This was a review copy courtesy of Crime Classics, Agora books and Netgalley. I like George Bellairs, and in this one his strengths are to the fore. He very successfully locates the motivation and background in Vichy France, unravelling the story through what was, at the time, very recent history. Bellairs rises above a black and white view of WWII and presents a nuanced view of human behaviour and historical context.

It is a change to encounter friendship and collaboration between detectives across the English Channel as well as between clergy of varying traditions. I like Bellairs’ ease in writing of friendship and respect. It is thoughtful, competent and relatively sophisticated Golden Age Crime Fiction.

Superintendant Littlejohn is visiting his old friend the Archdeacon of Man when an elderly Frenchwoman, who had been gambling at the casino, is found murdered on the beach. The local Inspector, who knows Littlejohn well, hares round to offer him a busman's holiday, and all three get involved with the investigation. The motive for the crime eludes them: the lady had only been on the island a short time; she had been winning at the casino, but not outrageously; she had not been robbed. Then they hear of a mysterious Frenchman who appeared then rapidly vanished again. Could he be the murderer?

The action moves to Evian in France, where another friend — Inspector Dorange, of the Nice Sûreté — joins them. As they learn more about the background of the victim, potential motives and supects begin to appear.

I have read quite a few of Bellairs' books now and always find them enjoyable. He lived in and loved the locations he wrote about and had a fine touch for description, so that you feel that you have been taken inside the community, not just skimmed the surface, like a tourist. If you like "classic crime" novels, you will enjoy this.

Disclaimer. I received a free copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A little old lady who claims to be a professional gambler? Yeah, right! However, it’s true and she is so successful at roulette that casinos discreetly monitor her playing. And it’s Archdeacon Kinrade who works out how she does it – that is even more amazing.

The book is an archetypical Bellairs. Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard and his wife are on holiday, helping his good friend, the Archdeacon of Man, build a greenhouse. Sadly, the aforementioned little old lady/gambler is murdered and, as regular readers would anticipate, Inspector Knell hot-foots it to the Archdeacon’s house at Grenaby, seeking help.

The action takes place in the Isle of Man and the South of France where it’s Inspector Dorange’s turn to take some leave but use it on the case. Dorange even returns to the IOM with Littlejohn and Kinrade for his first visit. Didn’t they have cost control in those days?!

I read this at one sitting because I found it compelling. Some of the aspects of the plot are far-fetched, like how the old lady’s gambling is so successful; the French monk who had visited the IOM to watch the TT (when the riders went at speeds of 40mph!); and Dorange deciding to visit the IOM. However, a judicious suspension of belief made the book thoroughly enjoyable.

I spotted only three typos in the 200 pages, none of which marred my enjoyment.

I have posted this review on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Spins-Inspector-Littlejohn-Mysteries-ebook/product-reviews/B07FN7HQZL/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews

George Bellairs is one of Britain's treasures and his series of Littlejohn books I love they are easy reads great for a lazy afternoon or to get away from life for some evenings and journey back in time.
This time a Old Lady who has decided to become a professional gambler is in the Isle of Man in the early 1940s
only to turn up dead one evening having been shot on the beach. Inspector Knell is in the case and as luck would have it Littlejohn and his wife are staying at the Archdeacons home (on the Isle of Man so Knell waste little time in asking the advice of his hero from the Yard. What follows is the discovery of war time secrets and a to to France. George has a way of telling a story and just when you think you have got it all worked out you then discover you've been hooked by the red herring that took you on the wrong path and you have to try and work it all out again, there are plenty of real clues as well it's just a case of working out which are real or just enjoy the story. As in life things are not always what they seem, I do not fear Little John and his team will stay at it but you'll have to find out the truth yourself by readibg this book yourself I think you will enjoy it.
I do highly recommend this book and hope you enjoy it and the others in the series as I have I've not found one bad one yet and there are a lot to read from.
Thanks publishers and NetGalley for the copy of this great reprint.

Death Spins the Wheel

I’ve been a fan of George Bellairs Inspector Littlejohn mysteries, since I discovered him back in 2014. Thanks to NetGalley and Agora Books for the ARC copy that I received for review. I enjoyed this novel very much.

This particular novel was written in the 1960s, and it has aged well. It has a well thought out plot that is interesting, very readable,and quite easy to follow. The story both begins and ends on the Isle of Man, with a trip to France sandwiched in the middle. The plot involves an elderly French woman, who describes herself as a professional gambler and who is murdered on the Isle of Man. The search for clues and a motive take the detectives to France, where they uncover facets of the murdered woman’s life that both complicate and illuminate their investigations, and ultimately send them back to the Isle of Man.

Many of the familiar characters from other novels in the series make an appearance in this book. Archdeacon Kinrade, inspector Knell, Maggie Keggins and Inspector Dorange all play a part in the story. I really enjoy these books and hope that we will be seeing more from this series.

Death Spins The Wheel by George Bellairs, an Inspector Littlejohn book that feels slightly reminiscent of Poirot. A professional gambler dies mysteriously from a gunshot with no reason why, and then Littlejohn gets on the case.

I always love Bellaire and Littlejohn. The Manx stories are always particularly good. I read these because they are mysteries but they offer so much more. The characterizations and the descriptive scene setting are illuminating and really help one get into the story. And once again, I am reminded people are not always what they seem.

This is a good read. Although it is an older book revisited it is still a timely mystery. The hero, Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard, has been featured in a multitude of books by this author. This particular tale deals with happenings in the French Resistance during the Second World War and how events then have come to effect the lives of those caught up in a murder years later. Inspector Littlejohn is a calm, quiet policeman whom the author has keeping his thoughts to himself. He shares the stage with the Archbishop of the Isle of Man and the local Constable Knell. Of course he is enlisted while on vacation but that never stops the true crime solver. Together the three men unwrap the mystery layer by layer in both the Isle of Wright and France by constantly digging for information from the past. Although the ending was not a complete surprise, the revelation of why and how was completely unexpected. I will look for more of this author’s work.

This is the forty second novel to feature Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard & was originally published in 1965.
Set on the Isle of Man and in France.
Littlejohn is on holiday on the Isle of Man when Inspector Knell asks if he could advise on his murder investigation into the death of French pensioner and professional gambler, Mme Sylvie Garnier, shot dead on the beach late at night.
She was a visitor from Evian so the investigation not only involves Superintendent Littlejohn but also Inspector Knell, Archdeacon Kinrade and Dorange of the French Police.
Another very good read the story is straight forward & it’s not hard to work out the culprit but strong characters & a well written plot make this a light easy enjoyable read

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Madame Garnier arrives in the Isle of Man to play at the islands casino. She remains aloof, keeps to herself but appears to have some system of numbers on a piece of paper which she burns every day at the roulette table after winning a modest sum. One night she goes out for a walk and gets murdered. Was it robbery or something more sinister?
Her husband is dead and her brother in law Dr Ambrose Garnier is accused of possible murder, theft and has now disappeared in the Irish Sea after coming to the island after a summons from Sylvie Garnier. Inspector Littlejohn just happens to be on the island helping erect a greenhouse for the archbishop. The local constabulary ask for his help in solving the case as it will involve looking into madames past in France.
The story takes us back in time to the death of Madame Garnier's husband Edouard, a member of the French resistance. Littlejohn has to unravel the mystery and figure out who is telling the truth before a final denouement scene.
The book was first published 50 years ago and I can quite honestly say it has stood the test of time. It is a classic mystery with secrets, lies, red herrings and a cast of characters. George Bellairs writes interesting, enjoyable crime stories where the bad guy generally manages to kill him/herself and therefore never have to face trial.
It is refreshing to go back to an old style whodunnit and test our wits against a classic crime writer who unlike Agatha Christie is largely forgotten. Having read 4 books now by this author I can fully recommend checking him out and guarantee if you like crime and mystery then you will enjoy Inspector Littlejohn.

Murder of an elderly lady professional gambler on the Isle of Man, where Superintendent Littlejohn happens to be helping the Archdeacon build a greenhouse. Well-plotted police procedural with many charming characters.

Death Spons the Wheel by George Bellairs was first published in 1965 however this book has aged well and is an excellent read.

The story is set in the Isle of Man and in France with a backstory featuring World War 2. Bellairs most famous creation Detective Superintendent Littlejohn is the main character.

The writing is superb and the story keeps a good pace with lots of twists and turns and some humour.

Other Bellairs are due to be re-issued and I will certainly be seeking them out.

Thoroughly recommended

So happy to have read this wonderful book! I don’t know how I missed this author but now that they are reissuing these great British mystery classics I am going to catch up on the amusing Inspector Littlejohn. Even though this book is decades old it has aged very well with a very clever plot. But even more than the engaging plot, Bellairs really creates some interesting and memorable characters. And the location, the Isle of Man, is a unique spot with even more interesting characters and local history. If you haven’t met Inspector Littlejohn I highly recommend you acquaint yourself with him....you won’t be sorry! All in all a thoroughly entertaining mystery that held me until the very end.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Agora Books for an advance copy of Death Spins the Wheel, the forty second novel to feature Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard, originally published in 1965.

Littlejohn is on the Isle of Man visiting his friend Archdeacon Kinrade when Inspector Knell asks if he could advise on his murder investigation into the death of French pensioner and professional gambler, Mme Garnier, shot dead on the beach late at night.

I thoroughly enjoyed Death Spins the Wheel which is a traditional whodunit with several excellent twists. It held my attention from start to finish with its great plotting and misdirection, because nothing is as it seems and Mme Garnier is not your typical French little old lady. The action is split between the Isle of Man and Evian-les-Bains on the Swiss border, Mme Garnier's home town, which Littlejohn and the Archdeacon visit to excavate her past. What they uncover pushes their thinking in a new direction. The plotting is fairly standard, a well concealed perpetrator, a missing stranger and some explosive discoveries, but it is well constructed with the reveals coming in a logical manner, just enough at a time to truly whet the appetite for more. I also really enjoy Mr Bellairs' style of writing. It is not humourous but it has a certain knowing tone telling the reader that it is entertainment and not to be taken too seriously. You really get the sense that he thoroughly enjoyed writing it.

As with most novels written in a previous generation characterisation takes second place to the plot so there isn't much to say about it. Superintendent Littlejohn drives the action so he is smart and sociable but that's about it. I don't think the novel suffers for this lack because it's all about the plot and as it's well done it's a very readable novel which I have no hesitation in recommending.

I really enjoy Bellairs books, this is not really one of my favourites, although it moves along really fast and is very easy to read, but unfortunately it is also pretty predictable and I like a few more twist to a mystery.
Having said that, I think that anyone that like a mystery with a past will very much enjoy this book. And of course, Inspector Littlejohn and The Isle of Man feature in this book.

A wonderful mystery! Even if it's more than 50 years old it aged well and it was an engaging and pleasant read.
The book is full of humour with an interesting plot and a likeable cast of characters.
It was my first book in this series but there was no problem in understanding the characters and their relationships.
I loved the historical part about the French Resistance to nazis and I was engrossed by the plot since the beginning.
A wonderful discovery and I hope to be able to read other books in this series soon.
Highly recommended
Many thanks to Agora Books and Netgalley for this ARC

Three cheers for another Bellairs re-issue!

Set on the Isle of Man and in France, the investigation of the murder of Madame Sylvie Garnier, a visitor from Evian, involves not only Superintendent Littlejohn (yet again on holiday from Scotland Yard), but also Inspector Knell, Archdeacon Kinrade and Dorange of the French Police. The only “regular” missing here, is Cromwell.

Madame Garnier has been playing roulette, with some success, at the recently-opened casino, but the motive for her shooting is not robbery. It soon emerges that the solution may lie back in her personal history and her involvement in the Maquis (the rural guerrilla bands of French Resistance fighters) during World War Two.

As with many of the stories from the 1960’s and ’70’s, the plot is fairly straightforward and the culprit and probable motive are discernible before the half-way mark. However, the characterisation is strong, with little by way of caricature. Occasionally, the writing is a little choppy, and there are a few misprints, but, overall, this is excellent light reading.

Originally published in 1965, “Death Spins the Wheel” is number 42 in the Littlejohn series, but can be read easily as a standalone by newcomers to the books.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Agora Books for the digital review copy.

4 stars

This book was originally published in 1965.

Mdme. Garnier was an elderly lady from France. She turned up on the Isle of Man and wanted to gamble. She booked a room at the casino hotel for two weeks and proceeded to the casino. She took modest winnings from the casino night after night. She was found on the beach near the casino by a passerby and had been shot in the head.

Superintendent Littlejohn was vacationing there with his wife when the murder occurred. He was asked by Inspector Reginald Knell to take a look at the case. Littlejohn, Knell and the Archdeacon join together to investigate the case. Littlejohn was supposed to be helping the Archdeacon build a greenhouse, but thought him joining the investigation would keep him out of trouble.

Obtaining a copy of her secret diary from Inspector Knell, the Archdeacon looks it over and almost immediately sees what’s going on. Mdme. Garnier has a form of precognition. Remarkable!

The investigation leads Littlejohn and the Archdeacon to Evian, France to interview the people who knew the elderly lady and to visit the university where she and her now deceased husband worked. They learn quite a bit there. Meanwhile, back on the Isle of Man a stranger who seems to be French attacks a local citizen and Knell.

The identity of the attacker and Mdme. Garnier’s killer comes as quite a surprise.

This is a very good book. Mr. Bellairs was way ahead of his time when writing his little stories. There is action, drama, likeable characters and of course, the brilliant Superintendent Littlejohn and his gracious wife. During a time when the only “forensic” tool was fingerprints, Littlejohn does a remarkable job in clearing his cases.

I want to thank NetGalley and Agora Books for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read and enjoy. It made a great addition to the Littlejohn collection.