Mon 26 Oct 2009
Review: V. C. CLINTON-BADDELEY – Only a Matter of Time.
Posted by Steve under Authors , Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Crime Fiction IV , Reviews[15] Comments
V. C. CLINTON-BADDELEY – Only a Matter of Time.
Dell, paperback reprint; 1st printing, July 1981; Murder Ink Mystery #23. Hardcover edition: William Morrow, 1970. Prior UK edition: Victor Gollancz, hc, 1969; pb reprint: Arrow, 1974.
Not knowing very much about the author, and assuming that perhaps that you don’t either, I’ve taken the liberty of reproducing the autobiographical blurb that was included at the end of this book:
This explains a lot, and I’ll get to that in a moment. His full name, according to the Revised Crime Fiction IV, by Allen J. Hubin, was V(ictor Vaughan Reynolds Geraint) C(linton) Clinton-Baddeley, 1900-1970, and his mystery writing career consisted of five detective stories that came out between 1967 and 1972, all featuring Dr. R. V. Davie as his continuing series character. (I’ll list the five books at the end of this review.)
But what struck me when I was reading Only a Matter of Time was how erudite both the author and his sleuth were, and the brief biographical notes above only confirmed my thoughts. Not in a snobbish way, though. Not at all. The author has a dry if not wry sense of humor that had me smiling if not laughing throughout.
The novel takes place in a small town called King’s Lacy during a week in the summer when a week-long classical music festival is going on.
The town also has a multitude of antique and small curio shops, and every so often the murder investigation stops and we (the reader) are treated to a knowledgeable discussion involving something to do with the fine arts. Either major or minor tidbits of information, it doesn’t matter, they’re still a treat.
There is a slow, leisurely pace to this novel. I mentioned a murder investigation, but the first death is not known until the book is half over, although the victim had disappeared some time before that. Dr. Davie cooperates with the police, but since the second victim was known to him, that is his only rationale for continuing to stay involved.
As the title suggests, you might be wise to keep close tabs on the timing of events, including watches that stop or run erratically and a church bell that does not chime overnight.
One definition of a cozy mystery is perhaps one in which no commotion occurs when the murder does, and if so, that makes Only a Matter of Time the perfect example of a cozy mystery. The festival is not canceled, the show goes on, and Dr. Davie continues to take his afternoon nap, right on schedule.
Overall, then? If you don’t mind leisurely, discursive detective novels with plenty of clues and false leads, this is the perfect one for you to try on for size the next time you’re looking for a book precisely like this one to read.
V. C. CLINTON-BADDELEY. Dr. Davie in all. First UK editions only:
Death’s Bright Dart (n.) Gollancz 1967.
My Foe Outstretch�d Beneath the Tree (n.) Gollancz 1968.
Only a Matter of Time (n.) Gollancz 1969.
No Case for the Police (n.) Gollancz 1970.
To Study a Long Silence (n.) Gollancz 1972.
October 26th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
“V(ictor Vaughan Reynolds Geraint) C(linton) Clinton-Baddeley”
Steve — When I told my wife this author died in 1970, she said, “What happened? Did he get crushed under that name?”
October 26th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
I enjoyed a few of the Davie books even though I’m not generally into cozies per se, but the British seem to spend more time on the murder element and less on the cozy in many cases and the dry wit and humor of these in particular is entertaining in and of itself.
As for that name, filling out forms must have been hell, and since Clinton-Baddeley was an actor you have to wonder what the poor devils writing the credits out thought of it.
October 28th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
I love this author’s work. It’s intelligent, gentle, erudite, and nostalgic. Thanks for the page.
October 28th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Also, compliments to the nephew (Ithink) for finishing the last book. If you know how to leave a message for him, that would be wonderful.
October 28th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
I saw that the last Dr. Davie book came out two years after Clinton-Badderley’s death, so I’m not surprised to learn that a nephew may have had a hand in finishing it. I’ll have to look into it!
October 28th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
There’s a good piece to be done somewhere on the theme of mystery fiction completed by family members after the creators death or even collaborating with the author. Currently Dick Francis is working with his son Felix (he always wrote with his wife) and Clive Cussler his son Dirk.
Berkley Gray’s widow and son wrote at least two entries in the Norman Conquest series after the author’s death and the French San Antonio series and OSS 117 sagas are well into the grandchildren of creators Frederic Dard and Jean Bruce. In the case of Bruce even his daughter-in-law joined in. Of course illustrator Youngman Carter did at least one book in the Albert Campion series after wife Margery Allingham’s death.
It’s nothing new. Michel Verne wrote with his father and Robert Louis Stevenson and step son Lloyd Osbourne collaborated on several books. Adrian Conan Doyle continued the Sherlock Holmes series (with John Dickson Carr’s help), and there were two Mrs. Gordons to the Gordons collaborations.
Nothing like keeping it in the family.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
So far I’ve had no luck in finding out very much more about Clinton-Badderley, including whoever it was who helped get the last book written. What I found and quoted from the back cover about Clinton-Badderley is just about everything of interest about him that shows up Google right now.
Your list of family members who helped finish up the last few books in a series reminded me of two that I came up a while back.
See https://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=1362 —
In my review of RULES OF ENGAGEMENT by Bruce Alexander (Bruce Cook), the last Sir John Fielding mystery, I pointed out that:
Cook also was at least in part responsible for writing William J. Coughlin’s last book after he (Coughlin) died, The Judgment (St. Martin’s, 1997). I’m quoting from Al Hubin in Crime Fiction IV now: “Apparently written by Bruce Cook from a beginning by Coughlin, then finished and polished by widow Ruth Coughlin.”
and from there:
“He (Bruce Cook) died in 2003, having completed most of Rules of Engagement, and left notes on how the rest of the story unfolded. John Shannon, author of the highly praised Jack Liffey series, most recently Dangerous Games, completed the novel with Bruce’s wife, Joan Alexander.”
And you’re right, David. Someone really ought to make a list!
January 10th, 2010 at 1:06 am
he was the elder brother of the actresses angela and hermione baddeley.
learn more about the family by looking these in wikipedia
August 2nd, 2010 at 10:16 pm
[This is from the “Forward and Acknowledgement” to the Perennial Library 1984 paperback edition of “To Study A Long Silence”.]
“‘To Study a Long Silence’ had been almost completed by V.C. Clinton-Baddeley when he died in August 1970.
The entire plot was included in the Author’s manuscript. Descriptive passages and dialogue by his nephew, Mark Goullet, have subsequently been incorporated into the last two chapters.
Mr. Clinton-Baddeley’s executors are indebted to the late Miss Clare Nicholl, Mr. Jon Evans and Mr. Ronald Horden for valuable help.”
(Hope this is useful.)
March 20th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
I love Prof. Davie. Mr. Clinton-Baddeley can do no wrong in my eye, I would be happy to even read his shopping lists,
October 31st, 2014 at 6:24 am
can anyone help me find out more about V.C? it appears he wasn’t the elder brother of Hermione and Angela Clinton-Baddeley. I am looking for any information about his literary agent while he was alive. Thanks
August 31st, 2017 at 5:27 am
Earlier in his life, around the 1950s, Clinton-Baddeley was writing well-received and topical pantomimes that were performed in the West End and in repertory theatres around Brighton etc. He wrote these in collaboration with the composer Gavin Gordon, who was my grandfather, and who died around 1962. I wasn’t aware of C-B’s novels until seeing this website, and I don’t have a lot of knowledge about the pantomimes but my understanding is that he had extensive involvement in the theatrical world for some period of time.
August 31st, 2017 at 5:31 am
One other comment to add to the above. I have the handwritten music and lyrics to a song “The British Batsman takes his stand” with lyrics by Clinton Baddeley and music by Gavin Gordon, year not given but quite likely from the 1950s.
August 31st, 2017 at 1:43 pm
Thanks, Sam. A side of Clinton-Baddeley I knew nothing about!
February 1st, 2018 at 6:22 am
My prep school put on a panto each year in the 60s and we always used the C-B versions of Aladin, Cinderella, etc. My high point as an 8 year old was to play the Emperor in Aladin, but only briefly after he, played by a larger boy, had been put in a washing machine by Widow Twankee. After a musical interlude, I appeared from the machine, thanks to the clever use of trap doors, as a shrunken version with “Wash as Wool” painted on my chest!