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Smallbone Deceased (Inspector Hazlerigg #4)

Michael Gilbert,

Martin Edwards (Editor)

Start date: December 1, 2024

Finish date: December 31, 2024

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Dec 17, 2019 Christine PNW rated it really liked it

Really good offering from the BLCC. Recommend.

3 likes · Like · see review

Apr 03, 2025 Natalie rated it liked it

Shelves: classics, mystery-thriller

This mystery had a couple good red herrings and a nice twist at the end. However, the murder takes place in a law office where the daily tasks are very dull, the investigative team are quite flat, and the places and people looked into feel tedious. The best part is the surprise discovery of the body and the final twist.
We learn, after meeting the various members of the law firm, that a client has gone missing. The head of the firm, Abel Horniman, has recently passed away. His son, Bob, and two o This mystery had a couple good red herrings and a nice twist at the end. However, the murder takes place in a law office where the daily tasks are very dull, the investigative team are quite flat, and the places and people looked into feel tedious. The best part is the surprise discovery of the body and the final twist.
We learn, after meeting the various members of the law firm, that a client has gone missing. The head of the firm, Abel Horniman, has recently passed away. His son, Bob, and two others, Mr. Birley and Mr. Craine run the firm. A few others work as lawyers (Cove, Duxford, and the new hire, Bohun) and all the women work as secretaries (including Miss Cornel, Miss Chittering, Miss Belbas, and Miss Mildmay). There is also an accountant and a handyman. The firm primarily pays bills, manages trust funds, and does the paperwork for divorces, sales, and wills. The work seems very dull and the conversations about work very dry.
A client, Mr. Smallbone, who has a trust fund, goes missing. His body is discovered in a box in the office (I have no idea how large the box is). So Inspector Hazlerigg, Plumptree, and lawyer Bohun start to investigate. Bohun has extreme insomnia and knows Hazlerigg vaguely so is asked to join the investigation. Hazlerigg goes from place to place, looking into the timeline of events, alibis and motives. Bohun walks around thinking and acts as sounding board for the police inspectors. Plumptree runs errands. We know very little about the investigators and besides different tasks; they sound like one or the other. Also, Miss Chittering turns up dead a few weeks after the first death.
We learn that Abel continued to live as if the firm made a large amount of money, though revenue had shrunk. He had a farm, a large home in town, and a beach cabin. To maintain his lifestyle, he took out mortgages on all his properties, then took out a fake mortgage, making his farm look like another property. The investigators assume Bob is the murderer to cover the financial shortfall, but at the last minute, Bob has an unusual alibi. (view spoiler).
The motive felt weak to me because it wasn't about greed or reputation. And learning who the murderer was felt anti-climatic. So many elements of this felt unexciting and dull that the only thing keeping me reading was adding up the clues. The prose is clear though the pacing is a bit uneven. ...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Janet rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is one of HRF Keating's 100 Best Mystery Books. It was a very enjoyable read....fast paced, well developed characters, carefully plotted, and funny. ...more

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