Gently with the Innocents

Chief Superintendent Gently #17

by Alan Hunter

Peachment lived in a sixteenth-century mansion filled with twisting passages and hidden rooms. Some said it was haunted; others, that it held an ancient treasure. When a priceless gold coin was found beside his bruised body at the foot of the stairs, the rumors became all too real.

Everyone Inspector Gently interrogated - the kind antique dealer, the gruff caretaker, the naive nephew, the curious schoolchildren - seemed innocent. But the daring detective was certain that someone was guilty of cold-blooded murder.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Detective

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Alan Hunter was born at Hoveton, Norfolk and went to school across the River Bure in Wroxham. He left school at 14 and worked on his father's farm near Norwich. He enjoyed dinghy sailing on the Norfolk Broads, wrote natural history notes for the local newspaper, and wrote poetry, some of which was published while he was in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

He married, in 1944, Adelaide Cooper, who survives him with their daughter. After the war he managed the antiquarian books department of Charles Cubitt in Norwich. Four years later, in 1950, he established his own bookshop on Maddermarket in the city.

From 1955 until 1998 he published a Gently detective novel nearly every year. He retired to Brundall in Norfolk where he continued his interests in local history, natural history, and sailing

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

The seventeenth book in the George Gently series has our stalwart protagonist stray into the horror/thriller genre and, I have to say, parts of this book were absolutely chilling! The hair actually stood up on the back of my neck in the final chapter; I kid ye not!

I really enjoyed this one, with its hints of the supernatural and echoes of the ancient past. This makes two five star Gently's in a row for me; I wonder if Hunter can make that a hat trick? We shall see when I start the next book tonight...

[Alan (the Lone Librarian on semi-hiatus)) Teder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gently and the Treasure Hunters
Review of the Constable Kindle eBook edition (2013) of the Cassell Crime Connoisseur hardcover original (1970).

‘There is gold. And I think the Superintendent knows it.’
‘Then he’s an old fox,’ Bressingham said.
‘He doesn’t want to believe in it,’ Ursula Bressingham said. ‘It’s against himself he is arguing. But there is gold. And he knows it.’

Gently is approached by the nephew of a man who apparently died from a fall down the stairs in his dilapidated mansion. The nephew has a gold medal coin of Pope Innocent III which he believes is part of a larger treasure which his uncle had discovered. Gently takes on the case and it turns out that it was likely murder as the victim appears to have been tortured and beaten before his death. A nearby warehouse man becomes the main suspect as he may have observed the treasure being discovered. But then the warehouse man himself is found dead in a similar situation. Can Gently solve the murders and discover the secret to the hidden treasure? A local antiques and coin dealer becomes Gently's ally in the quest.


The dust cover of the original UK hardcover published by Cassell Crime Connoisseur in 1970. Image sourced from AbeBooks.

I can't say much further about this one except that the reveal was completely unexpected to me and was shocking in its horrifying implications. Alan Hunter and George Gently came through in a big way on this one with some clever red herrings and misdirections throughout. I'd even say this is my favourite Gently to date, combining both a treasure hunt and a murder mystery.

Trivia and Link
Gently with the Innocents was adapted for the Inspector George Gently TV series (2007-2017) as Series 2 Episode 1 in 2009. The plot varies considerably from the original novel except for the first victim being murdered in their dilapidated mansion. Very few of the TV episodes are based on the original books and the characters are quite different, e.g. Sgt Bacchus does not appear in the books. The timeline for the TV series takes place in the 1960s only.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adrian Peachment implores Inspector Gently to investigate the death of his uncle James Peachment. The elderly man's bruised and broken body was found at the foot of the stairs of his 16th-century mansion. Lying beside him was a priceless gold coin. There had long been rumors that somewhere in the twisting passages and hidden rooms was a great treasure. There have also been rumors that the house is haunted. Now it looks like at least part of the rumors may have been true. The coroner brought in an open verdict--the death may well have been an accident. But Adrian is sure the local police suspect him and he can't blame them. After all, he is his uncle's sole heir. And--he's certain his uncle was murdered and he doesn't want to hang for a murder he didn't do.

Gently begins the investigation a bit reluctantly, but the more he questions Bressingham, a local antique dealer; Colkett,the grumpy owner of the warehouse next door' and the group of boys who liked to spy on "Peachy" and Colkett, the more he believes someone is guilty of cold-blooded murder. He's fairly certain the nephew really is innocent (though he's keeping an open mind) and Colkett becomes the chief suspect when Gently and the local constable realize he had a bird's eye view of Peachment's secret room. And when Colkett disappears, leaving a trail that leads to the pawning of another priceless coin, it looks very like they'll have their man once he's found.


But...then Colkett is found dead in same place and manner as Peachment. And Gently has to reorganize his theory....leading him to an unusually cruel and unexpected solution.*

Long ago and far away, I read two Inspector Gently books (Death on the Heath and Landed Gently) from our local library and immediately put him down on the TBF (To Be Found) list. Since then, I've picked up all sorts of titles (including those two--which if I ever get a moment I plan to revisit) and been fairly disappointed with those I've read. I kept wondering why I thought I needed more of Gently. Here is the answer. Here we have Gently detecting as I thought he ought to. The book has it all: a death with no motive (initially), hidden treasure, rumors of ghosts, historical context, several suspects (from the nephew to the antique dealer to the grumpy warehouse owner to others who suspected the man had gold), good atmosphere, and a chilling wrap-up. Definitely more in line with my previous impression of Hunter's detective novels. ★★★★

So--while it is chilling to think that the group of boys cound be so cruel and unfeeling, I couldn't help but think of the Star Trek Episode "Miri." There the group of Onlies attack Kirk and are ready to kill him by beathing him to death. The scenes are very similar...though Kirk survives and Peachment and Colkett don't.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[David Kilner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot summary:
An older man is found dead at the foot of the stairs in his house - but was it an accident or murder? Gently believes it’s murder due to the man’s wounds and quickly establishes that the motive was robbery of some ancient coins believed to have been hidden in the house for centuries. Suspicion falls on a man who works in an adjacent warehouse, confirmed when he pawns one of the coins. But then he too is found dead in the same house. Gently cannot work out where, if anywhere, the coins are hidden, but sets a trap with himself as the bait. Sure enough, the real offenders turn up one dark and stormy night and attack Gently but he defeats them and finds the coins too.

Overall:
Tightly written and only 200 pages, with a very challenging puzzle to work out. Only a small cast of characters and a limited number of suspects. I enjoyed the focus on the main plot without the distraction of excessive sub-plots which has become popular in recent years. The book is old-fashioned but a good read nonetheless.

Plotting:
Tight and convincing - an old-school plot. The solution to how the coins were hidden is quite ingenious - Dorothy Sayers would be well-pleased.

Characterisation:
The principal characters are well-established and I found them believable. Gently is consistent from one book to another - persistent, always peeling away layers and seeking for the truth behind the obvious - almost Socratic in his discussions with colleagues.

Dialogue:
No wasted words. Good use of dialect.

Setting and Description:
Convincing portrayal of a bleak northern England town in mid-winter where the countryside is practically impassable due to snow. Had me shivering!

Readability:
Very straightforward, plain language, no tricks or gimmicks.

Sub-plots:
There aren’t any, though at one point we did get a hint that Gently has - or did have - a lady friend.

Rating
8/10

[Paul Allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

1970s detective tale set in a small town in snowy conditions - an engaging story.

This detective novel deals with the death of a bit of a recluse in an old mansion where it is suspected that there is a hoard of gold coins. There are few suspects for Gently to investigate and the plot therefore moves along quite slowly in this 200-page novel. The characters are reasonably well fleshed out and it's all quite interesting. Good book.

[Margie Dorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of his better books. The ending surprised me. Hunter has a good writing style. He keeps me entertained as an escapist author. I don't rate him higher because his books seem very much to be written for the mores of a previous generation to mine, and I'm no spring chicken. Not quite as classic as some of my very favorite mystery authors.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow moving with typical Gently shrugging and grunting his way through the story. Ridiculous ending.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was slightly disappointed that John Bacchus from the PBS series was not in this book.

[David Highton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gently goes to Northshire to solve the murder of a recluse found with a valuable ancient coin

[Walter A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best one so far

I am reading the Gently series in order and this is the best one so far! Very good story with quite a mystery!

[Tom the Guvnor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book in which Alan Hunters experience as antiquarian starts to shine through. It is a neat and enjoyable procedural detective story. at the same time it reveals and revels in the joy of antiquarian discovery of furniture books and coins. this is all set around a house which is an amalgam of 17th century and later construction and the house is as much a mystery as is the crime. in some ways the denouement is less interesting than the joy of experiencing the character of the dealer who works with gently.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really had trouble staying involved with this book. Perhaps it was the odd writing cadence (sentence fragments), or the 30+ year old English slang. I am not sure. After about 1/3 of the way, I just skimmed the high spots.

[Cece · Rating 4 out of 5]

For sheer "up the garden path" writing-this one would be hard to beat.