The Aardvark Blog

B is for Bludgeon, Beaton, Bentley, Berkeley, Martin Beck and Burke
17/01/2016

B is for Bludgeon, Beaton, Bentley, Martin Beck and Burke.

Bludgeon is a word of wonderful and almost onomatopoeic weight. I was surprised, then, to learn that its first recorded appearance in verbal form was not until 1868. Even its use to mean a cudgel or heavy stick dates only to the first half of the 18^th century. This is a word that requires further study. In detective stories many victims are bludgeoned to death – for example the general in Agatha Christie’s novel now known as And Then There Were None. In real life, the driver of the train in the Great Train Robbery was bludgeoned with a metal bar and was said never to have recovered. Bludgeoning is quick, relatively quiet and its effects are suitably macabre. Perfect for the detective story.

MC Beaton is the nom de plume of Marion Gibbons - or Marion McChesney - a prolific contemporary author of well over 100 romances and detective stories. Her detective stories feature two protagonists, Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth. I can't claim to have read many of these books, but of those that I have read I prefer the ones named after the Bard’s evil king. I find the Agatha Raisin books well plotted but just a little too twee. Strangely, I've always enjoyed them more in audiobook form. Hamish Macbeth, on the other hand, has more depth as a character, and the Scottish scenery and populace are well captured. Perhaps it helps to keep in mind Robert Carlyle and the enjoyable BBC1 serialisation of the books. 

In contrast to Marion Gibbons, E C Bentley (the C stood for Clerihew) wrote very few detective stories, but produced one true masterpiece in Trent’s Last Case, published in 1913. Its influence was far-reaching and easy to spot in other crime novels, including those of Delano Ames. Without wishing to give away the plot, its originality lies in the creation of a detective who is very far from competent: the Tommy Cooper of detectives. Bentley also ridicules numerous tropes of detective fiction (which hasn’t stopped authors continuing  to use them in the century since the novel’s publication). The sequel, Trent’s Own Case, appeared 20 years later. It's a good read, but not of the same metal. No true lover of detective stories should be without Trent’s Last Case, and it is readily easy to acquire as the House of Stratus still have it in print.

I would be lying if I said that I was a massive enthusiast for the novels of James Lee Burke, but there is no disputing that they are extremely popular examples of modern police procedurals. Most of the novels feature a Vietnam Vet turned police officer called Robicheaux, who is comfortable with breaking rules and insulting superiors. I am not sure why I do not like these books more, as the descriptions of the south of America – particularly Louisiana – are extremely well done. Also Robicheaux is similar in character to Harry Bosch (see forthcoming entry for C) who is perhaps my favourite contemporary detective. Ultimately it is all a matter of taste, and Burke’s prose is not really to mine.

Anthony Berkeley in contrast is a writer of detective fiction who prefers a talented amateur detective to a professional ( however flawed). I particularly enjoyed the 'Silk Stocking Murders', although I also very much liked 'Roger Sheringham and the Vane Mystery'. I have some of his other titles on a list of books to find, but alas they do not come up that often.

Martin Beck is a fictional policeman detective created by two Swedish writers, Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. There are ten novels in the series collectively known as "The Story of a Crime".  These books are often seen as the fons origo of Scandi or nordic noir, although to my mind they are heavily influenced by Simenon. Either way it's an extremely good series and I would recommend anyone to purchase it en bloc. The BBC produced very good radio versions of some of the stories – I remember particularly enjoying The Terrorists.

A Postscript:

Just as I had finished writing this, I engaged in conversation with a customer who is a great fan of Burke and who gave me multiple reasons why I was wrong. One of my New Year's resolutions now is to read more of his novels, so perhaps I will shortly be forced to revise my feelings for them.