The Methods of Sergeant Cluff: (British Library Crime Classics)

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder "Martin Edwards' brief but informative Introduction notes that the Cluff stories inspired a BBC television series, and you can see why: North's elliptical scene-setting and clipped dialogue are perfect for brief, understated segments on the telly, and they're strikingly modern to boot." —Kirkus Reviews It is a wet and windy night in the town of Gunnarshaw, on the edge of the Yorkshire moors. The body of young Jane Trundle, assistant in the chemist's shop, is discovered lying face down on the cobblestones. Sergeant Caleb Cluff is not a man of many words, and neither does he play by the rules. He may exasperate his superiors, but he has the loyal support of his constable and he is the only CID man in the division. The case is his. Life in Gunnarshaw is tough, with its people caught up in a rigid network of social conventions. But as Cluff's investigation deepens, Gunnarshaw's veneer of hard-working respectability starts to crumble. Sparse, tense, and moodily evoking the unforgiving landscape, this classic crime novel keeps the reader guessing to the end. Originally published in 1961, this is the second in the series of Sergeant Cluff detective stories. Televised in the 1960s, they have since been neglected. This new edition is published in the centenary year of the author's birth.

About the Author :
GIL NORTH was the pseudonym of Geoffrey Horne (1916-1988), a writer from Skipton who worked as a civil servant in colonial Africa for many years, before returning to his native Yorkshire. The best-known of his novels are the eleven detective stories featuring Sergeant Cluff.

Review :
Gil North is clearly much more comfortable and relaxed with this novel; he seems to have hit his stride with his main character, Cluff, and with this second Cluff novel, there's a nice, unexpected twist when it comes to the murder.--Guy Savage "Swiftly Tilting Planet" Martin Edwards' brief but informative Introduction notes that the Cluff stories inspired a BBC television series, and you can see why: North's elliptical scene-setting and clipped dialogue are perfect for brief, understated segments on the telly, and they're strikingly modern to boot.-- "Kirkus Reviews" My main criticism is that these books are too short, but short is sweet, and I would recommend this series to fans of Morse, Sherlock and the like. They are not so much whodunnits as why and where's the evidence.-- "Carpe Libris" The reader can't help but like the character portrayed by Gil North. I silently cheered him on as I read of his seemingly bumbling attempts to catch a criminal. By Jove, he does it. And does it well.--Mary Ann Smyth "Bookloons" There is a hypnotic pleasure in watching Cluff, usually in the company of his collie, Clive, wandering the back alleys and canal tow paths, scoffing gravy-filled meat pies at a workingman's cafe and gossiping with the locals. These seemingly inconclusive activities in fact reveal the prejudices, mores, and class structure of Gunnarshaw and lead Cluff to intuit the murderer of a young local woman. Anglophiles will find a lot to like.-- "Publishers Weekly"