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Minute for Murder (Nigel Strangeways, #8)

Nicholas Blake

Start date: February 14, 2019

Finish date: March 7, 2019

Discussion: Buddy reads

Why we're reading this: Continuing our buddy reads of the popular Nigel Strangeways series.
[close] Continuing our buddy reads of the popular Nigel Strangeways series.

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Sep 16, 2014 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Published in 1947, this is the eighth Nigel Strangeways novel; following on from ‘The Case of the Abominable Snowman,” which took place in the opening months of the Second World War. London is now a very different city than it was in previous novels in the series, with a weary and battered population . We also discover, almost as a side note, that Nigel’s wife, Georgia, who featured heavily in some previous books in the series, had been killed during the Blitz. Georgia Cavendish was supposedly b Published in 1947, this is the eighth Nigel Strangeways novel; following on from ‘The Case of the Abominable Snowman,” which took place in the opening months of the Second World War. London is now a very different city than it was in previous novels in the series, with a weary and battered population . We also discover, almost as a side note, that Nigel’s wife, Georgia, who featured heavily in some previous books in the series, had been killed during the Blitz. Georgia Cavendish was supposedly based on Margaret Marshall, an older woman that Nicholas Blake (or rather Cecil Day-Lewis, as Blake was a pen name) had an affair with while he was at Oxford. Oddly, the author killed the fictional Georgia off in 1941, at the time when he began an affair with the novelist Rosamond Lehmann while married to Constance Mary King.

We find Nigel Strangeways working at the Ministry of Morale, a place also based on real life, as Day-Lewis worked at the Ministry of Information during the war. The war is nearly over – VE day has already been celebrated – and those who work at the Ministry expect their department to be disbanded in the next few months. Nicholas Blake is Head of the Editorial Unit and we find him musing him on how much he really knows about his colleagues. Director James Lake, his personal secretary, Nita Price, with whom he is having an affair, Brian Ingle who suffers unrequited love for the beautiful Nita, the often blunt Merrion Squires, pompous Edgar Billson and uncompromising Harker Fortescue.

Strangeways is already considering his life after the war and going back to returning to crime, but events mean that he is thrown into a case much quicker than he expects. A letter arrives from Charles Kennington – who was believed dead, but has returned as a hero after capturing a high ranking war criminal. He was involved with Nita before the war and is also the twin brother of Jimmy Lake’s wife. Lake invites everyone to his office to welcome his return and, during the gathering, Nita is poisoned. Now Strangeways is asked to investigate by his old friend, Superintendent Blount. Meanwhile, a Secret File has gone missing and Strangeways becomes involved in a mystery which involves murder, treason and blackmail…

If you enjoy Golden Age detective mysteries then you will like the Nigel Strangeways series. They are intelligent crime novels, with a strong psychological element. This has an interesting setting and an excellent cast of characters/suspects and also gives you an interesting glimpse of London at the end of wartime. Nigel’s colleagues have been brought together by shared experiences and so this makes the investigation harder, as he roots out the myriad of relationships and emotions behind the office façade. I am glad this series has been republished and recommend the books highly. ...more

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Nov 02, 2019 Leslie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries, ebook

First of all, of no revelance to the plot of this book, it was a shock to me to read that Georgia had died in the war after having just recently read the second book of the series, "Thou Shell of Death", in which Nigel first meets Georgia.

This post-WW2 plot (1947?) was well done and I admit that I was fooled up until the end about who was the killer. It was intriguing to see Nigel working in the "Ministry of Morale" rather than his previous foot-loose ways. ...more

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