Tag: Nicholas Blake

Thou Shell of Death

Thou Shell of Death

by Nicholas Blake (Collins, 1936); audiobook read by Kris Dyer (Bolinda, 2015)

Book cover: “Thou Shell of Death” by Nicholas Blake (Collins, 1936); audiobook read by Kris Dyer (Bolinda, 2015)

A marked improvement on the first book. Nigel Strangeways appears from the outset and isn’t so abstruse in puzzling out the murder(s). Still, he remains slow on the uptake—less dazzling detective, more scatter-brained dilettante bumbling his way through a crossword puzzle.

A Question of Proof

A Question of Proof

by Nicholas Blake (Harper and Brothers, 1935); audiobook read by Kris Dyer (Bolinda, 2015)

Blake_Question of Proof

As much middling school story as murder mystery, the untangling of which rarely stirs the reader beyond mild interest. Poetry-quoting gentleman detective Nigel Strangeways elevates the story but makes his appearance late and lacks a sidekick to unpick his seemingly capricious actions.