Gently Begins
Review of the Constable Kindle eBook edition (2010) of the Rinehart and Company hardcover original (1955).

I recently binge watched the entire Inspector George Gently TV series on Britbox Canada and thoroughly enjoyed them. Actor Martin Shaw is quite fantastic as the crusty and incorruptible lead character contrasted with his often fumbling assistant Sergeant Bacchus portrayed by Lee Ingleby. I had never read any of the Alan Hunter novels though and was surprised to discover that there were 46 of them in the series written between 1955 and 1999, basically one published every year.

See cover at https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/...
The front cover of the original 1955 hardcover edition of 'Gently Does It'. Image sourced from Goodreads.

I wasn't very far into this first book of the series Gently Does It before it became apparent that the book character is almost completely different from the one in the later TV series. The George Gently of the books smokes a pipe and is addicted to eating peppermint cream candies (which he consumes at an alarming rate). He is similarly persistent in pursuing his investigations but there isn't any indication that he is working against corruption in the police force (which is the overall theme arc of the TV series).

The case involves Gently (who is otherwise based in the London CID head office) assisting in a case while he is supposedly on vacation. His ideas of the culprit are in opposition to the local police who are quick to suspect the estranged son of a murdered timber baron. The usual suspicious family members, servants and business associates are involved and there is a bit of a twist when the apparent culprit is also murdered. Gently solves it regardless and explains all in the end.

I enjoyed the book even if it is much more 'old school' and more along the lines of the Golden Age of Crime than the slightly more hard-boiled adaptations in the TV show. I'm sure that I'll read a few more of them as part of my lighter reading selections.

Trivia and Link
The George Gently books were adapted as a TV series Inspector George Gently (2008-2017) with actor Martin Shaw in the title role. Very few of the TV episodes are based on the original books though and the characters are quite different. A trailer for the first episode can be seen here. ( )

GENTLY DOES IT by Alan Hunter.
This is the first George Gently title, published in 1955, of 40+ George Gently detective/mystery novels written by the late Alan Hunter.
George Gently is a detective chief inspector and we receive intimate instruction in his detective skills. In GENTLY DOES IT, DCI Gently is on holiday when he is asked to help investigate the murder of a local lumber merchant in the city of Norchester.
I am a big fan of the British tv series (George Gently) and have watched all episodes. It is a very well-done series. There are differences, to be sure, but both the tv production and the books are fantastic.
The time period (late 1950’s & 1960’s) is a distinct change from current action-packed police dramas. The characters are interesting, complex, clever. Mr. Gently is very detailed, methodical, sensitive to all the suspects and their personalities.The locations are not the usual big-city, well-known places.
A good detective series worth a read. ( )

Gently is a likeable character - stubborn, independent, clever but modest. He has a generous and compassionate side which seems to be part of the key to his open-mindedness.
Looking forward to reading more of this series.

In a preface, Hunter says this is not a "whodunit" but his aim was to provide a picture of a police investigator building up his knowledge of a crime. Thankfully it is a fictional method as it is not recommended for real life. Gently worked alone, without sharing the information he gathered, and against the opinions of his boss and colleagues. Although Hunter's Gently is a nice enough bloke, actor Martin Shaw made him a a much more charismatic personality, which made a great TV series. As the first in the series this was just OK. ( )

GENTLY DOES IT is the first of 48 novels to feature Inspector George Gently: a murder specialist from Central Office CID on holiday in Norchester for this novel. When he reads in the paper of the murder of a prominent local citizen he offers to help with the investigation. Initially his assistance is welcomed by the local constabulary but when it appears the case will be easily solved the locals are keen to remove Gently from proceedings. But Gently, believing in the innocence of the man local police suspect, refuses to be budged.

Perhaps low expectations are a good way to begin any reading experience because I did enjoy the book more than I thought I might, mostly due to the writing. Hunter, an antiquarian bookseller by trade, clearly loves language. Even his use of an adverb, and one not immediately associated with policing, for his protagonist’s surname indicates his love of wordplay. There’s a mild wit pervading the entire novel and the dialogue in particular is often delightful.

As far as introductions to a central character go however there’s something of a scarcity of information. We glean that he’s at least middle-aged, possibly older (in fact I would have thought much older if I hadn’t known there are so many books to come so perhaps he is one of those lucky fictional characters who don’t age at the same pace as the rest of us). He’s experienced and good at his job though quite modest, often attributing his deductive powers and sound reasoning to luck rather than the intelligence it so obviously is. But there is not a word about his personal life, other than a professed liking for fishing and an addiction to peppermint creams, or any details of the years that led to his present circumstances. With respect to looks Hunter gives us precious little to go on bar a throwaway remark that he’s not tall enough to enjoy the terraces at a football match so, inevitability, to me Inspector Gently looks a lot like Martin Shaw.

Via a Gentle Reminder To the Reader – which appears at the beginning of the novel – Alan Hunter tells us exactly what kind of story he thinks this is

This is a detective story, but not a ‘whodunnit’. Its aim is to give a picture of a police investigator slowly building up his knowledge of a crime to a point, not where he knows who did it – both you and he know that at a fairly early stage – but to a point where he can bring a charge which will convince a jury.

I thought it worth mentioning this. I hate being criticized for not doing what I had no intention of doing.

I might argue with him on whether or not it is a whodunnit (as the culprit is not revealed until about 3/4 of the way to the end) but even if it isn’t strictly a whodunnit you’d be hard-pressed to find a more traditional sort of mystery story. It closely follows the style of the Golden Age writers though I suppose it’s a bit too new to officially be classified as such. But other than the absence of a sidekick most of the conventions of the classic mystery are in evidence and well executed.

I don’t mind dabbling at the lighter/cosier end of the crime fiction spectrum (it was welcome in this instance as I’d read three or four particularly harrowing books in a row) but when I do I generally prefer there to be something in addition to the puzzling element of the stories. I follow one of Julie Hyzy’s series because of its setting amidst the goings-on of the White House kitchens for example. Alternatively I like re-visiting great characters who feel like old friends (M. Poirot springs to mind). But while Gently is likeable enough he’s not among the more memorable crime-fighting protagonists I’ve met and nor am I lured by yet another series set in Midsomer-like England.

I fear it’s damning with faint praise but I do think that if you like the classic British whodunnit-cum-procedural style of book then you could do a lot worse than GENTLY DOES IT. The writing is terrific and if it doesn’t leave you rolling on the floor with laughter you’ll at least have a smile on your face for a good portion of your reading time. A word of warning to fans of the TV series though: as far as I can see there is nothing other than the name of the main character that indicates one is the source material for the other though perhaps the later books have more in common with the series (which is set at least a decade or so later than this first novel).