A Knife for Harry Dodd

I recently signed up for the Crime Classics Review Club which offers a newly republished classic crime novel each month for review. I hadn't read any George Bellairs novels before so jumped at the chance of this one. A Knife For Harry Dodd is the eighth of Bellairs' Inspector Littlejohn series, but I found no problem with not having read the previous books. In fact, I thought the Inspector was the least of all the characters and he didn't seem to have much of a personal story arc at all. Obviously the unravelling of the murder - or murders in the plural as it soon becomes - revolves around the lynchpin of Littlejohn's investigation and deductions, but he is generally a quiet, unassuming sort of man, overshadowed by other wonderful creations.

From the Nicholls women, a mother and daughter, the younger of whom had been Dodd's mistress, whom we meet in the first pages, to Sergeant Cromwell, to asylum inmate Mr Glass, to put-upon pet shop proprietor Ishmael Lott, I loved Bellairs' eye for character detail and human foibles. Even the briefest of cameo roles are wonderfully well observed and add a great sense of depth to the intricately plotted mystery. Perhaps some of the comments dismissing women's abilities are too dated now (the book was first published 66 years ago), but the roles allocated to the female characters generally transcend their initial stereotyped appearances. I won't describe the narrative itself other than to say I found it compelling reading with a satisfying conclusion. I look forward to reading more George Bellairs novels soon and already have another downloaded to my Kindle!