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The Worm of Death (Nigel Strangeways, #14)

Nicholas Blake

Start date: September 12, 2020

Finish date: October 9, 2020

Discussion: Buddy reads

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

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Aug 31, 2020 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is the fourteenth Nigel Strangeways mystery, published in 1961. Strangeways is now living in Greenwich with artist, Clare. Author Nicholas Blake (Cecil Day-Lewis) apparently also lived in Greenwich and so there is a strong feeling of place and of the river, which is a real presence in the novel.

On a foggy, February Day, Nigel and Clare are invited to dinner with Dr Piers Loudron; a well-respected member of the community who was well known for being a hero during the blitz. The meal is unco ...more

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

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

Nigel Strangeways and Clare Massinger are invited to the home Dr. Piers Loudron on a foggy February night. They are fairly new to the Greenwich area and the dinner invitation is a chance for them to get to know some of their neighbors. It is a pretty uncomfortable meal with Loudron's children behaving as though they're still in the nursery rather than grown men and women and the doctor being sarcastic about the lot. They squabble amongst themselves and take verbal potshots at one another. His s
Nigel Strangeways and Clare Massinger are invited to the home Dr. Piers Loudron on a foggy February night. They are fairly new to the Greenwich area and the dinner invitation is a chance for them to get to know some of their neighbors. It is a pretty uncomfortable meal with Loudron's children behaving as though they're still in the nursery rather than grown men and women and the doctor being sarcastic about the lot. They squabble amongst themselves and take verbal potshots at one another. His son James is also a doctor, but he lacks the confidence and presence of his well-respected father. Rebecca, the daughter of the house, is in love with Walter Barn, an artist and a man her father heartily disapproves. Howard is fairly unsuccessful business man with a costly wife who has an eye for anything in trousers. And then there's Graham, an adopted son, who apparently can do no wrong in the good doctor's eyes. Nigel and Clare aren't quite sure why they've been invited--unless there was hope that their presence would put a damper on the family tensions. But it doesn't help matters that Loudron announces to all that Nigel is something of an amateur sleuth.

"Do you have noble ideas about justice and retribution and all that? Do you see yourself as a hound of heaven tracking down the wrongdoer?"

Later that night, long after the dinner party, Loudron disappears from his home. The next morning Rebecca and Walter come to Nigel to ask for his advice. But other than a search of the house and grounds (already done) and contacting the police (also done), Nigel has nothing to suggest. A little over a week later Loudron's body is found in the Thames. But he wasn't drowned...his wrists were slit. Was it suicide? If so, why was he in the river? If not, who killed him? And did the same person dump his body?

It's been a while since a read a Nigel Strangeways mystery. And it's been an even longer while since I read this one. I remembered exactly nothing about it. Not that it would have mattered if I did, because there's very little mystery about who did it. Despite Inspector Wright's point of view:

"We're getting nowhere. Nowhere at all. A lovely set of motives. Lots of lovely opportunity. Some cockeyed alibis. But hardly one solid fact to build on. Even their lies--and they've told enough, between them--seem to cancel one another out."

Wright's a trifle pessimistic. If, as Strangeways does, you pay any attention at all to psychology then you have to know who did it. Sure, all of the suspects have psychological hangups. That's an effort to muddy the waters and make the reader think there's some sort of choice about who did it. But, supposing the number of motives and personalities does distract you--there's really only one logical reason for the second murder. Especially after the reader recognizes the important psychological motive. And, knowing how Strangeways operates, the reader should be thinking about the psychology.

And--speaking of personalities. We've really got a prize set here. Not a likeable character amongst the suspects. I kindof wanted to root for one of the Loudron children, but they made it pretty darn hard to do so. And Strangeways isn't even all that attractive here--what with eyeballing old prostitutes and flirting along with the unashamed vamp. The best character is Clare, but we don't see nearly enough of her. I love how she saves the day for Nigel at the end. But overall, the book just didn't do it for me. The mystery is rather squalid and culprit is pretty cold-blooded. You can tell that we're not in the Golden Age anymore, Toto. ★★ and 3/4. [rounded up here]

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

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May 05, 2018 Annarella rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, traditional-british

I love Nicholas Blake mysteries and this one was really good.
It's well written, with an entertaining and interesting plot. It keep you guessing till the end.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Ipso Books and Netgalley ...more

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