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Chief Inspector Littlejohn #4
The Dead Shall Be Raised
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1942
3 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
George Bellairs
73 books100 followersAKA Hilary Landon
George Bellairs is the nom de plume of Harold Blundell, a crime writer and bank manager born in Heywood, near Rochdale, Lancashire, who settled in the Isle of Man on retirement. He wrote more than 50 books, most featuring the series' detective Inspector Littlejohn. He also wrote four novels under the alternative pseudonym Hilary Landon.
George Bellairs is the nom de plume of Harold Blundell, a crime writer and bank manager born in Heywood, near Rochdale, Lancashire, who settled in the Isle of Man on retirement. He wrote more than 50 books, most featuring the series' detective Inspector Littlejohn. He also wrote four novels under the alternative pseudonym Hilary Landon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
November 23, 2021
It is 1940 and Detective Inspector Littlejohn is leaving London, and the Blitz, behind and travelling on Christmas Eve to the village of Hatterworth. His wife had been slightly injured in the bombing and had relocated to stay with a friend, but it is, you feel, unlikely that Littlejohn will find rest and recreation, as he stumbles through the blackout and boards trains, unsure of where they are headed.
Indeed, although Christmas is pleasant, soon there is a case for Littlejohn to investigate. A skeleton is dug up on the moor by the Home Guard, digging a trench. It is identified as Enoch Sykes who was thought to have vanished after the body of Jeremy Trickett was found dead in 1917. Sykes, known to have argued with Trickett, was thought to have committed the murder, but now it seems somebody had murdered them both. Littlejohn helps local man, Haworth, investigate the long buried secrets of the village.
This is an interesting Golden Age crime, but the language, and characterisation, is dated, with every woman either a nagging wife or young temptress. That aside, the fact that most of those involved in the original crime are either elderly, or dead, makes this an unusual investigation, although the author does make make full use of either the Christmas, or wartime, setting.
Indeed, although Christmas is pleasant, soon there is a case for Littlejohn to investigate. A skeleton is dug up on the moor by the Home Guard, digging a trench. It is identified as Enoch Sykes who was thought to have vanished after the body of Jeremy Trickett was found dead in 1917. Sykes, known to have argued with Trickett, was thought to have committed the murder, but now it seems somebody had murdered them both. Littlejohn helps local man, Haworth, investigate the long buried secrets of the village.
This is an interesting Golden Age crime, but the language, and characterisation, is dated, with every woman either a nagging wife or young temptress. That aside, the fact that most of those involved in the original crime are either elderly, or dead, makes this an unusual investigation, although the author does make make full use of either the Christmas, or wartime, setting.
July 11, 2020
George Bellairs is one of the writers in the British Library Crime Classics series who is reliably entertaining: perhaps not the literary heights of Sayers’ best, or the memorable twists of Christie’s work, but solid and enjoyable, rooted in places and people that feel familiar. It’s well-worn without being tired; the literary equivalent of a duvet day.
This particular mystery features the discovery, over the Christmas season, of the body of a murdered man… a man who was himself suspected of being a murderer twenty years before. Obviously his discovery — just metres from where they found the body of the man he was alleged to have killed — sheds new light on the old mystery, and requires that murder too to be investigated again. Inspector Littlejohn is just spending Christmas away from his usual beat, but he agrees to help investigate, being a Scotland Yard man.
Through patient work and a little insight into human nature, and his willingness to depend on local knowledge rather than think himself above, he… well, it’s a Golden Age mystery, so you won’t be surprised to know that the killer is found, and all is made comfortable again. The killer became obvious to me fairly quickly, and the twist in the tale as well, but I enjoyed the journey nonetheless. Bellairs may not be a particularly fine prose stylist, but he evokes the village and the people within it beautifully. Mrs Myles is rather good, and the Inspector Emeritus as well. Not stunningly original, perhaps, but there’s enough of their speech patterns and gestures and thoughts that they feel just real enough.
Definitely a worthwhile one.
This particular mystery features the discovery, over the Christmas season, of the body of a murdered man… a man who was himself suspected of being a murderer twenty years before. Obviously his discovery — just metres from where they found the body of the man he was alleged to have killed — sheds new light on the old mystery, and requires that murder too to be investigated again. Inspector Littlejohn is just spending Christmas away from his usual beat, but he agrees to help investigate, being a Scotland Yard man.
Through patient work and a little insight into human nature, and his willingness to depend on local knowledge rather than think himself above, he… well, it’s a Golden Age mystery, so you won’t be surprised to know that the killer is found, and all is made comfortable again. The killer became obvious to me fairly quickly, and the twist in the tale as well, but I enjoyed the journey nonetheless. Bellairs may not be a particularly fine prose stylist, but he evokes the village and the people within it beautifully. Mrs Myles is rather good, and the Inspector Emeritus as well. Not stunningly original, perhaps, but there’s enough of their speech patterns and gestures and thoughts that they feel just real enough.
Definitely a worthwhile one.
May 1, 2019
DI Littlejohn of the Yard gets pressed into an investigation while on his Christmas vacation in 1940 (the book was published in 1942). A body is discovered by the Home Guard while digging trenches. This calls into question an old murder from 1917 thought to have been committed by the fresh victim. From the evidence, it is clear that both men were killed on the same night. One body was left to be discovered, while the other was buried along with a shotgun.
During this attempt to clear up a cold case, it is pleasant to have a description of England while it was still industrialized. The investigation is interesting and the mystery complicated.
At times Bellairs is able to paint vivid portraits of life and characters.
A photograph has the following verse attached:
'We think of you, dear father,
Your name we often call,
But there’s nothing left to answer,
But your photo on the wall.’
‘Mrs. Ryles smiled. At first, it was inscrutable and faint, as though she were casting back her mind to events in those past amours of twenty years ago. Then, her look became almost coquettish. The pride of a woman who had past conquests to her credit, whatever the present might hold.’
‘Evidence of identification was given by several witnesses. In fact, there had been quite a waiting-list of volunteers for the latter role, willing to be of service in exchange for a peep at the corpse.’
‘Littlejohn, too, was regarded with curiosity and a certain pride by the locals, for it seemed to put Hatterworth on the map when a man from Scotland Yard was involved in the machinery of its justice.’
George Bellairs is well worth discovering and this is one of his better mysteries.
During this attempt to clear up a cold case, it is pleasant to have a description of England while it was still industrialized. The investigation is interesting and the mystery complicated.
At times Bellairs is able to paint vivid portraits of life and characters.
A photograph has the following verse attached:
'We think of you, dear father,
Your name we often call,
But there’s nothing left to answer,
But your photo on the wall.’
‘Mrs. Ryles smiled. At first, it was inscrutable and faint, as though she were casting back her mind to events in those past amours of twenty years ago. Then, her look became almost coquettish. The pride of a woman who had past conquests to her credit, whatever the present might hold.’
‘Evidence of identification was given by several witnesses. In fact, there had been quite a waiting-list of volunteers for the latter role, willing to be of service in exchange for a peep at the corpse.’
‘Littlejohn, too, was regarded with curiosity and a certain pride by the locals, for it seemed to put Hatterworth on the map when a man from Scotland Yard was involved in the machinery of its justice.’
George Bellairs is well worth discovering and this is one of his better mysteries.
October 5, 2018
He forgot to include a plot.
September 25, 2025
A high 3 stars, but I'd be kidding myself if I gave it 4, despite its almost always being a pleasure to read. Why am I not raving? A few reasons: much of the investigations involves dredging up a past long gone, which feels far less urgent, none of the characters were particularly compelling, and the solution itself wasn't enormously interesting. So while at any given moment I enjoyed turning to the book (Bellairs is a good writer and has a way with words), at the end there hadn't been much "there" there.
Future self: this is the one where a body was discovered of someone they'd assumed had done a murder and scampered off. Now that he turned up long dead, it was time to rethink their prior assumptions.
(5* = amazing, terrific book, one of my all-time favourites, 4* = very good book, 3* = good book, but nothing to particularly rave about, 2* = disappointing book, and 1* = awful, just awful. As a statistician I know most books are 3s, but I am biased in my selection and end up mostly with 4s, thank goodness.)
Future self: this is the one where a body was discovered of someone they'd assumed had done a murder and scampered off. Now that he turned up long dead, it was time to rethink their prior assumptions.
(5* = amazing, terrific book, one of my all-time favourites, 4* = very good book, 3* = good book, but nothing to particularly rave about, 2* = disappointing book, and 1* = awful, just awful. As a statistician I know most books are 3s, but I am biased in my selection and end up mostly with 4s, thank goodness.)
March 22, 2023
Four and a half stars.
Littlejohn is on holiday at Christmas in the north of England to join his wife who is getting away from the blitz in London. While he is there a 20 year old corpse is uncovered on the moor nearby. This sets up a "cold case" investigation into which he is drawn. It transpires that the body is that of someone who was thought to have committed a murder back then and escaped abroad. Now it looked like he was another victim. Further murder ensues during the investigation. Plenty of good detection and all described in Bellairs's wonderful, witty English. As always, his descriptions of the people and situations are masterful and, for me, add enormously to the enjoyment of the book. No Cromwell in this one though.
Highly recommended.
Littlejohn is on holiday at Christmas in the north of England to join his wife who is getting away from the blitz in London. While he is there a 20 year old corpse is uncovered on the moor nearby. This sets up a "cold case" investigation into which he is drawn. It transpires that the body is that of someone who was thought to have committed a murder back then and escaped abroad. Now it looked like he was another victim. Further murder ensues during the investigation. Plenty of good detection and all described in Bellairs's wonderful, witty English. As always, his descriptions of the people and situations are masterful and, for me, add enormously to the enjoyment of the book. No Cromwell in this one though.
Highly recommended.
June 24, 2017
what can I say about this book apart from please read it ,its a crime classic and I wished I found this year's ago , its timeless and could have been written now,but don't take my word for it read it and enjoy
July 6, 2012
Inspector Littlejohn is spending a wartime Christmas (1940) in a little village in the Pennines, which means he's on hand when the Home Guard, digging a trench, find the body of a man last seen 23 years previously. Enoch Sykes was an ambitious young man, but when his former friend was found dead, everyone thought that he had murdered the man and fled. But the skeleton is undoubtedly Enoch's, and he was apparently murdered at the same time as his friend, probably by the same murderer. Can Littlejohn and the local police discover any clues to a murder more than two decades old?
January 31, 2024
The Dead Shall Be Raised (1942) by George Bellairs. This is yet another fine Christmas story set in the small English village of Hatterworth. Detective Inspector Littlejohn is traveling there to be with his wife at the holidays. She is staying with old friends of hers, the Haworths, the husband being the local inspector. There is some delightful descriptions of a “typical” quaint town where everyone knows everyone and secrets usually don’t stay buried long.
But in this case, a body is found buried on the local moors. The dead man, Enoch Sykes, disappeared twenty years before. He was suspected in the murder of, Jeremy Trickett, who had been his life-long friend, at least until just a short time before he was killed. Now it looks as if they were both murdered by a third party and the case has to be reopened.
The book’s current time is 1940, deep into Britain’s war, while the murders happened during WWI. This gives the author plenty of contrasting views between what was happening in and to England at the time he wrote the mystery, and what had happened, including the views of the average citizen, between the present and the “War To End All Wars”.
The mystery is handed off to Littlejohn when the local detective pulls up lame. There are some colorful local characters including the retired investigator who handled the original investigation, and the man’s father-in-law who had been the town’s police force prior to the murders. For the modern reader, there are views expressed in this novel which were consistent with the time but which are frowned upon now. Please put your biases away, accept the book as a look with a window to a different time, and try to enjoy the book for what it is.
There are several interviews that look into the past, many opinions offered, and some endearing stories of what has occurred to the locals during the spanning two decades. In all this is a quality mystery placed in a charming setting. This would make a fine reading for any mystery aficionado during the holiday season. Keep in mind readers, this is not so much a the search for a ruthless killer as it is a ride through the years to a time both far away yet near to heart.
But in this case, a body is found buried on the local moors. The dead man, Enoch Sykes, disappeared twenty years before. He was suspected in the murder of, Jeremy Trickett, who had been his life-long friend, at least until just a short time before he was killed. Now it looks as if they were both murdered by a third party and the case has to be reopened.
The book’s current time is 1940, deep into Britain’s war, while the murders happened during WWI. This gives the author plenty of contrasting views between what was happening in and to England at the time he wrote the mystery, and what had happened, including the views of the average citizen, between the present and the “War To End All Wars”.
The mystery is handed off to Littlejohn when the local detective pulls up lame. There are some colorful local characters including the retired investigator who handled the original investigation, and the man’s father-in-law who had been the town’s police force prior to the murders. For the modern reader, there are views expressed in this novel which were consistent with the time but which are frowned upon now. Please put your biases away, accept the book as a look with a window to a different time, and try to enjoy the book for what it is.
There are several interviews that look into the past, many opinions offered, and some endearing stories of what has occurred to the locals during the spanning two decades. In all this is a quality mystery placed in a charming setting. This would make a fine reading for any mystery aficionado during the holiday season. Keep in mind readers, this is not so much a the search for a ruthless killer as it is a ride through the years to a time both far away yet near to heart.
March 13, 2020
Murder Will Speak is also titled The Dead Shall Be Raised - this is the same book! British Library Crime Classics released book 4 (The Dead Shall Be Raised) combined with book 5 (The Murder of a Quack), which makes book 4 relatively easy to find nowadays. You can find it here on Goodreads. That is actually the edition I'm reading, but I prefer to rate books 4 and 5 separately.
Brief, fragmented thoughts on the book --- not enough food discussed in this one! All I got was measly ham sandwich and meat-and-pot-pie, which was disappointing. The Christmas start to the book was really beautiful though, and made me a little longing for that quaint village life. This is only the second (although book 4) book in the series I've read, and what is unfortunate so far is that Littlejohn is not really revealing himself as a detective to me yet. There is very little shared about his looks or his personal life, which is sharp in contrast compared to every other character you meet. Illegal searching must have been a thing, as this is 2 books of 2 for me that utilizes a police officer undercover as a 'furnace inspector' who actually takes evidence from murder suspects' homes. Some racist comments, which I guess shouldn't be unexpected in old books but is still incredibly jarring - one idiom used here is "the n-word in a woodpile" which, is weird, and also very offensive (holy eff you guys, I googled this (cringing while doing so) and check out its Wiki... Dr. Seuss drew a cartoon of this with other idioms like a monkey looking for a wrench in 1929. Just ugh). Littlejohn continues, so far, to be sort of in other people's towns investigating a crime, instead of at his home, which may be a theme ongoing in the series. He is of Scotland Yard, and I suppose might be continue to be sent away to help the local police investigate rather than be officially the only lead investigator. Interested to see how that plays out in future books! I have the next two already on-loan from the library, so Littlejohn continues...
Brief, fragmented thoughts on the book --- not enough food discussed in this one! All I got was measly ham sandwich and meat-and-pot-pie, which was disappointing. The Christmas start to the book was really beautiful though, and made me a little longing for that quaint village life. This is only the second (although book 4) book in the series I've read, and what is unfortunate so far is that Littlejohn is not really revealing himself as a detective to me yet. There is very little shared about his looks or his personal life, which is sharp in contrast compared to every other character you meet. Illegal searching must have been a thing, as this is 2 books of 2 for me that utilizes a police officer undercover as a 'furnace inspector' who actually takes evidence from murder suspects' homes. Some racist comments, which I guess shouldn't be unexpected in old books but is still incredibly jarring - one idiom used here is "the n-word in a woodpile" which, is weird, and also very offensive (holy eff you guys, I googled this (cringing while doing so) and check out its Wiki... Dr. Seuss drew a cartoon of this with other idioms like a monkey looking for a wrench in 1929. Just ugh). Littlejohn continues, so far, to be sort of in other people's towns investigating a crime, instead of at his home, which may be a theme ongoing in the series. He is of Scotland Yard, and I suppose might be continue to be sent away to help the local police investigate rather than be officially the only lead investigator. Interested to see how that plays out in future books! I have the next two already on-loan from the library, so Littlejohn continues...
October 28, 2020
Another Golden Age British mystery for me - I guess I am somewhat binge-reading these - and a delightful read. The plot concerns a 20-year old murder about which all the locals, police superintendent included, thought they knew the answer to: that a missing-ever-since individual with whom the victim had publicly quarreled and come to blows had done the deed. Now, the body of the supposed killer was discovered and those conclusions are blown up. Scotland Yard Detective Littlejohn, recurring character in mysteries by George Bellairs, is on Christmas holidays in the village where this is all transpiring/has transpiring and his host, the current police superintendent, invites Littlejohn to assist with the very cold case. By dogged interviewing of witnesses, at least those still alive 20 years later, the case is solved. The complications and contradictions of the current and past events make this a read that is hard to put down. The niceties of standards for the obtaining (and admissibility in court) of evidence in current criminal law were not in 1941 what they would be now; without benefit of warrants, evidence is obtained by, in one case, a policeman posing as a gas meter reader and, in another instance, by a retired policeman getting his cousin to permit a search. What a heyday a defense lawyer could have with all this in the present era! In a matter of days, Littlejohn and local police, as stated, resolve this long dead case and the truth prevails. Very fun read!
February 3, 2026
Bellairs is always fun, and even though this is not one of his best, it's a fairly entertaining read.
Each Littlejohn outing occurs while he is on vacation somewhere in Great Britain. This time he is in the northern part of England, and Bellairs puts considerable effort into making the local culture visible, even to the point of having the locals talk in dialect. It also has his touches of humor -- descriptions of characters which paint almost visual portraits, and preposterous character names (Rev. Reginald Gotobed, Mrs. Gracegirdle).
The major problem is a very straightforward plot, lacking complexity and red herrings, and it's not as interesting as some of his other plots/ There is also the usual problem with mid-20th Century British novels of the use of racist terms (though, in fairness, there is only one instance here, and so many authors are worse). It's startling that everyone seems to smoke, especially the men with pipes constantly in use.
In addition, aside from retired Inspector Will Entwistle (who raises hens), most of the characters are far from memorable. I also wondered about the two occasions where evidence is seized through subterfuge by the police, but have no idea what English law for police activities was in the 1940's.
This is the eighth book I have read in the series, and would rank in the lower half. Bellairs is no Dorothy Sayers or Ngaio Marsh, but these are period pieces and a bit of a UK travelogue and I find them fun.
Each Littlejohn outing occurs while he is on vacation somewhere in Great Britain. This time he is in the northern part of England, and Bellairs puts considerable effort into making the local culture visible, even to the point of having the locals talk in dialect. It also has his touches of humor -- descriptions of characters which paint almost visual portraits, and preposterous character names (Rev. Reginald Gotobed, Mrs. Gracegirdle).
The major problem is a very straightforward plot, lacking complexity and red herrings, and it's not as interesting as some of his other plots/ There is also the usual problem with mid-20th Century British novels of the use of racist terms (though, in fairness, there is only one instance here, and so many authors are worse). It's startling that everyone seems to smoke, especially the men with pipes constantly in use.
In addition, aside from retired Inspector Will Entwistle (who raises hens), most of the characters are far from memorable. I also wondered about the two occasions where evidence is seized through subterfuge by the police, but have no idea what English law for police activities was in the 1940's.
This is the eighth book I have read in the series, and would rank in the lower half. Bellairs is no Dorothy Sayers or Ngaio Marsh, but these are period pieces and a bit of a UK travelogue and I find them fun.
August 20, 2020
This is the second of Chief Inspector Littlejohn series I've read. A very enjoyable "golden age" mystery, written and set in the early 1940s. George Bellairs (the pen-name of Harold Blundell) has a very good knack for setting up a mystery or series of mysteries in small-town England. The characters are very well-drawn, and Bellairs - through his CI-Littlejohn - has great respect for their abilities and their intelligence. That's a trait often missing from mystery tales written in that time frame. Here, most of the local police are competent and hard-working, and Scotland Yard's Littlejohn works shoulder-to-shoulder with them, rather than dismissing them as local hacks. A similar set of conditions is applied to the locals, whether they're suspects, or witnesses - they're not cardboard cutouts from the stereotype shop.
The only drawback for me, is that the final dramatic scene was too "stagey". It took a measure of satisfaction away from the larger tale for me. However, I plan to read more of the Littlejohn series, so there's that.....
The only drawback for me, is that the final dramatic scene was too "stagey". It took a measure of satisfaction away from the larger tale for me. However, I plan to read more of the Littlejohn series, so there's that.....
July 29, 2018
An enjoyable war-time whodunnit from the now republished prolific author of a series of Inspector Littlejohn crime fiction novels. Wry and humorous, almost farcical, well-observed characters in a Lancashire town.
In the absence of a GR blurb, an earlier reviewer said:
‘Inspector Littlejohn is spending a wartime Christmas (1940) in a little village in the Pennines, which means he's on hand when the Home Guard, digging a trench, find the body of a man last seen 23 years previously. Enoch Sykes was an ambitious young man, but when his former friend was found dead, everyone thought that he had murdered the man and fled. But the skeleton is undoubtedly Enoch's, and he was apparently murdered at the same time as his friend, probably by the same murderer. Can Littlejohn and the local police discover any clues to a murder more than two decades old?’
In the absence of a GR blurb, an earlier reviewer said:
‘Inspector Littlejohn is spending a wartime Christmas (1940) in a little village in the Pennines, which means he's on hand when the Home Guard, digging a trench, find the body of a man last seen 23 years previously. Enoch Sykes was an ambitious young man, but when his former friend was found dead, everyone thought that he had murdered the man and fled. But the skeleton is undoubtedly Enoch's, and he was apparently murdered at the same time as his friend, probably by the same murderer. Can Littlejohn and the local police discover any clues to a murder more than two decades old?’
October 17, 2017
Great example of Golden Age Detective fiction. It's wartime, it's Christmas and it's a small, closed community of honest, and not so honest, folk.
I may have missed them but there were few clues so this was more of an early example of a police procedural, but it's none the worse for that. Littlejohn is a lovely man and his relationships with others are friendly and uplifting - obviously a wartime morale-booster.
Great writing, not dated in any way - other than the main actors all being males with the womenfolk playing supporting roles in keeping the world turning!
I'm now reading another one - Death of a Quack - in which Bellairs draws you into the story every bit as quickly and efficiently.
A fine writer and a fine story-teller.
I may have missed them but there were few clues so this was more of an early example of a police procedural, but it's none the worse for that. Littlejohn is a lovely man and his relationships with others are friendly and uplifting - obviously a wartime morale-booster.
Great writing, not dated in any way - other than the main actors all being males with the womenfolk playing supporting roles in keeping the world turning!
I'm now reading another one - Death of a Quack - in which Bellairs draws you into the story every bit as quickly and efficiently.
A fine writer and a fine story-teller.
January 13, 2021
This was great.
It is set during the Second World War and features Chief Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard as the protagonist.
The story takes place at Christmas time in a small village on the Yorkshire Moors where Littlejohn has gone to spend the holidays.
Littlejohn isn’t flashy in the style of Sherlock Holmes, able to dazzles readers with his brilliant deductions. Instead he gathers evidence, sifts through it, looks for patterns, takes a wrong turn or two, before reaching a conclusion that is truly satisfying. Bellairs doesn’t try to make the reader feel inferior, instead he simply crafts really interesting crimes and shows the reader how they were done.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I’ll certainly try to read more in the series.
It is set during the Second World War and features Chief Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard as the protagonist.
The story takes place at Christmas time in a small village on the Yorkshire Moors where Littlejohn has gone to spend the holidays.
Littlejohn isn’t flashy in the style of Sherlock Holmes, able to dazzles readers with his brilliant deductions. Instead he gathers evidence, sifts through it, looks for patterns, takes a wrong turn or two, before reaching a conclusion that is truly satisfying. Bellairs doesn’t try to make the reader feel inferior, instead he simply crafts really interesting crimes and shows the reader how they were done.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I’ll certainly try to read more in the series.
January 21, 2019
Humorous and light, this book is high on atmosphere (a small village in WWII Britain) and low on mystery. The suspects in a cold murder case prove positively garrulous, and very little detective work is done by the sleuths, apart from a spot or two of warrantless rummaging through basements.
The reader should also be aware that period-typical attitudes are in abundance, with frequent sexism, and one racial slur that shocks the modern reader. (I am aware that there were racial slurs in common slang of the period, but it's nonetheless unpleasant to suddenly get the "(slur) in the woodpile" phrase thrown at you out of nowhere.)
The reader should also be aware that period-typical attitudes are in abundance, with frequent sexism, and one racial slur that shocks the modern reader. (I am aware that there were racial slurs in common slang of the period, but it's nonetheless unpleasant to suddenly get the "(slur) in the woodpile" phrase thrown at you out of nowhere.)
June 23, 2019
Another good read from Bellairs. The strength lies in the portrayal of the local characters and the police community. The team work and relationship amongst the police is excellent. He manages to create a local community in a convincing and kindly way - even while sketching figures verging on stereotypes. His humour and empathy shines through. Females are not his forte but he manages a couple of powerful women on the edges of this one.
I also like the rural industrial setting of this one. Bellairs conjures a convincing picture of the rise and fall of an iron foundry and it’s impact on a small community - the rivalries, changing fortunes, temptations, ambitions and unintended consequences,
I also like the rural industrial setting of this one. Bellairs conjures a convincing picture of the rise and fall of an iron foundry and it’s impact on a small community - the rivalries, changing fortunes, temptations, ambitions and unintended consequences,
June 29, 2025
3.5*
I enjoy this writers work with the excellent word pictures allowing the reader to place themselves firmly in the setting. Littlejohn is an engaging character without the excess of angst which seems to hang around the more modern detective writing.
This is a solid story but it did feel a little as if the writer had run out of steam at the end and all of the proofs were presented in a very few pages near the end. Nonetheless this is an enjoyable book and I will definitely continue on with Littlejohn.
I enjoy this writers work with the excellent word pictures allowing the reader to place themselves firmly in the setting. Littlejohn is an engaging character without the excess of angst which seems to hang around the more modern detective writing.
This is a solid story but it did feel a little as if the writer had run out of steam at the end and all of the proofs were presented in a very few pages near the end. Nonetheless this is an enjoyable book and I will definitely continue on with Littlejohn.
December 7, 2017
Littlejohn, along with his wife, spends Christmas in the village of Hatterworth, where a skeleton of somebody who was a purported murderer was dug up on the moors. Evidence shows that the supposed murderer was killed same time as the earlier victim, so Littlejohn and company starts to look for the real murderer from the cast from the past. Solid writing with good depiction of the village life but plotwise, nothing remarkable.
Read
April 27, 2024Kindle users should buy this under the title The Dead Shall Be Raised, combined with Murder of a Quack, which are being sold in a single volume for under US$3 at the time of this review, which is a much cheaper option than buying each separately.
I'm marking this volume read so I don't later think it's a Bellairs book that I need to buy, due to the differing titles.
I'm marking this volume read so I don't later think it's a Bellairs book that I need to buy, due to the differing titles.
June 18, 2024
On holiday in Yorkshire, away from the blitz in London, Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is roped into helping the investigation of a body uncovered by the local Home Guard. It turns out the body is of a missing suspect, who had been accused of a murder 20 years earlier.
Good northern setting, set during the early days of the War in 1940. A solid mystery.
Good northern setting, set during the early days of the War in 1940. A solid mystery.
September 4, 2024
An excellent murder on the moors including all sorts of unlikeable characters, well-meaning cops, a reclusive old widow, some old folks w/memories of the way it had been 20 years ago all tied up in a nifty little mystery written in 1942 with all the trimmings. A refreshing journey back into the previous century (!!!).
December 11, 2024
This novel is very much a product of its time, 1942. There are lots of WWII references woven into an account of a murder investigation in a small village, one or two racial slurs, and some descriptions of “menials” that you’d never see in a recent novel. OTOH, the writing is lively, the conversations believable,and the clues fair. It’s worth reading.
August 12, 2018
This is an easy 1940's mystery with a few politically incorrect comments, but one of those cozy murders in Northern England during a wintry week during WWII. It's good for people who have enjoyed Agatha Christie. A nice read.
November 28, 2018
An enjoyable read. Delightful depiction of a village in winter and murder with good characters but more of police procedural than a mystery with clues for the reader to solve. There were some nice quotes but there were also too many detailed descriptions.
April 29, 2021
Wow ................
This book was just SO full of light racism and heavy misogyny. Also the plot did not make sense. Honestly the only decent part of this book was the old former inspector who is obsessed with his chickens. He is the only one getting stars.
This book was just SO full of light racism and heavy misogyny. Also the plot did not make sense. Honestly the only decent part of this book was the old former inspector who is obsessed with his chickens. He is the only one getting stars.
November 3, 2024
Another easy read from British library crime classics. A cold case double murder on the moors. Good little plot. I liked the 3 generations of detectives involved. I like this author . Pleasure to read.
March 8, 2025
Bellairs writes with literary pretensions and a faux-waggish jocularity, intent on scoring points off his cast of village stereotypes. While thus engaged, he leaves Inspector Littlejohn to follow basic leads and listen to confessions. A paltry, self-solving mystery with only one suspect.
2.5★
2.5★
May 7, 2017
So glad to have been introduced to Bellairs. I really enjoy the Littlejohn stories - they are well-done and the characters are fabulous.
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