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Nicholas Blake

Start date: February 14, 2020

Finish date: March 10, 2020

Discussion: Buddy reads

Why we're reading this: The next in our series of Nigel Strangeways buddy reads.
[close] The next in our series of Nigel Strangeways buddy reads.

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Buddy reads

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What Members Thought

Feb 05, 2020 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Published in 1957, this is the twelfth Nigel Strangeways novel, by Nicholas Blake, pseudonym of Cecil Day-Lewis. In this mystery, that is important because, as in other books featuring Strangeways, we have poetry as an important part of the plot.

Indeed, this is a very literary mystery; being set in a publishing house – Wenham and Geraldine – where Strangeways is called in to investigate how some sections of a recent biography, initially removed due to libel fears, were reinstated and did, indeed ...more

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Jan 08, 2017 Damaskcat rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Nigel Strangeways is hired by publishers Wenham and Geraldine to try and find out who tampered with the proofs of a book they have published which has led to a libel action. The offending passages had been removed but they had somehow been reinstated when the book was finally published. But the investigation takes on a much more sinister aspect when one of the publisher's well known authors is found murdered on their premises.

I enjoyed the publishing background to this mystery and I like Nigel a ...more

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Apr 01, 2019 ShanDizzy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The woman named Millicent who was brutally murdered was described in this way by an old schoolmate - ...there was this other side to her—a streak of slyness—no, of incorrigible self-deception, so that, when she did something wrong, she could dissociate herself from it—pretend to herself it had never happened, and take herself in so successfully that sometimes other people were taken in too...She used people,’ Julia Blayne was saying. ‘That’s the basic impression of her that remains in my mind af ...more

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Mar 05, 2011 Bev rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: british-mystery, mystery, vintage-mystery, mount-tbr-2022

It's odd, the way people will commit murder to achieve security. As though one could ever buy peace of mind with someone else's blood.

Nigel Strangeways is called upon by an old publishing firm to help them in a time of crisis. One retired military officer is publishing his memoirs and was firmly told to remove some libelous passages about another military officer. After much wrangling, he was convinced to do so and the legally perilous bits were marked out. But...somebody marked them "stet" (whi It's odd, the way people will commit murder to achieve security. As though one could ever buy peace of mind with someone else's blood.

Nigel Strangeways is called upon by an old publishing firm to help them in a time of crisis. One retired military officer is publishing his memoirs and was firmly told to remove some libelous passages about another military officer. After much wrangling, he was convinced to do so and the legally perilous bits were marked out. But...somebody marked them "stet" (which in publishing parlance means "oops, we didn't really mean that--go ahead and keep that in") and the book is published. There's nothing to be done about the legal case coming at Wenham & Geraldine, but the administrators do want to know who is responsible, so they give Strangeways the task of finding out, if he can.

But before he can make much progress another author who is working on her autobiography is found dead in her work room within the publishing house. Her throat has been cut and somebody has replaced a page of her autobiography. Is there a connection to the libel case? Did she know who the culprit was and did she try to blackmail him/her? Or is the answer to both mysteries to be found somewhere in the past?

My second go-round with Nigel Strangeways (I read all of his mysteries long ago and far away) just doesn't seem to be as compelling as the first. The mystery here is okay, although the culprit is pretty obvious from the beginning and the efforts to provide red herring suspects seems pretty half-hearted. I never got the feeling that Strangeways was seriously considering anybody as suspect number one. The plot (thought I do like books set in the publishing world) didn't really hold me--I repeatedly put the thing down even when I didn't have other things to do. It certainly wasn't a page turner.

And...just as an aside...am I really supposed to believe that a man (Strangeways) who has been invited to a black tie dinner party would actually drape himself across his host's sofa and apply nose drops? In a social situation in front of the other guests? A British man--applying nose drops in public??? Really? It seems to me that the only point of his bringing the drops out in front of the suspects (on several occasions--not just at the dinner party) was to provide a way for one of them to later try and injure, if not kill him.

Not a lot of plot twists. Pretty straightforward and it seems to me that Strangeways takes a a long time to get round to the solution. I gave this ★★★ on my first read and I guess I'll let that stand, though I'm not absolutely convinced.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. ...more

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Feb 19, 2020 Leslie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, mysteries

3.5*
Read in omnibus "The Nicholas Blake Treasury, Volume 4". ...more

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Feb 09, 2020 Sandy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-detective-grp, mystery-classic, kindle-unl-read, rread-2020

A fine addition to the Strangeway's series with a publishing house setting and a sympathetic poet, both features I imagine Blake (aka Day-Lewis) knew well. A couple of insignificant points I enjoyed: Nigel and Claire mention marriage but NOT living together (I sympathize) and Nigel has evidently aged as he is now one of the 'older' generation (it is 20 plus years since the first book). ...more

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Mar 18, 2018 Annarella rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A good classical mystery. It's well written, with interesting characters and an entertaining plot.
Some partes reminded me when I was reading when I was a child like the Three Investigators.
Really likeable.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Ipso Books ...more

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