slferg's review against another edition
5.0
I believe I like these books. George Gently of the CID is on vacation, planning to fish, when he reads about a murder in the local paper. He goes along to the station and offers his assistance. The murdered man's son us the main suspect, but Gently does not believe he did it. He saw the son ride the Wall of Death at the carnival. But there are a number of other people with suspicious alibis and e doggedly checks them out. The local police are not thrilled that he won't go along with their ideas, but they are willing to let him check things out and if he needs help, they will probably assist him.
tmpowers's review against another edition
4.0
The mystery wasn't particularly deep. The culprit is easily guessable after the first round of interviews at the police station. Mr Hunter's clues and character observations can be a bit heavy handed at times and the red herring is so obvious as to be a bit dull. There is also the subtle clue that comes when Gently states flat out what happened about 2/3 of the way through the book.
None of that really hampered my enjoyment of the book at all, though. I found the main character to be very likable and I enjoyed his pursuit of proof to back up his suspicions and loose ends. The story and main character both have a more Colombo-esk style than most mystery books I have come across and I found this more unusual approach to be quite fun.
In the end, the mystery wasn't very mysterious but the likeable Gently and his pursuit of proof (as opposed to a guilty party) kept me turning pages.
Spoiler
(Fisher)Spoiler
I might have preferred a climax that centered more on finding proof or tricking the murderer rather than a possibly deadly confrontation with flying bullets. It seems like a calmer ending would be more inline with the gentle story pace and main character but, at the same time, who wants an anticlimactic murder mystery ending.None of that really hampered my enjoyment of the book at all, though. I found the main character to be very likable and I enjoyed his pursuit of proof to back up his suspicions and loose ends. The story and main character both have a more Colombo-esk style than most mystery books I have come across and I found this more unusual approach to be quite fun.
In the end, the mystery wasn't very mysterious but the likeable Gently and his pursuit of proof (as opposed to a guilty party) kept me turning pages.
verityw's review against another edition
4.0
As the forward says, you know who did it fairly early on. The fun in this is watching how the murderer is caught and I enjoyed if very much.
angrygreycatreads's review against another edition
4.0
I just read my first Alan Hunter book from the George Gently series. I loved the TV show, in which Martin Shaw, played Gently. 
The book had a lot of differences, as far as location and back story, however the character of George Gently himself shines through. Martin Shaw did a superb job bringing this character to life. In Gently Does It, a wealthy timber dealer is murdered at the same time his errant son happens to be in town. All fingers point to the son, but Gently doesn’t believe it. Calmly and methodically, Gently uncovers the truth leading to a climactic resolution to the case. Along the way are some very telling quotes that stick with me like, “Justice belongs to the courts. It’s nothing to do with the police.”
I will definitely be reading more in this series.
The book had a lot of differences, as far as location and back story, however the character of George Gently himself shines through. Martin Shaw did a superb job bringing this character to life. In Gently Does It, a wealthy timber dealer is murdered at the same time his errant son happens to be in town. All fingers point to the son, but Gently doesn’t believe it. Calmly and methodically, Gently uncovers the truth leading to a climactic resolution to the case. Along the way are some very telling quotes that stick with me like, “Justice belongs to the courts. It’s nothing to do with the police.”
I will definitely be reading more in this series.
izabrekilien's review
1.0
Recently, I watched the first episode of Inspector George Gently with Martin Shaw and liked it, so I thought I might try the books.
However, the story is a bit dated and the written inspector soon got on my nerves : he's self-deprecating (apparently, anyway), knows everything and guesses everything while everybody's mocking or underestimating him. A kind of Columbo, Miss Marple, Father Brown all together.
I wasn't caught up in the story, or even remotely interested in finishing it, so I gave up.
The slow pace had nothing to do with the DNF, just the characters.
However, the story is a bit dated and the written inspector soon got on my nerves : he's self-deprecating (apparently, anyway), knows everything and guesses everything while everybody's mocking or underestimating him. A kind of Columbo, Miss Marple, Father Brown all together.
I wasn't caught up in the story, or even remotely interested in finishing it, so I gave up.
The slow pace had nothing to do with the DNF, just the characters.
nce14210's review
4.0
I've just got to get some of those peppermint creams! Lovely book, good mystery and a wonderful detective. I'll be looking for more of these.
chally's review
5.0
The pace of this book is slow, measured and thoughtful, just like its protagonist. And I loved it for that. Detective Inspector George Gently is a pleasure to spend time with: a methodical, deep-thinking man in his fifties, Gently is mild, quiet and rather humble. He's fond of fishing, food and peppermint creams. He's also a particularly fine detective: the type who is precise, observant and never satisfied with less than the truth.
Where other policemen rush to close a case early, Gently believes in taking his time. He's presented with a house full of tangled characters, each hiding secrets about the afternoon that the master of the house was killed. Gently will slowly but surely untangle all of these muddled stories until he identifies the culprit.
What's interesting about this book is that it isn't quite a classic whodunnit. The reader discovers the truth about the murder relatively early - about three-quarters of the way through the book - and the rest deals with the challenge of uncovering enough evidence about the crime to arrest and charge the murderer. It's intriguing watching Gently match wits with a clever, ruthless killer who's planned out his crime almost too perfectly.
Set (and in fact originally published) in the mid-fifties, this book is also a pleasant trip into the mid twentieth century. It appears that Alan Hunter wrote a lot of books about George Gently; I can easily imagine reading them all in time and I hope I'll get the chance to.
Where other policemen rush to close a case early, Gently believes in taking his time. He's presented with a house full of tangled characters, each hiding secrets about the afternoon that the master of the house was killed. Gently will slowly but surely untangle all of these muddled stories until he identifies the culprit.
What's interesting about this book is that it isn't quite a classic whodunnit. The reader discovers the truth about the murder relatively early - about three-quarters of the way through the book - and the rest deals with the challenge of uncovering enough evidence about the crime to arrest and charge the murderer. It's intriguing watching Gently match wits with a clever, ruthless killer who's planned out his crime almost too perfectly.
Set (and in fact originally published) in the mid-fifties, this book is also a pleasant trip into the mid twentieth century. It appears that Alan Hunter wrote a lot of books about George Gently; I can easily imagine reading them all in time and I hope I'll get the chance to.
fellfromfiction's review
4.0
Perfectly serviceable crime novel, though not in a hurry to read the next 45. Will probably dip in again though.
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