The Whisper in the Gloom aka Catch and Kill - SPOILER Thread

[Susan]

Welcome to the 11th book in the Nigel Strangeways series, first published in 1954.

A small boy playing in the park is handed a crumpled piece of paper by a stranger, who then collapses and dies. The boy, realising that he himself is now in danger, flees from the park with the help of detective Nigel Strangeways, only to discover that the mysterious message consists of just his own name and age: Bert Hale 12.

Bert and his young friends are confident that they can crack the case but they soon discover that they will need the help of not just Nigel Strangeways, but of the whole British government...

Please feel free to post spoilers in this thread.

[Judy]

While I enjoyed reading this, I felt there were far too many coincidences and lucky chances in this book, starting with Bert just happening to pick on Nigel Strangeways as the passer-by he pretends is his uncle.

Then Nigel and his new girlfriend, Clare, just happen to be in the next flat when Foxy is running away, and so it goes on!

[Bicky]

I am not a Londoner but seriously 'Bert Hale 12' is a mystery?

[Susan]

I haven't finished it yet, but I note that Bert works out the mystery while being kidnapped in the car. I am assuming this is a clue I am too dim to work out...

[Sandy]

I read this in one sitting as I hated leaving the boys in danger. It had much too many coincidences / lucky escapes / unlikely circumstances to be taken seriously but I found it a really fun read. I wonder if there was a reason Blake wrote it. I can imagine a friendly challenge or a comment about 'taking himself too seriously'.

And, continuing my confusion between Strangeways and Campion, I was sure the ex-pugilist driver was Lugg.

[Judy]

There's a lot of humour in this book, isn't there? The whole part with Nanny imprisoning Bert and forcing him to eat rusks, do young children's painting books etc is quite surreal!

[Susan]

Yes, poor nanny! I am on the last chapter, so looking forward to finishing it today.

[Sandy]

I had to look up 'rusks'. Not sure if they have a different name in the US but we have them for teething babies.

[Judy]

Sandy wrote: "I had to look up 'rusks'. Not sure if they have a different name in the US but we have them for teething babies."

Same in the UK, Sandy. I think they are quite tasty at any age, though.

[Sandy]

I've remembered the US name: zwieback. Evidently German version of rusks (per Google). Our adult version I call biscotti (Italian derivation) and usually dip them in coffee.

[Susan]

Well, I have finished now. LOTS of coincidences but, overall, quite fun. I enjoyed it.

I loved Farley Rusks. I used to give them to my children, when they were little, in warm milk, as I recall and happily eat what was leftover!

[Pamela]

I quite liked this one, especially the early parts with the gang of boys when it was still a bit of a laugh to them. I felt Blake threw in every kind of crime he could think of. It was more of a thriller than a mystery, especially as Blount seemed to know what was going on all along, but it was good fun.

[Susan]

I agree, Pamela. I thought it was good fun and, to be honest, nice to see the author having fun with the series again and emerging into the post-war world with some romance, after the loss of his wife. I wonder whether she will become a character in future books?

[Jason]

Hello -- The coincidences are certainly there, but because the whole story felt like something from a screenwriter's imagination, they didn't bother me as much as if Blake were going for a gritty realism. Susan noted in the other thread that Whisper feels like a black-and-white Sunday afternoon movie, and I agree that this book feels very cinematic, with its setpieces of menace in public places and country houses under siege.

At times I was more interested in the characters than the plot, which had little actual detection for either Strangeways or the reader. Nanny was an intriguing character, equal parts foil and ally for Bert, and The Quack and his backstory were colorful, at any rate! 

While I prefer the Blake's Strangeways mysteries of the 1930s and '40s, this one made for a breezy -- if slightly dispensable -- reading experience for me!

For those interested, my full review of the title, posted in September: https://www.jasonhalf.com/blog/book-r...