Sat 2 Nov 2019
Archived Review: MICHAEL GILBERT – The Killing of Katie Steelstock.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[5] Comments
MICHAEL GILBERT – The Killing of Katie Steelstock. Harper & Row, US, hardcover, 1980. Penguin, US, paperback, 1981. Published previously in the UK as Death of a Favourite Girl (Hodder & Stoughton, hardcover, 1980).
As a kind of bonus, we get two stories in one. Katie’s death is the obvious reason for the rather dry murder investigation that follows. What we also get, and what fans of legal manipulations and maneuverings like myself will find of much greater interest, is an inside look at how the defense for the accused goes about making plans for the ensuing trial.
Part of their strategy has little to do with the case itself, consisting instead of weighing and working on the personal stranegths and idiosyncrasies of the man from Scotland Yard placed in charge of the investigation.
Katie herself was a TV star. After her death, and then only, we discover the two sides of her. For the most part, the village folk of Hannington saw her as their fair-headed girl. In London they knew her as an ambitious conniver with little she was unwilling to do to maintain her drive to the top.
That this is a mystery novel with some emphasis on character should be abundantly clear. Even so, the ending is one that may come as something of a surprise. A goodly number of loose ends are left undone, and unmitigated coincidence looms large in the overall scheme of things.
November 3rd, 2019 at 12:54 am
A good example of Gilbert in a more novelistic vein and a reminder that he was quite versatile writing straight mystery, suspense, police procedural, tough guy, adventure, spy, or more mainstream works with equal grace.
November 3rd, 2019 at 12:56 pm
Gilbert was one of the most versatile mystery/crime/detective fiction writer I can think of. He also was one of the more prolific authors of his day, but I suspect that he’s also well forgotten by today’s mystery readers. I’m not sure why, but perhaps in some sense he was too versatile, spreading his body of work too thin, with no solid core at the middle for readers to coalesce around and remember.
I don’t know if that makes sense. Other thoughts are welcome.
November 4th, 2019 at 7:58 am
I’vbe only read a small portion of Gilbert’s huge ouitput.
But it left me cold.
SMALLBONE DECEASED has little mystery plot ingenuity.
And its characters and setting are a stuffy lawyer’s office. Why would anyone want to read about ultra-conevntional, conformist characters?
Many older mystery novels have surreal situations and eccentric, original characters, SMALLBONE DECEASED is the exact opposite. It’s like going to a Conformist’s Convention..
Over the years I’ve read lots of enthusiastic comments on Gilbert.
But I just don’t get him.
November 4th, 2019 at 8:08 am
The Wikipedia is full of high praise for SMALLBONE DECEASED:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallbone_Deceased
I’m in a minority.
But the claims for this book just baffle me.
Part of my trouble: unlike these critics, I’m just not interested in a “realistic look inside an English law office”. Not if it makes me spend 250 pages with dull characters.
November 4th, 2019 at 7:54 pm
I’m in the same minority as you, Mike. I’m sure the book deserves all the praise it’s gotten, but the subject matter doesn’t interest me at all.