An unpleasant man is murdered; there is a plethora of suspects, each with their own motive; many threads need unraveling before the the crime is solved and the killer brought to book. Another classic crime novel given a new shelf life.

Murder on the Home Front... 5 stars

Councillor Grayling is an unpleasant man, meaning that plenty of people would be quite happy to see him got out of the way. One evening he turns up at his own door seriously ill and later that night he dies. When the autopsy is carried out, it becomes clear he was poisoned by mustard gas. Suspicion falls on the people he most recently spent time with – his fellow travellers in the carriage of the train he took home from work, each of whom may have had a motive to do away with him. It’s up to Inspector Holly to discover which of them did it, and how...

In Verdict of Twelve, Postgate told the stories of the various jurors who were to serve on a murder trial, showing how their own lives and experiences impacted on the decision they would finally reach. In this one, he adopts a similar approach by telling each of the stories of the train travellers, showing how their lives crossed with Councillor Grayling’s. The result is that the book reads almost like a collection of linked short stories and some of them are excellent in their own right.

First published in 1943, the book is set in the winter of 1942, when WW2 was at its height and Britain was shrouded in the darkness of the blackout. A couple of the stories relate directly to wartime experiences, not to mention the mustard gas being used as the weapon. The others are less directly connected but still give a fascinating picture of life on the Home Front. Postgate’s descriptive writing is first-class, with the ability to conjure an atmosphere or a scene or a character so that they feel entirely real. Some of the characterisation is brilliant, creating people we feel sorry for, or hate, or despise.

I don’t want to say too much about the individual stories, since the joy is in seeing them develop, so I’ll try to give just a brief idea of them. The first tells of a young man who gets a girl pregnant – this at a time when such a thing was still scandalous and when abortion was illegal. He’s a deeply unpleasant character, but Postgate makes the study of his psychology compelling. This is a dark and disturbing story, and very well told. As is the next one, which tells the story of a Corporal in the Home Guard. Postgate takes us through his life story, and uses it to look bitterly at the class divisions of Britain between the wars. Postgate was himself a socialist, and his political leanings show through clearly here. It’s a story of a fall and a redemption, and paints a frightening picture of wartime London in the blackout, with the constant threat of bombing. I was totally involved in the Corporal’s story and so hoped it might have a happy ending...

Next we are taken into the world of Nazi Germany as we witness the attempt to smuggle a man out of Berlin. This is a great short story, utterly absorbing in its depiction of Berlin in 1938 as a place of growing fear and suspicion, followed by the extreme tension of the journey. It also provides a look at the way German refugees were treated in Britain during the war, often feared as being part of the Fifth Column, resulting in them being objects of suspicion and resentment and in strict curtailment of their liberties. Fabulous stuff that had me on the edge of my seat! I so hoped it might have a happy ending...

Unfortunately the final story isn’t up to the same standard. It tells at too great length of a somewhat mundane love affair between two people who each failed to get my sympathy. The man works for a publisher, so Postgate takes the chance to include a lot of self-indulgent stuff about writers and publishing – a subject that is endlessly fascinating to some writers but perhaps less so to many readers. However, even here Postgate lifts an unremarkable episode by taking our lovers to Paris just before the occupation, and shows his usual skill in drawing a fascinating picture of a place at a particular point in time.

This last section did undoubtedly pull the book down for me, and I intended to give it four stars. However, writing the review has reminded me just how good the other stories are, and they more than made up for my mild disappointment with the lovers. The main story is actually somewhat secondary to the suspects’ own stories, but Postgate wraps it up well. The overall effect is dark and rather bleak, and as a result suits its wartime setting perfectly. Postgate has been a real find for me through the British Library Crime Classics. I get the impression he didn’t write a huge number of crime novels, but I do hope they manage to find at least one or two more. And I highly recommend this one for the quality of the stories within the story.

NB This book was provided for review by the publishers.

Somebody at the Door is a re-release of a 1943 mystery by golden age classic author Raymond Postgate. Published in the new reformatted edition by Poisoned Pen press 5th December, 2017, it's available in ebook and paperback formats.

I've really enjoyed all of the British Library Crime Classics I've read, and this one is no exception. The characters are well written and though the dialogue does show its age somewhat (it's almost 75 years old), it suits its period perfectly well. The plotting is a bit uneven in places and I found my interest wandering a little bit occasionally. There was copious backstory provided for each of the suspects and I was never entirely sure it was necessary. On the other hand, there's a lot of pleasure in golden age mystery which develops slowly to a satisfying denouement.

I read this book immediately after Postgate's earlier book also in the crime classics series, Verdict of Twelve, and for me, at least, it suffers technically by comparison to the earlier work. The writing in Somebody at the Door is good, but Verdict of Twelve was masterful.

There is light cursing ('damn' and a few 'bloody' type curses), but nothing to dismay or offend the average reader. There is also one scene with a description of a female breast, but nothing to scandalize there, either.

Worth a read. I really enjoyed it. It's rare to find a good solid standalone these days, and that's a shame. I'm finding it more and more necessary to go back to the classics for standalone mystery entertainment.

Four and a half stars.

Henry Grayling, an accounting clerk in a London firm, takes the train home every evening to the small village of Croxburn, where he is the town councillor. Each Friday evening, he carries home a case filled with cash – payroll that he must deliver on Saturday morning to several offices of the firm that are near to his home. On this particular Friday in January 1942, he shares a train car with several people he dislikes – the Vicar of Croxburn, who is a fellow town councillor, a young man who is a chemist in his firm, a corporal from his Home Guard platoon, a young man with a club foot and a refugee German. Upon reaching his station, he and the other passengers disembark to find their way home in the moonless night. Later that night, the Vicar is called to Grayling’s home by Grayling’s wife, Renata, who informs him that Grayling is dying. Renata has also called Inspector Holly and Dr. Hopkins as she found her husband on the doorstep, later than his usual homecoming, bloody and in a terrible condition. The empty case has been found down the road. After Grayling dies that evening, it is clear to Inspector Holly that he has been murdered, but he must determine first how Grayling was murdered before he can find the murderer.

[Somebody at the Door] is the second book by Raymond Postgate that I have read, both having been republished by the British Library and Poisoned Pen Press. As he does in [The Verdict of Twelve], Postgate proceeds logically through the story, taking each of the suspects in turn and giving us their backstory complete with reasons as to why they may have wanted to murder Henry Grayling. The book doesn’t take the same format as a typical Golden Age mystery; instead, each chapter reads as its own individual story, with Inspector Holly’s investigation tying it all together.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The facts were laid out in a very logical, yet story-like, manner. There was no dearth of suspects; however, I believe one can follow the clues and arrive at the correct solution which was well thought out by the author. The methodical nature of the plot may not appeal to some, but I believe it will appeal to those who enjoy Golden Age detection.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.

Somebody at the Door is a war-time murder mystery by Raymond Postgate. Published during the war, much of the plot hinges on the war-time environment, the dangerous darkness of the London blackouts and the training of citizens for para-military home guard and civil defense. A disagreeable man is murdered on his way home, dragging himself to his door. Coincidentally, nearly everyone in his train compartment is someone who has reason to dislike him enough to kill him. I think that says more about his character than anything else.

Inspector Holly is a highly organized and methodical detective investigating the murder. He is frustrated because there are simply too many suspects. Nearly everyone he investigates, it turns out, has plenty of motive, means, and opportunity. Henry Grayling is just a disagreeable, miserable cuss and worked at making other people miserable, though I am certain he thought himself a thoroughly proper gentleman.



I enjoyed the investigation in Somebody at the Door. It was methodical, clear, fair and everything a classical detective lover would hope for. It also is a fascinating insight into the lives of people during the War. There are so many narratives that come together on that train ride and so many secrets: theft, corruption, adultery, illegal abortions, espionage, all on one train. It seems Grayling knew no ordinary people.

I was disappointed in the resolution, though it is totally in keeping with the character. I wanted someone else to be the murderer, but sometimes that happens. I followed a couple red herrings, something I hardly ever fall for. I am always happy when I don’t know for certain who the killer is within five paragraphs of his/her introduction. When a red herring succeeds in leading me down a false path, I like it even better. So there is a lot to like about Somebody at the Door. It just ended somewhat anti-climactically–totally in character, but not satisfying for the reader.

I received an e-galley of Somebody at the Door from the publisher through NetGalley.

Somebody at the Door at Poisoned Pen Press
Raymond Postgate – Wikipedia

I always like British Library Crime Classics as they help me to discover hidden gems of the Golden Age of mystery.
This is a hidden gem that somehow reminds me of Christie's Murder on the Orient Express as there are both a train involved and the stories of the different suspects.
The grime atmosphere reflects the historical period and even if it is nearly 70 years old it aged well.
Recommended
Many thanks to Poison Pen Press and Netgalley

EXCERPT: "The German, too, is a possible line. Refugees are a Home Office matter, and Inspector Atkins deals with them. But I remember him telling me one, who sounds very like this man, whom Grayling was making a dead set at. I can't remember the name, but Atkins will when he comes in. Grayling had written both to us and to the Home Secretary charging the man with being a spy, possessing a bicycle and a radio, and passing himself off falsely as a refugee, using the name of someone the Nazis had, in fact, killed. We didn't pay much attention, because Grayling had recently become very violent about such things and talked rather wildly. But I seem to remember Atkins spoke as if an arrest wasn't unlikely."

THE BLURB: One bleak Friday evening in January, 1942, Councillor Henry Grayling boards an overcrowded train with £120 in cash wages to be paid out the next day to the workers of Barrow and Furness Chemistry and Drugs Company. When Councillor Grayling finally finds the only available seat in a third-class carriage, he realises to his annoyance that he will be sharing it with some of his disliked acquaintances: George Ransom, with whom he had a quarrel; Charles Evetts, who is one of his not-so-trusted employees; a German refugee whom Grayling has denounced; and Hugh Rolandson, whom Grayling suspects of having an affair with his wife.

The train journey passes uneventfully in an awkward silence but later that evening Grayling dies of what looks like mustard gas poisoning and the suitcase of cash is nowhere to be found. Inspector Holly has a tough time trying to get to the bottom of the mystery, for the unpopular Councillor had many enemies who would be happy to see him go, and most of them could do with the cash he was carrying. But Inspector Holly is persistent and digs deep into the past of all the suspects for a solution, starting with Grayling's travelling companions. Somebody at the Door," first published in 1943, is an intricate mystery which, in the process of revealing whodunit, "paints an interesting picture of the everyday life during the war."

MY THOUGHTS: Oh dear. I was so looking forward to reading Somebody at the Door by Raymond Postgate. I usually love these old murder mysteries with their ambience. Unfortunately, this falls a little short.

Somebody at the Door, and I really can't see the relevance of the title, could easily have been a short story, or novella. The actual mystery itself, although a little obvious, is entertaining. What killed the book for me was the interminable back stories for each and every suspect in Grayling's death. Each one examined and relayed every minute detail starting from the suspect's childhood through to the present time. Each one could have been a book on its own. And most of it was irrelevant to the plot. 'Filling' I think they call it. I skimmed large tracts of text.

I could not make up my mind between 2 or 3 stars, so 2.5 it is.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Somebody at the Door by Raymond Postgate for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. A lot of people will like this book more than I did, therefore if you enjoyed the excerpt and like the sound of the blurb, please take a chance and read Somebody at the Door. I will enjoy reading your reviews.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about'page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

While the back stories of the subjects were very interesting and added a lot of atmosphere and historical detail, the main mystery often got lost. I liked it, but would say it is mainly for serious classic mystery lovers, especially those interested in World War II era crime novels.

A series of wartime vignettes crowded around the death of a petty and grasping middle manager of the worst sort - this is some BLEAK stuff of the kitchen sink kind. The mystery is resolved hastily and without much fanfare (and with a "for reals, tho?" on my part) but, honestly, that doesn't seem to be Mr. Postgate's game at all; he seems to be much more interested in exposing the seamy side of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" attitude of WWII England, and how it failed the average person, than in fingerprints and chemical analysis. Which, if you're prepared, is a fascinating read. A recommend.

"Somebody at the Door" is about a man who commutes back home from work as usual is killed on his way home. Investigation shows few people sharing the same couch with the deceased on the train have their motives of finishing off the deceased. The majority of the book is to dig deep into the backgrounds of the few main suspects. While the concept is interesting, but I felt I was reading few short stories of the individuals more than trying to solve the puzzle.

This isn't the strongest book from the British Crime Library Classic series but nonetheless still a good read from the golden age of detective fiction era. Another re-released by Poisoned Pen Press, "Verdict of Twelve," to me, is a better choice to get acquainted to Postage's ingenuity of writing classic crime works.

I've been enjoying all of the re-releases of classic British mysteries by Poisoned Pen Press that I was more than ready to like this one as well. Unfortunately, that was not the case with Somebody at the Door.

Set during WWII, you'd think that the background of the war would make it more interesting. Instead, it led to long side roads that went on so long that I honestly forgot I was reading a murder mystery and when it got back to the actual plot, it was jarring and I found myself looking at the synopsis to refresh my mind on just what in the heck I was reading.

Yes, there were a lot of suspects because Grayling (the victim) was not a well-loved guy, so I can understand why Postgate had to go into, a bit, why each suspect was under suspicion. However, the tangents that this lead to were just too freaking long and other than the Home Guard and the mention of black-out curtains, you'd have hardly known that the war was touching most of the characters. Sure there were mentions and one tangent was a story something that happened before the war yet involving the suspect being helped out of pre-war Nazi Germany because he was, I assume, Jewish. For a blurb that includes, "paints an interesting picture of the everyday life during the war" it seemed like everyday life was going on as usual for most of them. No mention of rationing, no constant fear of bombing in Grayling's town, etc, it was a backdrop and an excuse for tangents, nothing more.

Hey, this is just my opinion and you may like it. I'm never one to be fond of pointless tangents, that's why I usually stay away from literary fiction and grab mysteries.

Henry Grayling's dies in his own home a short time after returning home on the train. Mustard gas caused his death. Some of the man's belongings are found along the road, but the payroll he transported was missing. The vicar provides Inspector Holly with a list of persons aboard the train. As he investigates them, he discovers motives for many of them. The solution may be obvious to the reader carefully paying attention to details; however, others may be left guessing until the revelation.This classic crime will appeal to those who enjoy police procedurals. My remarks are based on advance e-galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.

I love the fact that the British Library Crime Classics, featuring lesser-known mysteries from the Golden Age, are being made available to a wider audience. I’ve read a number of these and this terrific police procedural of murder during World War 2 is among the best I’ve read in this series.

Grayling, a man on his way home from work in a train in wartime England, sits in a railway compartment with neighbors and coworkers. When he is later found dead (and the company payroll missing), many of the people in his compartment are found to have great reason to want to kill the man. This mystery wonderfully tells their stories, including the relationships each had with Grayling, and why each had a reason to want Grayling dead.

This is a well-written police procedural which sheds light on wartime life. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.

Gossip can kill. If only people minded their own business and not everyone else's.

Poisoned Pen Press and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published December 5th.

This story wanders around a bit. You hear about other characters before you get to the meat of the story. A man dies at home. His wife finally calls the doctor. The doctor isn't sure if the death was natural or not, so another doctor is called in. The second doctor said someone had used mustard gas to kill him. The unfortunate part of the tale is how many people hated him. This man had no compassion for anyone. No one was sparing any on him either.

The Inspector has to look at all those on the train with him to try to determine if he was infected then. There are facts, there are coincidences and with so many that could be guilty, it's hard to nail down who was most motivated. At the end, he finally does. I was surprised. Usually I have an idea of the murderer, but not in this story. The writer weaves his magic and only shows his cards at the end.

This was a good mystery. I like to see the older novels come to life again. They are still good reads.

The cover seems to indicate pastoral calm. Almost village like. The train was the pivotal scene or so it seemed on a return journey, like any other. Everyone returning after work on a dreary, very cold, winter like day. The usual clerks, the workmen, an odd woman and her child, all generally known to each other all travelling on the same line not on a daily basis but accountable and all found.

Mr. Grayling our victim one of them. An unlikeable character if ever there was one and in this carriage there were many who would have been very glad if he was dead. So how do you pinpoint who could have killed him. The method of murder was particularly violent. Mustard gas no longer in use but strangely enough could be obtained by any number of those in this carriage. The war was not long over and supplies were around if you knew where to look.

The story proceeds in a methodical way, a bit slow, a bit pedantic but you do know you are getting there!

A different style to a mystery murder but appealing in its own way.

Goodreads and Amazon reviews posted on 17/11/2017. Reviews on my blog posted on 11/12/2017. Also linked to my FB page.

Like his thoughtful Verdict of Twelve, Raymond Postgate’s Somebody at the Door serves as both an intriguing puzzle to solve and as commentary on mysteries in general. The novel begins with a character sketch of the disagreeable town Councillor Henry James Greyling. We follow him from work to the train home, where he shares a compartment with eight others. The next thing we know, Greying is dead of gas poisoning. Investigator Holly begins asking questions, only to find that most of the people in that train compartment plus two others have motive to kill the man. So, who done it? And, which of the several motives is enough to drive someone to kill?

Motive, means, and opportunity form a trio that police and detectives have used to narrow down a list of suspects and find the actual criminal(s). In the case of Henry Greyling’s murder, all of the suspects seem to have equal access to the mustard gas that did the councillor in as well as plenty of opportunity to have administered the fatal dose during the hours between the train’s arrival and Greyling’s appearance at his home. It all comes down to motive.

Postgate was clearly enamored of writing character sketches. After we meet Greyling and find out how he died, we are treated to a series of long biographies of all the suspects. These biographies don’t point to a clear murderer. Greyling might have been killed because he knew too much about someone’s troubles past, criminal activities, adultery, to conceal his own crimes, or because he caused a lot of trouble for someone. Each of the motives seems more or less plausible. But at the same time, what motive is enough to justify—at least to the murderer—killing another human being? I thought about this over and over as I met each new suspect.

It’s a pity Postgate wrote so few mysteries. Both Verdict of Twelve and Somebody at the Door have much to say about why people do what they do when it comes to crime and justice. I feel like I’ve walked miles in characters’ shoes while I read and I loved the opportunity to really examine how past events affect those characters. Most mysteries I’ve read from the Golden Age focus almost entirely on the means and opportunity, the how of the crime, rather than the why. Postgate’s novels are all about the why. So, instead of having just a clever brain teaser to work out, I’m left thinking about the kind of questions I’ve always enjoyed pondering about justice, ethics, motivation, and vengeance.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration. It will be released 5 December 2017.

With thanks to Poison Pen and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Previously published during WWII, 1943, it is of it’s time and quite interesting for that.

Set in Croxburn were Cllr Henry Grayling has taken the train home from his work in London, with wages for delivery the next day.Arriving at his home he is very unwell and later dies. The money is missing.

The police investigate and we read accounts of his fellow passengers, a somewhat laborious procedure, several of whom have possible reason to dispose of the Counsellor. It is however not difficult to spot ‘whodunnit’.

In spite of all this it is not the worst book I’ve read. Just about gets the 3* rating.

"Somebody at the Door" is a mystery set in 1942 in England and was originally published in 1943. A man is murdered using mustard gas, and the police investigate his fellow train passengers. Instead of a typical investigation, we get a series of short stories showing the background of each suspect with events occurring from his point of view. One of these stories was quite exciting. Some were interesting and showed what England was like at the time (Home Guard duties, blackout, etc.). The Inspector also learned this background information, and it helped eliminate some suspects and provided motive and opportunity for others.

I did figure out whodunit from those stories and my guess was confirmed when the Inspector questioned a few people and turned up the final clues. Yet much of the information in the stories was filler--maybe interesting in a historical sense but having little to do with the mystery. Even the exciting sub-story could have been summarized in a paragraph as that person wasn't a strong suspect. Basically, this story may appeal more to fans of historical novels than of whodunit mysteries.

There were no sex scenes, though there was a description of a nude female's breasts. There was some bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this historical mystery.

The first of these two books is among the outstanding reissues by the British Library and Poisoned Pen Press. Postgate’s name is probably more familiar from his founding the Good Food Guide, and/or his writing about wine, than his crime fiction, of which there wasn’t very much. His own tale takes us right back to conscientious objection during the Great War. Postgate was part of the generation who admired the Russian Revolution and were so deceived by Stalin. His father was a ferocious Tory, who threw him out and told him not to darken his door again. Raymond made his own way. That did include an Oxford education, which must have helped. Many of his cohort were Fabian socialists, including his sister, Margaret, who married G.D.H. Cole, with whom she wrote thirty crime novels. Verdict of Twelve was published in 1940 by Collins, who had a strong line in crime fiction. This was an unrelentingly dark period in the war, worse perhaps than in 1943, because it was becoming clear that the Nazis would be defeated, but not yet. If you didn’t know, you might have thought Postgate had something up his sleeve in his crime fiction, and you’d be right. Verdict of Twelve is the better of the two books reviewed here, though both demonstrate his penchant for strong characterisations. Readers may be a little puzzled by the way a character appears, has his or her 15 minutes of fame, and then steps away from the limelight.
There is method there, in which Postgate gives us, efficiently and sympathetically, pictures of a number of ordinary citizens who will become members of the Jury of Twelve who will be responsible for the verdict in a murder trial, and whose participation has strong effects on their own lives, in part because the victim was a child. Not the least of his successes here are the ways that having to mix with people from all walks of life effects the jurors’ self-esteem, or makes them reflect in a there-but-for-the-grace-of-god manner. Unlike many crime novels of the period, this one contains more than one twist. Should you not be acquainted with H.H. Munro’s short stories, you might wish to read his Sredni Vashtar when you have finished Polegate’s book. It is quite short.
Somebody at the Door was published in 1943, by Michael Joseph, who produced well-written novels for a discerning public of crime fiction fans, very open to distractions from the dangers and misery of the blackouts and rationing. The Home Guard and the A. R. P. (air raid precautions) are part of daily life in a small town north of London. So, too, are the police, and there’s a proper Inspector trying to solve a murder case. By the time we get to Chapter Two Mr. Holly has sketched a list of suspects in which a majority of those involved might have had cause for murder. Lists are always fine, but trying to find them again isn’t always easy. Postgate provided a list of ten names at the opening of many of the following chapters, with a dot by the name of the character who’s the focus of each chapter. Along the way Postgate gives a quietly detailed view of an England which still bent under habits of deference. He is alert and satirical about the ways the lucky treated their own class and those below. Allow me to recommend the plot that an aspiring young author proposes to his boss.
With G. D. H. Cole Postgate wrote The Common People, 1746-1946. This title reminds us of an era when authors didn’t have to include the word ‘British’, because the penning of such a book—intended to be a popular reader—took for granted that it was about Britain. I have to say I laughed out loud several times in the course of Verdict of Twelve, so good are Postgate’s quick sketches of the characters. Both books are introduced by Martin Edwards, whose habit it is to tell the story, so if you want to avoid spoilers, you’d be well advised to leave reading the introduction to the end. You have been warned.

Excellent ! Atmospheric,engaging and a page turner.