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The Dreadful Hollow (Nigel Strangeways, #10)

Nicholas Blake

Start date: July 13, 2019

Finish date: August 5, 2019

Discussion: Buddy reads

Why we're reading this: Next in the classic Nigel Strangeways series.
[close] Next in the classic Nigel Strangeways series.

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What Members Thought

Jul 14, 2019 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is the tenth in the Nigel Strangeways series, published in 1953. In this novel, we get the sense that Strangeways is actually dropping the pretence of being the disinterested hobbyist, as he is employed by financier Arthur Blick to investigate a spate of poison pen letters in the village where his sons live.

Strangeways goes to Prior’s Umborne to meet a wonderfully eccentric group of characters. There is Stanford Blick, the favoured older son, with younger brother Charles; plus the two siste ...more

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Jul 30, 2017 Damaskcat rated it really liked it

Nigel Strangeways is engaged by Arthur Blick - a singularly dislikeable financier - to investigate a spate of poison pen letter in a small village where his two sons are resident. Nigel soon finds that there is something very sinister going on in the village including a religious zealot who seems to have many of the villagers under his thumb.

There are also two sisters whose father was ruined financially by Blick. Could they have anything to do with the poison pen letters? Sir Arthur Blick visits ...more

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Jun 23, 2018 dmayr rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-liked, murder-in-the-village, crime-detective-series, poison-pen-and-anonymous-letters, crime-in-vintage, haunting-endings, kept-me-hooked

"But for rousing naked passions," said Celandine, "there's nothing to compare with a good, all-in, village whist drive."

"Except perhaps a poison-pen writer."

Which seemed to be true, as a series of malicious letters has already caused a suicide and a broken engagement in the village of Prior's Umborne. In comes Nigel Strangeways, sent by Sir Archibald Blick, to investigate. I spotted the murderer early on, which made the speculations on the identity and the motives of the murderer rathe ...more

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Mar 27, 2020 Leslie rated it liked it

Shelves: ebook, mysteries

Enjoyable mystery though I thought that the solution was fairly obvious.

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Sep 30, 2011 Bev rated it really liked it

Shelves: vintage-mystery, mystery, british-mystery, mount-tbr-2013

The Dreadful Hollow is Nicholas Blake's (aka poet laureate Cecil Day Lewis) tenth book starring recurring detective Nigel Strangeways. Strangeways is a private detective with decidedly amateur leanings--he behaves more like a gentleman detective, however he does get paid for many of his investigations. At least there is talk of payment--it's unclear whether he'll actually see payment for this latest adventure.

A poison pen has been sending nasty letters to the inhabitants of Prior's Umborne. A sm The Dreadful Hollow is Nicholas Blake's (aka poet laureate Cecil Day Lewis) tenth book starring recurring detective Nigel Strangeways. Strangeways is a private detective with decidedly amateur leanings--he behaves more like a gentleman detective, however he does get paid for many of his investigations. At least there is talk of payment--it's unclear whether he'll actually see payment for this latest adventure.

A poison pen has been sending nasty letters to the inhabitants of Prior's Umborne. A small village where Sir Archibald Blick has a family residence--and where his two sons currently live. It is also home to one of Blick's business interests. Blick calls on Strangeways to get to the bottom of the poison because it's disrupting work. Also living in the village are two sisters, Rosebay and Celedine--the daughters of a man who committed suicide when Blick drove him to financial ruin, the local vicar--stalwart friend to Rosebay and Celedine, who harbors deeper feelings for one of the sisters, and the postmistress and her religiously obsessed son. Strangeways barely has a chance to make his first report to the unlikable businessman before Blick is found dead at the bottom of the same hollow where Rosebay and Celedine's father died.

This is a well-written, competent book as you expect from a poet laureate. It is not as cleverly mystifying as some of Blake's other work and there isn't quite as much intricate psychology. Not that there isn't any psychology at work--there is. It's just a bit more obvious. The tale does involve one rather interesting, somewhat macabre dream which makes the story all that more apropos for the R. I. P. Reading Event. It doesn't take Strangeways long to spot the poison pen....and it shouldn't. The alert reader should spot the culprit just as quickly. It also doesn't take long to spot the murderer. That may or may not be the same person.....

The joy for the reader is in the writing itself. Blake/Lewis knows how to tell a tale. And he knows how to write. The reader is swept right along in the swell of words. It's with a nod and wink--not a snort of disgust--that we know who did it long before the end. And it is well worth the trip to read the ending at the quarry--with the contrast of Strangeway's calm knowledge to the angry mob ready to lynch the culprit. Three and a half stars--rounded to four on Goodreads.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks. ...more

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Feb 13, 2018 Annarella rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, traditional-british

I really enjoyed this book that kept me hooked and guessing till the end.
The plot was interesting, with a lot of red herrings and turns. The style of writing, even if a big aged, was interesting and I really liked the cast of characters.
A very good old style mystery.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Ipso Books..

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Aug 29, 2018 ShanDizzy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Wow

Another fascinating, riveting tale. Again Blake has exposed the not so pretty parts of human nature in a mystery that was taut with repressed emotions bound to break loose with the right catalyst leading to the revealing of secrets and ultimately to a clever and fiendish murder.

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Jul 15, 2019 Sandy rated it it was ok

Shelves: mystery-classic, kindle-unl-read, rread-2019

An okay read but not as good as others in the series. I found the characters and mystery less interesting and some of the plot machinations far fetched. Hoping for better in the next book.

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