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Imperial War Museum Wartime Classics
Plenty Under the Counter
David hesitated. He knew the story well enough. He knew what had happened on the sunny Sunday morning of the outbreak of war, when the papers were too packed out with real news to have more than a line or so for the sudden death of the old Marquis of Leafe, in a flat in Jermyn Street. He knew that Miss Trindle had been the book-keeper at that shady block of flats, and that she had arrived in Terrapin Road within two hours of the Marquis’s death . . .
London, 1942. Flight-Lieutenant David Heron, home on convalescent leave, awakes to the news that a murder victim has been discovered in the garden of his boarding house. With a week until his service resumes, David sets out to solve the murder. Drawn into a world of intrigue and double-dealing, he soon realizes that there is more to the inhabitants of the boarding house than meets the eye, and that wartime London is a place where opportunism and the black market are able to thrive. Can he solve the mystery before his return to the skies?
London, 1942. Flight-Lieutenant David Heron, home on convalescent leave, awakes to the news that a murder victim has been discovered in the garden of his boarding house. With a week until his service resumes, David sets out to solve the murder. Drawn into a world of intrigue and double-dealing, he soon realizes that there is more to the inhabitants of the boarding house than meets the eye, and that wartime London is a place where opportunism and the black market are able to thrive. Can he solve the mystery before his return to the skies?
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1943
8 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Hewitt
6 booksKathleen Hewitt was a British author and playwright. She wrote more than 20 novels during her lifetime. She also wrote at least one novel under the pseudonym Dorothea Martin, and edited the writing of West African journalist Marjorie Mensah. Hewitt mainly wrote mystery and thriller novels, with a style comparable to Agatha Christie.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
September 24, 2020
Kathleen Hewitt’s 1943 whodunnit’s set in London during the Blitz. On leave from the air force, former actor David Heron’s staying at his old theatrical digs, Mrs Meake’s boarding-house, when a corpse appears at the bottom of her garden, and he’s drawn into the investigation. Hewitt’s mystery is marvellous for its meticulous recreation of urban life in wartime, a xenophobic world of seedy boarding-houses, greasy cafes, and black-market racketeering, Hewitt’s cast of characters includes a genteel spinster with a scandalous past, a chorus-girl turned landlady with a heart of gold, a garrulous barmaid with a mysterious scar, the obligatory femme fatale and a whole host of deeply suspicious figures. Not a particularly memorable story, despite some amusing lines, the pace’s a little too leisurely for my taste and it’s a bit heavy on the details. Hewitt edges towards Brighton Rock territory in the final chapters but Plenty Under the Counter's mostly light and reasonably entertaining.
I’d never heard of Kathleen Hewitt but seems she was a prolific crime writer, veteran of London’s bedsitter land and part of Soho’s bohemian set along with Jacob Epstein, Dylan Thomas and local eccentrics like Nina Hamnett. Her novel’s been republished in a series of WW2 classics from the Imperial War Museum resurrecting work that’s fallen into obscurity. Based on this I wouldn’t rush to track down her other novels but I wouldn’t swerve to avoid them either.
I’d never heard of Kathleen Hewitt but seems she was a prolific crime writer, veteran of London’s bedsitter land and part of Soho’s bohemian set along with Jacob Epstein, Dylan Thomas and local eccentrics like Nina Hamnett. Her novel’s been republished in a series of WW2 classics from the Imperial War Museum resurrecting work that’s fallen into obscurity. Based on this I wouldn’t rush to track down her other novels but I wouldn’t swerve to avoid them either.
September 20, 2019
Gosh, this is a cracker of a book. I’m a sucker for novels set in a different time that take us back and allow us to know how it was – in this case to be living in London in the then. Of course Kathleen Hewitt was writing of her time and that means her backdrop is authentic and her language just spot on. Cigarettes are ‘gaspers’ and the shop that features heavily on the book is a ‘Fancy Goods Emporium’.
Set in the midst of the Blitz, Plenty Under the Counter concerns Flt. David Heron of the RAF who is on convalescent leave, as a result of a slight aeriel dispute with a Jerry. He’s been recovering for four months and has a week left before he returns to his Spitfires, or kites, as he callsthem. Heron, a former actor, is a debonair young man who has been awarded the DFC. He is also a young man in a hurry. He has found the girl of his dreams in Tess Carmichael. She is a children’s nurse working at a day nursery looking after the children who have not been evacuated or whose homes have been bombed during the Blitz. Heron is determined to get Tess to marry him before the week is out.
Heron is staying in a boarding house he frequents on a regular basis when on leave and this book is, in the main, centred on the characters there. And what characters they are! On his first night, a man is murdered in the back garden of his lodgings. No-one knows who he is, but Heron is driven to investigate.
As he does so, he learns more about his landlady Mrs Meake, once a treader of the stage boards and her daughter Thelma, a girl who is no better than she ought to be. Meake is something of a mother figure to Heron and she also employs a domestic called Annie, Though times are hard, Mrs Meake has managed to install telephone extensions in all her bedrooms and Heron himself is not averse to jumping in taxis and taking his young lady to the Savoy or similar establishments. So this is not a working class novel; these people are more of a reflection of Kathleen Hewitt’s own background.
As Heron investigates he comes up against the working of the Black Market, the main way of racketeers enhancing their profits during wartime. In the course of his investigations he will come up against sinister looking foreigners, racketeers and people with secrets to hide a plenty. In his efforts he will be aided by the local police in the form of Inspector Gracewell.
Hewitt writes with brio. Her central characters are spirited and full of good humour and positivity, essential for any wartime novel. She has created a range of characters each of whom hides a secret – some more exotic than others – and the whole positively sings with mystery, not unlike an Agatha Christie novel.
Verdict: A definite page turner, full of mystery, murder and a few deft twists that brings home the atmosphere of blitz torn London and young people full of spirit.
Set in the midst of the Blitz, Plenty Under the Counter concerns Flt. David Heron of the RAF who is on convalescent leave, as a result of a slight aeriel dispute with a Jerry. He’s been recovering for four months and has a week left before he returns to his Spitfires, or kites, as he callsthem. Heron, a former actor, is a debonair young man who has been awarded the DFC. He is also a young man in a hurry. He has found the girl of his dreams in Tess Carmichael. She is a children’s nurse working at a day nursery looking after the children who have not been evacuated or whose homes have been bombed during the Blitz. Heron is determined to get Tess to marry him before the week is out.
Heron is staying in a boarding house he frequents on a regular basis when on leave and this book is, in the main, centred on the characters there. And what characters they are! On his first night, a man is murdered in the back garden of his lodgings. No-one knows who he is, but Heron is driven to investigate.
As he does so, he learns more about his landlady Mrs Meake, once a treader of the stage boards and her daughter Thelma, a girl who is no better than she ought to be. Meake is something of a mother figure to Heron and she also employs a domestic called Annie, Though times are hard, Mrs Meake has managed to install telephone extensions in all her bedrooms and Heron himself is not averse to jumping in taxis and taking his young lady to the Savoy or similar establishments. So this is not a working class novel; these people are more of a reflection of Kathleen Hewitt’s own background.
As Heron investigates he comes up against the working of the Black Market, the main way of racketeers enhancing their profits during wartime. In the course of his investigations he will come up against sinister looking foreigners, racketeers and people with secrets to hide a plenty. In his efforts he will be aided by the local police in the form of Inspector Gracewell.
Hewitt writes with brio. Her central characters are spirited and full of good humour and positivity, essential for any wartime novel. She has created a range of characters each of whom hides a secret – some more exotic than others – and the whole positively sings with mystery, not unlike an Agatha Christie novel.
Verdict: A definite page turner, full of mystery, murder and a few deft twists that brings home the atmosphere of blitz torn London and young people full of spirit.
September 19, 2019
There is something about an old wartime classic murder mystery unlike any other similar murder mystery of any other time period. Plenty Under the Counter by Kathleen Hewitt was originally written at the height of WWII and is now re-released by The Imperial War Museum for a new generation to discover.
London during the blitz and FL David Heron is resting at one of the many boarding houses after rescued from the channel. A body has been discovered in the back garden of a man and it is murder.
What does David Heron do, does he let the police investigate or does focus on his health and get back to fighting the Germans in the skies above London. The city is in the mist of the blitz and London at night is a dark and sinister place. Ideal for criminals and crime is rife especially in the black market. So now David decides to take on the investigation for himself and the owner of the boarding house Mrs Meake is convinced the house was all locked up and secure and David slept through. There are a few red herrings in the story to keep you guessing as well as a host of great characters who each play their part in this crime caper. This is wonderful crime story of the time and our intrepid investigator really does play the part very well.
The storyline keeps the reader entertained all the way through. Kathleen Hewitt (1893 – 1980) wrote 23 books and many were of the crime genre. With the release of four Wartime Classics by the Imperial War Museum to commemorate the outbreak of World War Two. A chance for a new generation of readers to read novels from writers who came through the war years either in the forces or living through the blitz.
London during the blitz and FL David Heron is resting at one of the many boarding houses after rescued from the channel. A body has been discovered in the back garden of a man and it is murder.
What does David Heron do, does he let the police investigate or does focus on his health and get back to fighting the Germans in the skies above London. The city is in the mist of the blitz and London at night is a dark and sinister place. Ideal for criminals and crime is rife especially in the black market. So now David decides to take on the investigation for himself and the owner of the boarding house Mrs Meake is convinced the house was all locked up and secure and David slept through. There are a few red herrings in the story to keep you guessing as well as a host of great characters who each play their part in this crime caper. This is wonderful crime story of the time and our intrepid investigator really does play the part very well.
The storyline keeps the reader entertained all the way through. Kathleen Hewitt (1893 – 1980) wrote 23 books and many were of the crime genre. With the release of four Wartime Classics by the Imperial War Museum to commemorate the outbreak of World War Two. A chance for a new generation of readers to read novels from writers who came through the war years either in the forces or living through the blitz.
August 18, 2022
I've got to say- it wasn't until the lasty 30 or so pages that I started figuring who the murderer might be, and even then I wasn't totally sure! A good thing, because my not figuring it out wasn't for lack of clues, but this was a tangled knot of a crime with several other crimes mixed in, so it was quite complicated. Other good points? Loved many of the characters, even the ones I hated. It's also very interesting to read about this particular time period in London as written by someone who lived through it, and have it be the setting rather than a focus of a discussion on what it was like. In some ways, I think I got a better feel for WWII London simply because it was treated as a setting like any other. So good characters, good setting, good mystery.
However, I found the beginning lagging a bit- while the body shows up almost immediately, I really felt like I was spinning my wheels for the first third or so of the book. It helps you get to know a lot of the characters/suspects, but all the same, the pacing wasn't totally for me. Also, I got a bit annoyed with our amateur sleuth- Flight-Lieutenant David Heron, seeing as he was doing all this sleuthing on his own with very little collaboration with Detective Inspector Gracewell until the end. Since both of them were so likeable and sharp, I found myself frequently wishing they were both working together rather than the Detective Inspector stopping by with more questions, Heron keeping his own investigation mum, until it almost felt like he'd, frankly, waited far too long to bring Gracewell in on it. Especially considering Gracewell wasn't doing too shabby an investigation on his own. So I wanted more collaboration between then, and didn't get it till it was nearly the end.
All in all, it's good mystery that I'd recommend to someone if they already like the mystery genre, not necessarily as a way to dip your toe into it. Glad I picked it up.
However, I found the beginning lagging a bit- while the body shows up almost immediately, I really felt like I was spinning my wheels for the first third or so of the book. It helps you get to know a lot of the characters/suspects, but all the same, the pacing wasn't totally for me. Also, I got a bit annoyed with our amateur sleuth- Flight-Lieutenant David Heron, seeing as he was doing all this sleuthing on his own with very little collaboration with Detective Inspector Gracewell until the end. Since both of them were so likeable and sharp, I found myself frequently wishing they were both working together rather than the Detective Inspector stopping by with more questions, Heron keeping his own investigation mum, until it almost felt like he'd, frankly, waited far too long to bring Gracewell in on it. Especially considering Gracewell wasn't doing too shabby an investigation on his own. So I wanted more collaboration between then, and didn't get it till it was nearly the end.
All in all, it's good mystery that I'd recommend to someone if they already like the mystery genre, not necessarily as a way to dip your toe into it. Glad I picked it up.
October 22, 2019
Honestly this is why I grudge through acres of lacklustre crime novels, in the hope of finding a gem like this. Beautifully, zippily written with a real eye for dialogue and detail, the novel’s true genius is how wonderfully it balances crime romp with a dark portrait of London in the middle of the Second World War. That it manages to do so without lurching wildly within tone and style is a minor miracle
It starts off as a sort of enjoyably dark thriller romp, something like a more adult Hue and Cry. Our hero and heroine are delightfully upper middle class and witty and very likeable. There’s lots of comedy characters, all of whom are etched rather wonderfully and whose stories come to an end satisfyingly as either comedy or tragedy or somewhere in between. By the end of it the book has gone into some very dark places and takes some deeply brave decisions in terms of the narrative. The final chapters go from romantic to knockabout comedy to genuine tragedy and never feel like they lurch while doing this
And the main thing I love about crime fiction of this period is how much it reveals about the world it came from and this does that in spades. Casual jolly racism again ends up slap bang in some quite complex territory by the time the book is done. It’s a book that makes you think, whilst also embracing some of the daftest subplots of the era and a very early example of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. A classic
It starts off as a sort of enjoyably dark thriller romp, something like a more adult Hue and Cry. Our hero and heroine are delightfully upper middle class and witty and very likeable. There’s lots of comedy characters, all of whom are etched rather wonderfully and whose stories come to an end satisfyingly as either comedy or tragedy or somewhere in between. By the end of it the book has gone into some very dark places and takes some deeply brave decisions in terms of the narrative. The final chapters go from romantic to knockabout comedy to genuine tragedy and never feel like they lurch while doing this
And the main thing I love about crime fiction of this period is how much it reveals about the world it came from and this does that in spades. Casual jolly racism again ends up slap bang in some quite complex territory by the time the book is done. It’s a book that makes you think, whilst also embracing some of the daftest subplots of the era and a very early example of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. A classic
December 1, 2019
One of the Imperial War Museum's collection of re-issued WWII novels, Plenty Under the Counter is set in 1942. An airman on convalescent leave is dawn into a murder investigation when a body is found in the back garden of the boarding house where he is staying. This leads to a web of black market activity and string of possible suspects.
The language feels rather dated in places and the pace borders on the languid, but this is an interesting glimpse into a side of wartime life that you seldom see portrayed in fiction.
The language feels rather dated in places and the pace borders on the languid, but this is an interesting glimpse into a side of wartime life that you seldom see portrayed in fiction.
July 20, 2021
Female author published in 1943. A whodunnit with the hero being a distinguished RAF pilot recovering from being shot down by the Germans. He is about to return to flying but whilst recuperating at his old boarding house, a murder occurs.
Having been written in the 1940’s there are obviously nothing like the forensic opportunities that we are all aware of now. Although it is very dated, in language and in attitudes, it is still a good plot and conveys the atmosphere of wartime Britain.
Having been written in the 1940’s there are obviously nothing like the forensic opportunities that we are all aware of now. Although it is very dated, in language and in attitudes, it is still a good plot and conveys the atmosphere of wartime Britain.
November 18, 2019
2.5 stars. This is a distinctly average thriller which is very much of its time. It's useful if you would like a feel of wartime London and the black market, but not so good if you're looking for great fiction. I also found the new main characters, David and Tess, very irritating indeed. Such a shame.
February 11, 2020
A wartime whodunnit rescued from obscurity with good reason. No pastiche this, it’s the real thing, written in 1943 by Kathleen Hewitt, and the language is redolent of smoky pubs, dodgy shops and burned out buildings. It’s also a lot more chipper than you’d expect, as the civilians unravel a murder plot, light another gasper and get on with daily life in the midst of the Blitz.
April 19, 2020
A fascinating book from a forgotten female author. Well written it provides exquisite details about life during world war II in London. It is a whodunnit murder mystery that takes us through a series of dead-ends, slowly building the plot.
August 10, 2023
I was a bit disappointed with the rushed end
June 2, 2025
Not just a satisfying mystery story, but also an intriguing and detailed description of London during the days of the Blitz, complete with boarding houses, transit centres for children who have yet to be evacuated from London, rationing and black market and an amateur detective, David Heron, an RAF pilot who has just come out of hospital after being shot down over the Channel.
There is a gung-ho, breezy attitude about the characters in the book which I was not quite expecting, but perhaps was believed to be necessary for keeping up morale at a time when the outcome of the war was by no means certain. Or perhaps that is the author’s natural style. The book is also full of the witty banter kind of dialogue that we often saw in films and plays from the 1930s, especially when it comes to flirting.
There’s also a casual kind of humour against foreigners (especially Germans) which was probably reflective of the wider society at the time. Yet the author manages to temper it with some self-deprecating humour.
There is a gung-ho, breezy attitude about the characters in the book which I was not quite expecting, but perhaps was believed to be necessary for keeping up morale at a time when the outcome of the war was by no means certain. Or perhaps that is the author’s natural style. The book is also full of the witty banter kind of dialogue that we often saw in films and plays from the 1930s, especially when it comes to flirting.
There’s also a casual kind of humour against foreigners (especially Germans) which was probably reflective of the wider society at the time. Yet the author manages to temper it with some self-deprecating humour.
October 10, 2025
A rather melodramatic mystery set in wartime London. Flight Lieutenant David Heron, home on convalescent leave after his plane was shot down, wakes up one morning in the house where he lodges to be informed that there is an unidentified corpse in the garden. Since he has time to kill before going back to flying, he decides to try his hand at a bit of amateur sleuthing. There is a large cast of characters, some more interesting than others. David Heron has a fiancée, Tesssa, who is quite perfect and therefore not of much interest. David’s landlady, Mrs Meake, is a likeable character, but she has an unsatisfactory daughter, Thelma. Thelma aspires to be an actress and likes film magazines, always a bad sign in fiction of this era, girls who read film magazines are usually portrayed as stupid, shallow, and possibly immoral. There are some quite good descriptions of wartime London, but unfortunately I didn’t take to David or Tessa, and I thought the mystery quite weak.
April 2, 2020
A timepiece!
October 25, 2020
Good story,
March 12, 2022
Really enjoyed this one, a ‘must read’ for anyone interested in the second world war era and whodunnits!
May 5, 2022
3.5 stars
February 19, 2023
A breezily written, compelling whodunnit; I couldn't put it down. Many thanks to IWM for re-publishing this excellent little classic.
June 14, 2025
Didn’t know I would like a murder mystery, but this was definitely good. Set during World War II, but only mentioning it now and then, this was a very nice read with entertaining characters.
November 1, 2024
"Plenty Under the Counter," originally published in 1943, finds its rightful place in the Imperial War Museum's Wartime Classics series. This murder mystery takes us to 1942, when Flight Lieutenant David Heron returns to his boarding house, seeking recovery after being injured in duty. The sense of safety is abruptly shattered when a stranger's lifeless body is discovered in the garden the next morning. With only a week before he must return to his station, David feels a pressing need to solve the mystery, knowing that it might provide some closure for everyone involved.
However, David's week is filled with more than just the pursuit of a murderer. He yearns to convince his fiancée, Tess, to marry him and is drawn into helping his friend Bob Carter realize his vision for the 26 Club—a welcoming space for members of 26 allied nations.
This republished novel is a true treasure. The author captures the essence of life during those challenging times, inviting readers to walk alongside the characters and experience their struggles, even from an 80-year distance. It offers a compassionate insight into the everyday lives of ordinary working-class people navigating the turmoil of war. We witness not only the devastating effects of bombing raids, which destroy homes, but also the profound impact on the fabric of daily life, where basic necessities become scarce and rationing becomes a reality. The social ramifications of war and the resulting economic hardships, including the rise of a black market, are explored with sensitivity.
The characters are wonderfully vibrant, each bringing their own unique personality and background, which adds so much richness to the story. The gentle writing style allows readers to really connect with the struggles of those trying to get by while staying true to themselves and the law. I absolutely loved this novel, and I genuinely hope that after the war, David and Tess were able to enjoy a long, happy life together!
However, David's week is filled with more than just the pursuit of a murderer. He yearns to convince his fiancée, Tess, to marry him and is drawn into helping his friend Bob Carter realize his vision for the 26 Club—a welcoming space for members of 26 allied nations.
This republished novel is a true treasure. The author captures the essence of life during those challenging times, inviting readers to walk alongside the characters and experience their struggles, even from an 80-year distance. It offers a compassionate insight into the everyday lives of ordinary working-class people navigating the turmoil of war. We witness not only the devastating effects of bombing raids, which destroy homes, but also the profound impact on the fabric of daily life, where basic necessities become scarce and rationing becomes a reality. The social ramifications of war and the resulting economic hardships, including the rise of a black market, are explored with sensitivity.
The characters are wonderfully vibrant, each bringing their own unique personality and background, which adds so much richness to the story. The gentle writing style allows readers to really connect with the struggles of those trying to get by while staying true to themselves and the law. I absolutely loved this novel, and I genuinely hope that after the war, David and Tess were able to enjoy a long, happy life together!
December 30, 2019
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September 29, 2019
This 1943 novel by Kathleen Hewitt is the third in the excellent series of Imperial War Museum reprints of wartime classics, but couldn’t be more different from the first two, From The City, From The Plough and Trial By Battle. Whereas they were both literary novels shot through with harrowing accounts of men in battle, Plenty Under The Counter is an almost jolly affair, a conventional murder mystery set against the trials, tribulations and financial opportunities of civilian life in wartime London.
A jolly murder? Well, of course. Fictional murders can be range from brutal to comic depending on the genre, and although the corpse found in the back garden of Mrs Meake’s lodging house – 15 Terrapin Road – is just as dead as any described by Val McDermid or Michael Connelly, the mood is set by the chief amateur investigator, a breezy and frightfully English RAF pilot called David Heron on recuperation leave from his squadron, and his elegantly witty lady friend Tess. He is from solid county stock:
“There was his Aunt Jane, enduring the full horror of only having two servants to wait on her. There was an uncle, retired from the Indian Army, now clinging like a cobweb to the musty armchairs in his club.”
Readers will not need a degree in 20th century social history to recognise that the book’s title refers to the methods used by shopkeepers to circumvent the official rationing of food and fancy goods. More sinister is the presence – both in real life and in the book – of criminals who exploit the shortages to make serious money playing the black market and for whom deadly violence is just a way of life.
Hewitt gives us plenty of Waugh-ish social satire on the way, partly courtesy of David’s friend Bob Carter, a young man with what they used to call ‘a dodgy ticker’. Turned down from active service he expends his energy on extracting donations from rich people in order to open a bizarre club, where he hopes that people of all nations (barring Jerry, the Eyeties and the Nips, of course) will mingle over a glass or two and thus further the cause of nation speaking unto nation. There is also the grotesque Annie, who serves as Mrs Meake’s maid of all work. Annie is painfully thin, a little short of six feet tall, and the first thing that most people see of her when she enters a room is her teeth.
The ingredients simmering away in the pot of this murder mystery are exotic. There is Mrs Meake, matronly now in her middle age, but still dreaming of the days when she was a beauty in the chorus line on the London stage; her daughter Thelma, a thoroughly spoiled brat who has movie aspirations above her ability; also, who was the swarthy seafaring man trying to sell a fancy-handled knife in the local pub? David’s fellow residents at 15 Terrapin Road are a study in themselves – Cumberbatch, the retired rubber planter with a secret in his room; Lipscott, the Merchant Navy man besotted with a waif-like girl, and the misanthropic Smedley, with his limp and a sudden need for £100.
The story rattles along in fine style as the hours tick by before David has to return to the war. He has two pressing needs. One is to buy the special licence which will enable him to marry Tess, and the other is to find the Terrapin Road murderer. Hewitt (right) is too good a writer to leave her story lightly bobbing about on the bubbles of wartime champagne (probably a toxic mix of white wine and ginger ale) and she darkens the mood in the last few pages, leaving us to ponder the nature of tragedy and self-sacrifice.
A jolly murder? Well, of course. Fictional murders can be range from brutal to comic depending on the genre, and although the corpse found in the back garden of Mrs Meake’s lodging house – 15 Terrapin Road – is just as dead as any described by Val McDermid or Michael Connelly, the mood is set by the chief amateur investigator, a breezy and frightfully English RAF pilot called David Heron on recuperation leave from his squadron, and his elegantly witty lady friend Tess. He is from solid county stock:
“There was his Aunt Jane, enduring the full horror of only having two servants to wait on her. There was an uncle, retired from the Indian Army, now clinging like a cobweb to the musty armchairs in his club.”
Readers will not need a degree in 20th century social history to recognise that the book’s title refers to the methods used by shopkeepers to circumvent the official rationing of food and fancy goods. More sinister is the presence – both in real life and in the book – of criminals who exploit the shortages to make serious money playing the black market and for whom deadly violence is just a way of life.
Hewitt gives us plenty of Waugh-ish social satire on the way, partly courtesy of David’s friend Bob Carter, a young man with what they used to call ‘a dodgy ticker’. Turned down from active service he expends his energy on extracting donations from rich people in order to open a bizarre club, where he hopes that people of all nations (barring Jerry, the Eyeties and the Nips, of course) will mingle over a glass or two and thus further the cause of nation speaking unto nation. There is also the grotesque Annie, who serves as Mrs Meake’s maid of all work. Annie is painfully thin, a little short of six feet tall, and the first thing that most people see of her when she enters a room is her teeth.
The ingredients simmering away in the pot of this murder mystery are exotic. There is Mrs Meake, matronly now in her middle age, but still dreaming of the days when she was a beauty in the chorus line on the London stage; her daughter Thelma, a thoroughly spoiled brat who has movie aspirations above her ability; also, who was the swarthy seafaring man trying to sell a fancy-handled knife in the local pub? David’s fellow residents at 15 Terrapin Road are a study in themselves – Cumberbatch, the retired rubber planter with a secret in his room; Lipscott, the Merchant Navy man besotted with a waif-like girl, and the misanthropic Smedley, with his limp and a sudden need for £100.
The story rattles along in fine style as the hours tick by before David has to return to the war. He has two pressing needs. One is to buy the special licence which will enable him to marry Tess, and the other is to find the Terrapin Road murderer. Hewitt (right) is too good a writer to leave her story lightly bobbing about on the bubbles of wartime champagne (probably a toxic mix of white wine and ginger ale) and she darkens the mood in the last few pages, leaving us to ponder the nature of tragedy and self-sacrifice.
September 22, 2019
WW2 Flight-Lieutenant David Heron is recuperating after a war time injury and has chosen to spend his convalescence in his favourite boarding house in London. When he is rudely awakened with the strange news that the body of a man has been found in the garden everyone in Mrs Meake’s boarding house is immediately under suspicion. David, however, is determined to track down the perpetrator of this heinous crime even though it takes him into some very dangerous situations.
What then follows is an interesting whodunit which is very much in the style of the golden age of sleuthing. The characters take charge from the very start and whilst Flight-Lieutenant Heron is a suave and sophisticated sleuth, he is also very much an old fashioned gentleman, and his considered approach to crime investigation is a real breath of fresh air. However, his air of affability and general bonhomie is about to be tested to the limit as he delves further and further into the clandestine world of the black market.
Plenty Under the Counter is filled with twists, turns and numerous red herrings and is a fascinating snap shot of what it was like to live in wartime London. Written in 1948, there is a definite air of authenticity about it, particularly as the author is using her own experience of living in London during the war years, bringing a real sense of originality to what is, after all, quite a complex murder/mystery.
Plenty Under the Counter is a fascinating addition to the IWM Wartime Classic Collection and will, I’m sure, appeal to those readers who enjoy a good old fashioned crime nove
What then follows is an interesting whodunit which is very much in the style of the golden age of sleuthing. The characters take charge from the very start and whilst Flight-Lieutenant Heron is a suave and sophisticated sleuth, he is also very much an old fashioned gentleman, and his considered approach to crime investigation is a real breath of fresh air. However, his air of affability and general bonhomie is about to be tested to the limit as he delves further and further into the clandestine world of the black market.
Plenty Under the Counter is filled with twists, turns and numerous red herrings and is a fascinating snap shot of what it was like to live in wartime London. Written in 1948, there is a definite air of authenticity about it, particularly as the author is using her own experience of living in London during the war years, bringing a real sense of originality to what is, after all, quite a complex murder/mystery.
Plenty Under the Counter is a fascinating addition to the IWM Wartime Classic Collection and will, I’m sure, appeal to those readers who enjoy a good old fashioned crime nove
September 22, 2019
The story begins in my favourite way with a murder and a classic dagger in the back situation. David Heron a pilot in the RAF has only recently arrived at the guest house after an injury. He almost immediately decides that he is going to investigate the murder.
The book was easy to read and reminded me in many ways of Agatha Christie with the mismatch of characters in the guest house and their eccentric personalities.
I really enjoyed getting to know David and Mrs Meake the landlady who is terrified that her guest house will be brought into disrepute after a body is found in the garden.
A well written and engaging tale with a good twist which was also really interesting from an historic perspective and gave lots of information about London in the blitz that I was not aware of previously.
I will be definitely searching for other books by this author and Thank you to Imperial War Museum Wartime Classics for introducing me to this great author and for my copy of the book in return for a fair and honest review.
Also big thanks to Anne Cater for my invitation to the blog tour.
The book was easy to read and reminded me in many ways of Agatha Christie with the mismatch of characters in the guest house and their eccentric personalities.
I really enjoyed getting to know David and Mrs Meake the landlady who is terrified that her guest house will be brought into disrepute after a body is found in the garden.
A well written and engaging tale with a good twist which was also really interesting from an historic perspective and gave lots of information about London in the blitz that I was not aware of previously.
I will be definitely searching for other books by this author and Thank you to Imperial War Museum Wartime Classics for introducing me to this great author and for my copy of the book in return for a fair and honest review.
Also big thanks to Anne Cater for my invitation to the blog tour.
July 8, 2023
3.5 stars
if you like agatha christie you will certainly like this book,, tho the ending was anticlimactic and cheesy imo (you might figure out the culprit two thirds into the book and be slightly disappointed by the outcome) but still a nice read will recommend to my friends
if you like agatha christie you will certainly like this book,, tho the ending was anticlimactic and cheesy imo (you might figure out the culprit two thirds into the book and be slightly disappointed by the outcome) but still a nice read will recommend to my friends
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