"Close Quarters"

Not too many mystery authors could claim the honors accorded to the late Michael Gilbert. He was named a Grandmaster by the Mystery Writers of America. The Crime Writers Association of his native Great Britain awarded him a Diamond Dagger. He won accolades in other countries and was honored for lifetime achievements at a session of Bouchercon, the annual world mystery conference. He wrote in a wide variety of styles - thrillers, police procedurals, spy thrillers, courtroom dramas - and, yes, classic mystery stories, including his first novel, "Close Quarters," which is the subject of our review this week on the Classic Mysteries podcast. You can listen to it here.

Set in 1937, and published a decade later, "Close Quarters" is set on the grounds of a cathedral - or, as it is known, the cathedral close. It includes an apparently impossible crime in a community of religious leaders and a thoroughly entertaining investigation by very competent police. In their introduction to the Rue Morgue Press edition, Tom and Enid Schantz note that other prominent mystery writers criticized Gilbert for being too entertaining - prompting Gilbert to write, "I find the whole thing puzzling. What is a writer to do if he is not allowed to entertain?" I suspect today's readers will find "Close Quarters" to be very entertaining indeed.