Close Quarters: Difference between revisions
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{{Image|Michael Gilbert Portrait - smaller.jpg|right|100px|Michael Gilbert on the back cover of [[Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens]], 1982}} | {{Image|Michael Gilbert Portrait - smaller.jpg|right|100px|Michael Gilbert on the back cover of [[Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens]], 1982}} | ||
'''Close Quarters''' is the first novel by the British mystery writer [[Michael Gilbert]]. Published in England by [[Hodder & Stoughton]] in 1947, it did not appear in the United States until 1963. By then Gilbert's reputation had been firmly established and his regular American publisher for many years had been [[Harper & Row]]. ''Close Quarters'', however, was published by [[Walker and Company]], a less prestigious house. The novel's form is that of the [[Golden Age mystery novel|Golden Age mystery novels]] that had been popularized during the 1930s by writers such as [[Agatha Christie]], [[Dorothy L. Sayers]], and [[Michael Innes]]. It also introduces [[Inspector Hazlerigg]], a character who will go on to appear in a number of Gilbert's | '''Close Quarters''' is the first novel by the British mystery writer [[Michael Gilbert]]. Published in England by [[Hodder & Stoughton]] in 1947, it did not appear in the United States until 1963. By then Gilbert's reputation had been firmly established and his regular American publisher for many years had been [[Harper & Row]]. ''Close Quarters'', however, was published by [[Walker and Company]], a less prestigious house. The novel's form is that of the [[Golden Age mystery novel|Golden Age mystery novels]] that had been popularized during the 1930s by writers such as [[Agatha Christie]], [[Dorothy L. Sayers]], and [[Michael Innes]]. It also introduces [[Inspector Hazlerigg]], a character who will go on to appear in a number of Gilbert's earlier works. | ||
The events take place not long after [[World War II]] in the normally quiet cathedral town of Welchester, more particularly in the "close" of the 500-year old cathedral itself, "close" being the English word for the precincts of a cathedral. Although hard-boiled private-eye stories such as those by [[Raymond Chandler]] had already begun to displace the older form, Gilbert makes a conscious effort to mimic some of the classic detective story's typical features. The story itself, for instance, is set in the tightly limited confines of the cathedral and the houses that are inside its exterior walls, much as the Golden Age stories were frequently set in isolated country houses; the cast of characters is also limited to those ecclesiasticals living within those limits; there are three full-page diagrams showing the grounds of the close with its cathedral and houses; an inspector is sent down from Scotland Yard to conduct the inquiries; a fine imitation of a London ''Times'' crossword puzzle, including the necessary clues, is the subject of an entire chapter, with three iterations of the puzzle being presented as it is gradually filled in by two of the characters; a complete cast of the characters inhabiting the close takes an additional two pages; and there is much leisurely description of the cathedral, the neighboring houses, and of the characters themselves. | |||
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
Revision as of 17:48, 5 September 2016
Close Quarters is the first novel by the British mystery writer Michael Gilbert. Published in England by Hodder & Stoughton in 1947, it did not appear in the United States until 1963. By then Gilbert's reputation had been firmly established and his regular American publisher for many years had been Harper & Row. Close Quarters, however, was published by Walker and Company, a less prestigious house. The novel's form is that of the Golden Age mystery novels that had been popularized during the 1930s by writers such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Michael Innes. It also introduces Inspector Hazlerigg, a character who will go on to appear in a number of Gilbert's earlier works.
The events take place not long after World War II in the normally quiet cathedral town of Welchester, more particularly in the "close" of the 500-year old cathedral itself, "close" being the English word for the precincts of a cathedral. Although hard-boiled private-eye stories such as those by Raymond Chandler had already begun to displace the older form, Gilbert makes a conscious effort to mimic some of the classic detective story's typical features. The story itself, for instance, is set in the tightly limited confines of the cathedral and the houses that are inside its exterior walls, much as the Golden Age stories were frequently set in isolated country houses; the cast of characters is also limited to those ecclesiasticals living within those limits; there are three full-page diagrams showing the grounds of the close with its cathedral and houses; an inspector is sent down from Scotland Yard to conduct the inquiries; a fine imitation of a London Times crossword puzzle, including the necessary clues, is the subject of an entire chapter, with three iterations of the puzzle being presented as it is gradually filled in by two of the characters; a complete cast of the characters inhabiting the close takes an additional two pages; and there is much leisurely description of the cathedral, the neighboring houses, and of the characters themselves.
Notes