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Inspector Pel #5
Pel and the Staghound
An Inspector Pel Mystery -
Violence, the mugging of gay men, and the disappearance of a wealthy local business man, Rensselaer, troubles Chief Inspector Pel who is baited by his superiors in Paris clamouring for more teamwork, technology, and sociologists. What remains is a harrowing question - has Rensselaer been kidnapped or murdered? Rensselaer's family don't seem to mind. Only Archer, his favourite staghound, is anxious for his missing master.
Violence, the mugging of gay men, and the disappearance of a wealthy local business man, Rensselaer, troubles Chief Inspector Pel who is baited by his superiors in Paris clamouring for more teamwork, technology, and sociologists. What remains is a harrowing question - has Rensselaer been kidnapped or murdered? Rensselaer's family don't seem to mind. Only Archer, his favourite staghound, is anxious for his missing master.
- GenresMystery
246 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1982
About the author
Mark Hebden
50 books6 followersMark Hebden is the pseudonymn of John Harris, who is well-known for a series of best-selling adventure stories. He wrote 35 books under his own name, 27 under the name of Mark Hebden and a further 10, mostly of a military nature, under the pseudonymn of Max Hennessy.
He was born in Yorkshire in 1916 to Mr and Mrs E J Harris who had The Stag Inn at Herringthorpe. He attended Rotherham Grammar School and after leaving there became a reporter on the Rotherham Advertiser before moving on to the Sheffield Telegraph. He also did some freelance work with a colleage in Cornwall and at various times worked as a cartoonist, travel courier and history teacher.
In World War II he served as a corporal in the RAF and was seconded to the South African Air Force. Indeed, it was said that he served two navies and two air forces during the course of the war!
He returned to the Sheffield Telegraph after the war where he as a political and comedy cartoonist and he remained with the paper until the mid-1950s.
On 31 January 1947 he married Betty Wragg at St Michael & All Angels Church, Northfield, Rotherham. The couple had a son, Max, in 1950 and a daughter, Juliet, in 1950.
He had his first novel, 'The Lonely Voyage' published in 1951 but it was in 1954 that he really came to the fore when his 1953 novel 'The Sea Shall Not Have Them' was made into a successful film. Thereafter he turned full-time to writing novels.
He wrote his first novel under the pseudonymn Mark Hebden, 'What Changed Charlie Farthing', in 1965 and his first novel featuring his French detective Chief Inspector Pel, 'Pel and the Faceless Corpse', was published in 1979. His daughter Juliet was to continue the Pel series after his death under the pen-name Juliet Hebden.
The family moved to West Wittering, near Chichester in Sussex in 1955 and he continued to write his novels from there.
He died on 7 March 1991 with his last book, 'Pel and the Sepulchre Job' being published posthumously in 1992.
The protrait accompanying this article is a cartoon self-portrait.
He was born in Yorkshire in 1916 to Mr and Mrs E J Harris who had The Stag Inn at Herringthorpe. He attended Rotherham Grammar School and after leaving there became a reporter on the Rotherham Advertiser before moving on to the Sheffield Telegraph. He also did some freelance work with a colleage in Cornwall and at various times worked as a cartoonist, travel courier and history teacher.
In World War II he served as a corporal in the RAF and was seconded to the South African Air Force. Indeed, it was said that he served two navies and two air forces during the course of the war!
He returned to the Sheffield Telegraph after the war where he as a political and comedy cartoonist and he remained with the paper until the mid-1950s.
On 31 January 1947 he married Betty Wragg at St Michael & All Angels Church, Northfield, Rotherham. The couple had a son, Max, in 1950 and a daughter, Juliet, in 1950.
He had his first novel, 'The Lonely Voyage' published in 1951 but it was in 1954 that he really came to the fore when his 1953 novel 'The Sea Shall Not Have Them' was made into a successful film. Thereafter he turned full-time to writing novels.
He wrote his first novel under the pseudonymn Mark Hebden, 'What Changed Charlie Farthing', in 1965 and his first novel featuring his French detective Chief Inspector Pel, 'Pel and the Faceless Corpse', was published in 1979. His daughter Juliet was to continue the Pel series after his death under the pen-name Juliet Hebden.
The family moved to West Wittering, near Chichester in Sussex in 1955 and he continued to write his novels from there.
He died on 7 March 1991 with his last book, 'Pel and the Sepulchre Job' being published posthumously in 1992.
The protrait accompanying this article is a cartoon self-portrait.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 29, 2021
The body of Edouard-Charles Duche is found dead in an alley. Duche is notorious for bullying, fraud, threats and theft —among law enforcement and the gang world. Was it murder by gang or by one of his victims?
Francois Rensselaer, wealthy business man, has gone missing but his family doesn’t seem to care. Some of his business associates and employees don’t seem to care either. The only one is Archer, Rensselaer’s favourite Staghound.
In both cases there are plenty of suspects and shady characters that could have something to do in the cases. Family? Friends? Associates? Enemies?
To solve thes cases, Inspector Evariste Clovis Désiré Pel is called in. One of the most successful detectives on the force, but no so much at home with Madam Routy, his housekeeper. She, who is a lousy cook and listens to the TV at top volume while sitting in the best chair. Why couldn’t he be as assertive with her as he is at work and fire her? The call to take the cases was extremely welcomed by Pel and his associates. At least here he was respected and the boss.
Pel is thorough in his investigations and expects and gets the same with his men. Observing, analyzing, thinking over details more than once, Pel slowly puts the pieces together to find the solution.
Pel can be moody, worrisome, brusque, outspoken and thorough, but there is also wittiness to be found in Pel and the other characters. It may be on the dark side, but it adds to the mood of the story.
Francois Rensselaer, wealthy business man, has gone missing but his family doesn’t seem to care. Some of his business associates and employees don’t seem to care either. The only one is Archer, Rensselaer’s favourite Staghound.
In both cases there are plenty of suspects and shady characters that could have something to do in the cases. Family? Friends? Associates? Enemies?
To solve thes cases, Inspector Evariste Clovis Désiré Pel is called in. One of the most successful detectives on the force, but no so much at home with Madam Routy, his housekeeper. She, who is a lousy cook and listens to the TV at top volume while sitting in the best chair. Why couldn’t he be as assertive with her as he is at work and fire her? The call to take the cases was extremely welcomed by Pel and his associates. At least here he was respected and the boss.
Pel is thorough in his investigations and expects and gets the same with his men. Observing, analyzing, thinking over details more than once, Pel slowly puts the pieces together to find the solution.
Pel can be moody, worrisome, brusque, outspoken and thorough, but there is also wittiness to be found in Pel and the other characters. It may be on the dark side, but it adds to the mood of the story.
August 7, 2020
(July 19, 2018) Originally read this in 1998, re-read it now as I’m exploring all of the 17 books featuring Inspector Pel. They are set in a specific time and place, in a world since changed, but going to that time and place is so fun with “the morose inspector” as a tour guide. This is a book any mystery lover can enjoy.
February 7, 2020
Sokszor morogtam már a hazai szocialista éra azon krimi kiadási gyakorlatán (gondolok itt a Magvető Albatrosz sorozatára, és az Európa Fekete könyvek sorozatára), hogy a legtöbb esetben csak elhúzták a mézesmadzagot a rajongók előtt.
https://hajokoffer.blog.hu/2020/02/07...
https://hajokoffer.blog.hu/2020/02/07...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews