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George Bellairs
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Intruder in the Dark (The Inspector Littlejohn Mysteries) Kindle Edition

by George Bellairs (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 458 ratings
A corpse in a country house brings Scotland Yard to an eerily quiet English village, in this tale by a master of British mystery.
 
Cyril Savage has inherited the home of his wealthy and estranged aunt. But before Savage has the chance to discover her fortune, he is struck dead in the cellar of this once grand country house in the strange, nearly deserted village of Plumpton Bois.
 
The police are baffled and—unable to unearth a motive, let alone a killer—call for the assistance of Scotland Yard. Inspector Littlejohn and Inspector Cromwell arrive in Plumpton Bois and find the village, the family, and the house itself full of secrets.
 
The door to a locked room has been bashed open. Savage’s aunt is not nearly as rich as she seemed to be. And now, another body has turned up on Littlejohn’s watch . . .
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  1. Book 26 of 27
    The Inspector Littlejohn Mysteries
  2. Print length
    224 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller
  5. Publication date
    June 27, 2023
  6. File size
    4.9 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

George Bellairs was the pseudonym of Harold Blundell (1902–1985), an English crime author best known for the creation of Detective-Inspector Thomas Littlejohn. Born in Heywood, near Lancashire, Blundell introduced his famous detective in his first novel, Littlejohn on Leave (1941). A low-key Scotland Yard investigator whose adventures were told in the Golden Age style of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, Littlejohn went on to appear in more than fifty novels, including The Crime at Halfpenny Bridge (1946), Outrage on Gallows Hill (1949), and The Case of the Headless Jesuit (1950).

In the 1950s Bellairs relocated to the Isle of Man, a remote island in the Irish Sea, and began writing full time. He continued writing Thomas Littlejohn novels for the rest of his life, taking occasional breaks to write standalone novels, concluding the series with An Old Man Dies (1980).

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C8XL5Q9G
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller (June 27, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 27, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.9 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 458 ratings

About the author

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George Bellairs

George Bellairs

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George Bellairs: a bank manager, a talented crime author, part time journalist and Francophile. His detective stories, written in the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s, combine wicked crimes and classic police procedurals, set in small British communities. Best known for his Detective Littlejohn stories, he is celebrated as one Britain’s crime classic greats.

“One of the subtlest and wittiest practitioners of the simon-pure British detective story,” New York Times

“Mr Bellairs always gives good value” The Sunday Times

“Bellairs works in a comic tradition that extends from Ben Jonson… Each character has a particular trait exaggerated to the point of obsession or caricature.” Susan B. MacDougall

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
458 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Abbigail Holmes
    5.0 out of 5 stars Old Family Secrets
    Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024
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    It is always a good start when you discover a small village in a book, and in that village lives an old eccentric in an even older house, and when she/he dies the only relative is murdered. And that is exactly how this book starts and I knew I would enjoy reading it.
    Having experience with Inspector Littlejohn's books before, I followed the slow but intriguing pace of his research and discoveries of old family secrets that involved almost everyone in the small village.
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  • Marjorie Vawter
    4.0 out of 5 stars A great classic
    Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2018
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    As a classic mystery lover, I enjoyed this book. It's my first Inspector Littlejohn mystery, but it won't be my last. The inspector is a level-headed man and isn't easily distracted by those who wish to keep their part in the murder quiet. Many times I'm able to guess at the murderer by the quarter-book mark, but I hadn't an idea until the end. I bought the book several years ago, but I didn't actually read it until I received another copy from the Crime Classics Review Club in exchange for an honest review.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Patto
    5.0 out of 5 stars When love becomes ancient history...
    Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2017
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    The pivotal characters in this story are now old and bitter or dead and buried. It’s hard to believe the passions that once animated them, and that they were all once attractive young people. Their ancient love drama leads indirectly to murder in this intricate tale of small town crime.

    A bank clerk is fatally assaulted while inspecting the house his great aunt left him in the sparsely populated town of Plumpton Bois. Cyril Savage is an unappealing character, greedy and quarrelsome. Still his murderer must be brought to justice, and Scotland Yard is summoned.

    Inspector Littlejohn is told by the local police that the townsfolk are suspicious of outsiders and unlikely to tell him anything. But in fact their petty resentments against each other lead them into gossiping freely and revealing more than they intend.

    The plot abounds in characters who are small-minded, avaricious, bad-tempered, self-important, vindictive — or an unpleasant mix of these traits. Littlejohn and his assistant Cromwell need all their interrogation skills to deal with the lot of them.

    As a police procedural, Intruder in the Dark is stellar, with lots of twists and surprises. As a study of small town character it’s equally excellent. George Bellairs kept writing Golden Age mysteries long after they were out of fashion, and thank heavens he did. This mystery, first published in 1966, might have been written in the thirties. It’s a classic.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Cachafaz
    5.0 out of 5 stars Goerge Bellairs does it again.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Great writer of the mid-twentieth century. Glad to see him back in print again.
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  • onlinegirl
    4.0 out of 5 stars Another nice entry in my favorite mystery series
    Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2018
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    I love the Inspector Littlejohn series. This one has a slightly different feel, but still the wonderful character-driven style that makes these books so great. If you are looking for police procedurals, this may not be your cup of tea; but if you enjoy character development and are a lover of British crime classics, grab a blanket, your pet of choice, and hunker down for a very satisfying read!
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Texas Brit
    3.0 out of 5 stars Just Not a Good Example of Classic Crime
    Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2018
    I really wanted to like this book - it's from the Golden Era of murder mystery, it's English and it's had great reviews. But I just couldn't. George Bellairs may be appreciated by many, but I found his style distracting - I found myself going back to reread paragraphs several times as he jumped haphazardly from full sentences to incomplete sentences to plain bad phrasing. The story was interesting, but the further into it I got, the more Bellairs reverted just telling us what happened - "X did this, then he did this, then this happened" - instead of showing us. This really got bad when whole conversations were "X told them blank, then Y said that blank, to which X said blank" where simple dialog would have been easier, more evocative and just more fun to read. And for those who are culturally aware - there are several words used in the book that in today's culture are completely unacceptable. I'm not advocating censorship, just want to provide fair warning. Frankly, I was just relieved to reach the end.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Suz
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thinking Man’s Mystery
    Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2020
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    The characters are strong but subtle. The story line keeps you wondering who did it. No harsh swearing, sweaty love scenes, no impossible scenarios. That’s what I love about this series. Just good old fashioned detecting that will keep you reading late into the night.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Johanna
    4.0 out of 5 stars Ripping good mystery.
    Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Complex police work, lawyers, old histories dug up. Complications of war and identity. By no means ordinary or cliche. Interesting locale and vivid descriptions of ordinary people in their comedy and intricate village life.
    Well crafted, the denouement is a surprise but not a stretch. Excellent plot. Moral tale of how we destroy ourselves is woven throughout, but subtly, cleverly.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Jillian Dellit
    4.0 out of 5 stars Pleased to have read it
    Reviewed in Australia on July 12, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I’m getting to like George Bellairs’ books. They are classic crime novels with enough character development and delineation to keep this reader engaged. Bellairs avoids stereotypes, while historical assumptions occasionally bring a smile. The plot is plausible and the puzzle well created . I’m pleased to have read this one.(my review from Goodreads)
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  • voluntarystress
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is the third of this rather neglected author’s great detective novels I’ve read and I’ve become a fan
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    What a pleasure to be offered a digital copy of “Intruder in the Dark” by George Bellairs by Crime Classics in return for an honest review. This is the third of this rather neglected author’s great detective novels I’ve read and I’ve become a fan. To me he rates on a par with Agarha Christie or Marjory Allingham any day but hasn’t had their continued exposure. His books don’t pretend to be anything more than pure entertainment but are so well written. They feature Inspector Littlejohn,( Chief Inspector and then Superintendent ) and his side kick Sear gent (Inspector) Cromwell who are attached to Scotland Yard and are called to different parts of the country when a crime, usually murder, becomes too serious for the local force to handle.. This author specialises in sharp, concise descriptions, bringing a character instantly to life. And he doesn’t fall into the class trap of so many writers of this period.. Rich or poor all get the same amount of attention and respect from his pen. Those of us who have reached a certain age will remember characters, situations and even a village shop like these from their youth .It’s delightful to read of a way of life that’s now passed but was real in my post war childhood. Life seemed more leisurely but it probably wasn’t. Instant communication has so many benefits but brings a lot of stress.

    The action of the story centres on Superintendent Littlejohn and Inspector Cromwell’s efforts at unravelling the mystery, this time the murder of a rather unlikable bank clerk, when he comes to inspect his run down inherited house in a now much depopulated village. The local police are apparently covering all the boring ground work of the case and little reference is made to this. The reader isn’t bothered with it. I’ve seen George Bellairs referred to as having created the British Maigret with which I would tend to agree. He creates highly enjoyable cerable puzzles full of atmosphere of the time, but considering their date, very modern. It’s a joy to read such well written English. Thankfully I have a couple more of these books on my Kindle.
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  • JK
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed
    Reviewed in Canada on December 28, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Another enjoyable read of Inspector Littlejohn with interesting characters and locales. Kept me guessing as to was the murderer until the end .
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  • jbrookes
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on February 25, 2018
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    ok
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  • Waldorf
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good Read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This prolific author gives us a rather more straight-forward case for Littlejohn and Cromwell, still told with the usual attention to character and location detail, told in his now familiar humorous style.
    First-class detective fiction, a good read.
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