The Body in the Dumb River: A Yorkshire Mystery
By George Bellairs and Martin Edwards
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Discover the captivating treasures buried in the British Library's archives. Largely inaccessible to the public until now, these enduring British classics were written in the golden age of detective fiction.
"A decent, hardworking chap, with not an enemy anywhere. People were surprised that anybody should want to kill Jim."
But Jim has been found stabbed in the back near Ely, miles from his Yorkshire home. His body, clearly dumped in the usually silent ('dumb') river, has been discovered before the killer intended?disturbed by a torrential flood in the night.
Roused from a comfortable night's sleep, Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is soon at the scene. With any clues to the culprit's identity swept away with the surging water, Bellairs' veteran sleuth boards a train heading north to dredge up the truth of the real Jim Teasdale and to trace the mystery of this unassuming victim's murder to its source.
The Body in the Dumb River, like all of Bellairs' crime books, delves into the complex inner-workings of an insulated country community. With all the wittiness and suspense of classic British mysteries, this is a story that explores the long-buried secrets of a small town?and the disastrous events that take place when they finally come to light.
Also in the British Library Crime Classics:
Smallbone Deceased
Continental Crimes
Blood on the Tracks
Surfeit of Suspects
Death Has Deep Roots
Checkmate to Murder
George Bellairs
George Bellairs was the pseudonym of Harold Blundell (1902–1985), an English crime author best known for the creation of Detective-Inspector Thomas Littlejohn. Born in Heywood, near Lancashire, Blundell introduced his famous detective in his first novel, Littlejohn on Leave (1941). A low-key Scotland Yard investigator whose adventures were told in the Golden Age style of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, Littlejohn went on to appear in more than fifty novels, including The Crime at Halfpenny Bridge (1946), Outrage on Gallows Hill (1949), and The Case of the Headless Jesuit (1950). In the 1950s Bellairs relocated to the Isle of Man, a remote island in the Irish Sea, and began writing full time. He continued writing Thomas Littlejohn novels for the rest of his life, taking occasional breaks to write standalone novels, concluding the series with An Old Man Dies (1980).
Read more from George Bellairs
The Dead Shall be Raised & The Murder of a Quack Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Death Stops the Frolic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDeath Before Breakfast Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Body in the Dumb River: A Yorkshire Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Devious Murder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death on the Last Train Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Adrift Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Body in the Dumb River
Titles in the series (58)
Somebody at the Door Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death of Anton Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Verdict of Twelve Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sussex Downs Murder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Scarweather Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Excellent Intentions Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Colour of Murder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death Makes a Prophet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Division Bell Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Z Murders Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lake District Murder Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Murder in Piccadilly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seven Dead Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Belting Inheritance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bats in the Belfry: A London Mystery Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Murder of my Aunt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death on the Riviera Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Family Matters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sergeant Cluff Stands Firm Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Thirteen Guests Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Foreign Bodies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Calamity in Kent Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mystery in the Channel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Notting Hill Mystery Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Arsenal Stadium Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 12.30 from Croydon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cheltenham Square Murder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death on the Cherwell Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Secret of High Eldersham Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Antidote to Venom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related ebooks
Surfeit of Suspects Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Calamity in Kent Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Secret of High Eldersham Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bats in the Belfry: A London Mystery Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Murder in the Museum Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Death of a Busybody Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sussex Downs Murder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Scarweather Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Death in Fancy Dress Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Man Who Didn't Fly Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Lost Gallows: A London Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Murder of my Aunt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Belting Inheritance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cornish Coast Murder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Colour of Murder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Verdict of Twelve Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Close Quarters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder in the Mill-Race Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder by Matchlight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Division Bell Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Methods of Sergeant Cluff Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fire in the Thatch: A Devon Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cheltenham Square Murder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death on the Cherwell Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Thirteen Guests Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death on the Riviera Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Z Murders Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Underground Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Lake District Murder Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Historical Mystery For You
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Stranger in the Lifeboat Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Courting Dragons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The ABC Murders: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eight Perfect Murders: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Have Always Lived in the Castle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pale Blue Eye: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Under a Red Moon: A 1920s Bangalore Mystery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Universal Harvester: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Word Is Murder: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Watchmaker's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When I Come Home Again: 'A page-turning literary gem' THE TIMES, BEST BOOKS OF 2020 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Librarian of Crooked Lane Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tread of Angels Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Line to Kill: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Things in Jars: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Guardian of Lies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Herb of Death: A Miss Marple Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories: A Miss Marple Collection Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries Volume One: Whose Body?, Clouds of Witness, and Unnatural Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Last Jew in Prague Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Apothecary's Poison Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lady of Ashes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pearl Dagger Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Morbid Taste for Bones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lady in the Lake: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spider's Web Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Cater Street Hangman Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder for Christmas: A British Holiday Murder Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Body in the Dumb River
25 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5While staying overnight in east Anglia Superintendent Tom Littlejoihn is called out in the middle of the night to a crime scene. A body has been discovered in the River Dumb, stabbed not drowned. A man who seems to have two identities. Is his lifestyle the clue to the motive but who would want to kill such an inoffensive man.
Quite a basic plot but still an enjoyable well-written read.
Originally published in 1961
A NetGalley Book - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is an easy-to-read and unchallenging whodunnit police procedural novel set in the 1960's English countryside. James Teasdale is last seen on a Sunday evening as he leaves to drive to another village where he works during the week. He never arrives there alive and his body is found the next day in the rain and flood swollen Dumb (as in silent, not stupid) River, a victim of murder. Scotland Yard Superintendent Littlejohn who is in the area working on another case agrees to investigate the Teasdale murder. The local police are fully-occupied with the problems caused by severe flooding so they gladly accept his help. Littlejohn and his trusted sidekick, Sergeant Cromwell, undertake their usual dogged investigation by questioning everyone connected to the dead man. Littlejohn gradually wears down his recalcitrant interview subjects, until they break down. In this case, the Scotland Yard detectives are confronted by a surly lot of suspects; the dead man's in-laws are an unpleasant crew of misanthropic snobs headed by a particularly obnoxious ex-military man. With a few exceptions, there are no attractive characters in the story. Cromwell mostly missing from the narrative, which is a disappointment to this reader. The English country towns in the story are quintessential but portrayed as being unglamorous and dull. The characters are mostly pompous middle-class people, with no landed gentry in sight. The plot is uncomplicated, bordering on being boring; there's no interesting red herrings. The story sputters along to a slightly exciting conclusion, that includes an attack on Littlejohn. This is one of the later additions (#35) to the author's Littlejohn series. It will likely appeal to Bellairs fans, although it's not a good introductory read for readers new to Bellairs or the Littlejohn series. There's better ones to introduce the series to a newcomer. It can be read however as a standalone, lthe speech is not particularly outdated or slangy. As with all the British Library Crime Classics, there is a fine Introduction written by Martin Edwards which provides helpful background on the author and the story. It is a mistake to skip over it.All in all, a qualified recommendation.I received an advance reader's copy of this book from Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley. The comments are my own.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5cosy-mystery, procedural, British-detective, law-enforcement Shall we call the Scotland Yard man Superintendent Plod? Better at due diligence than most in spite of nasty weather and even nastier relatives of the deceased. Everybody who knew the man, except for the family, was flabbergasted that the nice man had been murdered (thought his wife and father in law were more likely prospects). But Littlejohn kept on and kept nudging until the truth came out. I loved the atmosphere, detailed descriptions, and insights into the past. Now I need to read more by the author! I requested and received a free ebook copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5With flooding in the area, the local police find themselves stretched to the limit. Since Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard wrapped up a case in the area, they call on him to investigate. The victim James Teasdale, aka Jim Lane, suffers the misfortune of being married to a woman from a snobbish family. He owned a carnival game attraction and spent most of the time on the road. His income helped maintain his wife's standard of living, but she nor her family knew how he really earned the income. While on the road, he lived with another woman to save money. Although the author includes several red herrings, the perpetrator seemed obvious. The writing style did not really grab me. I received an advance electronic copy from the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.