This is yet another wonderful Golden Age mystery by the prolific George Bellairs. I am really pleased to see these terrific old mysteries being republished for another generation of readers. Bellairs doesn’t need some cutesy theme to make his books appealing. He simply writes excellent mysteries, populated by interesting characters, sprinkled here and there with a bit of humor, and peppered with clues. He often brings things to an unexpected conclusion. I’ve read at least ten of this series and haven’t guessed the ending yet.

Inspector Littlejohn is one of my favorite sleuths. He is wise and perceptive and always calm, no matter what circumstances he finds himself in. In this book, A Knife for Harry Dodd, the plot is complex, and many of the characters are both unpleasant and suspects in the crime. The story might be perceived as moving a bit slowly for modern tastes, but I feel it adds to the sense of time and place. (No computers to quickly find information and even a long distance phone call was a big deal!). The end surprised me a bit, but it was both plausible and consistent with the story.

Highly recommended if you enjoy a classic mystery that is well written and easy to read.

There is no snoozing through this mystery. There are a host of suspects and contributing characters, none of whom can tell the truth without embellishment or editing. We follow Inspector Littlejohn as he unpeels this onion and on the way grow more and more fond of Harry Dodd. The understated humor and very recognizable British characters make for an enjoyable cozy.

George Bellairs was a very prolific crime author, with over fifty books published between 1941 and 1980. This is the first one I’ve read and I enjoyed it, which means I have a lot to look forward to! Although Bellairs (a pseudonym of Harold Blundell) did write some standalone novels, most of his books were part of his Inspector Littlejohn series of which A Knife for Harry Dodd is the twenty-first. Fortunately, this is not a series which needs to be read in order!

As the title suggests, the novel begins with Harry Dodd being stabbed in the back as he begins to walk home from his local pub one night. Instead of calling the police or an ambulance, Harry summons his girlfriend Dorothy Nicholls and her mother, who immediately set off in the car – with great difficulty, as neither of them can actually drive. Eventually they manage to find Harry and help him into the car, but they are unaware of how badly wounded he is and by the time they get him home he is dead.

Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate the crime and, with the help of his assistant Sergeant Cromwell and the local police, he begins to unravel the secrets of Harry Dodd’s personal life in an effort to identify the murderer. At first, Dorothy and her mother are under suspicion, but the range of suspects soon widens to include another of Harry’s mistresses, his estranged wife and their sons and daughters, and his brother, an influential politician. As the story unfolds, we begin to understand what sort of man Harry Dodd was and the nature of his relationships with the various people in his life. It’s not an easy mystery for the reader to solve, as some of the information we need isn’t provided until later in the book, but I enjoyed following Littlejohn’s investigations and trying to guess who the culprit could be.

Although it’s disappointing that most of the women in the book are portrayed as either silly and helpless or loud and domineering, there’s some great characterisation too. I particularly liked Ishmael Lott, a timid little man who sells parrot seed and dreams of making his fortune on the stock market, and Mr Glass, a patient in an asylum that Littlejohn visits in his search for one of the suspects. In fact, Littlejohn himself is probably the least memorable of all the characters in the book! In a way, I liked the fact that he just gets on with solving the mystery unobtrusively, but it would still have been nice to have known a little bit more about him. Maybe his background is given in the earlier novels and Bellairs assumed he didn’t need to tell us again. I will find out when I read more of the Littlejohn books - which I will definitely be doing!

I am really loving the George Bellairs series. This is yet another very well written story with excellent characters from Harry, whose life has become kind of a shambles, to the poor, bullied Mr. Lott, to the snotty Dodd family, Inspector Littlejohn is now one of my favorites of Scotland Yard. It's one of those stories that make you think "what might have been" had things gone differently. I have to admit that I couldn't figure out who killed poor Mr. Dodd and it was a surprise to me. You can't go wrong giving this little cozy a try.

Always a good read! George Bellairs is an accomplished writer who crafts fascinating mysteries told in classic style. One of my favorite authors! And this book is a worthy addition to the Inspector Littlejohn series, with a sympathetic murder victim and a twisty plot.

First published in 1953, A Knife for Harry Dodd is the eighth book in the Inspector Littlejohn Mysteries. One night Dorothy Nicholls and her mother have their evening disturbed by a phone call from Harry Dodd asking to be picked up from the pub. Little do they realise until they bring him home, that Harry had a stab wound in the back, and he is dead by the time they arrive.

Inspector Littlejohn is assigned to the case and he tries to figure out who would want to kill Harry. As the case unravels, we begin to learn more about Harry's life: the jealous lovers, the blackmail and the madness. Every time I think I've guessed what's happened, another curveball is thrown my way. Bellairs created a well-crafted police procedural crime novel with this title and I'm looking forward to reading more Inspector Littlejohn mysteries in future. For someone who's not read much classic crime for a few years, I really enjoyed it

I’m struggling with how to review this book.

On the one hand, the writing is sharp and engaging, the plot drew me in and kept me reading, there was a strong sense of place which I like in a novel, and there was a fair amount of the dry British humor that I like so much.

But…but…but…

I really struggled with the very “social class-aware” premise of the book – that by running off with his secretary, Dot, the educated company director Harry Dodd had put himself beyond the pale. So far beyond the pale, in fact, that he had become a sort of “in-country” remittance man.

To me there may or may not be things wrong with running off with your secretary, depending on marital status of both, power/wealth difference, age difference or whatever. But violating social class norms is NOT, to me, one of the things wrong with this. And yet the entire plot is based on this premise, and many of the characterizations seem drawn to highlight this.

In a way this was made worse for me by the fact that this title was originally published in the 1950s and appears to be more-or-less contemporaneous. If this had been written today, as a historical mystery, I would have been more comfortable with it, since I could have viewed it as the author’s probably somewhat accurate portrayal of attitudes of the period. However, as I was reading it, I kept thinking that this in fact probably actually represented the author’s views, and that kept intruding on my enjoyment. It’s not that other British mystery authors of the period don’t have similar social-class issues that seem awkward to a reader of today - e.g. the original title of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None”. It was that in this case, it was so central to the tale that I couldn’t compartmentalize it away while reading.

With that issue (big though it was for me) aside, I did like this enough to try at least one or two other Inspector Littlejohn titles, and hope that this is not a recurring theme for the whole series.

A Knife for Harry Dodd is the eighth volume in the Inspector Littlejohn series by George Bellairs. First published in 1953, it holds up well. Unlike many “golden age” mysteries, this one had a very credible plot, though at times convoluted. But it all gets straightened out nicely in the end. And as crazy as the beginning sounded, the characters are believable. To say the story starts out interesting is selling it short: Harry Dodd is stabbed in the back on his way home from the pub, but instead of calling for the police, he phones his girlfriend and her mother and tells them to come fetch him. I was immediately hooked, and loved the whole story.
Not having read any of the others in the series, I was a little confused at first about which policeman was the main one to watch. But it centered quickly on Inspector Littlejohn, with some amazing help from Sergeant Cromwell (inevitably referred to by one wag as ‘Oliver’). I’ll be reading more of Inspector Littlejohn.

This was a great addition to the Chief Inspector Littlejohn series. I think that anyone could read this, whether you have read the other books in the series or not. I hadn't read any of the other books and enjoyed it

A Knife for Harry Dodd is the 21st (!!!) Inspector Littlejohn mystery by George Bellairs. Originally published in 1953, this reformat and re-release from Agora, out 13th June 2019 is 312 pages and available in ebook and paperback formats.

George Bellairs was a prolific and very readable author. His books are enjoyable with solid characterizations, often droll dialogue and twisty plots. This one is maybe not my absolute favorite of the ones I've read by him, but it's an above average engaging murder mystery.

Harry Dodd is a friendly engaging man with set habits, egalitarian taste in friends, and a complex history. He is stabbed on the way home from the pub and the body count continues from there. Part of the appeal of the Littlejohn mysteries for me are the unerring 'English village' bucolic settings with tension and enmities rife just under the surface. Bellairs was an adept commentator on the human condition and I think the comparison with Simenon's French novels is an apt one.

Five stars, a diverting read, cleverly put together.

Wow _ a George Bellairs I haven't read! The reader is straight into s brilliant story in vintage George Bellairs' style. There are lots of weird and wonderful characters _ many of whom were probably drawn from the years when the author was a bank manager, in the days when a person in that position knew all his customers personal and private intimate details. Absolutely one of his best _ please republish all of the Littlejohn books.

I really enjoyed this. Lots of great detail, a steadily unrolling plot about a dysfunctional family, set against the morality of the time, and the plot keeps moving in ways you'd least expect. Beginning with the abrupt stabbing of Harry Dodd, it gradually uncovers many layers of deceit and complication, as the truth of his life and the secrets within his estranged family are revealed.

When the Nicholls, mother and daughter, receive a phone call from Harry Dodd to collect him, they at first believe his is drunk but later discover that he has been stabbed and is now dead. But why would anyone want him dead.
Inspector Littlejohn and Cromwell of Scotland Yard are called in to investigate.
An enjoyable well-written mystery, with some twists to get to the solution but also contains a set of unlikeable people called the Dodds' family. With an easy to read writing style.
Original written in 1953

I still have to find a George Bellairs' book I didn't like. They're all engrossing, well written and fun to read.
This one was amazing, I couldn't read it fast enough and wasn't able to go to sleep until I discovered who the culprit was (2 am in the morning).
The cast of characters is fascinating, most of them are unlikable and seedy but fleshed out and well written.
The mystery was great, full of twists and turns, it kept me guessing till the end.
I love Inspector Littlejohn and Cromwell and I look forward to reading other books in this great series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Agora Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I count on George Bellairs for an instantly engrossing, solid read. His plot may not be as steady as a Patricia Wentworth or Agatha Christie, but the characters are fully developed, the dialogue exceptional- often bringing a wry smile to my face. And I never guess who the villain is at the beginning. One of the things I like best is the scenery, and great characterization, he truly understands people, human nature and his astute observations are often laugh out loud funny. I'm not a drinker, particularly beer, but I liked this book anyway- considering the importance of that bottle cap! Also, this plot rolls and bumps along just as an actual investigation pre-cell phone would have- I love the local bobby cycling to find our Scotland Yard man amidst his enquiries. When I rate books, I typically rate the book against the genre, or if I have read many of a particular author as I have this one, then I rate it against his or her other work. This is a 3.75 so I'll give him 4 stars for easy entertainment. Thanks, George!

This is a very well written story. I love Inspector Littlejohn stories. Moves at a relatively quick pace for a British detective story. I have to admit, I did not see the ending. Highly recommend. I received an advance reader copy from the publisher. Opinions are my own.

This book was first published in 1953. It is now being republished by Agora Books and it will be released on 13th June. It involves the series characters Inspector Littlejohn and Sergeant Cromwell of Scotland Yard.
Mrs Nicholls, her daughter Dorothy, and Harry Dodd live together in a bungalow called Mon Abri in the village Brande. Harry Dodd often spends his evenings at the village pub. Once when he had gone out to the pub, the Nicholls receive a telephone call from him that he is unwell and needs a lift home. When the Nicholls reach him in the car they find that he is badly injured having been stabbed in the back. The knife is missing. They put him in the car but by the time they reach the bungalow, he is dead.
About 6 years back, Harry Dodd had a little fling with Dorothy who was then his secretary which he regretted later. But his children pressurized his wife to divorce him so that they could take control of the family business. Harry Dodd then bought Mon Abri to settle Dorothy and her mother and also stayed with them though he avoided any further physical relationship with Dorothy.
Harry’s ambitious M.P. brother William speaks to Scotland Yard and Littlejohn and Cromwell are sent to investigate the crime. Harry Dodd was a harmless and unassuming man. So who could have killed him ?
There follows a painstaking investigation with a lot of suspects. The detectives discover the dark side of the Dodd family and have to deal with jealousy, greed, intrigue and spurned lovers. They finally solve the case but not before further murders take place.
This is a well written mystery with an intricate plot. There are several twists and turns and plenty of clues. Most of the characters have strange lives which are described vividly and often comically. The characterization is very good.
However, my complaint is that there is a lot of padding of unnecessary details which slow down the pace and often make for dull reading. The book could easily have been reduced by about 25% It is because of this aspect that I rate the book as 3 stars, otherwise I would have rated it as 4 stars.

Yet another Bellairs' masterpiece! This book was quite different from the other Littlejohn series that I have read so far. The mystery, suspense, pace and tension was very well maintained until the end. Of course, given that this is a Bellairs novel, one can expect some quirky humour and weird characters.

Overall, this was an entertaining, engrossing and enjoyable read. A highly recommended book for those who love Classic mysteries.

This was a reread for me and was the first Bellairs I ever read. This edition is much improved on the previous and all typos etc have been corrected. A very convoluted and unusual plot with the usual surfeit of victims and lack of suspects. What I enjoy so much about Bellairs books are the social history that can be picked up from his descriptions of countryside, towns, clothing and decor. And having worked in finance for forty years the investments thread in this one was of interest to me too. It's not his best but it's a darned good read, nonetheless.

There is little better than an Inspector Littlejohn book. I love every one of these, and AKnife for Harry Dodd is no exception. The interaction between Littlejohn and Cromwell is always enjoyable without being too predictable. George Bellairs does a wonderful job filling out all of the other characters in his books with detailed descriptions. Highly recommended this series!