A Knife for Harry Dodd by George Bellairs

A Knife for Harry Dodd (An Inspector Littlejohn Mystery, #8)

by George Bellairs

At first, the women hadn't believed Dodd was dead. They had put him in his pyjamas, fixed up his wound with plaster and lint, and put him to bed. Then, they'd realised he had died quietly whilst in their hands. When Harry Dodd calls Dorothy Nicholls for a ride home from the pub, she and her mother think he's just had too much to drink. Little do they know that he's dying of a stab wound to the back. By the time they get him home, he's dead.

Who would want to kill Harry Dodd? When Inspector Littlejohn is called in to investigate this murder, he uncovers the dark side of the power-hungry Dodd family. Perhaps Dodd's life was not as simple as it seemed...

Bogged down with jealousy, greed, and spurned lovers, Littlejohn has more suspects than he can handle. And as the body count rises, it seems there might be more than one murderer in his midst...

A Knife for Harry Dodd was first published in 1953.

A Knife for Harry Dodd is the fifth title in Agora's Inspector Littlejohn Mysteries.

About Inspector Littlejohn Inspector Thomas Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is a shrewd yet courteous sleuth who splits his time between quaint English villages, the scenic Isle of Man and French Provinces. With a sharp tongue and a dry sense of humour, Littlejohn approaches his work with poise and confidence, shifting through red-herrings and solving even the most perplexing of cases.

Reviews
'One of the subtlest and wittiest practitioners of the simon-pure British detective story' - The New York Times
'Mr Bellairs always gives good value' - The Sunday Times
'Pure British detective story' - The New York Times
'Head and shoulders above the average of our day.' - Madison Capital Times

Reviewed by Aidan Brack (Mysteries Ahoy) on

4.5 of 5 stars

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I have often remarked on how one of Bellairs’ greatest strengths as a writer is his ability to create credible characters. This skill is once again clearly in evidence here not only in the array of suspects he presents us with but in the character of the victim himself who really looms over this whole narrative.

Read my full review at Mysteries Ahoy!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 13 June, 2019: Finished reading
  • 7 September, 2020: Reviewed