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Horatio Green
Murder By Request
As his fans know, all it takes is the scent of murder to lure Horatio Green out of "permanent" retirement. In his latest adventure, the rotund English detective with the superhuman sense of smell is once again back at work, this time on one of the most unusual cases of this career. His assignment : to solve a murder before it happens. His dealine : less than two weeks away.
(taken from jacket)
(taken from jacket)
- GenresMystery
222 pages
First published January 1, 1960
28 people want to read
About the author
Beverley Nichols
102 books149 followersJohn Beverley Nichols (born September 9, 1898 in Bower Ashton, Bristol, died September 15, 1983 in Kingston, London), was an English writer, playwright, actor, novelist and composer. He went to school at Marlborough College, and went to Balliol College, Oxford University, and was President of the Oxford Union and editor of Isis.
Between his first novel, Prelude, published in 1920, and Twilight in 1982, he wrote more than 60 books and plays on topics such as travel, politics, religion, cats, novels, mysteries, and children's stories, authoring six novels, five detective mysteries, four children's stories, six plays, and no fewer than six autobiographies.
Nichols is perhaps best remembered as a writer for Woman's Own and for his gardening books, the first of which Down the Garden Path, was illustrated — as were many of his books — by Rex Whistler. This bestseller — which has had 32 editions and has been in print almost continuously since 1932 — was the first of his trilogy about Allways, his Tudor thatched cottage in Glatton, Cambridgeshire. A later trilogy written between 1951 and 1956 documents his travails renovating Merry Hall (Meadowstream), a Georgian manor house in Agates Lane, Ashtead, Surrey, where Nichols lived from 1946 to 1956. These books often feature his gifted but laconic gardener "Oldfield". Nichols's final trilogy is referred to as "The Sudbrook Trilogy" (1963–1969) and concerns his late 18th-century attached cottage at Ham, (near Richmond), Surrey.
Nichols was a prolific author who wrote on a wide range of topics. He ghostwrote Dame Nellie Melba’s "autobiography" Memories and Melodies (1925), and in 1966 he wrote A Case of Human Bondage about the marriage and divorce of William Somerset Maugham and Gwendoline Maud Syrie Barnardo, which was highly critical of Maugham. Father Figure, which appeared in 1972 and in which he described how he had tried to murder his alcoholic and abusive father, caused a great uproar and several people asked for his prosecution. His autobiographies usually feature Arthur R. Gaskin who was Nichols’ manservant from 1924 until Gaskin's death from cirrhosis in 1966. Nichols made one appearance on film - in 1931 he appeared in Glamour, directed by Seymour Hicks and Harry Hughes, playing the part of the Hon. Richard Wells.
Nichols' long-term partner was Cyril Butcher. He died in 1983 from complications after a fall.
Between his first novel, Prelude, published in 1920, and Twilight in 1982, he wrote more than 60 books and plays on topics such as travel, politics, religion, cats, novels, mysteries, and children's stories, authoring six novels, five detective mysteries, four children's stories, six plays, and no fewer than six autobiographies.
Nichols is perhaps best remembered as a writer for Woman's Own and for his gardening books, the first of which Down the Garden Path, was illustrated — as were many of his books — by Rex Whistler. This bestseller — which has had 32 editions and has been in print almost continuously since 1932 — was the first of his trilogy about Allways, his Tudor thatched cottage in Glatton, Cambridgeshire. A later trilogy written between 1951 and 1956 documents his travails renovating Merry Hall (Meadowstream), a Georgian manor house in Agates Lane, Ashtead, Surrey, where Nichols lived from 1946 to 1956. These books often feature his gifted but laconic gardener "Oldfield". Nichols's final trilogy is referred to as "The Sudbrook Trilogy" (1963–1969) and concerns his late 18th-century attached cottage at Ham, (near Richmond), Surrey.
Nichols was a prolific author who wrote on a wide range of topics. He ghostwrote Dame Nellie Melba’s "autobiography" Memories and Melodies (1925), and in 1966 he wrote A Case of Human Bondage about the marriage and divorce of William Somerset Maugham and Gwendoline Maud Syrie Barnardo, which was highly critical of Maugham. Father Figure, which appeared in 1972 and in which he described how he had tried to murder his alcoholic and abusive father, caused a great uproar and several people asked for his prosecution. His autobiographies usually feature Arthur R. Gaskin who was Nichols’ manservant from 1924 until Gaskin's death from cirrhosis in 1966. Nichols made one appearance on film - in 1931 he appeared in Glamour, directed by Seymour Hicks and Harry Hughes, playing the part of the Hon. Richard Wells.
Nichols' long-term partner was Cyril Butcher. He died in 1983 from complications after a fall.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 17, 2018
The initial premise is that a murder is threatened, so you would logically expect the character to seek a bodyguard rather than a detective, n’est-ce pas? (Doesn’t this happen in two of Christie’s Poirot novels?) The title reveals all you need to know about the crime making the perpetrator obvious.
Nichols is socially observant and writes dialogue well. He makes people walk, talk and dress in character but his plotting is terrible. The whole work sags in the middle where Green or Poirot-lite (I wonder what Agatha Christie made of this character?) goes off on his own to search for information which is not revealed to the reader. In this respect, Nichols doesn’t play fair though I did spot the murderer early on due to the heavy clues in the first few pages. This time however he does offer a proper Poirot-esque denouement with all the characters present for the big reveal.
I found it annoying the way that Nichols kept congratulating himself by disparaging other, common detective novels, enjoying his own cleverness when in fact the murderer wasn’t so difficult to spot. He also intrudes as narrator when he talks in terms of theatre – characters being moved, scenes being played. This feels very artificial and distancing - I felt it stopped me as a reader from getting into the novel. The most entertaining element was when Nichols provided a flamboyant egotistic journalist as witness who wrote a terrible Daily-Mail style piece to report the murder. Self-parody, or a barb directed at a rival? I would love to know.
Nichols is socially observant and writes dialogue well. He makes people walk, talk and dress in character but his plotting is terrible. The whole work sags in the middle where Green or Poirot-lite (I wonder what Agatha Christie made of this character?) goes off on his own to search for information which is not revealed to the reader. In this respect, Nichols doesn’t play fair though I did spot the murderer early on due to the heavy clues in the first few pages. This time however he does offer a proper Poirot-esque denouement with all the characters present for the big reveal.
I found it annoying the way that Nichols kept congratulating himself by disparaging other, common detective novels, enjoying his own cleverness when in fact the murderer wasn’t so difficult to spot. He also intrudes as narrator when he talks in terms of theatre – characters being moved, scenes being played. This feels very artificial and distancing - I felt it stopped me as a reader from getting into the novel. The most entertaining element was when Nichols provided a flamboyant egotistic journalist as witness who wrote a terrible Daily-Mail style piece to report the murder. Self-parody, or a barb directed at a rival? I would love to know.
February 9, 2020
Típica novela de misterio al estilo tradicional en la que un adinerado empresario que ha recibido amenazas contra su vida contrata a un detective aficionado, - Mr Green -, para descubrir al responsable.
La acción transcurre en una clínica de reposo, propiedad del empresario. Como era de esperar, éste es asesinado.
De trámite algo lento y desarrollo y final previsibles para el lector avezado, nos encontramos, entonces, con uno de esos asesinatos casi imposibles de realizar, con un reducido grupo de sospechosos, - todos allegados a la víctima - y con la tradicional investigación, - aquí hallamos una competencia entre Mr Green y el inspector encargado del caso para ver quien resuelve primero el crimen - y el clásico desenlace con su explicación final.
De interés para quien quiera pasar el rato leyendo este tipo de novelas, pero no mucho más que eso.
https://sobrevolandolecturas.blogspot...
La acción transcurre en una clínica de reposo, propiedad del empresario. Como era de esperar, éste es asesinado.
De trámite algo lento y desarrollo y final previsibles para el lector avezado, nos encontramos, entonces, con uno de esos asesinatos casi imposibles de realizar, con un reducido grupo de sospechosos, - todos allegados a la víctima - y con la tradicional investigación, - aquí hallamos una competencia entre Mr Green y el inspector encargado del caso para ver quien resuelve primero el crimen - y el clásico desenlace con su explicación final.
De interés para quien quiera pasar el rato leyendo este tipo de novelas, pero no mucho más que eso.
https://sobrevolandolecturas.blogspot...
April 12, 2018
My first book of Nichols and it met my expectations as they were quite low..I expected a decent crime story and I got one. The main protagonist (i.e. retired psychologist - detective) felt like a poor replica of H. Poirot and the surrounding heroes were very shallow and indifferent. Passatempo book..
September 2, 2014
Sir Owen Kent asks retired psychiatrist Horatio Green to help him when he starts receiving threats to his life. Kent owns part of Harmony House, a health resort where he typically spends Christmas, and invites Green to be his guest there. That does not prevent his murder, and Green, together with his friend from Scotland Yard, must investigate. Green's specialty is using his sensitive nose to detect smells related to crime, but he finds only a passing use for it in this case.
March 13, 2012
Nichols' murder mysteries don't live up to his garden and interior design writing. That said, I still enjoyed them. Fans of Agatha
Christie and G.K. Chesterton will appreciate these.
Christie and G.K. Chesterton will appreciate these.
August 17, 2013
I guessed early on. Detective didn't do anything - just wandered around in a daze and sniffed things. Disappointing.
August 25, 2014
Puntuación de 0 a 10: 6,5
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews