Death Spins the Wheel

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

There are few delights in life as uncomplicated as a perfectly adequate cozy mystery. I was unfamiliar with George Bellairs and Inspector Littlejohn (and what better place to start than volume 42?) but found this very easy to digest and completely pleasant.

Many of the deluge of cozy mysteries that I have read in recent years hinge on some sort of final plot twist, some late-in-the-game revelation that illuminates what was obscured in the case, so I enjoyed the change of pace in this one, which felt more like a very respectable and orderly investigation moving at a very respectable and measured clip. Rather than saving up his reveals until the end and waiting to surprise you, meting out a few oblique clues along the way, Bellairs invites you along as the mystery is thoughtfully unraveled, which means you feel more involved, less shut out. The mystery itself may seem a bit standard at first, but it ends up going some interesting places (namely, the French Resistance), although sometimes...too interesting, to the point of being perhaps a touch unrealistic in a book that is otherwise fairly well-grounded in reality.

This book was originally published in 1965—which makes for a nice, quaint procedural, as opposed to a garish modern one—and I was confused when a character complained about a £25 dinner being extremely expensive, as I thought that surely inflation couldn't have been that bad, but I've actually run some numbers just now and it turns out that this would be worth £470.15 today (or so I have read). It's fun to learn!

This was also very exciting for me as it is the first ARC I have ever been allowed to view. Thank you to my new dear friends at Agora Books! The book has a very nice cover and that is why I chose it, and I am pleased! I am going to look at some pictures of the Isle of Man.

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.

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.

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.

An excellent book from George Bellairs. This one had the Inspector and his faithful sidekick the archdeacon traveling to the continent in their pursuit of the solution to a murder on the Isle of Man. Great fun and interesting characters, this book is more readable than some of Bellairs' convoluted plots. A great example of British detective novels, and this was is NOT from the 1930s as is so often the case to find good reading (original publication 1965). This is definitely in the classic vein of traditional detective stories without the blood, gore, and excess violence of recent years. Highly recommended!

This is the 42nd book featuring Superintendent Littlejohn.  Set on the Isle of Man and originally published in 1965.

Superintendent Littlejohn is on the Isle of Man visiting his friend the Archdeacon of Man. There's a new casino on the Isle of Man and a guest, Madame Garnier, is killed on the beach.  Superintendent Littlejohn and the Archdeacon investigate the murder with the help of the Isle of Man police and various police officers in France.

This is a traditional mystery with excellent twists and turns in the plot.  It kept my attention throughout. This is a plot-driven tale and characterization is minimal which was standard when this book was written.  The book has aged well and is well-worth reading or re-reading.

Delightful read even if a mystery weren't involved.  The atmosphere is true to the 1960s, including our fascination with precognition and the lingering influence of WWII.  Unraveling the layers leading to the truth is on Littlejohn's radar, just not front and center.  Enjoying the company of his friends and lingering over dinners as they travel the countryside is much more essential.  This is a very British tale with a mystery as a bonus.

George Bellairs' Inspector Littlejohn is fantastic and this was another enjoyable read. Interesting characters and well thought out plots set on the intruiging Isle of Man...who could ask for more? This time the adventures take Littlejohn to France and back into wartime history. Very satisfying. Highly recommend.

I first came across the detective stories of George Bellairs in 2017 and have over the last year read nearly a dozen of his books. I consider him an absolute gem of a writer, who manages to create in the reader a sense of amiability towards his books. I am therefore very pleased that more of his books are to be reprinted.

In Death Spins the Wheel we follow Inspector Littlejohn, who is asked to assist the Manx police in investigating the death of a female roulette player, who has been found dead on the beach at Douglas. It soon becomes clear to Littlejohn that the solution to the crime has nothing to do with the victim’s success at roulette but more to her past life in France.

Littlejohn and his friend the Archdeacon of Man soon find themselves journeying to Evian, where they unearth many secrets of the dead woman and a story of intrigue, treachery and disaster in the French Resistance during the Second World War is established.

The plot and investigation are strong and fairly complex. As in many of his cases Littlejohn proceeds to solve the murder and unmask the perpetrator by putting together a detailed life history of the victim.

In essence Death Spins the Wheel is a leisurely but fascinating investigation into the life of the victim that maintains your interest and imagination by way of the evocative descriptions of the various French and Manx locations and the development of the many characters that we encounter during the investigation.

In Detective Littlejohn Bellairs has created a real breath of fresh air. He has a gentle and unobtrusive manner, which is quite endearing, combined with an acute intelligence that allows him to solve his cases.

An excellent entry in the Inspector Littlejohn series! George Bellairs offers a mystery filled with gentle wit and evocative depictions of life in the 1960s. France and the Isle of Man are featured in this story, and connections are made to the French Resistance of WWII, bringing the past into sharp focus.

As an avid reader of British Golden Age crime fiction, I'm really enjoying the Detective Littlejohn stories set on the Isle of Man. This plot encompasses events during the French Resistance in the Second World War, and how they played out 20 years later. What makes them unusual is the background detail and rounded characterisation, which makes it a really interesting and well paced read, bound up with complicated family relationships and the Isle of Man casino in the 1960s. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates well written detective fiction.

This is a pleasant little mystery in the classic English tradition. Although it was published in 1965, it belongs in style with books from a quarter-century earlier. Most of the interest focuses on the mildly comic domestic affairs and friendships of the investigators, and the mystery itself always takes a backseat to scenery, food, drink and manners; moreover information is frequently repeated multiple times. Nevertheless, the crime and investigation are crafted well, according to the traditional rules. There are plenty of clues, mostly placed obviously, but the story is convoluted enough that the reader has to think carefully to put things together.

One sidelight, amusing to me, is this book came out just a few years after two MIT scientists--Claude Shannon, the father of information theory, and Ed Thorp, the mathematics professor who perfected blackjack card counting--built the world's first wearable computer to beat roulette in Las Vegas. In this book a brilliant computer scientist and a brilliant physics professor team up to beat roulette, and appear to use the same misdirection devices employed by Shannon and Thorp. However this story branches out is a total different--and absurd--direction.

I recommend this as a pleasant read, full of eccentric characters and local color, with enough of a mystery to give some plot structure. It has a timeless quality that comes from putting 1920s characters and social attitudes in remote backwaters four decades later.

George Bellairs was at the end of last year the surprise find for me through Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited.  It can be hard enough finding something worth reading on that platform but the Bellairs covers really attracted me and that first story really hit the spot.  I have now returned to this author on two further occasions, this time thanks to the Crime Classics Advance Readers Club.

This is the third novel by this author I have read and I am really beginning to enjoy his books.  In the main they appear to be considered fairly light crime novels with a distinctly humorous edge but I am finding that as the series progresses the settings and basis of the stories are becoming more important and the cosy jokey nature is being left behind.  But then with the first novels being published in the early 1940s and ‘Death Spins the Wheel’ written in the mid-sixties, much had changed in Britain and Europe and this is certainly reflected in the author’s writing.

This novel, the 42nd in the Littlejohn series, is set (and written) around 20 years after the end of the second world, a war which casts a distinct shadow over the proceedings following the murder on which the story is based.  Through this novel I certainly saw a progression in the quality of the author’s writing; these are no longer simply light, humorous novels in the crime genre but have become as much a study of class and national identities and how this sat in Europe’s recovery in the years following the war.  The humour is still there but there is a lot more to get your teeth into with this novel, both in terms of the solving of the murder and in the complex background in which the story is set.  

I’m very pleased I stumbled upon this author and even more pleased that many of the novels are being republished to hopefully bring them to the attention of a new generation of crime and mystery fiction fans.  Bring on the remaining 48 novels in the series!

The beginning pulls you in right away. Who would kill a harmless old woman; quiet, unassuming, neat and intelligent. Nothing is what it seems and strand by strand the tale is woven of old sins with long shadows reaching back to France and WWII.

This book features two of Bellairs' favourite locations _ the Isle of Man and France. The plot moves along briskly and I found the World War II and Resistance elements very authentic and a change from the usually eccentric characters found in his English settings _ an indication of his writing versitility. Please reissue more of Littlejohn!

Absolutely brilliant, I read this book twice to ensure I didn't miss anything out the first time. The case initially starts on the Isle of Man with the shooting of an elderly lady and Superintendent Littlejohn is called to assist the island police. Littlejohn and the Archdeacon travel to France to carry on the investigation which goes back to World War Two and the murder of a French resistance fighter. The case eventually concludes back on the Isle of Man. George Bellairs is a master at plots and intrigue and keeps me on the edge of my seat right to the very end.

Madame Garnier, long a widow, goes to the Isle of Mann to play roulette at the Casino.  She seems to have a knack and each night after winning about 200 pounds she goes for a walk and to bed.  One night on the beach, she is shot by a small gun close to her.  Fortunately, Chief Inspector Littlejohn has just arrived to visit the Archdeacon and help him build a Solarium.  Thus, when the local Inspector Knell arrives at the Archdeacon's house, the Archdeacon and Littlejohn were ready to help.  Although someone had broken into Madame Garnier's hotel room, they hadn't found her money which was cleverly hidden in a false bottom of her suitcase.  The Archdeacon and Littlejohn go to Evian to try to find out some of the history of the family.  They also find out that  Madame had called her brother in law Ambroise, and asked him to come to Mann, but no one knew why.  

It seems that an Englishman, Colonel Springer, who lives on Mann had been assigned to the same resistance cell as Madame Garnier, her husband, and Ambroise, but it isn't clear at first why this is important.   The plot is well planned with lots of twists and turns and keeps the reader turning pages as new information or activities keep happening.   

This review can be found on amazon.com kindle page for the book under the name fanmystery and also on goodreads.

The Crime Classics Review Club introduced me to George Bellairs and I like his books well enough to have ordered a couple from the library. Death Spins the Wheel is set on the Isle of Man, where yet again Inspector Littlejohn is conveniently taking a break. An elderly Frenchwoman, Madame Garnier, visits the Isle of Man to gamble at the new casino. Then she’s found on the beach, shot dead. At first it seems the murder must be something to do with her successful gambling method but the trail leads Knell and Littlejohn to France, to investigate events in Vichy France in 1944. This is hardly successful police procedure as various people eventually tell them what they want to know but the mystery of the disappearing Frenchman and the affairs of the Garnier family keep up the tension. I’m always interested in novels which lead back to the war and I enjoyed this one.

Although this is my first time reading an Inspector (now Superintendent) Littlejohn story, it is far from the beginning of the series. To this end, it took me a while to place the relationship between Littlejohn, the Archdeacon and Inspector Knell. However, it wasn’t long before I felt at home with the characters, and could concentrate on the plot line. I’ve never been to the Isle of Man but I do know Grenoble, so found the setting of the book and the theme being set around the background of the resistance very intriguing. Although I did guess the aggressor, the story around it and the facts kept me interested to the end. This is an ideal book to read if you have a few hours to spare and don’t want to be overtaxed.
I will definitely be exploring other titles in the same series. T

Excellent Inspector Littlejohn mystery set on the Isle of Man with a foray into Evian in the French Alps.  Littlejohn is on the Isle of Man in the U.K. on a busman's holiday.   Along with his friends, the Archdeacon and local policeman Knell, they search for the murderer of an elderly French woman who had great success gambling in the new casino before being gunned down.  Characters are well drawn, quirky, and sometimes downright funny.  George Bellairs definitively deserves a place among the great British mystery writers.

Many thanks to the kind people at Netgalley and Agora Books, the publisher, for allowing me to read an advance readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For those of you who read my previous blog on a regular basis will know I love classic, golden age detective stories. George Bellairs, the writer of this book, was very much at the forefront of the genre when it was at its peak. Death Spins the Wheel, however, was one of his later books, outside the traditional timeframe given to the golden age. But it would fit perfectly on the shelves of many Poirot or Sherlock fans. All through the book, we are kept guessing about the murderer, and there were some superb twists and turns throughout. I loved how Littlejohn, the investigator, deals with the many potential suspects in the story, especially with the family of the victim. All while on his annual vacation!

I don't want to give away too many spoilers, because a good crime novel deserves to be read with a clean mind so as to attack the case personally. What I will say about Death Spins the Wheel is that it's not a gamble, and is truly a book I couldn't fault.

Star rating: 5/5

Wonderful!

I love the Inspector Littlejohn mysteries set on the Isle of Man, and this is the best yet.

Written in 1965, so 20 years after the end of WWII, it involves murders among the French Resistance, brought to a new investigation by the murder of an elderly French woman who has come to the Isle to play roulette.

The spinning wheel of the title is a roulette wheel, not on a car as I initially assumed.

The setting combines Man and the French side of Lake Geneva, both fascinating.

The details of the war effort are also very compelling.

Yes, I will be posting a review on Amazon but have no way to add a link here.

Another great story from George. This one is equally as good as the other ones I have read. Highly recommended for anyone who likes Golden Age Crime. Can't wait for the next one.

This book starts with a tidy presentation of the case of Madame Garnier and her puzzling demise after visiting a casino on the Isle of Man.  The remainder presents the process of finding the perpetrator, featuring Inspector Littlejohn and colleagues, in the Isle of Man and moving on to France and Switzerland in pursuit of the solution, discovering how times past have influenced present events.  
The story is wonderfully presented and unfolds neatly, taking us step-by-step with Littlejohn.  It held my attention throughout, was entertaining and informative, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What is it about?

George Bellairs has written a thrilling murder mystery , that was first published in 1965 and is set in the Isle of Man. . A new casino opened and Madame Garnier visits to gamble using her secret system and always wins good amounts but not enough to ‘break the bank’. When Madame Garner is murdered the initial thought is it was her winnings, the murderer was after. But, the investigation, by Inspector Littlejohn uncovers past members of the French resistance, Vichy spies and betrayals. 

What did I like?

George Bellairs, the author,  has created an intriguing Inspector Littlejohn, and great characters in Knell and the Archdeacon to name just a few. The writing is This is a vintage novel and is in the same vein as authors such as Josephine Tey and is easily as good. I’m so glad I’ve discovered Mr Bellairs and will be searching for more of his novels,. 


Would I recommend?

Definitely,  The writing is so good I was totally enthralled and didn’t want it to end.




I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel, and how quickly I read it.  The first few chapters are a little slow but then I really got into it.  Nicely written, enjoyable characters and some lovely twists towards the end.  A nice story. I will check more titles out by this author.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Death Spins a Wheel is another classic Bellairs mystery novel.  Having read several of Bellairs Inspector Littlejohn"s series, I have come to realize that the main character is not usually the inspector, rather all of the other colorful characters in the story.  This true of this novel also and one can get immersed in Bellairs' description of the characters.  If you like Bellairs, you will like Death Spins a Wheel.

Whilst not amongst the very best George Bellairs novels I have read, this is a decent, solid detective story. The backstory relating to occupied France is nicely developed, and the motivation for the crime was convincing if labyrinthine. At just over 200 pages, it is a nice quick read and never drags. 

Whilst the plot and characterisation are perhaps not as well developed as in Bellairs’ “The Corpse at the the Carnival” or “The Case of the Famished Parson”, Golden Age detective fans will not be disappointed by this effort. I’d give it 7 out of 10, which translates into 3.5/5 - rounded up to 4.

Review submitted to Amazon.co.uk on 14/8/18

My 1st introduction to an Inspector Littlejohn mystery.  Enjoyed the setting in the Isle of Man and the characters were well established throughout the story.  The mystery flowed pretty evenly and overall I was impressed, for this being my first reading of an Inspector Littlejohn mystery.  Always looking for new mystery writers to discover.  Looking forward to reading more by George Bellairs.

Death Spins the Wheel, is an Inspector Littlejohn murder mystery, which takes us on a fast paced journey from a Gambling Casino on the Isle of Man back to the French Resistance during WWII.  Scotland Yard Inspector Littlejohn, now Superintendent, happens to be on holidays helping a friend when he becomes embroiled in solving the murder of an elderly lady at a local casino. Death Spins the Wheel is one of many books written by Harold Blundell under the pseudonym George Bellairs.

Madame Garnier spends the evening gambling and winning.  Shortly after finishing for the evening she takes a walk along the beach and is found dead within less than thirty minutes, shot through the head.  Although everyone initially feels her gambling is to blame, Inspector Littlejohn quickly ascertains that the woman’s past may be even more significant.

I like this book because it is fast paced and takes many twists and turns before it finally becomes clear what has occurred.  The characters in the story are unique and interesting enough to hold the readers interest.  Although written in the 60’s and it is a bit dated in style, there is plenty of intrigue and humour throughout the book.  I recommend this book because I found it entertaining and surprising and I give it a 4 on 5. 

I want to thank NetGalley and Agora Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I love Inspector Litlejohn mysteries.  This one is well written and engaging from the beginning.  The solving involves lots of very interesting dialogue and descriptive scenes.  Thoroughly wonderful.

This is an amusing and challenging mystery. The characters are believable, some even endearing. The plot is not convoluted or tedious. It's an enjoyable read.

George Bellairs never fails to entertain.  I received a copy of this book from Crime Classics Review Club in return for an honest review.  I have only recently started to read George Bellairs but have loved all those I have read so far including Death Spins the Wheel.  It is Bellairs’ usual combination of good plotting and pace, a great atmosphere in both the Isle of Man and France and an entertaining read.  I found the descriptions of both the casino in the Isle of Man and the resistance in France during the war very interesting.  This is a good read and a satisfying mystery.

Hi Karen,

My next review is:-

 

“Death Spins The Wheel(The Inspector Littlejohn Mysteries Book 19)” by George Bellairs, published in Kindle by Agora Books on 2 Aug. 2018, 200 pagesASIN: B07FN7HQZL 

This was a highly original but very absorbing and gripping read from such a short book by an author that I had never unfortunately come across before.

It is sent mainly in the Isle Of Man but also in parts of France and Switzerland and concerns a French lady Madame Garnier who comes to Douglas, Isle-Of-Man principally because it is the only place in the UK that allows gambling at the time the book was set which is in the mid 1960’s. Madame Garnier plays roulette every day mostly winning but stopping after she has achieved £200.

Madame Garnier appears to be a very experienced gambler who only bets on specific numbers according to a system that only she knows. After a number of days of doing repeatedly the same methods and time and again winning but after she reaches her £200 limit returning to her hotel room. However, one day she decides instead of returning to her room to  instead go for a walk on the beach. Later, her body is discovered dead on the beach with a bullet hole in her forehead.

By a happy coincidence Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is on the Island visiting his friend Archdeacon Kinrade, when the local Inspector Knell asks if Superintendent Littlejohn would advise him on his investigation into the death of French pensioner and professional gambler Mme Garnier.

Theories for her death are plentiful and have to be checked out and her past and her involvement in events during the Second World War must be examined. The detectives travel to the town in France she originated from. It is always nice to read stories which are based on fact and where the detectives can’t obtain their answers from computer databases but must research old newspapers and interview suspects face to face rather than via skype. There are many twists and turns in the story and I really enjoyed that.

This book was originally published in 1965 but I’m am fortunate that the story has now resurfaced to be enjoyed by a new, fresh audience.

As I said at the beginning I found this story highly unusual but a very gripping and absorbing entertainment that I have no hesitation in recommending most highly.

Best wishes,

Terry
(To be published on eurocrime.co.uk) in due course)

Another great read from George Bellairs with Inspector Littlejohn once again helping the Isle of Man constabulary.
This time its the seemingly senseless murder of a little old French lady holidaying on the I.o.M and surprisingly being very successful at the roulette wheel in the islands new casino.Does she have a winning system and is this the murderers motive ? Then there is the mysterious foreigner found in the dead of night in a small village apparently suffering from a heart attack who disappears after being helped by some of the locals.
When the victim has been identified it transpires that the little old lady was a member of the French resistance and Littlejohn travels to France to learn details of events during the war that may or may not have a bearing on the case.Passionate affairs ,betrayal, german agents and murder but how do they link to the Isle of Man.
Littlejohn methodically follows the evidence dismisses the red herrings to come up with the answers .
I enjoyed this immensely a proper old fashioned police detective story with a terrific backstory and enough twists and turns to keep anyone guessing. Fantastic !!!!

My thanks to Netgalley and Agora books for an ARC of this novel in return for an honest review Having now read several of George Bellairs detective novels, each featuring his lead character Superintendent Littlejohn, I have become a great fan. This novel, first published in 1965, is again set on the author’s beloved Isle of Man, but this time also in the South of France near the Swiss border, another area that Bellairs enjoyed and knew well. I’m afraid that I was lost by the intricacies of gambling with the roulette wheel, although the character of Littlejohn and his friend the Archdeacon seemed to understand it well. The Archdeacon appears in many of these books, being the person Littlejohn is conveniently staying with when a crime is committed so he’s on hand to help out with his specialised Scotland Yard expertise. Policing has certainly moved on. But this ruse doesn’t detract from the novel in any way. Despite all the modern technologies that we now enjoy (?) at home and work this tale doesn’t feel dated. It’s just a straight forward telling of a murder case with all the clues there if the reader can follow them. With the fashion now for “physiological” thrillers with so called twists at the end, this style is an absolute joy. There are however look backs to incidents that happened during the Second World War, which when this book was published was only twenty plus years away and well within the times of all the main characters.. 

It’s wonderful to have this series of novels revived and brought back to a whole new audience.

An excellent late golden age mystery.  Written in 1965 you get a feel for the time period and its interest in extra sensory perception.  Is that why an older woman wins at roulette?  She is murdered and then the book turns to the events of a family of resistance fighters in France during Worl War II.  The book is also a travelogue making me want to visit the Isle of Man and small towns like Thonon-Les-Bains in France near the Swiss border.  Finally it's a good mystery.

Thanks to Agora Books for a review copy.

Inspector Littlejohn is visiting the Isle of Man for a holiday again and becomes embroiled in the mysterious murder of a French visitor. The initial part of the story revolves around establishing who the French Lady was and why she was visiting the newly established Casino on the island. It seems she may have a system for beating the roulette wheel and been killed to get hold of it but with the arrival and subsequent disappearance of another French visitor things take a more sinister turn.

The ever intrepid Inspector Littlejohn and the wonderful Archdeacon take a trip to France try and understand events which took place during the war. Old betrayals and family secrets are unearthed before the final denouement back on the Isle of Man.

This is the second Inspector Littlejohn story I have read and, although it comes reasonably late on in the series I had no difficulty with the characters - story arcs were thankfully less prevalent in those days.

The scenery both in the Isle of Man and in the Evian region of France are beautifully described and would definitely inspire a visit! The plot is kept moving along and, although the ending is somewhat predictable the story doesn't suffer for it and is a pleasure to read.

Although there is a little violence (the occasional cosh over the head for one or two unlucky characters) it is by no means graphic and would definitely not be a problem for those who prefer their murders to be more cosy.

It is a well written tale and easy to read - recommended for those who enjoy a crime tale set in a simpler age.

Death Spins the Wheel is definitely one of George Bellairs’s more compelling mysteries.  Part of what makes it so intriguing is how easy it is to accept a convincing story, and how difficult it can be to establish the truth.


Madame Garnier is a professional gambler.  She is extremely successful, but casinos are never troubled as she never breaks the bank, is always polite, and her winning encourages others to play more.  Then, after spending time at the new casino on the Isle of Man, she is found dead on the beach. Meanwhile, her brother shows up injured miles away, before disappearing again.  Madame Garnier is traced back to France, where Inspector Littlejohn comes to discover a complex history dating back to the war. (WWII)


Part police procedural, part spy drama, Death Spins the Wheel is a fascinating mystery.  I loved Bellairs writing style, particularly his depictions of the various individuals Littlejohn and the Archdeacon encounter.  Bellairs is good at portraying individual quirks and foibles. While there is plenty of danger and suspense, there is also a sense that justice will be served and all put to right.


4 / 5


I received a copy of Death Spins the Wheel from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


— Crittermom

An elderly French lady,after spending some pleasant time in the Isle of Man's brand new casino ,is found shot on the beach. Inspector Littlejohn ,while helping the Archdeacon assembling a conservatory,is asked by the local force to give a helping hand. It is clear that part of the solution is to be found in France,to be precise, in Evian. And everybody knows that old sins have long shadows..think Résistance ,betrayal,passion...
The storyline is undoubtedly good,but what makes Bellairs such a wonderful, relaxing read is the rather benign atmosphere,great characters and a sniff of a bygone era.

Why have I never read George Ballairs before?!?! Man I have been missing out! 

I loved everything about this book! The plot was amazing. The whole books screams old world charm. It seriously was perfection. 

I look forward to reading all George’s past Littlejohn books and the ones to come!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am well acquainted with George Bellairs and Inspector Littlejohn. It is very much of the period but that doesn't detract from the story. It keeps you going and requires you to keep going to find out how it ends. I would recommend this series of books if you like detective novels. Well worth a read.