Smallbone Deceased by Michael Gilbert (June/July 2020)

[Susan]

Welcome to our June/July buddy read of Smallbone Deceased by Michael Gilbert

Published in 1950, this is the fourth in the Inspector Hazelrigg series. Gilbert was, himself, a solicitor and set this mystery in the fictional London firm of Horniman, Birley and Craine. It regularly appears in 'top 100' mysteries and is considered Gilbert's best book.

A respectable firm of London solicitors becomes the scene of suspicion and intrigue. A hermetically-sealed deed-box was never meant to be used for storing a body and its discovery leads to the business and social life of the firm being investigated.

Please do not post spoilers in this thread, thank you.

[Judy]

As it's almost the weekend and I won't be around much tomorrow, just opening up our new buddy reads. Thank you to Susan for setting up the threads!

I'm under way with this one and am really enjoying it - Michael Gilbert has a lovely witty writing style and clearly knows his stuff, not surprisingly as I see from Susan's introduction that he was a solicitor himself.

Who is reading this, or planning to read it?

[Rosina]

I will put Trollope's Ralph the Heir on the backburner to refresh my memory on this one (which I remember reading, enjoying, and voting for).

[Susan in NC]

I read this one a couple weeks ago, as I was able to get the ebook and audiobook through Scribd.

I enjoyed it very much, the narrator was very entertaining, the humor was dry and understated, and Gilbert’s legal experience shone through! I really appreciated how he got the office politics and chit chat down pat - back when I was young and worked in office settings, I would’ve banked on the men in charge (as most were men back then), were oblivious to the petty jealousies, friendships, turf wars perking away under the surface in any office. Gilbert must’ve been paying attention!

Satisfying puzzle, too.

[Susan]

Yes, an office setting always works well, doesn't it? Really did enjoy this one and all the office gossip!

[Judy]

I'm a third of the way through this now and the plot is starting to thicken! I am also enjoying the office gossip and think the whole atmosphere is very convincing.

[Susan in NC]

I really was impressed with Gilbert’s writing, grasp of the relationships and turf wars between the administrative staff, between the solicitors! And the audiobook narrator really brought it all to life so well, from the shock of discovering the body, to the breathless gossip in the typists’ room, the differing management styles of the two senior partners, the young solicitors circling each other, trying to establish pecking order, etc. Really well done!

[Susan]

I had the same narrator as the Campion books, so I kept confusing Henry Bohun with Albert Campion :)

[Susan in NC]

I thought I recognized his voice!

[Judy]

I've read a bit further and, while I'm still really enjoying it, so far I don't think Gilbert is very good at portraying female characters. This wasn't a problem in Death in Captivity!

[Sandy]

I started this last night and am really enjoying Gilbert's style. I suppose its too early for a final judgement but my first reaction is to seek out all his books.

[Susan in NC]

That was my take when I first started- I really enjoyed his style! I could really picture it as a tv show, a la Suchet’s Poirot!

[Jason]

Just a few chapters left to finish; as Susan in NC pointed out, Gilbert excels at presenting the office politics and the intricacies of a solicitor's office. I also agree with Sandy's mention of an enticing style.

To that point, it's the dry humor that I am enjoying the most. The author allows the third-person narration more than a little barbed wit and commentary, and I found this incredibly fun.

[Susan in NC]

Yes, it was fun, and the dry humor and pace made it very readable.

[Susan]

This is said to be his best book. We read Death in Captivity, of course, but I think the only other one on kindle at the moment is Death Has Deep Roots and a story in the collections, The Long Arm of the Law: Classic Police Stories and Settling Scores: Sporting Mysteries.

[Susan in NC]

Good to know, thanks Susan. I’ve read the first, and enjoyed it very much, and will look for the sporting mysteries. I enjoy those short story collections, a great way to “test drive” different authors!

[Rosina]

My favourite Gilbert is The Etruscan Net, set in Florence. It probably isn't one of his best, but a good mystery, with a bit of art history thrown in.

[Pamela]

I am just starting this today, I enjoyed Death in Captivity. This one is also based on his own experiences but in a very different environment! I think this will be more like the traditional mystery.

[Judy]

Hope you enjoy this, Pamela - I'm about 60% of the way through now and still enjoying it. The humour and banter are quite reminiscent of Death in Captivity, I think, despite being a very different environment, as you say!

[Judy]

I've finished this now - I enjoyed the humour and the writing style, but for me it wasn't up there with Death in Captivity overall. I know I'm in a minority though, as it is generally said to be his best.

[Susan]

I enjoyed both, I think, in different ways. It is hard to compare them, as they are such different books and Smallbone is a more traditional mystery.

[Bicky]

I have just started reading this and find Gilbert to be as witty as I remember. One reviewer has used the expression 'with wit to spare', which I think is rather apt.

In meeting Mr. Cove, one feels that he has not thought through the consequences of his choice of professions.

[Bicky]

"She was the possessor of auburn hair and very light blue eyes, elements which may be harmless apart but can be explosive when mixed."

Does this statement make sense?

Being from India, I have not met many (any) auburn haired individuals with or without blue eyes.

[Bicky]

When Sergeant Cockerill refers to futures in the context of gardens, what is he really referring to?

[Rosina]

Bicky wrote: "When Sergeant Cockerill refers to futures in the context of gardens, what is he really referring to?"

Fuchsias. I think they're mentioned later, in their correct spelling.

[Judy]

Bicky wrote: ""She was the possessor of auburn hair and very light blue eyes, elements which may be harmless apart but can be explosive when mixed."

Does this statement make sense?..."

Hmm, I don't think it does really make sense! There is a stereotype of people with red (auburn) hair having explosive tempers, but I don't know if that is relevant in the context?

[Sandy]

Judy wrote: "Bicky wrote: ""She was the possessor of auburn hair and very light blue eyes, elements which may be harmless apart but can be explosive when mixed."

Does this statement make sense?..."

Hmm, I don..."

I thought he found the combination very attractive.

[Rosina]

Sandy wrote: "I thought he found the combination very attractive."

I thought that that was what he meant, rather than that the possessor of auburn hair and light blue eyes would be highly dangerous.

I am sure that I have seen somewhere 'light blue eyes' as a marker for villainy. Was it in The Franchise Affair?

[Bicky]

Sandy wrote: "Judy wrote: "....I thought he found the combination very attractive."

Yes, that makes sense.

[Bicky]

Rosina wrote: "Bicky wrote: "When Sergeant Cockerill refers to futures in the context of gardens, what is he really referring to?"

Fuchsias. I think they're mentioned later, in their correct spelling."

Thanks.

[Bicky]

I find it easier to make 'futures' sound like 'fuschias' rather than the other way round!