George Bellairs’ Inspector Littlejohn series was published from the 1940s until just barely into the 1980s. This particular title, Death Spins the Wheel, was originally published in 1965 and is about three-quarters of the way through the series. It is now being reissued in e-book, and I was happy to be lucky enough to receive an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve only read a couple of titles in this series, each of which was quite different from the other, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this one, other than some sort of classic British mystery. And that turns out to be what this book is - one of the many British mysteries from the time following WW II (the end of which was only about 20 years previous at the time this was written) in which the war is a central element in the plot. And, although the plot was not too puzzling (I thought I had figured out the murderer quite early on, and was, in fact, correct), this still was an enjoyable book, with an enjoyable setting on the Isle of Man, with the investigation proceeding in logical steps, and with a few quick visits to spots in and around Evian, France, to liven things up a bit.

If I have any complaints at all, in fact, it would be about a little bit of “social class” based smugness that peeks through now and then, but I think that, FWIW, that is probably an accurate reflection of the attitudes of the time. I also get the impression that many of the characters in the book are continuing characters in the series, and that I might be missing a little bit by not being familiar with many of the other books in the series.

Still, all-in-all, this was an enjoyable read, and I’ll definitely keep an eye out for more Inspector Littlejohn titles in the future.

Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. And also please keep in mind that I try to fight “star-inflation” a little bit. I reserve 5 stars for a very few of my most favorite books, ones I’m likely to read and reread time-and-again, and 4 stars is a great rating from me.

Yet another excellent read. Formulaic but in a comforting way, like meeting old friends in the pub for a blether.

Two things become apparent the more I read these books. First, the amount of alcohol consumed over the course of a day would put James Bond to shame. Second, the length of each day seems reminiscent of childhood when you could fit much more into 24 hours than you can as an adult - Littlejohn can travel the length of Lake Geneva, interview a suspect, imbibe 3 glasses of cognac and still be back in time for breakfast. Perhaps the elasticity of the days is how he fits in so much booze.

Dialogue is certainly George Bellairs forte. It shows off Littlejohn's humor and depth. The dialogue mixed with the story line is often amusing, as thoughts one says to oneself are read as spoken language. His plots are mysterious yet logical, and this book is a solid offering. Some books more than others have an occasionial comment indicative of the mid-century, that is insensitive to put it politely. Such comments should, frankly, be edited out as they are often so miniscule and not relevant to the plot. I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next re-release.

DNF'ed

The cover and the description for this book were all up my alley - historical fiction, crime, British... Unfortunately, things did not work out as planned.

As difficult as it is for me to admit this, I just could not get engaged enough in this story as hard as I tried. I think it was the writing style mixed with the references to the the various types of card games and other things happening that just kept spinning my mind out of control.

"Death Spins the Wheel "was a very late, very tired attempt by George Bellairs to get a little more mileage out of poor old Inspector Littlejohn. This book had more detectives than suspects, even without Littlejohn's traditional sidekick. The story starts out with a lady (later found murdered) using a suspicious method of winning at a gambling casino, but then it soon seems to say, "never mind" and completely drops that theme as it goes on to explore the characters' ties to the French Resistance in WWII. That allows Littlejohn to have a number of meals at French restaurants while occasionally giving some thought to his clergyman's greenhouse and, oh yes, the murder. The solution is so contrived it is not worth trying to follow its convolutions. When an author gets tired of his characters, he should just stop writing, instead of spoiling the pleasant memory of his earlier works..

If you enjoy detective fiction written in the shadow of World War II then the Inspector Littlejohn series is for you. Humor, intrigue, twists and turns.

The deeds and misdeeds of French Resistance volunteers come back to haunt Inspector Littlejohn and friends; there's a lot of spy talk and not a lot of inspector-ish activities here, and Mr. Bellairs has a super weird relationship with his female characters, but it's still one of the more enjoyable entries in this series. Kind of a light version of a Le Carre novel., enjoyable if that's your bag. Also, there's some talk of being successful at gambling because of psychic abilities, which isn't really explored but isn't dismissed either, it's really odd. A recommend.

I always enjoy reading a George Bellairs book and this one was extra special as it involves WW2 resistance in France. The usual cast of characters and set on the Isle of Man and in France this was a well paced read. Short at just 200 pages but it's crammed with information and action. With thanks to the Estate of George Bellairs for the chance to review this republication of a 1965 novel.

This was an interesting book. It was well written. I liked the time period. Great storyline. I recommend this book.

Over the past few months George Bellairs has become a firm favourite of mine. A novel set in an exotic location, such as the Isle of Man is a real draw, as is his ability to recreate the period for a modern audience. I could almost smell the vinegar. Regular readers of Bellairs will be familiar with his trick of breaking the 'fourth wall' to pass on incidental information, but newcomers may be surprised.

This is a cracking read and deserves a wider readership.

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!

Another Isle of Man tale, with a trip to France as well.
The Archdeacon, Superintendent Littlejohn, and Inspector Knell investigate the murder of Madame Garnier.
Set in the 1960s, but with flashbacks to WW2 and the French resistance, the tale unfolds layer by layer with clues to be discovered by the careful reader. Thanks to Crime Classics for the ARC.

Death Spins the Wheel is the seventh Inspector Littlejohn novel I have read and while I typically find them to be light and diverting reads, I would not label any of the previous books I read as great detective stories. The closest I have come is Calamity at Harwood but that plays out more like a thriller with very little deduction taking place. This is a more traditional detective story, spinning a story with an interesting wartime background and some very solid puzzle elements to good effect.

Death Spins the Wheel begins with the death of an elderly French woman who has arrived on the Isle of Man to gamble at the Casino. The employees are surprised to see that she is working a system and that she is reliably successful, winning some tidy sums at roulette before walking away from the tables.

She is discovered dead on the beach in the evening having been shot with a small handgun. She does not seem to be killed for her money as her winnings are still present while the only other French visitors or residents are all accounted for leaving the police stumped as to who would have wanted her dead.

Adding to the confusion, a woman reports that a Frenchman was found injured in the road in the early hours of the morning. He appeared to have suffered a heart attack but did not want medical assistance and disappeared when one of the people helping him went to summon help.

Inspector Littlejohn, who appears to have learned nothing from each of his previous attempts to take a holiday on the island, finds that his stay is interrupted with a request from the local police to lend his services to their investigation. He is happy enough to agree and before long will find himself travelling to France and Switzerland to look into the matter along with his old friend the archdeacon to look into the woman’s background.

Before I get into the case I would like to take a moment to reflect on the setup for the case. This novel was published in 1965, just a few years after the first legal casinos opened within the UK, and there is clearly an element of novelty in the setting. We are reminded through the comments of the Archdeacon’s housekeeper that this was still a pretty controversial development at the time and the author does have to explain, albeit very simply, that visitors had to apply for a short-term membership to play in the games.

One question that seems important at the start of the novel although it is quickly superseded by other developments in the investigation is whether our elderly gambler really did have a system or if she was just lucky. The answer is, in this reader’s opinion, sadly quite ridiculous and I can only be thankful that we move past it into more intriguing ground.

The events of this novel are grounded in events from the past and it is this aspect of the book that I think is most successful. Here we see Littlejohn and the Archdeacon trying to make sense of sometimes conflicting accounts about scandals that some would prefer to remain kept covered up and while I have seen many of the ideas here used elsewhere, I think that Bellairs uses them to create intriguing motivations for several of his suspects.

I doubt that many readers will be seriously puzzled by the killer’s identity though their motivation for carrying out the deed may require a little more work to figure out. Even if you do figure out the puzzle, I think the book works on a simple, thematic level to tell an engaging story that draws upon the European war experience.

There are also some moments that I think will please those who have regularly dipped into these stories such as the Archdeacon’s active involvement in trying to solve this mystery. In fact there are a few points in this story where he is more active than Littlejohn and certainly asking more questions. I also appreciated that this story takes in Bellairs’ two favorite locales of the Isle of Man and France within a single novel and I certainly appreciated our sleuths’ movement within the story as they hope from locale to locale trying to build up a picture of Madame Garnier’s life.

I would consider this one of the strongest Bellairs novels I have read so far, although I still think the mystery is a little slight and reiterate my distaste for the explanation as to how Madame Garnier wins at the tables. In spite of those grumbles, I found it to be an entertaining and quick read and I did enjoy the way the tale draws on what was then recent European history as background for the case.

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.

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 !!!!