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Chief Inspector Littlejohn #40
Death of a Shadow
During a police conference in Geneva, a detective assigned to the personal safety of the British Minister of Security is murdered.
His body is found in a car that has been left in a rose garden. The car in question happened to be hired by none other than Superintendent Littlejohn.
Littlejohn is assigned to the case in London and, for once, finds that he isn’t short of motive. The victim was a loner – sullen and silent, he seemed to hate everyone and everything.
Littlejohn is determined to crack this case before it becomes an international crisis and sets off on a trail that leads him through a seedy hotel in Geneva, a mental clinic in the mountains, and an airport in London. Will he manage to head off disaster, or is this case simply too big for Littlejohn?
Death of a Shadow was first published in 1964.
Inspector Thomas Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is a shrewd yet courteous sleuth who splits his time between quaint English villages, the scenic Isle of Man and French Provinces. With a sharp tongue and a dry sense of humour, Littlejohn approaches his work with poise and confidence, shifting through red-herrings and solving even the most perplexing of cases. ‘One of the subtlest and wittiest practitioners of the simon-pure British detective story’ – The New York Times
‘Mr Bellairs always gives good value’ – The Sunday Times
‘Pure British detective story’ – The New York Times
His body is found in a car that has been left in a rose garden. The car in question happened to be hired by none other than Superintendent Littlejohn.
Littlejohn is assigned to the case in London and, for once, finds that he isn’t short of motive. The victim was a loner – sullen and silent, he seemed to hate everyone and everything.
Littlejohn is determined to crack this case before it becomes an international crisis and sets off on a trail that leads him through a seedy hotel in Geneva, a mental clinic in the mountains, and an airport in London. Will he manage to head off disaster, or is this case simply too big for Littlejohn?
Death of a Shadow was first published in 1964.
Inspector Thomas Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is a shrewd yet courteous sleuth who splits his time between quaint English villages, the scenic Isle of Man and French Provinces. With a sharp tongue and a dry sense of humour, Littlejohn approaches his work with poise and confidence, shifting through red-herrings and solving even the most perplexing of cases. ‘One of the subtlest and wittiest practitioners of the simon-pure British detective story’ – The New York Times
‘Mr Bellairs always gives good value’ – The Sunday Times
‘Pure British detective story’ – The New York Times
180 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
101 people are currently reading
71 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 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 15, 2017
Superintendent Littlejohn is at a Police Conference in Geneva when he finds Alec Cling, the detective assigned to protect Sir Ensor Cobb, the Minister of Security, murdered in his car.
The subsequent investigation, carried out between London, France and Switzerland,takes in a seedy hotel and an up-market asylum: involved is the theft of diamonds.By patient investigation Littlejohn unravels the various mysteries and reveals the culprit.
The style of writing here is much simpler than in earlier books.The plot, too, is less convoluted. Mrs. Littlejohn disappears after Chapter 1 and Cromwell has little involvement. There is not much humour, fewer pen-portraits and little descriptive matter.
This one was slightly disappointing, a fairly pedestrian murder with a bit of deception thrown in.The ending was rather weak.
The subsequent investigation, carried out between London, France and Switzerland,takes in a seedy hotel and an up-market asylum: involved is the theft of diamonds.By patient investigation Littlejohn unravels the various mysteries and reveals the culprit.
The style of writing here is much simpler than in earlier books.The plot, too, is less convoluted. Mrs. Littlejohn disappears after Chapter 1 and Cromwell has little involvement. There is not much humour, fewer pen-portraits and little descriptive matter.
This one was slightly disappointing, a fairly pedestrian murder with a bit of deception thrown in.The ending was rather weak.
January 8, 2022
An enjoyable and easy read. Superintendent Littlejohn is in Geneva for a police conference when the body of a cabinet monsters bodyguard is found dead in his car.
It’s the most straightforward of the Bellairs books I’ve read, and you absolutely know by the last few chapters who the murderer was, and the reasons why. Nonetheless it has Bellairs characteristic good story telling.
It’s the most straightforward of the Bellairs books I’ve read, and you absolutely know by the last few chapters who the murderer was, and the reasons why. Nonetheless it has Bellairs characteristic good story telling.
March 5, 2023
This only 157 pages of mystery full of red herrings and hair pulling fun. Set up a in Geneva in 1964 Littlejohn running around like headless chicken.
May 26, 2017
Littlejohns at a conference when he is called out to remove his car, which he finds was not where he left it. Oh hmmm he also very certain that when he left it there was no dead body in it either. Then comes the Geneva police and Littlejohn is introduced to Lindemann his equal from the Swis police in a case that sees Littlejohn being a assistant to Me Lindermann and hopping back and forth to England where He is assisted by his good friend and college Cromwell. There are some good twists and humour that accompanies all the George Bellairs books I have had the pleasure to read so far. Sir Ensor Cob is another great character we meet who is a member of the British Governments Cabinet, head of security plus several other characters you will love or loath. Another excellent read and well worth the effort
September 13, 2013
Littlejohn is in Switzerland (which makes a change from The South of France or Isle of Man) for an International Police Conference. The Special Branch Protection Officer for a British Government Minister is found murdered in Littlejohn's hire car. Littlejohn is seconded to the Swiss Police and shuttles back and forth between London and Geneva to solve the case. Quite a few red herrings but as usual Bellairs is fair to the reader and provides all the information.
Would have liked to give it three and a half stars.
Would have liked to give it three and a half stars.
October 17, 2025
A shadowy life comes to an abrupt end, in Superintendent Littlejohn's rental car.
It's 1964 and Littlejohn and his wife are attending one of those conferences that allow senior civil servants to have a nice vacation at public expense, eating too much food, drinking too much wine, and listening to boring speeches. While a Spanish policeman tries to convince Letty Littlejohn that the bulls LIKE being killed in the bullfighting ring, her husband realizes that the PA announcement about a misparked car refers to his rental car.
He knows he parked it in the carpark, so how did it get into the Rose Garden? And why is there a dead body in the back seat?
The Swiss are happy to host the convention since conventions bring in money and the Swiss love money. They're not happy about an English policeman getting himself killed in their jurisdiction. Count on the barbaric English to cause trouble for the smoothly working Swiss establishment.
Sill, the head of the Geneva police likes Littlejohn, who speaks good French and he's willing to work with him to find the killer. The corpse belongs to Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Alex Cling, whose specialty is guarding government VIPs.
Cling is in Geneva to look after Sir Ensor Cobb, Minister of Security and one of the boring speakers at the dinner. Sir Ensor doesn't want a bodyguard and dislikes Cling, whom he regards as a boring man with no conversation. He admits Cling is good at his job, but Sir Ensor wants him to do his job somewhere else.
Sir Ensor is staying in Geneva with his daughter and her family and Cling has been assigned a room in the servant quarters. Littlejohn discovers Cling has some sides that aren't apparent to Sir Ensor. Childless himself, he likes kids and plays cricket with Sir Ensor's three grandsons, who love him. The butler finds him an intelligent man, well-traveled and well-read. And an experienced butler is a good judge of character.
He maintains a room in Geneva where he entertains an attractive young nurse. She's devoted to him and tries to kill herself when he dies. But Cling's heart belongs to the wife who left him twenty years ago. Flo was a party girl who worked at a night club when Cling fell in love with her. Unfortunately, he was busy with his job and Flo felt neglected. So she ran off with her American boyfriend and has been living with him ever since. Cling still hopes she'll come back to him and his will leaves everything to her. A strange devotion for a hard man.
He's a devoted nephew to his elderly aunt, even if he exaggerates his importance in his stories to her. Sir Ensor's mother is in early stage dementia and lives in an expensive clinic in Geneva which caters to the wealthy. She has a fortune's worth of diamond jewelry, which she casually wears around the clinic. Her son tried having paste replicas made, but the old gal knows her diamonds and demanded the return of the real jewels.
Cling frequently travels to Geneva on his own and always visits Mrs Cobb, who likes him very much. Now the diamonds are missing and Sir Ensor is convinced that Cling was using his trips to Geneva to gain Mrs Cobb's affection and steal her diamonds. Littlejohn suspects it's more complicated and he's got his eye on two members of Sir Ensor's entourage. Who's right?
It's a good, twisty mystery and the reader is left wondering about the enigmatic Cling right to the end of the story. The Englishman who wrote mysteries as George Bellairs was a frequent visitor to Europe and his descriptions of the Swiss ring true. Like most of Bellair's mysteries, it's an above-average book and well worth your time.
It's 1964 and Littlejohn and his wife are attending one of those conferences that allow senior civil servants to have a nice vacation at public expense, eating too much food, drinking too much wine, and listening to boring speeches. While a Spanish policeman tries to convince Letty Littlejohn that the bulls LIKE being killed in the bullfighting ring, her husband realizes that the PA announcement about a misparked car refers to his rental car.
He knows he parked it in the carpark, so how did it get into the Rose Garden? And why is there a dead body in the back seat?
The Swiss are happy to host the convention since conventions bring in money and the Swiss love money. They're not happy about an English policeman getting himself killed in their jurisdiction. Count on the barbaric English to cause trouble for the smoothly working Swiss establishment.
Sill, the head of the Geneva police likes Littlejohn, who speaks good French and he's willing to work with him to find the killer. The corpse belongs to Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Alex Cling, whose specialty is guarding government VIPs.
Cling is in Geneva to look after Sir Ensor Cobb, Minister of Security and one of the boring speakers at the dinner. Sir Ensor doesn't want a bodyguard and dislikes Cling, whom he regards as a boring man with no conversation. He admits Cling is good at his job, but Sir Ensor wants him to do his job somewhere else.
Sir Ensor is staying in Geneva with his daughter and her family and Cling has been assigned a room in the servant quarters. Littlejohn discovers Cling has some sides that aren't apparent to Sir Ensor. Childless himself, he likes kids and plays cricket with Sir Ensor's three grandsons, who love him. The butler finds him an intelligent man, well-traveled and well-read. And an experienced butler is a good judge of character.
He maintains a room in Geneva where he entertains an attractive young nurse. She's devoted to him and tries to kill herself when he dies. But Cling's heart belongs to the wife who left him twenty years ago. Flo was a party girl who worked at a night club when Cling fell in love with her. Unfortunately, he was busy with his job and Flo felt neglected. So she ran off with her American boyfriend and has been living with him ever since. Cling still hopes she'll come back to him and his will leaves everything to her. A strange devotion for a hard man.
He's a devoted nephew to his elderly aunt, even if he exaggerates his importance in his stories to her. Sir Ensor's mother is in early stage dementia and lives in an expensive clinic in Geneva which caters to the wealthy. She has a fortune's worth of diamond jewelry, which she casually wears around the clinic. Her son tried having paste replicas made, but the old gal knows her diamonds and demanded the return of the real jewels.
Cling frequently travels to Geneva on his own and always visits Mrs Cobb, who likes him very much. Now the diamonds are missing and Sir Ensor is convinced that Cling was using his trips to Geneva to gain Mrs Cobb's affection and steal her diamonds. Littlejohn suspects it's more complicated and he's got his eye on two members of Sir Ensor's entourage. Who's right?
It's a good, twisty mystery and the reader is left wondering about the enigmatic Cling right to the end of the story. The Englishman who wrote mysteries as George Bellairs was a frequent visitor to Europe and his descriptions of the Swiss ring true. Like most of Bellair's mysteries, it's an above-average book and well worth your time.
August 7, 2020
Littlejohn as elder statesman - well, sort of. Interfacing between the Geneva police and Scotland Yard and a muckety muck in British government (and his entourage and elderly mother and her oh-so-elite hospital). And what exactly is the cause of the crime? Passion? National security? Personal? Theft? Anger and resentment? And who was the shadow Cling? Good guy? Villain? And just how many crimes were there?
The story was good. The underlying tale of the shadow and older folks made him real. I wished Letty had been in more even in the short time she’s in the book. The three card monte with the cars was a nice play. Nice portraits of the minor characters (although less of the featured players).
A few differences from other Bellairs. Missed the little asides about future events. Missed the interplay between Littlejohn and Cromwell. And there were a lot of unlikeable characters, really unlikeable. Officious, high handed, bloody minded, and pretty much for no reason. Just jerks. The doctors at the place of pleasures, heck even the doctors brought in from Geneva were a whiny bunch of blowhards (Bellairs is never kind to doctors but he is rarely creates such obnoxious medicos. I wonder if the change had a real world cause). The hints of Cobbs incompetence. The unaccountable arrogance Of the villain. He was not, on any level, a nice person. And so he was cardboard thin.
I was sorry to see the addition of the lovelorn Kate, a stock character of far too many mysteries. She added little where as Nurse Durand, also lovelorn, actually played a role in the caper. Since the whole Nurse Ratchet routine proved not even a tiny false lead, I don’t know why it was there. The concierge (and not-the-husband) were better depicted than the hospital doctors and actually more essential to the story.
And this is a bit spoilery - the ending was just too abrupt. Bam! You’re done. I honestly thought there was a chapter missing. No denouement, no explanation. Just “ I’m done writing.” As if Bellairs was tired of his own story. Especially after denouncing that kind of ending in Calamity at Harwood (#7).
Yes, read it. It’s a decent enough read. But don’t recommend it to someone as a first read in the Littlejohn series. They likely wouldn’t read another.
#DeathOfAShadow #NetGalley
The story was good. The underlying tale of the shadow and older folks made him real. I wished Letty had been in more even in the short time she’s in the book. The three card monte with the cars was a nice play. Nice portraits of the minor characters (although less of the featured players).
A few differences from other Bellairs. Missed the little asides about future events. Missed the interplay between Littlejohn and Cromwell. And there were a lot of unlikeable characters, really unlikeable. Officious, high handed, bloody minded, and pretty much for no reason. Just jerks. The doctors at the place of pleasures, heck even the doctors brought in from Geneva were a whiny bunch of blowhards (Bellairs is never kind to doctors but he is rarely creates such obnoxious medicos. I wonder if the change had a real world cause). The hints of Cobbs incompetence. The unaccountable arrogance Of the villain. He was not, on any level, a nice person. And so he was cardboard thin.
I was sorry to see the addition of the lovelorn Kate, a stock character of far too many mysteries. She added little where as Nurse Durand, also lovelorn, actually played a role in the caper. Since the whole Nurse Ratchet routine proved not even a tiny false lead, I don’t know why it was there. The concierge (and not-the-husband) were better depicted than the hospital doctors and actually more essential to the story.
And this is a bit spoilery - the ending was just too abrupt. Bam! You’re done. I honestly thought there was a chapter missing. No denouement, no explanation. Just “ I’m done writing.” As if Bellairs was tired of his own story. Especially after denouncing that kind of ending in Calamity at Harwood (#7).
Yes, read it. It’s a decent enough read. But don’t recommend it to someone as a first read in the Littlejohn series. They likely wouldn’t read another.
#DeathOfAShadow #NetGalley
August 31, 2019
An okay read
Not one of his best, perhaps because it is full of fairly obnoxious characters. I found the character of the murdered man (which forms a large element of the plot) to be rather unconvincing. The book lacks the variety of tone and mood which occurs in the novels that give a greater role to Littlejohn’s friend and colleague Cromwell and to other repeat characters from France and the Isle of Man.
This is a quick, undemanding read. I don’t regret buying it, but I prefer others of this series. 3.5 stars
Not one of his best, perhaps because it is full of fairly obnoxious characters. I found the character of the murdered man (which forms a large element of the plot) to be rather unconvincing. The book lacks the variety of tone and mood which occurs in the novels that give a greater role to Littlejohn’s friend and colleague Cromwell and to other repeat characters from France and the Isle of Man.
This is a quick, undemanding read. I don’t regret buying it, but I prefer others of this series. 3.5 stars
May 15, 2020
Inspector Littlejohn is in Switzerland for a police conference. His rental car (that he parked in the parking lot) is found parked by a fountain. He goes to look and finds a dead body in the back seat. It is Alex Clang, a detective hired to protect an important man. The Swiss police asks Littlejohn to help them with the English side of he investigation. It takes him many places with twists.
Great classic mystery writing. I like this author.
Great classic mystery writing. I like this author.
May 21, 2024
A bodyguard is killed while on duty in Geneva and his rather strange, double life is unpeeled by Littlejohn and the Swiss police. However odd he was, Littlejohn doesn’t lose track of the fact that he was the victim, and a very diligent police officer regardless of his personal life. There’s also a lot of officious officials and medical personnel who get taken down by more than a notch. 3.8 stars because I wasn’t keen on the conclusion.
December 17, 2018
Early Bird Book Deal | Better than I expected | The last Littlejohn I read in which he went to the continent was really poor, so my expectations for this were low. In the end, though, this was pretty good. The personality of the victim was realistically viewed differently by the different people he interacted with, and that was the basis of the mystery.
September 22, 2020
Intriguing Mystery
Bellairs writing gets better and better with time. I'm this mystery Inspector Littlejohn investigates the death of a policeman who's assigned to protect a prominent politician. The circumstances are bizarre from the start and get stranger still as more is learned about his past life and present activities. A delightful read that I enjoyed.
Bellairs writing gets better and better with time. I'm this mystery Inspector Littlejohn investigates the death of a policeman who's assigned to protect a prominent politician. The circumstances are bizarre from the start and get stranger still as more is learned about his past life and present activities. A delightful read that I enjoyed.
September 30, 2024
I always enjoy a good Littlejohn story and, to be honest, they are all good Littlejohn stories.
In this story the bodyguard of a government minister is found dead in Littlejohns car while they are attending a conference in Geneva.
Littlejohn has his work cut out flying from Geneva to London and back again in pursuit of the truth.
Not a long story but engrossing nonetheless.
In this story the bodyguard of a government minister is found dead in Littlejohns car while they are attending a conference in Geneva.
Littlejohn has his work cut out flying from Geneva to London and back again in pursuit of the truth.
Not a long story but engrossing nonetheless.
March 18, 2018
I always love a mystery when it is set in a place I'd like to visit. Much of this particular murder mystery is set in and around Geneva, Switzerland which gets it on to my 3 star list. And for the most part, I did enjoy it and could recommend it although not quite as much as the first one I read, set in Provence.
I do, however, like how the Inspector goes about solving his crimes, so I'm sure I'll read more of this series.
I do, however, like how the Inspector goes about solving his crimes, so I'm sure I'll read more of this series.
November 9, 2020
Bellairs seems to have petered out.
This one was strange...it just ended with everything left up in the air. Enter villain stage left...end of story. All the earlier hints and bits are just dropped. Very strange.
This one was strange...it just ended with everything left up in the air. Enter villain stage left...end of story. All the earlier hints and bits are just dropped. Very strange.
December 16, 2021
Switzerland and murder
A murderer leaves a car in a ride garden during a police conference in Geneva and the car is Littlejohn's rental car and it has a body in it. So the old detective is off again on another great hunt. Recommended
A murderer leaves a car in a ride garden during a police conference in Geneva and the car is Littlejohn's rental car and it has a body in it. So the old detective is off again on another great hunt. Recommended
December 30, 2018
In my opinion, not one of Bellairs best stories..had a weak ending. Kept me guessing..quite convoluted. i like the Littlejohn series though.
October 16, 2022
Not my favourite Bellairs as it lacked some of the usual grimness or seedy character, but Littlejohn is, as always, fabulous.
November 17, 2022
Inspector Littlejohn investigates the murder of a politician’s close protection office while his boss is making a speech at a policing conference in Switzerland. This features a lot of back and forth between London and Geneva and a sanitorium which is fun because we all know I love the chalet school so it’s amusing to see one caught up in a murder. Not my favourite of the series, but still a really fun read.
October 19, 2016
This book finds Superintendent Littlejohn and his wife visiting Geneva where a conference is being held. During a long evening of speeches it is learned that Littlejohn's rental car has been moved from the car park where he had left it, and when he goes to retrieve it he finds that a dead body has been deposited in the backseat. This is the first of many mysteries Littlejohn must untangle. There are many colorful characters as usual. This is a quick and very enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews