swollen river.

The only enemies he had was his horrid wife and her equally horrid family. All roads quickly lead back to them, especially when the contents of Teasdale's stomach confirm his time (and location) of death. Awful protects awful, and there's more death in the air before the story finally comes out. This is a story of pride, jealousy, and greed gone wrong, and quite a good one at that.

It's always good to see Littlejohn and Cromwell working together - they need each other for balance. It seems Littlejohn gets morose when he's left on his own, and quite frankly, I can't blame him. These people are puffed up on their own importance to the point of being unhinged. I'd need some support when dealing with all that, too!

[Tonstant Weader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Body in the Dumb River is the thirty-fifth police procedural featuring George Bellairs series detective Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard. He had just wrapped up a case when asked to take another murder because the local police are too busy with the rain and flooding. The dead man is Jim Lane, a regular on the carnival route running a game booth and he has been stabbed in the back. Everyone is shocked because he is such a nice man.

Of course, it’s more complicated than that. Jim Lane may be a very nice man, but he’s also James Teasdale with a wife and three daughters back home. The woman he is with during the week seems to have given him a kind of happiness and acceptance he never found at home where there might be more viable suspects. Well, it’s more complicated than that and Littlejohn decides to go to his home and check out the suspects there.

I enjoyed The Body in the Dumb River and like most the crime classics republished by Poisoned Pen Press, it is fair and carefully plotted. I enjoy Bellairs wry humor and Littlejohn’s humanity. Littlejohn cares about the victims. You can feel his compassion for Lane/Teasdale and how much he was undervalued and unappreciated by his family. I hope to read more in Bellair’s wonderful series.

The Body in the Dumb River will be released December 1st. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...

[Louise Culmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man found stabbed to death in the river near Ely is found to have been leading a double life. During the week, while his family at home in Yorkshire think he is a commercial traveller, he has actually been running the hoopla stall with a travelling fair, and living with another woman.
A moderately entertaining mystery. Unfortunately the only character I found at all interesting or sympathetic doesn’t play a major role in the story and seems to have been completely forgotten about by the end.

[willa · Rating 3 out of 5]

this doesn’t rlly bring a lot to the table if im being honest but that’s on me for picking up a detective novel when i literally have no interest in those whatsoever. i was just drawn in by the pretty cover and the very. odd. title. but yeah it was mid and i’ll probably never think about it again

[Adam Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely way to start the year, with a nice gentle easy-read of a Bellairs.

A body is discovered in a river of a man who turn out to be living two separate lives, but who wanted him Dead?

I like Bellairs writing - it’s very down to earth, and keeps you engaged.

[Mett Hering · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.6