He'd Rather Be Dead

George Bellairs

tet 2023 · The Inspector Littlejohn Mysteries Libri 9 · Open Road Media

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The mayor of a seaside town is murdered, and a London police detective must sort through motives both political and personal . . .
 
Thanks to its mayor, Sir Gideon Ware, the quiet harbor town of Westcombe has turned into a crowded and rather garish seaside destination where visitors can come to escape the stress of wartime. When Ware collapses at a lavish luncheon, felled by strychnine, Inspector Littlejohn must travel from London to solve the seemingly inexplicable murder. Ware was surrounded by local bigwigs at his table—but that’s just the beginning of the suspect list, as Littlejohn untangles the rivalries, resentments, and corrupt dealings that permeate this picturesque but troubled community . . .
 
Praise for the Inspector Littlejohn mysteries
 
“Assured prose, well-drawn characters, and the atmosphere of 1940s wartime England . . . well worth the reader’s time.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Everything is quite comparable in tone to a really good Simenon.” —The New York Times
 
“Dryly ceremonious wit [that] shines from the very first page.” —Kirkus Reviews

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George Bellairs is the pseudonym under which Harold Blundell (1902–1982) wrote police procedural thrillers in rural British settings. He was born in Lancashire, England, and worked as a bank manager in Manchester. After retiring, Bellairs moved to the Isle of Man, where several of his novels are set, to be with friends and family.

In 1941 Bellairs wrote his first mystery, Littlejohn on Leave, during spare moments at his air raid warden’s post. The title introduced Thomas Littlejohn, the detective who appears in fifty-seven of his novels. Bellairs was also a regular contributor to the Manchester Guardian and worked as a freelance writer for newspapers both local and national.