From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives

Richardson's First Case
by
Start date
March 1, 2019
Finish date
March 31, 2019
Discussion
Group reads
Why we're reading this
The winner of the poll for our March group read - this is the first in a series.

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Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 328 topics — 11,869 comments total
+ Group reads
* VOTE NOW for November 2025 group read!
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last updated Sep 03, 2025 12:03PM

What Members Thought

Susan
Feb 26, 2019 rated it liked it  ·  review of another edition
First published in 1933, this is the first in a Golden Age series, featuring P.C. Richardson (who, we learn from the introduction of this book, is very quickly promoted). Author Basil Thomson was both an Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard and a prison governor, and, as such, brings something different to this book. This is not a crime novel where private detectives make intuitive deductions, but there is an emphasis on more routine police work – establishing alibis, checking facts and legwo ...more
Susan in NC
Feb 24, 2019 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
3.5-4 stars - Very satisfying debut Golden Age police procedural written by a former Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard. I’m glad I read this with the Reading the Detectives group. I’m learning about several enjoyable new-to-me authors to try in my favorite genre. Basil Thomson will be one of them!

The Richardson of the title is a London constable on hand as the story opens with a bang - an elderly man has dashed into traffic on a rainy afternoon and been struck down - he dies on the way to
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Jill
Feb 28, 2019 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: basil-thompson
I enjoyed this book. It described the work of the police force of the time, showing how they worked and their structure. This was way before walkie-talkies, where everything was done by foot or occasional cabs,which must have added to the time it took for crimes to be investigated . As it deals with with the procedural working of the force, it differs greatly from other Golden Age books.
The author was Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard, and also held many other positions within law enforce
...more
P.
Apr 24, 2018 rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
This is a fine read, especially since none of the cops are suffering from any of the usual trauma eg broken marriages, drug-addiction or psychological damage as seems to be the norm in procedurals. They're just hard working and clever. The spice here is courtesy of the secondary characters who carry quite a bit of the story line - and do it well. ...more
Robin
Jul 27, 2016 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: 2016
Sam
Apr 20, 2018 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Jinx
Jul 31, 2019 rated it liked it  ·  review of another edition
Gary Vassallo
Feb 22, 2019 marked it as to-read
Tracey
Feb 22, 2019 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Judy
Feb 26, 2019 rated it really liked it
Mary Ellen
Mar 05, 2019 marked it as to-read
Shannon Teper
Mar 12, 2019 rated it really liked it
Clare Skeets
Mar 11, 2019 rated it liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: read-2019
ChrisGA
Feb 13, 2021 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Vanessa
May 08, 2021 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Anna
May 14, 2023 rated it it was ok  ·  review of another edition
Ellen
Apr 20, 2025 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition