Close Quarters (Inspector Hazlerigg #1) by Michael Gilbert

Close Quarters (Inspector Hazlerigg #1) Reviews

• 
  Dana Stabenow

  It is infinitely instructive for writers to read the first novel written by the writers they revere. This is one such writer and his novel. Gilbert wrote it in 1937 and then went off to war, finishing it afterward and publishing it in 1947. It's all about the puzzles, the puzzle of timing, the puzzle of who's lying and who isn't, the puzzle of who really did see what from which window, the actual crossword puzzle. This is Hazlerigg's first outing, a Scotland Yard inspector who would return as protagonist and cameo in many future Gilbert books.
  
  As I said this one is all about the various puzzles, and not at all about character development, or even about setting, both of which come strongly into their own in later novels as Gilbert develops his craft. There are flashes of that subtle foreshadowing he became so good at
  
  The Dean, had he known it, held a good deal of human happiness in his hands at that moment.
  
  and that dry, sly Gilbertian wit so much on display in later works
  
  The Dean, though a man whom Colonel Brabington personally admired and respected, had shown questionable taste (Pollock gathered) in having a nephew in the Metropolitan Police Force at all.
  
  and a few instances of his descriptive powers
  
  ...a dispirited bag of toffee.
  
  but this is definitely only a beginning. Everyone has to start somewhere, even Michael Gilbert. I find that heartening.
• 
  Iona Sharma

  This is Gilbert's first book, very much out of print, about a murder in a tiny cathedral community where the murderer can only be one of the very small number of people who live on site. It's clever and enjoyable but I think just a bit too complicated - I couldn't quite keep up with all the twists and turns. Very good though and I'm still digging up the others in the series.
• 
  ShanDizzy

  An excellent "closed community " mystery
  
  "The evidence of vice and virtue are not confined to famous accomplishments: often some trivial event, a word, a joke, will serve better than great campaigns as a revelation of character." -Plutarch
  
  Under the normal headings of motives and methods Pollock could find little to help him...Anyway, motive was likely to prove a broken reed in a case like this...Obsession Mania-complexes of all sorts...was difficult to diagnose in practice: more difficult still to detect. The most saintly countenance might mask a seething fury of inhibitions. The most ordinary-looking breast pocket might contain a poison pen. As a rough plan of campaign Pollock felt that the first thing to do was to obtain the Fingerprints of every resident in the Close and send them to London with the Dean's anonymous letter for expert scrutiny.
• 
  Kathy

  A wonderful older murder mystery published in 1947, the setting probably based on Salisbury Cathedral as the author was a schoolmaster in Salisbury when he wrote this first novel in 1938. It is atmospheric, intelligent, peopled with truly interesting members and residents of the Close. There are anonymous letters and a general campaign against the oldest canon of the Close, carefully executed by someone with enough malice that the concerned Dean invites his nephew Sargent Bobby Pollock who is attached to Scotland Yard for a visit. On the morning after Pollock's first night in Melchester a body is discovered, the victim of the smear campaign. Pollock calls in Chief Inspector Hazlerigg to assist in the investigation and before they can uncover the truth others will die.
• 
  Cyn McDonald

  It's 1937. Residents of the Melchester Cathedral Close are receiving poison pen letters, and the Dean asks his nephew, Sergeant Pollock of Scotland Yard, to investigate. When one of the vergers is found dead, Pollock calls in Inspector Hazelrigg, his superior and a brilliant detective.
  
  This first novel is written in a classic British style, with clear but well-hidden clues, diagrams, and even a crossword puzzle.
• 
  Dave

  Gilbert's first mystery has a few problems of construction--action is definitely poorly paced, and the second half of the mystery totally unexpected--not really in a good way. Also, there are like 50 very similar characters/suspects so that by the end I just gave up trying to remember if the person was a verger or a canon or choral whatever and just let it flow over me. It flows pretty smoothly, though, and the Inspector is rather a pleasant character, so that I didn't even get mad that a whole chapter is a cryptic crossword. Looking forward to finding others in the series.
• 
  Susan

  Although this book was first published in the late 1940s, it didn't feel dated. This is a solid police procedural set in an abbey in England with well-defined characters.
• 
  Damaskcat

  The book is set in and around Melchester cathedral close. A year before the book opens the unfortunate Canon Whyte fell from the roof and was killed. His death seems to be casting a long shadow still. There has been a spate of anonymous letters sent to people living in the close and graffiti has been appearing on walls - casting aspersions on the quality of the head verger's work. Appledown is not popular but the Dean has no real complaints about the standard of the work.
  
  Then a murder takes place and Inspector Hazlerigg is called in from Scotland Yard to investigate. At first it seems as though there are just too many suspects and that everyone could be lying about something. But Hazlerigg is nothing is not persistent and the murderer is eventually tracked down. This is the first book I've read by Michael Gilbert and it won't be the last. I loved the descriptions of people and places and there is plenty of humour in the book
  
  I loved the episode in which a suspect is followed by one of Hazlerigg's team which reminded me of Bunter's efforts at following the murderer in Dorothy L Sayers' Have His Carcase. The end of the chase is priceless and one of the best scenes in the book. This book has stood the test of time extremely well and I recommend it to anyone who loves Golden Age crime fiction and to anyone who wants to try it for the first time.
• 
  Bill

  I enjoyed this very much. It's one of my first Michael Gilbert mysteries. It was a slowish, procedural-type police mystery, but gradually, it began to twist and turn nicely. Inspector Hazelrigg was an excellent police inspector with an intelligence and ability to work his way through the crime. I also liked the peripheral characters and how they contributed to the plot and investigation. Nice conclusion, very interesting.
• 
  Dave Morris

  I only picked this up to read, having owned the book for fifty years, because I was about to pop off for a weekend with friends and the cover (not this one) matched the colours of the tube of ibuprofen gel I was taking. (Those long country walks.)
  
  It's more of a series of logic puzzles than a story. There's even a crossword puzzle that is part of the mystery. I probably would have lost interest if I hadn't caught covid on the weekend away, and thus happy enough with an amiably unchallenging '40s whodunit.
• 
  Chris

  Technically well done, but suffers from the problem that puzzle-mysteries often suffer from - because it relies entirely on the puzzle, there's no real sense of the suspects as suspects. And, conversely, it's solvable based on the conventions of the puzzle-mystery.
  
  I think puzzle-mysteries really only work for me when adapted as shows. Having the thing acted out tends to paper over the flaws and bring more...humanity, I guess...to the stories.
• 
  Larkin

  "Close Quarters" starts out slowly, and with many characters and details. I may not have continued on with this book of Gilbert's if I hadn't previously read "Smallbone Deaceased", which was brilliant enough to give me confidence in this book's eventual success. I was debating between 3 and 4 stars, but decided on 3 after the author made fun of one of Agatha Christie's mysteries. As an avid fan of hers, that is "inexcusable" (even if it isn't her best work).
• 
  BRT

  This story just seemed deadly dull to me. Might be the discordant note it struck with me that it seemed like it should be an older period piece but was a modern time period. Characters phrasing of speech and thought felt awkward and was a bit confusing. Just couldn’t invest in it. The mystery had a nice twist though.
• 
  Fran Irwin

  As Michael Gilbert said of his first book: It's a "little busy." But charming, nevertheless. There's a cast of characters to help you keep track of who's who, a map of the close, and even a crossword puzzle for you to solve (or not).
• 
  Caro

  A very satisfying mystery set in a cathedral close and featuring timetables, a cryptic English crossword, and many secrets. When the crossword came up, it rang a faint bell, so I think this must have been among the English mysteries on my parents' well-filled shelves.
• 
  Rebecca

  The mystery is good as there are plenty of suspects, the maps help keep the reader oriented, though there was one view that didn't work yet played a part. Some of the language was a bit obscure, but manageable.
• 
  Calum Reed

  B+
• 
  Jennifer

  I found this a bit hard to get into but once I did I found it to be a great mystery, with lovely characters and story. Very recommended.
• 
  Louisa Dusinberre

  A bit turgid- but it was his first book!!
• 
  Deb

  I've started re-reading my Michael Gilbert set, and accidentally picked up his very first mystery. Close Quarters introduces us to Inspector Hazelrigg, one of Gilbert's recurring detectives. Set in the close of a cathedral community, the plot unfolds with poison pen letters and escalating pranks. When murder occurs, the Dean's nephew, a Scotland Yard man, sends for the big guns, and Hazelrigg arrives to hunt for the murderer.
  Gilbert draws his characters with a specific and wry pen. Jealousies, friendships, and villainy are exposed. There are, of course, red herrings and false leads galore. This is a variation on a "locked room" mystery, with the walls of the close serving as the barrier that keeps the number of suspects strictly limited. This classic mystery from a British master makes the journey very enjoyable.
• 
  Lisa Kucharski

  First book by Michael Gilbert, and while it isn't as clean and fluid as others it is still a great mystery. Hazelrigg is featured more in this book than in following ones.
  
  While reading this, I realized that I have seen at least two adaptations of this on English Mystery Programs. The book though, was still more tense at times.
• 
  Polly

  A classic "murder in the cathedral close"; very well done.
• 
  James M

  A Scotland Yard detective is forced to end his holiday early to discover whether a death was accidental or not.
• 
  Neer

  An atmospheric mystery which pays homage to the golden age. More here:
  
  
  http://inkquilletc.blogspot.in/2017/1...