Michael Gilbert had a writing career that spanned the many years of his long life. Gilbert’s first mystery, Close Quarters, was published in 1947. His last crime novel was written many years later. Death Has Deep Roots was first published in 1951.

At the time of its publication, memories of WWII would have been readily available to Gilbert’s readers. This may have made the story especially intriguing and relevant.

Gilbert sets his story a few years after the war. The main character is a woman who has been accused of murder. The murder is not just any murder but that of a war hero. Is she guilty? What happened? Can she be saved if she is innocent?

This involving story will capture the reader’s attention. Those who like courtroom dramas will especially like this one. I am so glad that it has been reissued by the British Crime Library. As is true of other books in this series, the cover is gorgeous.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Michael Gilbert’s Death Has Deep Roots (1951) is part courtroom drama, part action adventure. This is a cozy, fun, rollicking novel, but you read it for the puzzle and plot: the characters are so shallow it is hard to take seriously. Victoria Lamartine, a former member of the French Resistance, is accused of murdering Eric Thoseby at the English hotel where she works. She had written a letter asking him to help her find out what happened to her English lover, who disappeared when the Nazis swooped on the farmhouse where they were hidden. The team of solicitors has just a week to dig up evidence on Victoria’s behalf. And it is a wild ride, because many criminals are involved.

Honestly, I didn’t think this was terrific but it was published in the British Library Classic Crime series, which I enjoy. . Perhaps this isn't Gilbert's best.

An absolutely riveting historical novel exposing crime in the aftermath of war.

The events of this novel could be true today as in the period it was set, after the second world war. The plot is built up cleverly during the trial of Victoria Lamartine - a French refugee living in London after the war. Her crime, the murder of Major Thoseby, a British officer known to Victoria during her time in the French Resistance. All the evidence points to her guilt, and the trial is set for one week only.

Gilbert sets the racing tone of the story as more and more intricate details and people are introduced. Deep roots are very apt in this case because on the surface the trial goes on, but underneath more and more details are uncovered to get you wondering who exactly did kill Major Thoseby. The investigation by the defence goes back in time to discover the deeper truth which might possibly be found in the past in France. This investigation in France runs parallel to the trial in England. The race against time is riveting, and the adventurous digging reveals other crimes that eventually lead to the golden nugget of the plot.

I highly recommend this book - you won’t be able to put down until the end.

BonnieK

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC to review. I'm loving all the books being republished. Finding so many great hidden jems. Looking forward to reading and collecting them all.

The narration revolved around four main characters involved in defence of a woman jailed for murder. The first is the legal counsel for the defence, Mr Macrea. He is touted to be famous for dramatic twists and turns in the court, and his sudden arrival causes a furore of excitement in the courtroom. Rombold Junior (Nap) and his father are the main people that the accused first approaches and requests for help. The younger sets off to figure out the roots of the crime and adds another man McCann into the mix to did out the more hidden details of the ongoing case. 

The entire book felt like I was watching a play. Many of the main characters wove in and out of the other's scenes, but there was a distinct frame within which each operated. It felt like a 'boys' tale, the enthusiasm and the way everything was approached. The title made a surprising amount of sense given the way the story unfolded.

A humorous twist was the giving of compliments when talking of someone new and then saying 'despite this, the person was liked'. As I got more and more accustomed to the characters, I felt it get progressively funnier even if all the threads of the narration seemed to run parallel to each other. The timeline is tight and clues few and far between, but the defence has sincere faith in the innocence of the woman in question and is doing their best to find out the truth. The mystery itself is almost sidelined, and the culprit was not much of a surprise, but the book in its entirety was. I did not expect much from it, but I did enjoy it the ride.

Some lines I happened to highlight because I found it funny. It could have been the timing of it might just be me, but I was chuckling at these for a bit.

" Sergeant Crabbe, a sorrowful man, nodded heavily. He bestowed upon McCann the look which a St.Bernard might have given if, after a long trek through the snow, he had found the traveller already frozen to death. He then sat down dutifully on the edge of the hardest chair."

"'All right. Then we came to the guests at the hotel. There were seven of them, but five were more or less out of it. that left two'. 'Five from seven leaves two' agreed Mrs McCann"

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

"Death has Deep Roots" is an interesting book when the defense attorney uses his wit, his methods and logic to prove his client is innocent. This book s a nice courtroom drama kind of mystery which is highly engrossing and engaging. Michael Gilbert was one of the renowned vintage crime writers of his time and "Death Has Deep Roots." showcases his talent in the mystery genre. Be prepared for an addicting plot with tension and suspense. Another great addition to the British Library Crime Classic series. Truly enjoyable!

Victoria Lamartine is accused of killing a British officer during the war. Nap Rumbold is the solicitor who is charged with her defense. The book alternates between chapters about the investigation and chapters of courtroom drama. I preferred the chapters about the investigation but both sections combined to make a good story. Victoria Lamartine never quite came alive for me but Nap was a more developed character.

I thoroughly enjoyed Death Has Deep Roots. Set in 1950 it’s a mix of courtroom drama, spy novel and an adventure thriller. Victoria Lamartine, a hotel worker, and an ex-French Resistance fighter is on trial for the murder of Major Eric Thoseby, her supposed lover, and alleged father of her dead child. The story alternates between the courtroom scenes, where QC Hargest Macrea is in charge of Vicky’s defence, and the investigations of solicitor Nap Rumbold in France, and his friend Major Angus McCann, who now keeps a pub in Shepherd Market.

Vicky is the obvious suspect – she was found standing over Thoseby’s dead body in his room at the Family Hotel in Soho, a room that was only accessed by one staircase – making this a variation on a locked room murder mystery. In evidence was also against her as Thoseby had been stabbed using the same method that the Resistance fighters had been taught. But she insists that she is not guilty. Macrea and Nap believe her and Nap sets out to find the Englishman, Julian West, who Vicky says is the father of her dead child, whilst McCann investigates events in London.

I always like courtroom dramas and I think the courtroom scenes are impressive and persuasive as Macrea questions the prosecutions witnesses and manages to stall proceedings whilst Nap is away in France. It is, of course, much more complicated than I’ve described – there is a lot of information about the war in France and the work of the French Resistance, and the dangers that confront Nap as he digs deeper into what had happened to Wells. And I enjoyed the thrill of the chase as he travels through France with only a week to discover the truth.

I think what makes this book so good is not just the murder mystery, which I couldn’t solve, but also the setting and the characters. It was written not long after the end of the Second World War and it conveys a vivid impression of what life was like in both France and England, with memories of the war still fresh on people’s minds. Whilst Vicky is maybe a stereotypical character Nap, in particular, comes across as a more developed character – and a very likeable one too. It’s described as a book in the Inspector Hazelrigg series, but he only makes a brief appearance, with Nap, Macrea and McCann doing the main investigations.

Michael Gilbert was a British lawyer who wrote police procedurals, spy novels and many short stories, courtroom dramas, classical mysteries, adventure thrillers, and crime novels. I have another one of his to read, Smallbone Deceased and I hope to get round to it soon.

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for a review copy via NetGalley.

This is yet another reprint from the British Library's Classic Crime series by Poisoned Pen Press. I'm quite glad to see some of the love from this series fall upon Michael Gilbert, who has been most unjustly neglected and out-of-print for some time. Gilbert's range went all the way from the cozy ("Smallbone Deceased" is probably his most famous work, but is not particularly characteristic) to the distinctly hard-boiled (spy stories like "Game Without Rules.")

"Death Has Deep Roots" falls comfortably in the middle of the scale as a procedural legal thriller with elements of danger. In the years after the Second World War, a young French girl is accused of killing an Englishman in a small British hotel. During the war, she was a minor member of the French Resistance and he was a star of the British Secret Service. What events in the past led up to his death, if Victoria Lamartine is innocent?

Vicky's lawyers are tasked to prove her innocence in a hurry, and the scene shifts back and forth between the courtroom drama which provides the necessary details of the crime, and the travels of the young lawyer Nap, who must find the critical information his father needs before the trial concludes.

As usual, Gilbert has put together a fine narrative worthy of greater public attention and affection.

I really enjoyed this mystery from 1951. Gilbert deftly blends a courtroom drama with an investigation in what is a compelling and easy-to-read novel. I really liked the way the chapters alternated between the happenings in the courtroom and the investigation.

Although t was pretty clear to me early on who had committed the murder, the question of how and how that was connected to the actions of the victim and several of the principles during the War kept me guessing.

Having read Death in Captivity and Smallbone Deceased, I kept my expectations high as I started to read Death Has Deep Roots.

The character portrayal is good, no doubt about it. But I cannot say the same about the ending.

The story alternates between courtroom drama and investigations by Nap and McCann. I liked the investigation part better. A lot of effort went in into building the right atmosphere and the ending didn't do justice to the tension and suspense that was built up so far.

If you like legal drama in crime fiction, I recommend you to give this book a try.

My Rating: 3.5/5 (rounding it off to 4)

Death Has Deep Roots is the 5th book by Michael Gilbert with Inspector Hazlerigg (who has a cameo here). Originally published in 1951, this reformat and re-release, out 5th Nov 2019 is part of the British Library Crime Classics series by Poisoned Pen Press. The new edition is 288 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. (Other editions available in other formats).

This is a classic courtroom drama/mystery with locked room overtones. This is a really enjoyable and well written legal procedural from an author who wasn't well known to me. I haven't yet read a single clunker from the British Library Classics. This one, as the others in the series, is introduced with background from the ever erudite mystery maven Martin Edwards. These intros are frankly worth the price of admission by themselves and include background info on the authors, the history, and (in this case) the film adaptation. Good stuff.

The language is precise and the book is very well written if ever so slightly dated (it's almost 70 years old). The mystery is cerebral with a very interesting back history about WW2 and the French resistance and WW2. I would definitely recommend it to fans of legal and classic mysteries of the period. Four stars.

This book is an excellent blend of whodunnit murder mystery, detective thriller and courtroom drama. The story is set in post WW2 years, but there's a backstory centres on events occurring in France during the German Occupation in the war. The language is not dated even though the book was written in 1951.

It begins with an accused killer changing her legal defence team on the eve of the beginning of her trial. Her previous team wanted her to plead guilty and throw herself n the mercy of the court. The suggestion is that they did not want to mount a vigorous defence out of either laziness or a lack of financial incentive. A new team comes in to prove that she's innocent.
The story opens literally on the courtroom steps and moves through the trial process. This process is presented in clear language with minimal arcane legal jargon. The barristers are seasoned and act professionally, no phoney rhetoric or histrionics.

Alternating with the court proceeding is the story of the detective work undertaken by a junior defence solicitor and a veteran British commando. The solicitor travels to France while the veteran stays in England. However, both face danger from people wanting to thwart their inquiries.
The author is good at building suspense. With the detectives, it's the tension of the thriller -- can they elude their pursuers? In the courtroom, it's a race against time to find the information to prove the defence case before the end of the trial.

All in all, it's a brilliant work of crime fiction: suspenseful, well-plotted and fast-paced with an ensemble cast of interesting characters. The description of post war rural France adds to the atmosphere in a meaningful way too. It's one of those books you want to read in one sitting.
The comprehensive Introduction written by Martin Edwards provides insight into the author and the book.

Recommended reading.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an advance reading copy of this eBook of the British Library Crime Classic edition. The comments about it are my own.

Death Has Deep Roots is a one-of-a-kind mystery, or perhaps more accurately, it is a one-of-many-kinds mystery. It is a legal thriller, a murder mystery, and war/espionage thriller. When Major Thoseby is murdered at a hotel where he was to meet Victoria Lamartine who had been seeking his help several times in the past. She is found standing over his body and indicted for murder. Both the prosecution and the defense seek the deep roots of this murder.

The prosecution alleges Thoseby fathered her child who had recently died while she insists that a soldier who came in to support the French Resistance was the father. She was a Resistance fighter herself and was captured by the Gestapo herself. Nap Rumbold heads to France to find evidence on her behalf while his partners and father wage a brilliant legal defense, hoping to keep the case alive so Rumbold had time to find answers. Another is tasked to investigage Wells, to see if they can find answers in England as well.



I loved how well the many investigative and defense narratives were woven together. The story was effective and I was engrossed throughout. I am not sure I would call it “fair” in terms of meeting the Detection Club clues in that we do not get the full story that Rumbold gets from the French detectives, but on the other hand, we have the critical details to make the leap to recognize who must be guilty. I also think Lamartine was a relatively flat character, more a plot device than a person. The people working on her behalf were far more compelling.

I liked Death Has Deep Roots and hope to read more books in this series of books that are not dedicated to one particular hero, but which has a collection of recurring characters who are sometimes in the lead and sometimes purely secondary. If they match this one, it will be a great series of books.

I received an e-galley of Death Has Deep Roots from the publisher through NetGalley.

I really enjoy 1940s and 50s British crime novels. They provide genuine escapism (although that can be and overused term) and at their best, are intelligent puzzles in a crime story wrapping. They can be as good as anything contemporary but are almost always without the gore that appears to be requisite in modern crime novels.
Almost as important is the period when they were written and set as this gives a genuine insight into the thoughts and philosophies of society at a time of great change in Europe and the world.

Michael Gilbert was obviously a writer of rare talent and this is an excellent example of British crime fiction from this period. ‘Death has Deep Roots’ is the third of his novels that I have read (all part of the British Library Crime Classics collection) and each one has been distinctly different to each of the others. His plotting is meticulous, his characterisation fully and roundly developed and his attention to detail precise; these are not simply ‘murder by numbers’.
On this occasion, the novel is not solely a detective-based story but is also part adventure and part courtroom drama. But even the courtroom sections are interspersed with ‘real time’ adventure as the story develops and becomes a race against time to find the truth – when was the last time you found a courtroom drama exciting? This is a cracking read!

This novel being set and written in the period just a few short years after the Second World War when British life was just beginning to become normalised again, allows for many aspects of post-war life to be shown in this book.
This makes for a fascinating read simply as a social history piece for those interested in this period of British (and world) history but when this is wrapped up in a fantastic and well written crime/adventure/courtroom novel, who could possibly ask for anything more?

Superbly crafted Courtroom drama and first class mystery from the Golden Age. Thoroughly engaging throughout and another excellent entry into the British Library Crime Classics series.

This book was first published in 1951, when memories of the war very fresh and grudges were burning in people’s hearts. It nicely blends courtroom scenes in London with on-site investigations in England and in France.

Vicky Lamartine has been accused of murdering Eric Thoseby and changes her defence team two days before the trial is due to start. Nap Rumbold, the new solicitor for the defence, seeks help from his father, the senior partner in their legal firm; Hargest McRea, Q.C., the barrister briefed for the defence; and Angus McCann, now a publican, but also an ex-Commando.

Vicky comes from Paris but spent the war in Maine-et-Loire. Nap goes off to seek leads in France whilst McCann investigates the English connection. Nap discovers that his investigations have aroused interest in certain quarters whilst he’s on the boat to France. McCann is made painfully aware of that “interest” without even leaving London. As the story unfolds, it is surprising how many connections there are to Maine-et-Loire during the war.

The book is well-structured with quieter courtroom scenes interspersed between the physical running around in France and England. McCrea’s court examinations are cracking. For example, having established from a witness that there was a time of seven seconds between the hotel room door opening and the accused screaming, he says “Rather an impetuous young woman, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Well, there wasn’t time for much conversation, was there? She must have marched straight in and stuck a knife into Major Thoseby before he had time to say so much as “good evening’.”

This is the first of Michael Gilbert’s books that I have read but I shall definitely look out for more. Poisoned Pen Press are to be highly commended for publishing it.

Classic British crime drama!

If I were a 'courtroom drama' purist I'd be in seventh heaven over this reprint of this 1951 British Crime Classic.
I'm not, and yet I found myself following the court action and the investigation process as avidly as if I were watching Rumpole of the Bailey.
It's post World War II London. A young French woman, Victoria Lamartine, a former resistance member, and ex Gestapo prisoner has been accused of murder.
Her victim is Major Eric Thoseby, her supposed lover and contact in France during the war.
It looks like a cut and dried case. But at the last moment Victoria changes briefs and things go from a ho hum, 'Guilty as charged', murder case to 'High Drama.'
Victoria's new defense team led by Hargest Macre with young solicitor Nap Rumbold are wily, thorough and astute. The investigations are visually clear and thrilling. As the case builds both in and outside the courtroom (Nap to France and back with former Commando and army officer Major Angus McCann) I was totally engaged.
A compelling read!

A Poisoned Pen Press ARC via NetGalley

I'm more than happy I requested this ARC because I discovered a new to me author and a great courtroom mystery.
It's engrossing and entertaining, it keeps you hooked till the end and it perfectly pictures how the impact of WWII and how it was just after the end of the war.
The mystery is solid and it kept me guessing.
I loved this novel and I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Victoria Lamartine, an ex-French Resistance fighter and now hotel worker is standing trial for the murder of her former manager in France, and alleged lover, Major Eric Thoseby. A seemingly straightforward trial as she is the only logical suspect.
Just before her trial she changes her defence counsel, and solicitor. The latter, with help try and find new evidence.
It took a few chapters to get into the book but then I came interested in the story and really enjoyed the unfolding of this well-written story.
Originally published in 1951