Mon 11 Aug 2014
A Review: JOSEPHINE PULLEIN-THOMPSON – They Died in the Spring.
Posted by Steve under Authors , Obituaries / Deaths Noted , Reviews[4] Comments
JOSEPHINE PULLEIN-THOMPSON – They Died in the Spring. Hammond Hammon & Co., UK, hardcover, 1960. Linford Mystery Library, UK, softcover, 1990. No US edition.
This is the second of three recorded cases that Chief-Inspector James Flecker of Scotland Yard is known to have worked on. The first was Gin and Murder (1959), the third and final one was Murder Strikes Pink (1963). They Died in the Spring takes place in April, not surprisingly, in a part of England called Bretfordshire, where a retired Colonel has been found shot to death. An accident, it is thought at first – the old gentleman is found fallen in a woods with his shotgun nearby — but gradually it becomes clear that it is a case of murder instead.
That Colonel Barclay had recently announced his intention to plough over the local cricket field, land which in truth he owned, may have led someone in respond in anger, but the Colonel was the sort of person who seems to have made enemies easily. But what could be the connection between his death and that of a young female German house servant in the neighborhood? The case is too much for the local police force, and Flecker is called in to assist.
Much of what follows is tedious police work. Lots of questions, lots of answers, not all of which agree which each other, lots of notes taken on the backs of envelopes, lots of conferring with Detective-Sergeant Browning, who is working with Flecker on the case. There is something of a Midsomer Murders feel to the investigation, except that Inspector Barnaby is happily married, while Flecker has regrets.
From pages 122-123:
The case is, one must admit, rather routine, consisting largely of the breaking down of alibis. As an author, Pullein-Thompson seems more adept at describing the local countryside in a fashion that caught my attention more than did the case itself.
From page 131:
I confess that I didn’t follow the investigation all that closely, but I definitely enjoyed the book, especially the ending, which had nothing to do with nabbing the killer, but which took me by surprise. I had to look back and check to see, but yes, the clues were all there.
R.I.P. JOSEPHINE PULLEIN-THOMPSON (1924-2014). Besides the three Flecker mysteries, Josephine Pullein-Thompson was far better known in England for her pony books written primary for girls. According to her online obituary in The Guardian on 22 June 2014, “In the equestrian novels that she, her mother Joanna Cannan and her younger twin sisters Diana and Christine, wrote – nearly 200 between them – riding horses was also the way that girls could show that they were just as good as boys, if not better. Their heroines relished mucking out stables and the freedom of galloping away across the countryside, and the pluckiest were able to turn bedraggled nags into rosette-winning champions, later returning home to celebrate with a truly ‘supersonic tea’.”
Joanna Cannan, by the way, was also a mystery writer, with some thirteen works of crime and detective fiction included in Hubin.
August 11th, 2014 at 10:26 am
News to me! I had no idea that Cannan’s daughter wrote mystery novels. Last time we were all talking about Cannan and her daughters (over at Pretty Sinister Books) the pony books came up but not even Curt Evans offered up this bit of trivia about Josephine. I hope I’ll be able to uncover any of these Flecker mysteries in my book hunting.
August 11th, 2014 at 1:27 pm
Just in case anyone else would like to read John’s review of one of Joanna Cannan’s books, as I just did, here’s the link:
http://prettysinister.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-body-in-beck-joanna-cannan.html
Lots of comments that follow, as well.
I’ve never read any of Cannan’s books. While I’m looking for more of her daughters’ mysteries, I might as well put her on my want list too.
I imagine I will skip any of their pony books, though.
August 13th, 2014 at 1:56 am
I interviewed Josephine Pullein-Thompson several years ago and she told me she stopped writing the books because the feeling was the market just wasn’t friendly to true detection. I’m pretty sure I have mentioned this somewhere on the internet!
I think all three of her detective novels are enjoyable. The large print editions can be tracked down still, I imagine.
I cite my correspondence with her in Masters of the Humdrum Mystery (in reference to her mother’s work).
August 13th, 2014 at 8:26 am
When I heard of her death and decided to sample one of her detective novels, I assumed that no one was likely to have even heard of her. Curt, I’m not surprised that you’re one to prove me wrong, and I’m glad you had a chance to interview her.
From Google books, here’s a link to MASTERS OF THE HUMDRUM where Josephine Pullein-Thompson is mentioned.
http://books.google.com/books?id=649HmQkKZZYC&pg=PA25&lpg=PA25&dq=Josephine+Pullein-Thompson+curt+evans&source=bl&ots=MRHKhGIhnc&sig=eWKoOq4r9h6bv5iiaLWyvb_iqL4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GmbrU-DNAeq0iwKAz4DIAg&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Josephine%20Pullein-Thompson%20curt%20evans&f=false