Dead Men Don't Ski

Inspector Henry Tibbett Mystery #1

by Patricia Moyes

Vacationing in the Italian Alps, Scotland Yard Inspector Henry Tibbett and his wife, Emmy, discover an international smuggling ring and an unexpected murder.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Italy, Crime, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Cozy Mystery

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Moyes was born in Dublin on 19 January 1923 and was educated at Overstone girls' school in Northampton. She joined the WAAF in 1939. In 1946 Peter Ustinov hired her as technical assistant on his film School for Secrets. She became his personal assistant for the next eight years. In 1960 she wrote the screenplay for the film School for Scoundrels starring Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas, and Alastair Sim. She married photographer John Moyes in 1951; they divorced in 1959. She later married James Haszard, a linguist at the International Monetary Fund in The Hague. She died at her home on the island of Virgin Gorda (British Virgin Islands) on 2 August 2000.

Her mystery novels feature C.I.D. Inspector Henry Tibbett. One of them, Who Saw Her Die (Many Deadly Returns in the US) was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1971. She also wrote several juveniles and short stories.

Series:
* Inspector Henry Tibbett Mystery

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Wow, this is a new favorite mystery. I thought it was brilliant. I never saw anything coming and the cast of characters was fascinating. If not for the skiing and the ski lift, this would make a fantastic stage play. I think Henry Tibbett is a new favorite detective. He is sensitive, kind, funny, level-headed, sharp-eyed, intuitive, and clever. He also has moments of amusing vulnerability with his skiing ability (which is decidedly not great). I like his relationship with his wife Emmy. Even though we didn’t get to know her as well, she still serves a fun sidekick role.

The characters in this are fantastic. Even the villain was interesting, especially his history and motivations. I like that the mystery is complex with lots of different secrets that take time to unravel. There is a strong sense of morality too with the various crimes that take place and the decisions Henry has to make with what he learns from each of the characters. (I think this mystery would make for a great discussion!)

This mystery definitely has a Golden Age feel to it, though maybe more along the lines of Josephine Tey than Agatha Christie. The mystery was technical and a puzzle to solve, but the character development and psychology was more like Tey (in my limited experience). I’m so thankful to be introduced to this detective and this author. Looks like there are a lot more in this series!

Oh, also, the setting is fabulous—a ski resort and small town in the mountains of Italy, very close to the Austrian border. I found the discussion of nationality and language fascinating since the region the story takes place in changed “hands” from German-speaking Austria to Italian-speaking Italy. I don’t know much about continental Europe so I love a book that gives me a peek into life there (especially post-WWII like this book). I enjoyed the humor in the book as well. It is suspenseful and serious at times, but it was fun to read.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was away from internet for weekend but wanted to drop in to say how very much I enjoyed this book, my first by author Patricia Moyes. Though written some time ago the book did not feel dated to me. The characters were varied and interesting and as this is introduction to Inspector Henry Tibbett I will be certain to seek out other books in the series. Anyone interested in skiing should appreciate this one.
I was lucky enough to buy this on sale from amazon but it appears the price has gone back up. Sorry. Her books are available at my library (Chicago Public Library) but not the kindle versions. Highly recommend this one.

[Justus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across a mention of *Dead Men Don't Ski* via *The Invisible Event*, a blog dedicated to old & mostly forgotten mystery books from the early- the mid-20th century. It was given a favorable 4 out of 5 star review and it seemed like an opportunity to try something a little bit out of my normal reading habit.

Having read a few more reviews, I can appreciate the historical place of this book. It appears to be one of the first (possibly the first?) "cosy mysteries" that now are quite commonplace. It is also a "travelogue" mystery -- that is, it occurs in some exotic or unique locale -- which was also uncommon at the time. A large part of the draw to readers at the time would have been descriptions of the Italian ski resort that were both expensive & cumbersome to get to. (It appears to take ~24 hours by train to get there with multiple changes of train to smaller and smaller lines.)

Outside of that kind of historical curiosity, though, I was fairly underwhelmed by the book. You have a standard set up: a dozen or so people in a remote hotel, someone ends up murdered, it turns that nearly every guest has a motive for killing the dead man. Then follows some detection, which largely involves building a time table of who was doing what when. "Mrs Smith had lunch from 12-1" and so on. And then from that the detective can figure out whodunnit.

This has always been my least favorite style of mystery book. The idea that people can remember what they did when with any accuracy, much less that various people with different watches would agree on the exact timing of things, always has struck me as ridiculous.

In this case, it felt even more ridiculous because

a) the most likely murderer seemed obvious to me quite early on and I never felt there was a plausible reason for discounting him
b) it turns out there was a witness who saw the whole thing and would have come forward in another day or two

By about the 50% part the detective claims to have solved the murder. A second murder occurs which doesn't actually add to the mystery much -- the most likely culprit of the second murder is even more obvious than the first -- but does drag out the book quite a bit more.

Like many mystery books, the author engages in poor writing and underhanded tricks in order to sustain the mystery for the reader until the end. The detective explains his suspicions to the Italian police and they formulate a plan of action....but that all happens off-screen for no reason other than to maintain the mystery to the reader. Even worse comes later when they author becomes even more elliptical to maintain the mystery:

"He asked Emmy a question, and very surprised, she answered, "Yes, I suppose so. That morning. But what has that got to do with it?"

or

"He ran downstairs, and out to the ski-lift. There, he commandeered the telephone, and rang Carlo. He asked him two questions—and received the answers he expected."

[Sharla · Rating 4 out of 5]

The atmosphere of ski country in the Italian Alps is perfectly portrayed and adds tremendously to the story. The mystery plot is pretty good and well laid out. Henry Tibbett is an interesting detective, who genuinely cares about people and solves problems along the way to solving the mystery. I also like the team effort of Henry and his wife, Emmy. This is the first in the series and I will definitely be reading more.

[Anissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has all the winter going on so was perfect for my seasonal reads. I enjoyed Henry and Emmy (wished she had more to do) as their vacation at a ski resort went sideways with murder about. The mystery was well done and kept me guessing as to the who and how. The way this was told, the reader does not have all the facts so can't work it out like Henry but it was still fun. The supporting characters were well done and fairly vivid. The descriptions of all things Alpine were very well done.

I will read another in the series (I've already downloaded the next though it isn't wintry). I read this through Kindle Unlimited.

[Daniel Myatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's an excellent mystery novel! Filled with glamorous people, adventurous ski instructors, drugs, smuggling, mystery, and murder.

I really enjoyed the pace of the plot, and the writing it really was a great read that hooked me from the first page.

I have a new detective to read!!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ I know nothing about skiing so I was a bit lost with those details, but I loved the unraveling of the complicated murders. Inspector Henry Tibbett (and his wife, Emmy) is just great!!

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Behind the railway line, the mountains reared in white splendour: by now, the sun had left the village, but lingered on the rosy peaks and on the high snowfields. Far up the mountain , where the trees thinned out, just on the dividing line between sunshine and shadow, was a single isolated building…”

This is Bella Vista, the place where the team of Henry Tibbett and his wife, Emmy begin their detective work. This mystery novel is the first of Moyes’ stories about Tibbett and “his nose”. Moyes’ tales are entertaining and fun to read. I would imagine that many people have read them for the story – the plots are good and interesting to follow.

I, however, like Henry and Emmy. Every time my friend gives me one of these crime novels, I read them to see how the Tibbetts are getting on. They seem like friendly, kind people, people who I would have liked to meet.

If you enjoy reading British mysteries and don’t mind a bit of time travel back to simpler times, these stories may be for you.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, a good plot, good color and characters, and a good puzzle, with a neat wrapup. Moyes kept me guessing throughout at all levels, not just about technical factors such as timing, but about the basic plausibility of various hypotheses. I'm looking forward to reading more.

Later: I'm definitely enjoying this series. I've read about six of the early ones as of this writing. Moyes's writing, plotting, and construction get better with time and practice, and I've been giving them four stars. The local color is also quite enjoyable, and is not limited to Britain, but extends to much of Western Europe (reflecting Moyes's background): so far, Tibbett has done a good deal of traveling to Switzerland, The Netherlands, and France.

So far, the books are free-standing--there's no particular reason to read them in order.

[WhatShouldIRead]

There were too many characters to keep straight and also the story line did not hold my interest so I put this one aside. I know I've read some of these books long ago so am familiar with the author. I think that the setting and pace were the factors which decided me into not going on with this read.

[Infosifter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this was written in 1959, it's very much in the golden Age mystery mode. I enjoyed this and will look for more in the series.

[Ann Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Entertaining 1950’s whodunnit with likable characters and fun Dolomites setting.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard about this book on the Classic Mysteries podcast and was happy to see it was available at my local library. It took me three tries (and renewing it twice both times) for me to finally get it read. Not that it was bad. In fact, it's a delightful story, it just took awhile to get into it.
Henry Tibbet, a well-known detective, is going on vacation with his wife to a remote skiing village. When his bosses find out, they tell him that there has been a problem with drug smuggling coming out of that particular Italian town. While Henry works for Scotland Yard, he is known to Interpol and they want his help.
On the way up, Henry and Emma meet several people on a train, all of whom are going to Santa Chiar with them. There is a trio of young people, an English colonel and his stereotypical wife, as well as a countess getting away from her rather stiff and cold husband.
There are more people that they meet once they get to the hotel, the most notable being Herr Hauser. He seems like a slimy sort who is more than a little interested in the daughter of a German family staying at the hotel. Of course, it should come as no surprise that Herr Hauser is the one to get bumped off. It's just sorting through the myriad characters and each of their motives.

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

When someone who has opinions about books that you respect, scores a book with 5*, you take notice. From the precis of this first novel of a series, it looked like my kind of book.

An elderly police inspector and his wife mixing business with pleasure  on a skiing holiday. A fairly complex murder investigation follows where his services are welcomed by the local force in this alpine ski resort.

Set in the 50/60s the scenery painted by the author brought back many happy memories of my short experience of this hobby (ie skiing not other practices uncovered in the book!).
The narrative was easily followed and the clues were there, although I missed them.

The style of writing made this an easy and enjoyable read.
Although I have not given it full marks, I will certainly be adding other books in the series to my shelf.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspector Henry Tibbet and his wife Emmy are on a skiing holiday in Italy when one of the guests at their hotel is murdered. There are many suspects, all of whom might have a good reason for wanting the victim dead, and although there are local police on the job, Henry naturally gets drawn into the investigations. This is an enjoyable murder mystery with some good characters and an attractive setting and quite an ingenious plot.

[Rachael Burrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Patricia Moyes mystery and I really enjoyed it. The setting was great and the characters were interesting. I did have a suspicion who it was about 3/4 of the way through, but this didn’t take away any enjoyment of the story!

Now I’m off to find the next one!

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable romp!

[Susann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A NYT Read Like The Wind recommendation. So much fun and I hope to continue with the series. Inspector Tibbett’s wife Emmy is perhaps too perfect and accommodating, but Olivia Coleman would play her beautifully in a screen adaptation.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good start to a series with very likable main characters (a man who values his wife's opinion!) and an interesting setting.

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this wintertime mystery. My first Patricia Moyes book and have already started another. Insp. Tibbet and his wife are a wonderful team to watch solve crime. I also like the way Moyes tells stories, and creates a vivid sense of place and characters. I now know what piste, and stem Christina means in ski terms.

But on with the mystery, this is one of the most fair play mysteries I've read in a while. You really get all sorts of clues and even timeline charts (courtesy of the very precise Italian police.). It is also smooth reading in terms of plot and information. I'm not certain but Moyes I believe falls into the Silver Age of Detection. Will certainly be reading a number of her books! (As I said earlier- I've already started another.). Has a lot of cozy elements; and doesn't over play the police procedural aspect.

[Gwen (The Gwendolyn Reading Method) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suuuuper cozy. You can practically feel yourself tucked up with a steaming cup of hot chocolate on a European ski vacation in the '50s.

[Alan M · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Henry Tibbett was not a man who looked like a great detective. In fact, as he would be the first to point out, he was not a great detective, but a conscientious and observant policeman, with an occasional flair for intuitive detection which he called "my nose".'

Originally published in 1959, this is a welcome re-issue of the first Inspector Tibbett mystery by Patricia Moyes. Accompanied by his wife Emmy and a motley group of fellow travellers, Tibbett finds himself in the isolated ski resort of Santa Chiara. He is not there by accident, as he is mixing business with pleasure, having been asked to sniff out a possible smuggling ring. When a dead body turns up, things take on a more serious urgency - and, as Tibbett tries to find the killer, things get even more tricky when a second body turns up...

This is a fun, breezy kind of murder mystery. The list of suspects is small, helped by the isolation of the hotel; the local police inspector is, of course, clearly on the wrong track; and everyone, as it turns out, has a shady past and a motive for killing - this is classic whodunnit territory.

What lifts this to the realm of really wonderful is Patricia Moyes' writing, which is full of such enthusiasm that this truly is a page-turner. Her character observations are spot on, often funny, and she has an eye for description that is at once precise whilst being loaded with glee. As Henry and Emmy arrive at Victoria Station to start their journey they observe the other travellers setting out to various winter destinations:

'They were not all young, Henry noted with relief, though the average age was certainly under thirty: but young or middle-aged, male or female, all were unanimous in their defiant sartorial abandon - the tightest trousers, the gaudiest sweaters, the heaviest boots, the silliest knitted hats that ever burst from the over-charged imagination of a Winter Sports Department.... The whole dingy place had the air of a monstrous end-of-term party.'

To my shame I had never read any of Moyes previously. It appears there are 19 books in the series, so now some serious catch-up to be done. perfect for fans of Golden Age crime writing, these deserve to be re-discovered. Absolutely cracking stuff. 4.5 stars happily rounded up.

[Ferne (Enthusiastic Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Whodunit?" From the moment Inspector Henry Tibbett and his wife Emmy boarded the train for their skiing vacation at Bella Vista in Santa Chiara, Italy, I was already trying to pay attention to the intricacies of the characters as one could feel there was to be an upcoming murder to solve. I must confess that I have pictured Henry as a British version of Peter Falk from Columbo days with some of his questioning techniques. Whatever your delight with this genre, I highly recommend adding this series to your wish list. I've added it to my own.

After reading this novel, I noticed a little box promo on the back cover entitled, "Who's Likely to Like This?" The answer reads, "Fans of Caroline Graham and Susannah Stacey." That made me smile as I thoroughly enjoyed the novel by Patricia Moyes. I am a fan of "Midsomer Murders," based on the crime-novel series by author Caroline Graham. Now I'd like to read more Inspector Henry Tibbett Mysteries and add Susannah Stacey's* name to my book wish list for my reading investigations.

*Susannah Stacey is a pseudonym used by writers Jill Staynes and Margaret Storey. Under this name, the team has produced a mystery novel series featuring widowed British police Superintendent Bone. They also write a series of mysteries set during the Italian Renaissance under the name of Elizabeth Eyre."

[Teri-K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written mystery about a group of people visiting a ski resort when someone is murdered. As the people don't all know each other, there's plenty of room for suspicion and false accusations. Of course, it just so happens that two of the skiiers are a policeman and his wife. He's there to look into a smuggling operation, but that's soon overshadowed by murder.

This isn't a book where the detective's personality dominates, but rather one that gives us a collection of characters, visitors and natives, interacting as things unfold. I find it fascinating and also sad, which is a testament to the author's ability to make me care about these people and their troubles.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't exactly a page turner that I couldn't put down. It romanticized skiing in a remote Italian town in the 1950's (what's not to like!), but the story centered on a "locked door" type mystery where the murder could not have been committed the way it appears to have been committed. Typically, all of the characters were suspects and the ending was unexpected, but not exactly exciting.

[Lynnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. The start of a new series for me and a perfect January read. A good and solid plot set in the Italian Dolomites. I had an inkling of who dunnit then was sent off in a completely different direction! I really like Inspector Henry Tibbet and look forward to reading the rest in this series.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really 3-1/2 stars (rounded up to 4 because Henry and his wife's relationship really gives this mystery it's heart). I enjoyed this mystery set at a ski resort on the Italian-German border to be interesting though sometimes a bit slow-going. I liked Henry Tibbett a lot and will definitely continue on in this series.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clever, exciting plot. Great mystery read.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect read for a stormy winter day when you are hibernating at home. This is the first Patricia Moyes featuring her CID Henry Tibbett and his delightful and insightful wife Emmy. In a rare twist for mysteries of this sort, they are fairly happy couple, and even more they are a fully functioning, supportive team. Henry doesn't have any addictions or cynicism. He has a healthy dose of skepticism as needed for a police officer, but apart from that he's a fairly affable chap. It's just unfortunate that murder happens on his vacation!
He and Emmy travel to the remote skiing village of Chiusa in the Alps, just past Innsbruck, on the border of Italy and Austria. It's a trek to get there, the journey from London taking over a day with trains and boats and more trains and even smaller local trains. On the trip Henry and Emmy bond with a few fellow passengers also heading to the tiny resort of Santa Chiara. It's such a boutique destination that it sparks intimacy among the other travelers. Moyes provides just the right amount of backstory on how many times the nationality of the residents have changed over the recent decades despite not having moved an inch, all depending on who's in power at the time. And her description of the setting pulls all the right levers to get the imagination painting a vivid, brisk picture:

"True, the railway itself ran through wide, flat green valleys, like the beds of dried up lakes but all around the mountains reared proudly, fresh green giving way to grey rock, to evergreen, and finally, high above, to glistening white snow. All the along the train, voices and spirits rose. The sun shone, and the snow, suddenly real, suddenly remembered, was a lure, a liberator, a potent magic. Soon, soon..."

“Behind the railway line, the mountains reared in white splendour: by now, the sun had left the village, but lingered on the rosy peaks and on the high snowfields. Far up the mountain , where the trees thinned out, just on the dividing line between sunshine and shadow, was a single isolated building, as dwarfed by its surroundings as a fly drowning in a churn of milk.”

Moyes creates a cast of characters that of course all become suspects yet they have believable backstories and foibles and disagreements, some petty, some that run deeper. Most are likeable, with the exception of the man who ends up murdered. Of course the 25 minute ski lift is involved - you don't go to lengths to describe the gun in Act One without it going off in Act Two. And maybe Act Three as well... Honestly Moyes nails the settings in a style that reminds me of Ngaio Marsh, and her fully rounded, relatable, complicated mix of characters is reminiscent of Dame Agatha herself - all high praise indeed. Truth be told I have already read a couple of Moyes and was much impressed so by the time I got around to the first there were no surprises, aside from the small surprise of the consistency of Moyes' efforts and talent as event from the very beginning of her series. (Sometimes it takes authors a while to hit their stride and the first few books are definitely works in progress - not so in this case.) And of course there's a love triangle, a love affair, and a more mature couple who's dynamic winds up being more nuanced than meets the eye.

I would definitely re-read this one and will continue to collect the recent reprints by Felony & Mayhem - so grateful that they are bringing back classic authors. This feels like a Golden Age mystery though it takes place in the 1950s, and yet doesn't feel dated at all.

One last point - I love the cover with one small caveat - Emmy has dark curly hair and Henry has fair, sandy hair, the illustrator mixed up their coifs!

[Jay Maxfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Patricia Moyes first crime book published in 1959 by Collins Crime Club - I will add below the book taster contained in the Collins Crime Version. This is my third reading & review of a Patricia Moyes novel - as I have said in my other reviews the author has an exceptionally good writing style that is easy to read (no re-reading of sentences required) and her ideas for plots rivals even Agatha Christie's ingenuity as well as the fact she has a great sense of humour & bitchiness that is sprinkled through out her novels. This novel being the authors first is plainly obvious to regular cosy crime readers in that it is simply too long and everything turns out nicely in the end for everyone except for the victims and whoever seems villainous - this seems to happen to most new writers in the crime genre - and they either develop from the experience or tend to lapse in mediocre novels and rarely become well known authors. This author strips back her wordage and everything turns out nicely in the end in subsequent novels. If you are new to Patricia Moyes then I advise starting with Who saw her die? which I have rated 5 stars - whereas this novel is very enjoyable to read (especially for Cosy Crime Readers) but it is just too long which makes it a 3 1/2 star book only which isn't bad for a first attempt. (Below Book Taster)
"The whole thing is probably a wild goose chase," said Chief Inspector Henry Tibbett to his wife. "Heavens knows I don't want any trouble. I want to learn to ski. After all we are on holiday." Santa Chiara is high up in the Italian Dolomites and very close to the Austrian border--close enough for the Narcotics Department of Interpol to be suspicious of the activities which seemed to be centred on the Hotel Bella Vista, where Henry and Emmy had, in all innocence, arranged to spend their holiday. Knowing this the British police had now asked him to keep his eyes open while he was there. But Henry's hopes of a wild goose chase died with one of his fellow guests, who was alive at the top of the ski-lift to the hotel but who had been shot dead before reaching the bottom, having been passed en route by seven of the hotel residents who were riding up.

Lastly - Moyes uses a German word Vorlages as some kind of female clothing item. Does anyone have an idea what this is?