Bøger af George Bellairs

Jim Teasdale has been drowned in the Dumb River, near Ely, miles from his Yorkshire home. His body has been discovered before the killer intended and it's up to Superintendent Littlejohn to trace the mystery of the unassuming victim's murder to its source, leaving scandal in his wake as the hidden dealings of Jim Teasdale begin to surface.

Inspector Littlejohn confronts a challenging case across the Channel in this classic mystery from the "venerable" British author (Kirkus Reviews). When Alderman Dawson is stabbed to death while visiting the Riviera with a group of English tourists, Inspector Littlejohn puts his holiday on hold to assist the French police. But the suspects are plentiful. The culprit could be one of Dawson's fellow travelers--or perhaps someone who encountered him years ago during World War II. While Littlejohn fends off complaints from the impatient members of the tour group and delves into potential motives, he can only hope that his investigation doesn't go south along with his much-needed vacation. . . . "One of the subtlest and wittiest practitioners of the simon-pure British detective story . . . his adroit ironic Inspector Littlejohn is one of the more popular members of the fictional C.I.D." --The New York Times "Mr. Bellairs always gives good value." --The Sunday Times

This night at the pub will be his last . . . A classic whodunit starring the "affable Scotland Yarder" (Publishers Weekly). Harry Dodd needs a ride home from the pub--but it's not because he's schnockered. He's actually been stabbed. Unfortunately, no one realizes it until it's too late. Who would want to kill such a well-liked fellow? Inspector Littlejohn is called in, and his investigation reveals a recent woeful turn in Dodd's life, the ambitious family that cast him out, and a cesspit of jealousy, greed, and tawdry secrets. Then another body turns up, and another . . . Praise for the Inspector Littlejohn mysteries "Solid and ingenious." --The New York Times "Littlejohn achieves his goal spectacularly and successfully." --Kirkus Reviews "When you get a George Bellairs story you get something worth reading." --Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch

Inspector Littlejohn is drawn into a perplexing case when a judge is murdered on the Isle of Man in this classic British mystery.The small community of Castletown has plenty of odd customs--one being the office of Deemster, who serves as every sort of judge rolled into one. When Inspector Littlejohn arrives on the island for a sporting holiday, this particular custom is brought to his attention with the utmost urgency . . . because Deemster Quantrell has just been killed.The local police are glad to have the hotshot from Scotland Yard take the lead on such a perplexing case. Though the deemster was beloved by all, someone went to great lengths to poison him with cyanide in his private lunch room. As the investigation uncovers dark secrets and hidden crimes, other victims meet their end. And Littlejohn must act fast before a ruthless killer strikes again.

A murder in plain sight brings Scotland Yard to investigate family secrets in a sleepy English town in this mystery from the beloved series.In the close-knit community of Enderby, Ned Bunn wasn't what you'd call popular. In fact, there were some fellow residents who wished him dead. But when Bunn is found dead on the doorstep of his own shop, the town is in shock.As Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard investigates, he finds more than typical small-town animosity in the victim's past. Surprising revelations about Bunn and his family bring new leads--and new suspects--to this unexpectedly baffling case.

A relaxing holiday is cut short by murder for the Scotland Yard detective in a mystery by "one of [the genre's] subtlest and wittiest practitioners" (The New York Times). Set on having a relaxing holiday in Tilsey, Detective Inspector Littlejohn once again finds himself pulled into a baffling investigation. When local judge Nicholas Crake is found dead in his home, Littlejohn and his partner Sergeant Cromwell have the difficult task of sifting out the murderer from a mass of feuding neighbors, friends, and family. Could Crake's faithless wife have had the means? Or his strange brother-in-law? Or what about the superintendent, who seems to be doing more to impede the case than solve it? Faced with family secrets, old grudges, and more than one dead body, Littlejohn must unravel a web of deceit to get to the bottom of this case.

The disappearance of a reclusive widower sends Detective Littlejohn on a far-flung hunt for a killer in this classic British mystery.It was meant to be a fool-proof scheme. The victim was someone who wouldn't be missed, yet even the most meticulous criminals can make mistakes. When questions about a minor case of fraud lead to a missing persons case, the local bank's chief inspector calls in Detective Littlejohn to investigate.It seems that a bank customer has disappeared just after withdrawing a large sum of money. The only clue to his whereabouts is a note on his front door saying he'd gone abroad. But when they discover the man's brother had been murdered, Littlejohn realizes something sinister is afoot.

"Slow and steady wins the case" as a dedicated London policeman puzzles through a fatal fall, a financial mystery, and an eccentric family's many secrets (Kirkus Reviews). Miss Penelope Blow's fatal fall from her bedroom window would seem like a tragic accident, if it weren't for Penelope's multiple visits to Scotland Yard before her death, trying to get in touch with Inspector Littlejohn. Now, before he ever had a chance to talk to the woman, he's driven to look deeper into a case that may very well be murder--with no cooperation from Penelope's wealthy, secretive, and thoroughly odd family . . . "As is often the case in Bellairs' novels, his prose is often very wryly amusing. . . . One of his most readable tales, offering an interesting mix of characters and a satisfying puzzle to solve." --Mysteries Ahoy

A body surfaces off the Isle of Man in a puzzling mystery by the master of the "pure British detective story" (The New York Times). The Manx Shearwater was scallop dredging--but it dragged up a body from the water instead. Considering that the corpse was tied at the ankles and weighed down with stones, it's clear this was no accidental drowning--and now the locals are in an uproar. The victim appears to be Cedric Levis, who had an extravagant house and a reputation for philandering. Was Levis murdered for his money--or was this a crime of passion? Under the pretext of a holiday, Chief Inspector Littlejohn is invited by his old friend Archdeacon Kinrade to unofficially assist with the murder investigation--but to separate fact from fiction, he'll have to sort through accusations, town gossip, and mysterious stories surrounding the ancient Cursing Stones . . .

When a petty hoodlum encounters murder most foul, Inspector Littlejohn must uncover the dark secrets of a sleepy English village in this classic mystery.It's a quiet night at the Oddfellow's Arms until a stranger walks in. He looks like your average, untrustworthy, street corner spiv. But when he starts ranting to anyone who will listen about a dead body at Fennings' Mill, he seems more like a raving lunatic. When local police investigate the mad-man's tale, they find a grimly peculiar corpse: the face is smeared with theatrical makeup and a false mustache is pasted neatly over the lip. Once reporters descend on the tiny village, Scotland Yard sends Inspector Littlejohn to assist the investigation. But he quickly discovers that more than a few residents are telling lies, and the victim's costume conceals a truly perplexing case.

The mayor of a seaside town is murdered, and a London police detective must sort through motives both political and personal . . . Thanks to its mayor, Sir Gideon Ware, the quiet harbor town of Westcombe has turned into a crowded and rather garish seaside destination where visitors can come to escape the stress of wartime. When Ware collapses at a lavish luncheon, felled by strychnine, Inspector Littlejohn must travel from London to solve the seemingly inexplicable murder. Ware was surrounded by local bigwigs at his table--but that's just the beginning of the suspect list, as Littlejohn untangles the rivalries, resentments, and corrupt dealings that permeate this picturesque but troubled community . . . Praise for the Inspector Littlejohn mysteries "Assured prose, well-drawn characters, and the atmosphere of 1940s wartime England . . . well worth the reader's time." --Publishers Weekly "Everything is quite comparable in tone to a really good Simenon." --The New York Times "Dryly ceremonious wit [that] shines from the very first page." --Kirkus Reviews

"Jim Teasdale has been drowned in the Dumb River, near Ely, miles from his Yorkshire home. His body, clearly dumped in the usually silent ('dumb') waterway, has been discovered before the killer intended-- disturbed by a torrential flood. With critical urgency, it's up to Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard to trace the mystery of the unassuming victim's murder to its source, leaving waves of scandal and sensation in his wake as the hidden, salacious dealings of Jim Teasdale begin to surface"--

"Originally published in 1943 by The MacMillan Company"--Title page verso.

Discover the captivating treasures buried in the British Library's archives. Largely inaccessible to the public until now, these enduring classics were written in the golden age of detective fiction."At 8 o'clock in the evening on the 8th of November, there was a terrific explosion in Green Lane, Evingden."The offices of the Excelsior Joinery Company have been blown to smithereens; three of the company directors are found dead amongst the rubble, and the peace of a quiet town in Surrey lies in ruins. When the supposed cause of an ignited gas leak is dismissed and the presence of dynamite revealed, Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is summoned to the scene.But beneath the sleepy veneer of Evingden lies a hotbed of deep-rooted grievances. The new subject of the town's talk, Littlejohn's investigation is soon confounded by an impressive cast of suspicious persons, each concealing their own axe to grind.First published in 1964, Bellairs' novel hearkens back to the classic British mysteries and crime books. A masterpiece of misdirection, Surfeit of Suspects is a story of small-town grudges with calamitous consequences that revels in the abundant possible solutions to its central, explosive crime.Other books in the British Library Crime Classics: Death in Fancy DressSmallbone DeceasedIt Walks by NightMeasure of MaliceThe Body in the Dumb RiverDeath Has Deep RootsThe Notting Hill Mystery

Superintendent Littlejohn is summoned to Surrey to investigate murder by explosion in Bellairs' novel of small-town grudges with calamitous consequences.

First published in 1973, Devious Murder is a Chief Inspector Littlejohn mystery full of intrigue, tantalising clues and colourful characters.Whilst taking the dog out for the last walk of a rainy day, Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard stumbles across a dead body. Recognising it as Charles Blunt, a thief he crossed paths with and admired many years before, Littlejohn is determined to solve the case. But where did the body come from? What was it doing in front of a deserted house? And why, after all these years, had Charles Blunt finally come to a sticky end? Looking into the life of Blunt drags Littlejohn into the complex love triangles and debauchery of the filthy rich, and all of the scandal that goes with it.

First published in 1962, Death Before Breakfast is a Chief Inspector Littlejohn mystery full of intrigue, mysterious motives, and ingenious speculation.On her way to church early one morning, Mrs. Jump sees a dead body in the gutter in July Street. Frightened, she hurries on, but her conscience convinces her to return, only to find the body gone. Doubting herself, she nevertheless tells her boss, Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard, who decides to investigate further. He soon discovers that July Street is full of unusual people. Everyone has a motive. Everyone is a suspect. From London to Paris and back, Littlejohn unravels the tangled web of connections between this curious cast of characters to expose the murderer.

First published in 1948, Death on the Last Train is a Chief Inspector Littlejohn mystery full of false leads, dead ends and old-fashioned charm.Detective Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is travelling to an assignment, exhausted after an arduous journey of delayed connections, when he catches the last train. A murder occurs in his carriage, putting on hold any other plans he may have had. The local police, out of their depth, commandeer the detective to help them solve the case.Delving into unrequited love, betrayal, and poison pen letters, Littlejohn must pick apart a tangle of grudges. Many men and women seem primed with motives, but which of them has it in them to kill?

First published in 1972, this is a Chief Inspector Littlejohn mystery full of secrecy, duplicity and twisted loyalties.The Todds, governed by the widowed matriarch, Mrs Todd, are well-known in Fordinghurst. When Heck, the philandering youngest son, is found murdered on his boat, they do their best to hush up the scandal. With the local constabulary depleted through illness and strained by an epidemic of illegal immigration, Chief Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard and his new recruit, Hopkinson, are called in to investigate. Faced with a tangle of family jealousy, marital betrayal and racial prejudice, Littlejohn persists, leading to a slew of confessions.