Black-out in Gretley

by J.B. Priestley

Humphrey Neyland is a middle-aged Canadian engineer recruited by British Intelligence to go undercover in the industrial city of Gretley, where aircraft essential to the war effort are being produced and where it is feared Nazi agents and saboteurs are lurking. Almost everyone he meets in Gretley seems to have a double life and a secret agenda, and it doesn’t take long before Neyland is caught up in a web of murder and deceit in this sleepy town, where death lurks around every corner.

Genres: Detective, Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, British Literature, Mystery Thriller, World War II

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

John Boynton Priestley was an English writer. He was the son of a schoolmaster, and after schooling he worked for a time in the local wool trade. Following the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, Priestley joined the British Army, and was sent to France - in 1915 taking part in the Battle of Loos. After being wounded in 1917 Priestley returned to England for six months; then, after going back to the Western Front he suffered the consequences of a German gas attack, and, treated at Rouen, he was declared unfit for active service and was transferred to the Entertainers Section of the British Army.

When Priestley left the army he studied at Cambridge University, where he completed a degree in Modern History and Political Science. Subsequently he found work as theatre reviewer with the Daily News, and also contributed to the Spectator, the Challenge and Nineteenth Century. His earliest books included The English Comic Characters (1925), The English Novel (1927), and English Humour (1928). His breakthrough came with the immensely popular novel The Good Companions, published in 1929, and Angel Pavement followed in 1930. He emerged, too, as a successful dramatist with such plays as Dangerous Corner (1932), Time and the Conways (1937), When We Are Married (1938) and An Inspector Calls (1947).
The publication of English Journey in 1934 emphasised Priestley's concern for social problems and the welfare of ordinary people.
During the Second World War Priestley became a popular and influential broadcaster with his famous Postscripts that followed the nine o'clock news BBC Radio on Sunday evenings. Starting on 5th June 1940, Priestley built up such a following that after a few months it was estimated that around 40 per cent of the adult population in Britain was listening to the programme.
Some members of the Conservative Party, including Winston Churchill, expressed concern that Priestley might be expressing left-wing views on the programme, and, to his dismay, Priestley was dropped after his talk on 20th October 1940.
After the war Priestley continued his writing, and his work invariably provoked thought, and his views were always expressed in his blunt Yorkshire style.
His prolific output continued right up to his final years, and to the end he remained the great literary all-rounder. His favourite among his books was for many years the novel Bright Day, though he later said he had come to prefer The Image Men.
It should not be overlooked that Priestley was an outstanding essayist, and many of his short pieces best capture his passions and his great talent and his mastery of the English language. He set a fine example for any would-be author.

Reviews

[khashayar · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those interesting spy stories which is written in 1942 and the good thing about it is that it is not a cliche about the cold war. It pivots on Nazi activities in a Midlands town in England and how a guy named Humphrey Neyland from department of counter espionage is about to stop them. Humphrey has lucid ideas about the society in which he lives and is not a mere playboy playing 007, so no james bond stuff!

Priestley was a progressive who cared about the society and his hopes for a better world in the post-war era is very well reflected in this bed time book. Well, Churchill sure had good reasons to cancel his broadcasts!

[Olga · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wartime spy thriller novel. A little bit naive, but quite a page turner. Perfect for a couple of long cosy winter evenings, especially when it's snowing outside.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this lovely 1942 edition for £3 in a second hand book shop. There was something quite magical about reading a book printed in 1942, and set in 1942 it was like a snapshot into history. What life was like during the war, when it had been going on for three years, was getting everyone down, no one knew how much longer it would last, of if the allies would win. There was a great moment when one of the protagonists said that even if they did win it would just be a world split between the US and Russia, which is exactly what did happen.
The story itself was a little spy story set in the midlands, in a small town with rather a lot of espionage due to the munitions factory near by. It was short and not terribly mysterious but I still really enjoyed it. Definitely one I would recommend. I liked it so much I started another Priestly right afterwards.

[CQM · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 out of 5 seems a harsh rating as I enjoyed this tale of Fith Columnists in wartime Midlands England but, for some reason, it never got out of second gear.
Priestley's left-wing leanings were to the fore and some of the protagonists' thoughts felt slightly shocking considering it was published at the beginning of 1942.
A good enough way to pass the time but not the pulse-quickening, roller coaster it could have been.

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

"نام من همفری نیلند است. چهل و سه سال از عمرم می گذرد. در جنگ گذشته زخم کوچکی برداشته ام.
گرچه در انگلستان متولد شده ام اما خود را کانادایی می نامم. زیرا ده سال داشتم که والدینم به آن کشور مهاجرت کردند. تحصیلات خود را در آنجا به پایان رسانیدم و مهندس شدم و در شرکت های گوناگون در کانادا، شیلی و پرو کار می کردم. قدم صد و هشتاد سانتی متر است و درست هفتاد و پنج کیلو گرم وزن دارم. موهایم مشکی و رنگم پریده است و اغلب افسرده خاطرم. این افسردگی چند علت دارد. یکی از آن علت ها را برای شما نقل می کنم.
در سال 1932 با دختر زیبایی به نام ماراکینا در سانتیاگو عروسی کردم و در سال 1936 روزی که اتومبیل خود را با سرعت دیوانه واری می راندم، ماشینم خرد شد و زن و پسر کوچکم کشته شدند. مرا به بیمارستان بردند. دریغ می خورم که چرا با آنها نمردم. یکی از علل نارضایی من در زندگی همین است.
علت دیگر پیش آمدی است که برای خانواده "روزنتال" که از دوستان من بود، اتفاق افتاد.
اما علت آخری، وقایعی است که اکنون جریان دارد. باری، روزهایی که همفری نیلند چشم و چراغ انجمن بود مدتهاست سپری شده است. حالا مختصرا حکایت کنم که چگونه وارد سازمان ضد جاسوسی شدم..."

[Alex Budris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The setting is a snowy, sooty British industrial town during the second World War, and the Allied and Axis powers are playing dangerous games of spy vs. spy. Who really owns The Queen of Clubs, the posh restaurant and bar that the lives of a disparate conglomeration of individuals - the effete socialite who seems to be everywhere, the out of town shopkeeper with something to hide, the deceptively vapid party girl with a questionable past, to name a few - orbit around? Everything is dubious. Everyone has secrets. Humphrey Neyland of the British counter-intelligence department knows this. What does it all mean? And who are the Nazis?

A much needed break from cosmic horror. Priestley's "sour" British spy and the colorful, well-drawn supporting cast had me immediately engrossed in their world, and I did not put the book down for hours; I finished in about a day. Hooray to Valancourt books for reintroducing this one to the world.

[Cynthia Grove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another re-read. This story was written, set, and published in 1942. It is one of the only two, to my knowledge, stories by JBP in the crime/espionage/thriller genre. As it's set in war-time England it probably helps to know that JBP served in WWI moving through enlisted ranks on the front line to a commission and was injured. In WWII he was one of those trained as Scallywags to be assassins and saboteurs in case the Germans succeeded in landing in the UK.
The story is slow to start (the first 100 would only warrant at best 3 stars) but the central character is a Canadian working for the British counter-espionage unit. He has been sent to a midlands industrial town where it is known that German agents are active. Several of JBP's normal character types and settings appear. The overt story is very dated naturally but the story in the subtext is as valid today as nearly 80 years ago.

[Anna Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. It was a good spy thriller, with some witty dialogues, and believable historical setting. The mentions of spying techniques and popular methods of transmissioning messages were also interesting. Overall, it's a rather captivating page-turner for an evening or two.
The image of the sulky town that is full of traitors and suspicious figures at night was also prominent. It seems that the blackout, meant to be the protection from the enemy, helped its minions to commit their terrible crimes in darkness.

[Олена Осіпова · Rating 4 out of 5]

І хоч книга зачитана "до дір" ще в підліткомому віці, деякі твори читала наче вперше. Звісно, це не стосується "Небезпечного повороту", чи "Дядя Філ і телевізор", чи улюбленого "Мій дебют в опері", але кілька розповідей стали для мене відкриттям. Що в принципі, чудово :)

[Mike Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tidy little spy story set in a town in the midlands in England during the second world war. What can I say, it held my attention and I enjoyed the journey.

[Olena Brazhnyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Мені страшенно подобається, як пише Прістлі. Це одна з тих книжок, де легко занюєшся у оповідь і дихаєш разом з героями. Якщо Затемнення у Гретлі скоріш детектив з елементами шпигунських конспірації і дещо дратуючим протогоністом, то Дженні Вільєрс - вишуканий напій, п'янкий текст про взаємопроникнення театру у життя, минулого у теперішнє, вигадки та правди.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

It surprises me when I discover a new book by an author I know, and I'm familiar with Priestley. This is an exciting read, shades of Buchan's Mr. Standfast and Graham Greene's Ministry of Fear. A briskly written WWII thriller, full of interesting types, English settings, adventures, crisp dialogue. Clever set pieces not unlike those in Hitchcock's The 39 Steps. Atmosphere that reminds me of Launder & Gilliat's Green for Danger. I'm halfway through, so it may lose some of its snap before the end. It includes the familiar prejudices of the time. Why have I never heard of it? Why is it out of print? Why wasn't it made into a film?

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humphrey Neyland, a Canadian civil engineer, is doing counter-espionage work for the British government in the midst of World War II. He doesn't have much to live for when he comes to the small industrial town of Gretley, where information is leaking to the Germans. Among the people he meets are several beautiful women, but Neyland is not interested in how beautiful they are, just in how suspicious. As he wades in to find the mastermind who had one of his contacts killed, he also finds that maybe he does have something to live for after all. Priestly's strong feelings about the War and about the economic system are clearly expressed.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Priestley subtitled this "A story of-and-for wartime." The story centres around and is told in first person by a spy catcher in a small northern industrial town. The story is rather downbeat, the darkness of the blackout pervading the whole story. Although there are some laughs along the way this is all pretty serious by Priestley's standards we really do feel that the Nazi menace can be found almost anywhere.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

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