Thou Shell of Death (A Nigel Strangeways Mystery, #2) (Nigel Strangeways, #2)

by Nicholas Blake

A VINTAGE MURDER MYSTERY

Fergus O'Brien, a legendary World War One flying ace with several skeletons hidden in his closet, receives a series of mocking letters predicting that he will be murdered on Boxing Day.

Undaunted, O'Brien throws a Christmas party, inviting everyone who could be suspected of making the threats, along with private detective Nigel Strangeways. But despite Nigel's presence, the former pilot is found dead, just as predicted, and Nigel is left to aid the local police in their investigation while trying to ignore his growing attraction to one of the other guests - and suspects - explorer Georgina Cavendish.

A Nigel Strangeways murder mystery - the perfect introduction to the most charming and erudite detective in Golden Age crime fiction.

• ISBN10: 0060804289
• ISBN13: 9780060804282
• Publish Date: 1 December 1977 (first published 12 October 1970)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 13 April 2011
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Thou Shell of Death is a re-release of the second book in the Nigel Strangeways mystery series by Nicholas Blake. Originally published in 1936, this reformatting by Agora books is 266 pages and available in ebook format. Earlier editions are available in other formats. Fun factoid: the author, Nicholas Blake, was the pseudonym of Cecil Day-Lewis, Poet Laureat and father of multiple academy award winner Daniel Day-Lewis.

I've mentioned multiple times that my favorite genre is mystery and especially English country house mystery. This is a superlative example of the craft and art. There's a limited pool of suspects, an 'impossible' crime, a clever and sophisticated semi-professional sleuth and a country stately home murder mystery.

I really enjoyed the characterizations; the house party members really live and breathe and have motivations. The dialogue is beautifully written and never once feels clunky or mechanical. I will say that the book was written in interwar period between WW1 and 2 and does show it in the assumption of cultural familiarity with some language and attitudes. It's laced with unexplained Latin phrases (used very reasonably in context by a schoolmaster). The meanings are self explanatory in the dialogue so it shouldn't detract for modern readers.

It's a wonderful thing to sit inside with a glass of wine on one side, a fireplace on the other side and enjoy a classic book whilst watching snow fall outside the windows. The ritual of reading and relaxing this book filled me with joy. It might have colored my perceptions to a very small degree, but I don't think so. This is a solidly good book. The denouement was really cleverly done.

It's possibly worth noting that (most of) the series is available to download and read for free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. I recommend buying them instead. They're worth it.

Classic. Good stuff!

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.