Reading the Detectives discussion

Welcome to our Nov/Dec 22 buddy read of The Wind Blows Death aka The Wind Blows Death. First published in 1949 ths is the third in the Francis Pettigrew series.

A Francis Pettigrew mystery - Who murdered solo violinist Lucy Carless during a concert by the Markshire Orchestra? There are several suspects, any one of whom might have strangled her with a silk stocking. Lawyer, Franics Pettigrew, as reluctant honorary treasurer to the Markshire Orchestral Society, finds himself caught up with assisting the police in their investigations.

Please feel free to post spoilers in this thread.

I did think this had quite a slow start, but once it got going it became interesting and pretty complicated. It has a large number of characters to sort out. I liked Tate , the Sargent, and the county Chief Macwilliams, but was getting annoyed with Inspector Trimble.
It shows it's age as the non-musical instrument would not give anything away these days.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one, the more so because of its musical setting. excellent characterisation - again! - and a good portrait of society in a comfortably wealthy small community.

My brief, spoiler-free review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Jill wrote: "It shows it's age as the non-musical instrument would not give anything away these days."

That's intriguing but must admit I'm not sure why this wouldn't give anything away now, please can you explain? Probably this is my lack of musical knowledge letting me down! Thank you.

The timing of the dial, proved the wrong number was dialed

Thank you, good point.

Sorry, I was thinking about the non-musical person with an instrument and confusing myself.

Finished! And yes, another charming outing for Francis Pettigrew. I don't think it was much of a surprise who the murderer was but the motive was hidden though I guessed something to do with that title as it felt oddly inserted at the start.

Eleanor feels a bit wasted here - I wanted more domestic scenes and she might have helped Pettigrew solve the mystery if he'd bothered to talk to her.

Eleanor was more interested in the music, bless her. Her mind was on higher things!

Ha, maybe! I did love all the committee politics with people jostling pettishly for power - and that wonderful ending when Pettigrew becomes Secretary :)

Always the way. We've all known a Mrs Bassett in our time...

Ha, remember Jackie Weaver and the Handforth Parish Council Zoom meeting during lockdown? Hilarious!

I do indeed remember Jackie Weaver! I agree it would have been nice to see more of Eleanor, but at least she doesn't disappear completely, as has happened in one or two other series.

Ha ha! Yes, we all remember that one I think :)

Yes, Judy, or just got bombed and killed, as in the Nigel Strangeways novels, meriting barely a line. Oh, she was killed in the blitz...

Susan wrote: "Yes, Judy, or just got bombed and killed, as in the Nigel Strangeways novels, meriting barely a line. Oh, she was killed in the blitz..."

Cecil Day-Lewis erasing one of his mistresses?

Jill wrote: "The timing of the dial, proved the wrong number was dialed"

I've heard that the musically talented could 'dial' a phone by whistling but could be an urban legend.

I really liked this book as I have the other Pettigrew's. He is a very human character. The Scottish chief is quite likable: replaces Pettigrew's liquor, has a sense of humor and takes care to not show up the young inspector on his first case.

I would never have guessed the motive having never heard of such a law and was glad both the death of Dixon's relative and the argument between Carless and the Polish clarinetist figured in the solution. Those both needed to be worked into the plot. All the oddities ended up being explained. I wondered if Vestry would get an 'obstruction of justice' charge.

I'm sure Pettigrew will be thrilled with his additional position, undoubtably simply added to his first job.

Sandy wrote: "Susan wrote: "Yes, Judy, or just got bombed and killed, as in the Nigel Strangeways novels, meriting barely a line. Oh, she was killed in the blitz..."

Cecil Day-Lewis erasing one of his mistresses?"

Absolutely, Sandy. Brutally and thoughtlessly.

Sandy wrote: "I would never have guessed the motive having never heard of such a law..."

This really surprised me too. I had heard of the ban on marrying a "deceased wife's sister" which caused problems in Victorian times, with many couples having to marry abroad, but I didn't realise there was also a ban on marrying a "divorced wife's sister", which lasted much longer. Amazingly, the law on this in the UK only changed in 1960, after a failed attempt to change it in 1949, the year Cyril Hare's book was published.

I didn't know either - but I wonder if readers in 1949 would have known, if there had been discussion about the law during the attempt to change it. It would make it more solvable, with the comment by Lucy Carless about Dickens, and the likeness between the two women as the important clues.

Susan wrote: "Sandy wrote: "Susan wrote: "Yes, Judy, or just got bombed and killed, as in the Nigel Strangeways novels, meriting barely a line. Oh, she was killed in the blitz..."

Cecil Day-Lewis erasing one of..."

Yes, that was a shock - she gets hardly a word.

Rosina wrote: "I didn't know either - but I wonder if readers in 1949 would have known, if there had been discussion about the law during the attempt to change it."

I doubt it. I think one of the deliberate features of this series is the reliance on arcane points of law for the solution and their explanation at the denouement. It's something I really like about them; it makes spotting the killer much more difficult for the reader, of course, but that's something I've never been all that fussed about in crime novels.

The author was a judge, I believe. Yes, here's some blurb:

Cyril Hare was the pseudonym of Judge Gordon Clark. Born at Mickleham near Dorking in 1900, he was educated at Rugby and New College, Oxford. At the bar his practice was largely in the criminal courts. During the Second World War he was on the staff of the Director of Public Prosecutions; but later, as a County Court judge, his work concerned civil disputes only - and his sole connection with crime was through his fiction. He turned to writing detective stories at the age of thirty-six and some of his first short stories were published in Punch. Hare went on to write a series of detective novels. He died in 1958.

He was fairly young when he died. If he started writing at 36 and died at 58, then he actually wrote a fair amount of books really.

Sid wrote: "I think one of the deliberate features of this series is the reliance on arcane points of law for the solution"

Yes, I agree, Sid, and think Hare enjoys having fun with these arcane points of law, knowledge of which are exactly what we expect from Pettigrew.

I did actually know the law (must have come up in another book) but I still didn't spot it here, or notice the resemblance between the sisters that someone mentions above (half sisters?). I just felt it was tied up to the inheritance and past marriage partly because they both felt a bit thrust into the story for no other reason.

I was amused at what a hothouse of adultery and drama that village was. Great characters from the conductor to the temporary clarinet player who was dumped in another village and very irate at his mistreatment!

Oh yes, I thought the clarinet player who is taken to the wrong village was hilarious!

Judy wrote: "Oh yes, I thought the clarinet player who is taken to the wrong village was hilarious!"

Yes, the clarinetist was a wonderful addition, starting with his telephone conversation with that idiot Peter Grew.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and definitely didn't know about that piece of law. I figured out the who, but not the how. The information about the symphony not requiring a clarinet was quite ingenious. I too would have liked to see more of Eleanor, but Pettigrew is such a fun character and definitely a bit less jaded than in the first book, marriage is good for him!