He'd Rather Be Dead is the 9th Inspector Littlejohn mystery by George Bellairs. Originally released in 1945, this reformat and rerelease by Agora is 245 pages and available in ebook format (earlier editions available in other formats). It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.


This is an engagingly written and well constructed golden age mystery. Full of well rendered characters, it proceeds from the murder of a universally loathed crass and mean spirited mayor at an official luncheon through the winnowing of a whole stable of potential murderers by Inspector Littlejohn. The dialogue, though admittedly a product of its time, is well written and urbane, lightly witty and humorous. Although I have enjoyed all the Littlejohn mysteries, this one does work quite well as a standalone, and it's not necessary to have read the other books.

It's really lovely to see these gems being dusted off and re-released to new generations of readers. Bellairs (Harold Blundell) was a gifted writer and a technical master of construction.

Four stars.

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

This is an excellent murder mystery by one of my favorite Golden Age authors. It combines a twisty, well plotted mystery, with excellent character development and a good sense of time and place.

The setting is the seaside town of Westcombe. As the story begins, we find ourselves at a lavish banquet for Sir Gideon Ware, the nearly universally despised Mayor of the town. During the banquet, the mayor dies, in full sight of many illustrious guests. Since he ate the same food as everyone else, his death is a puzzle. The towns own police force is reluctant to question all these important people so Scotland Yard is asked for assistance, and Imspector Littlejohn arrives.

Despite a Chief Constable that would like to keep some of the towns secrets to himself, Littlejohn is able to solve the mystery of Ware’s murder. The murderer was extremely clever, but not quite clever enough!

I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to more from Bellairs.

For those interested in stories that build on characters and background, Bellairs always makes great reading. This has Bellairs's usual excellent descriptions of time and place. The atmosphere of a gaudy seaside resort with it’s crowds, hucksters, and cheap amusements is extraordinarily well done. Disappointingly, what it lacked were the characterizations and the snarky, witty prose which I’ve come to expect from him. And the addition of the long diary addendums unnecessary and rather bizarre.

I’ve quite a Bellairs fan, but I’ve found him to be a bit hit and miss. While this one just didn’t do it for me, I’ll definitely be reading more.

My Rating is more in line with 3.5/5

Another intriguing outing for Littlejohn. I have read several in this series now and this latest offering from Agora books doesn't disappoint. We are treated to unlikeable characters, the worst of which, doesn't last long and the usual assortment of red herrings. Definitely worth a read for fans of this genre.

He’d Rather Be Dead, by George Bellairs, first published in 1945 and recently released by Agora Books, appeared early in the Inspector Littlejohn series which ran from 1941 to 1980. It should appeal both to readers already familiar with Bellairs’ prolific writings and to those previously unacquainted with the Littlejohn stories.

Bellairs’ witty, energetic, and highly literate prose style is perhaps the most distinctive element in this book. This may be linguistically simple or complex. For instance, the first chapter introduces Sir Gideon Ware, the murder victim, an arrogant, overbearing, and enormously successful businessman; in a throwaway line about an action of Ware’s which violated local expectations and traditions, Bellairs remarks, “And it was so.” Those four brief words, echoing the Genesis 1 account of the creation of the world, provide a wealth of ironic commentary on Ware’s inflated view of himself and on his unstoppable remaking of the resort town of Westcombe according to his own will. By stylistic contrast, in the same chapter, at the fatal banquet in Ware’s honor, the raucous musical entertainment provided by Sid Simmons and his Ten Hot Dogs is thus described: “[T]he maestro...flings his own arrangement of Liszt’s Liebestraum in a hundred cacaphonous bits all over the place.”

Interestingly, Bellairs uses Sid Simmons and his Ten Hot Dogs for a deft touch of structural and thematic unity: although the band is entirely irrelevant to the actual events of the murder and its subsequent investigation, their frenetic musical performances frame the death of the victim early in the book and the death of his murderer near its close.

The verbal virtuosity is confined to the narrator. Littlejohn and the other characters are convincingly and refreshingly ordinary in their speech. Indeed, Littlejohn, though an intelligent and likeable man, has none of the distinctive traits or quirks that characterize the series detectives of many writers.

The plot of He’d Rather Be Dead, though less brilliant than the style, is of sufficient originality and complexity to sustain reader interest. The identity of the murderer becomes clear several chapters before its actual revelation, and methods and motivation are strongly hinted at. The murderer leaves behind a long document (2 chapters’ worth!) with abundant details which enlighten the reader about events and motivations, and reveal a mentality far more twisted than had been externally evident. Although such a lengthy written revelation is not a particularly plausible literary device, it serves its purpose.

More convincing, and more touching, is the end-of-story revelation of an unexpectedly human, and even potentially heroic, aspect of a man whom Littlejohn had quite accurately perceived as obstructive throughout the investigation.

I am appreciative for the opportunity to read and review this book, and recommend it to others who are looking for skillfully written and entertaining detective fiction.

This review has also been posted on Amazon.com.

With thanks to the Agora Books and NetGalley for the e-book version of this novel.
I was first introduced to George Bellairs through Net Galley and I am so glad i was. I love the stories and the characters. I'm slowly working my way through them all. Many thanks to the publisher for re-publishing these gems.

Another case for Inspector Littlejohn from the pen of George Bellairs.

The mayor of Westcombe, Sir Gideon Ware, is poisoned at a high profile function. Everyone had the same food and drink so it really is a mystery why he is the only person that died. The waiters have washed up the dishes so there is no way of checking for poison in the food anyway. The local Chief Constable, Boumphrey, calls in Scotland Yard rather than interview the local bigwigs himself as he is afraid of causing offense. However Boumphrey is more of a hindrance than a help to Littlejohn but luckily for him he has another policeman to help him out.
Boumphrey has a dossier on everyone in the town, similar to the gestapo we are informed at one stage. He insists Littlejohn reads them to see what motives everyone in the town has to bump off Gideon Ware. However Littlejohn discovers 1 file has information missing and also the file on Boumphrey himself and Gideon Ware are not handed over.
Soon the list of suspects is whittled down to just two, but then there is another murder which muddies the water. Bounphrey seems to be pushing Littlejohn towards one suspect but the Scotland Yard inspector has his own men making discreet inquiries further afield which points towards an illegitimate child by Gideon Ware.
The solving of the mystery and the unmasking of the killer were well done. However then we have two chapters filled with absolute drivel written by the killer to show his mental state with an autobiographical account of his childhood and descent into paranoia which quite frankly I thought was unnecessary and dragged the story down meaning I only gave the book 4 stars instead of 5.
It is important to remember this book was written in 1945 as well so some of the language and the bits about the modern dance are a bit dated. It is still worth a read though and for the most part has stood the test of time and it is great that they are being re-published

I'm in love. WIth DI Littlejohn. I love the period that these books are set in. Long before the advent of cell phones and all the other paraphernalia available to the police today. It was good, hard, old-fashioned detective work. George Bellairs's ability to describe a person leaves me green with envy. He makes the character come to life.

I have to confess that as an avid, impatient, and fast reader, I tend to skip long passages of narrative. Not so when Bellairs gets going. I don't miss a word. He paints the scene and draws you in. You become part of the story, detecting along with Littlejohn, feeling his frustration. And always the ending is a surprise.

I can't wait for the next book!

Love to Hate Characters? This is the Book!

So, Sir Gideon Ware dies in a very public way, and just about everyone around him had a reason to kill him. How do we untangle this mess? We ask for Scotland Yard, of course. The ONLY likeable characters in this book are Littlejohn (of course, our hero!) and Hazard. The solution is presented abruptly, but you should be able to figure out whodunnit before then. The end is a "Monologue" written by the murderer - and it's VERY well done. I'm glad I read through to the end just for this bit! If you like mysteries, especially ones that seem impossible to solve, you'll like this book. Give it a try!

The Littlejohn books by Bellairs are such classics, and this one did not disappoint. Solid plots, interesting characters, and satisfactory conclusions; great "escape" reading!

From the British Golden Age of Crime.

This mystery is set in the early 1940's, in the holiday town of Westcombe. In which the mayor drops dead at his yearly town luncheon.

Chief Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is called to unravel the knots.

Well plotted mystery with nice twists and turns to keep you turning the pages.

It is always nice for me to revisit books that I have read in the past, and I enjoyed revisiting this one.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. Published by Agora Books.

3.75 stars

The Inspector Littlejohn series is a boon to lovers of classic mystery. Author George Bellairs wrote for basically 40 years, roughly 1940-1980. Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard generally works by himself on assignment to cases in different towns and locations. He is shrewd, mostly pleasant but steely sharp when required, and very observant.

In this outing, he has been sent to check out the murder by poison of the new mayor in the resort town of Westcombe. The mayor, Sir Gideon Ware, was mostly responsible for transforming Westcombe from a quiet fishing village to a noisy and tourist filled holiday town, and he made plenty of enemies in the process. The poison took effect during the middle of a public luncheon where Ware had surrounded himself with people who disliked him. And the autopsy showed it had been administered by hypodermic. Immediate suspicion falls on the local doctor who had given him a routine shot that very morning.

The murder victim had angered just about everyone in city government, a lot of people from his past, and a fair amount of townspeople. The murderer is revealed several chapters before the book ends and the last section is an actual journal written by the culprit.

The joy in these books is the wonderful descriptions of the characters, both their physical beings and their characters, and a ringside seat for watching Littlejohn untangling the puzzle. It is always a pleasure to spend time with Inspector Littlejohn.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was first published in 1945. It has now been reprinted by Agora Books and was released on 4th June 2020. It involves the series character Chief Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard.
Sir Gideon Ware, the mayor of the resort town Westcombe, is a self-made and ruthless person who has made several enemies who detest him. During an annual lunch given by him to the Corporation officials, in the middle of giving a speech, he collapses and falls dead. It is subsequently found that he died due to strychnine poisoning But how was the poison administered to him? The guests who partook of the same food and drinks were unaffected.
The Chief Constable is reluctant to personally investigate since the suspects are all big shots in the town. So he decides to call in Scotland Yard and Inspector Littlejohn is sent to investigate. Littlejohn is assisted by Detective Inspector Hazard of the local police. They carry out a thorough investigation including interviews of the several suspects and delving into their past and ultimately nab the culprit but not before a second murder .
The plot is quite good and intricate. It is well-clued. The characterisation is superb. But in my opinion, the book is spoiled by too high a word count with a lot of padding of unnecessary details. This slows down the pace and often make for dull reading. In fact, the last 3 chapters are totally unnecessary and only serve to increase the dullness. Hence I can’t rate it higher than 3.

I have read 3 or 4 of the Chief Inspector Littlejohn series by George Bellairs, and all of them have been very entertaining. The latest one for me is “He'd Rather Be Dead”, a Littlejohn mystery from 1945.

It’s getting towards the end of World War II, and the mayor of seaside holiday resort of Westcombe is poisoned while speaking at a luncheon at which all the town notables are present. The victim, Sir Gideon Ware, has not only found a way to antagonize all of the important townsfolks but also enjoys needling them, sitting each next to their enemies. No one is really upset when Sir Ware dies, in fact everyone’s life will be a little better.

With all of the small-town politics issues, and secrets, the chief constable is reluctant to lead this investigation, so he asks Scotland Yard to help. In comes Littlejohn, with no preconceived notions or histories, unafraid to ruffle some feathers, digging up secrets from the past. Unfortunately there’s a second murder before Littlejohn puts it all together and unmasks the murderer.

Mr. Bellairs once again writes a magnificent police procedural, where Littlejohn plods along, uncovering clues, motives, and lies, circling ever closer to his murderer. One of his greatest strengths as a writer is to really bring you into a time and place, here it’s the gaudy midcentury seaside resort towns in Britain: the cheap amusements, the crowds, the hucksters, the showmanship, all designed to part the tourist from their money. Mr. Bellairs also does a fantastic job drawing his characters – real life people, three dimensional, each with a good and bad side. I’m already looking forward to my next Littlejohn adventure.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Agora Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

He'd Rather Be Dead is an Inspector Littlejohn mystery set not on the Isle of Mann but in Westcombe. The mayor dies during a luncheon and while poisoning is immediately suspected the circumstances will not seem to admit of the possibility; a Locked Luncheon if you will.

I have read eight or ten of these novels now and I adore them. I find them notable for their reliance on the slow accumulation of knowledge rather than drama, histrionics or daring-do. What I get instead is learning. Littlejohn patiently gets to know the characters in the story and bit by bit develops his approach. Hints are dropped here and there, as are the occasional misdirection.

This one does have a Wow at the end, as Locked Luncheon plots must; and justice once again prevails. As I have found all of these novels: this one is quite satisfying. I now make a point of reading any George Bellaires I can get hold of because they never fail to entertain. This is high quality writing by an author who loved and understood his characters. The only mystery remaining is why the BBC has yet to render these wonderful novels unto the electronic screen.
JG

He'd Rather be Dead is surely one of the best Littlejohn mysteries I have read till date. An unusual murder mystery written by the best author of all times. Murder by Poison is not something I have come across in the Littlejohn books I have read so far. Bellairs usually sticks to death by drowning, shooting, stabbing or conking in the head. The way poison was administered into the victim's bloodstream blows your mind. Hint: It wasn't found in his food, drinks or cigar. It was a fast-acting poison so how was it administered?

It is very rare for Littlejohn to seem a little lost - he doesn't know whom to trust here, the Chief Constable is definitely hiding something.

Well developed characters and a marvellous murder mystery that keeps you guessing till the end. He'd rather be Dead is a must-read murder mystery.

Sir Gideon Ware, the newly elected mayor of Westcombe, collapses and dies while speaking at a luncheon. He's been poisoned. Ware developed the once sleepy fishing village into a crowded, noisy resort complete with game arcades, dance halls, bars, and other amusements. Despite being elected mayor, he hadn't been elected because of his popularity; rather, he had bullied his way into office. Chief Constable Boumphrey owes his job to Ware and calls in Scotland Yard to investigate so any animosity arising from the questioning of the influential luncheon attendees will fall on Scotland Yard and not on him. Scotland Yard Inspector Littlejohn, a recurring character in Bellairs's books, is sent to investigate. Boumphrey doesn't bother to meet or send someone to the train station to meet Littlejohn. Despite requesting the Yard's help, Boumphrey offers little assistance and withholds information from Littlejohn. There are plenty of potential murderers for Littlejohn to sift through, including several of the town's professionals and leading citizens. The story is well plotted and entertaining. It's a nice addition to the Inspector Littlejohn series.

Recently I have read another Bellairs title, The Case of the Famished Parson and one of the main things which struck me with He’d Rather Be Dead, is how much it deviates away from “typical” Bellairs. Not that this is a bad thing! It certainly keeps you on your readerly toes!

I enjoyed how Bellairs builds up to the murder at the mayoral banquet, as when he describes the various guests and events he takes the dignity and gravitas out of the occasion, revealing human folly and silliness instead. In contrast to several other stories by Bellairs, including The Case of the Famished Parson, Bellairs begins the story by introducing the murder victim first, rather than an incidental minor character. Nevertheless, Bellairs still shows his consistent skill in giving the reader a strong impression of a character in a few sentences.

In keeping with other classic crime novels such as Agatha Christie’s Ordeal by Innocence, Bellairs explores how benevolence is not always benevolent! Ware has radically transformed the seaside resort of Westcombe, but the narrative does not seem to suggest that these changes are for the better. The incessant holiday atmosphere becomes something of a struggle for the residents, and despite it being a time of war, there is a feeling of unhealthy excess.

Another “non-typical” feature of the story, is the inclusion of two unusual murder methods as I don’t normally associate Bellairs’ work with them. The first method in particular is well-used in conjunction with a red herring. The second death is also very inventive and chilling, adding a sinister tone we do not tend to find in a Bellairs novel.

Chief Constable Boumphrey, despite being on the periphery of the narrative, is a very intriguing, unusual and important character. We are told early in the story that he was a:
‘keen student of other Chief Constables and their methods, from the highlights of detective fiction to men like M Chiappe, deceased, and Herr Himmler, unfortunately still alive.’
In light of this he has a 'vast system of card indexes, dossiers of all and sundry in Westcombe and district.' Yet this efficiency is not seen in a positive light and the narrative reveals that:
'Littlejohn didn't like the atmosphere of the place or the idea of collecting dirty linen at all. It reminded him of the Nazis' private files or of the scandalous collections of private papers involved in pre-war French government corruption.'
Perhaps the story is trying to suggest that this approach to obtaining information, is unsporting or un-English? In contrast Miss Marple knows all of the gossip in St Mary Mead, yet because her methods are different, and because she is unofficial, her knowledge is not regarded poorly.

One consequence of the Chief Constable’s files is that Inspector Littlejohn does not need to spend a long time uncovering scandalous secrets, as instead they are provided in a clump when he reads from the files. This is a time/page space efficient approach, but I wondered about the effect it had on the story. Personally, I think it contributed to the way the beginning of the story becomes quite repetitive. Having read the files, Inspector Littlejohn then goes to interview everybody. Yet in these interviews no one has anything new to add. No one saw anything. At the end of the interviews two new clues emerge, which are important, but I think they make the interviews feel redundant and like padding.

This book also features another unusual element, for Bellairs, which is a manuscript at the end of the story. This is an interesting use of typography, but in the main I felt it did not add anything to the novel as a whole. It merely repeats the information we know, and I think it detracts from the dramatic ending previously achieved by the killer. I don’t think this is the most complex of mysteries, as there are some plot twists which can be anticipated from the first page, but Bellairs as always is an engrossing storyteller.

This story is set during World War II in one of George Bellairs’ favourite settings – a smallish English town. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that Westcombe is an idyllic village – it once was a quiet seaside resort, back in the days when it was not impossible to put “quiet” and “resort” in the same sentence. It is now a much expanded and much noisier town (and resort). The reader gets the impression that Bellairs much regrets these changes in small town English life, possibly because such places have not merely lost their beauty and peace, but also because snakes have settled into the former Edens which he so often used as settings.

The principal snake, or evil influence, in Westcombe is Sir Gideon Ware, whose unexpected and highly suspicious demise is described in the first chapter. Sir Gideon was at the height of his powers when this tragic event takes place. After an obscure and poverty-stricken boyhood in Hull, he has been elected mayor of the town where he made his career – and his fortune. He was not lacking in enemies, including all of the more prominent residents of the town, so the local authorities decide to call in Scotland Yard rather than ask such prominent people awkward questions. Inspector Littlejohn is dispatched, and is initially mistaken for an easy-going person who might well be manipulated a bit if needed to keep the scandals undercover. Needless to say, this impression is not correct.

In a way, this is a very typical Bellairs book, set in a smallish town with all kinds of scams and scandals underneath the placid surface, and with an infallible Inspector who can see through to the truth. But that’s not a complaint – there’s enough variety in the plot that it is an entertaining read rather than a repetition of another book, and enough similarity to allow the reader to be comfortably certain it will be an enjoyable read with interesting characters. It is a book of its era – best for those who like older detective novels – and for the most part it stands up well. One thread in the book is very much of its time, but can now be read as an interesting example of how very much culture has changed since the book was written. It certainly doesn’t spoil the book.

Another excellent murder mystery by Mr. Bellairs! As usual there is a great cast of characters and many twists and turns as the tale unwinds. I really enjoy getting to know the different personalities of each section of England where Inspector Littlejohn is called to solve the dastardly crime. Mr. Bellairs is currently my favorite mystery writer and I will be very sad whenever I run out of new ones to read & enjoy!

Posted by MAC on Amazon 6-5-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088P5LWXX?ref=cm_sw_em_r_rw_dp_jhLsMIC5BWLNy

Maurice Cowden