Imagen del autor

George Bellairs (1902–1985)

Autor de Death of a Busybody

68 Obras 1,691 Miembros 111 Reseñas 2 Preferidas

Sobre El Autor

George Bellairs was the pseudonym of Harold Blundell (1902-1985), a prominent banker and philanthropist from Manchester whose popular detective stories were published for nearly forty years. His mystery novels Death of a Busybody and The Dead Shall Be Raised Murder of a Quack have also been mostrar más published as British Library Crime Classics. mostrar menos
Nota de desambiguación:

(eng) Also wrote four novels as Hilary Landon.

Series

Obras de George Bellairs

Death of a Busybody (1942) 191 copias
The Body in the Dumb River (1961) 98 copias
Surfeit of Suspects (1964) 96 copias
Corpse at the Carnival (1958) 51 copias
Death in High Provence (1957) 42 copias
Corpses in Enderby (1954) 38 copias
The Cursing Stones Murder (1954) 37 copias
Death in Dark Glasses (1952) 35 copias
He'd Rather Be Dead (1945) 33 copias
Death in Room Five (1955) 32 copias
Crime in Lepers' Hollow (1952) 31 copias
Intruder in the Dark (1966) 30 copias
Half-Mast for the Deemster (1953) 29 copias
Bones in the Wilderness (1959) 29 copias
A Knife for Harry Dodd (1953) 29 copias
Death Sends for the Doctor (1957) 27 copias
Death in Desolation (1967) 26 copias
Death in the Night Watches (1945) 26 copias
Calamity at Harwood (1945) 25 copias
Death in the Wasteland (1963) 25 copias
Outrage on Gallows Hill (1949) 23 copias
Murder Makes Mistakes (1958) 23 copias
Death of a Shadow (1964) 22 copias
Death in the Fearful Night (1960) 22 copias
Death Drops the Pilot (1956) 22 copias
Toll the Bell for Murder (1959) 21 copias
Death of a Tin God (1961) 21 copias
Death Spins the Wheel (1965) 20 copias
Death Treads Softly (1956) 19 copias
The Tormentors (1962) 18 copias
Fear Round About (1975) 18 copias
Death on the Last Train (1948) 18 copias
Devious Murder (1973) 18 copias
Turmoil in Zion (1943) 16 copias
Death Before Breakfast (1962) 15 copias
Murder of a Quack (1943) 14 copias
The Dead Shall Be Raised (1942) 11 copias
Murder Adrift (1972) 9 copias
All Roads To Sospel (1976) 9 copias
Littlejohn on Leave (1941) 8 copias
Death in Despair (1960) 7 copias
An Old Man Dies (1980) 6 copias
Pomeroy Deceased (1971) 5 copias
Tycoon's Death-Bed (1970) 4 copias
Strangers among the Dead (1966) 4 copias
Murder at Morning Prayers (1947) 4 copias
Single Ticket to Death (1967) 3 copias
Fatal Alibi (1968) 3 copias
Murder Gone Mad (1968) 2 copias
Circle Round a Corpse (1948) 2 copias

Etiquetado

Conocimiento común

Nombre canónico
Bellairs, George
Nombre legal
Blundell, Harold
Otros nombres
Landon, Hilary (pseudonym)
Fecha de nacimiento
1902
Fecha de fallecimiento
1985
Lugar de sepultura
Isle of Man
Género
male
Nacionalidad
UK
Lugar de nacimiento
Heywood, Rochdale, Lancashire, UK
Lugares de residencia
Heywood, Lancashire, England, UK
Isle of Man
Educación
Heywood Grammar School
London University
Ocupaciones
banker
Premios y honores
Honorary Masters (University of Manchester ∙ 1959)
Agente
John Gifford Ltd
Biografía breve
Bellairs was a pen name for Harold Blundell, who was a banker when not writing.On retiring he moved to Colby on the Isle of Man with his wife. His personal papers are in the John Rylands Library (Univ. of Manchester).
Aviso de desambiguación
Also wrote four novels as Hilary Landon.

Miembros

Debates

Collection as part of a Publishers Series? en Librarything Series (octubre 2021)

Reseñas

Both mysteries good examples of murder in a small town investigated by perceptive detective. In Dead shall be Raised the body of a man believed to have murdered his friend twenty years earlier is discovered. Now the killer of both men must be found after many witnesses and neighbors have died. In Murder of a Quack the victim is a respected alternative healer . Inspector Littlejohn solves both cases through careful questioning and intuition.
 
Denunciada
ritaer | 9 reseñas más. | Feb 27, 2024 |
 
Denunciada
Overgaard | 10 reseñas más. | Feb 4, 2024 |
The Murder Of A Quack (1943) by George Bellairs. This is another delightful murder mystery set in small town England. Think of this as a grandfather to Midsomer Murders and Foyle’s War as it has strains of both television series running though it. The mystery novels of George Bellairs are designed as both intriguing mysteries in themselves and as a light pleasure dalliance away from the horrible war during which these novels are set and written.
We can look back on this series of stories and wonder at the level of everyday detail displayed, but of course it would be. Bellairs wrote about his time and with a sharp eye reflecting what was happening all around. It is that he selected to have his Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Littlejohn become involved in the working of small towns and small town people that enabled him to bandy about the odd ways of life and the insecurities of everyday people, while a great evil lurks under their collective noses.
In this case, the quack referenced to in the title is one of a line of healers who practice curative medicine outside of the official halls of medicine. Decades ago the family started by setting bones for farmer and villages alike with almost no cost the the receiver of their ministrations. They did not prescribe medications nor did they attempt to “horn in on” the medical practitioners within the community. By doing this they garnered a good reputation among almost all medicos and lay person alike.
Nathaniel Wall, a “homeopath healer” and the current “quack” of the Wall family, is found hanging from a series of ropes and pulleys he has used for the performance of his work in his consulting room. Inspector Littlejohn is soon called in to the village of Stalden by the local constabulary to assume control of the investigation. He, along with the local constable, PC Mellalieu, try to unravel the mystery which includes the victim’s collection of newspaper stories concerning a London heist of several years prior. Do they have anything dot do with this murder, and if so, what. There is also a young woman who Mr. Wall, although not related, had been treating as a daughter. And the local doctor has to be considered as the bonesetter was more popular with his “quackery” than the doc with his degree and license.
It is a merry little chase, and even through there is a scant number of possible killers, Mr. Bellairs manages to bring in connections to causes both old and new. Overall he sprinkles a sense of amusement, even hilarity, but with a deft touch.
While you might discover the killer long before the end of the story, the rationals will keep you reading to the end.
While Mr. Bellairs (real nome Harold Blundell) was never a big name in writing during the Golden Age of Mysteries, I think he is a name worth looking for while scanning the shelves of your favorite used book store. Or order online from Poisoned Pen Press, but only if you can’t get out of your residence for some reason. These books are meant for a quiet weekend type of read. Besides I like his work.
… (más)
 
Denunciada
TomDonaghey | otra reseña | Jan 31, 2024 |
The Dead Shall Be Raised (1942) by George Bellairs. This is yet another fine Christmas story set in the small English village of Hatterworth. Detective Inspector Littlejohn is traveling there to be with his wife at the holidays. She is staying with old friends of hers, the Haworths, the husband being the local inspector. There is some delightful descriptions of a “typical” quaint town where everyone knows everyone and secrets usually don’t stay buried long.
But in this case, a body is found buried on the local moors. The dead man, Enoch Sykes, disappeared twenty years before. He was suspected in the murder of, Jeremy Trickett, who had been his life-long friend, at least until just a short time before he was killed. Now it looks as if they were both murdered by a third party and the case has to be reopened.
The book’s current time is 1940, deep into Britain’s war, while the murders happened during WWI. This gives the author plenty of contrasting views between what was happening in and to England at the time he wrote the mystery, and what had happened, including the views of the average citizen, between the present and the “War To End All Wars”.
The mystery is handed off to Littlejohn when the local detective pulls up lame. There are some colorful local characters including the retired investigator who handled the original investigation, and the man’s father-in-law who had been the town’s police force prior to the murders. For the modern reader, there are views expressed in this novel which were consistent with the time but which are frowned upon now. Please put your biases away, accept the book as a look with a window to a different time, and try to enjoy the book for what it is.
There are several interviews that look into the past, many opinions offered, and some endearing stories of what has occurred to the locals during the spanning two decades. In all this is a quality mystery placed in a charming setting. This would make a fine reading for any mystery aficionado during the holiday season. Keep in mind readers, this is not so much a the search for a ruthless killer as it is a ride through the years to a time both far away yet near to heart.
… (más)
 
Denunciada
TomDonaghey | 9 reseñas más. | Jan 31, 2024 |

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Estadísticas

Obras
68
Miembros
1,691
Popularidad
#15,191
Valoración
½ 3.6
Reseñas
111
ISBNs
161
Idiomas
3
Favorito
2

Tablas y Gráficos