Death Has Deep Roots: A Second World War Mystery
4/5
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About this ebook
Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder
An eager London crowd awaits the trial of Victoria Lamartine, hotel worker, ex-French Resistance fighter, and the only logical suspect for the murder of her supposed lover, Major Eric Thoseby. Lamartine—who once escaped from the clutches of the Gestapo—is set to meet her end at the gallows.
One final opportunity remains: the defendant calls on solicitor Nap Rumbold to replace the defence counsel,and grants an eight-day reprieve from the proceedings. Without any time to spare, Rumbold boards a ferry across the Channel, tracing the roots of the brutal murder back into the war-torn past.
Expertly combining authentic courtroom drama at the Old Bailey with a perilous quest for evidence across France, Death Has Deep Roots is an unorthodox marvel of the mystery genre.
Read more from Michael Gilbert
Smallbone Deceased: A London Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDeath in Captivity: A Second World War Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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Reviews for Death Has Deep Roots
42 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Victoria Lamartine, an ex-French Resistance fighter and now hotel worker is standing trial for the murder of her former manager in France, and alleged lover, Major Eric Thoseby. A seemingly straightforward trial as she is the only logical suspect.
Just before her trial she changes her defence counsel, and solicitor. The latter, with help try and find new evidence.
It took a few chapters to get into the book but then I came interested in the story and really enjoyed the unfolding of this well-written story.
Originally published in 1951
A NetGalley Book - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The book started out great with a court room drama that was headed towards disaster as the defendant changed her legal advisors at the very last minute and her new barristers struggled for time to prepare a case that seemed to be a foregone conclusion. Thrilling stuff.Unfortunately, once a little time is granted, the story changes into action mode, where we see threats, stabbings, and people digging up dirt from the past. Yep, this was so boring. I often had to flip back to a previous chapter to find out why we were where we were and what we were trying to accomplish. Seriously, this was not good.What made the book worse was the ending. Just when I hoped we’d be able to get back to the sparkle of the first chapters, the book plunged into a diatribe on morality.Now, I understand that this section reflected the mores of its time, or at least the mores of a certain strata middle-class England and – from what I have read – the English legal system at the time. However, as a reader I was not in the mood to put up with outright mysogyny and acceptance of double-standards that was portrayed in the story. What irked me most was that the social issues that were depicted could have been, and only a couple of decades later probably would have been!, picked up as part of the legal drama. But no. Instead of taking apart the bias toward the defendant instilled in both society inside and outside of the court room, Gilbert decided to present a pedestrian solution that seemed to have been pulled out of a hat. It was all very, very disappointing, especially because my first encounter with Gilbert’s work in [Smallbone Deceased] not long ago had me hope that Gilbert could be another author I would want to read more by.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great fun and a swiftly paced page turner so I gave it a high rating --for me--within its genre. A French woman is accused of murdering a British major, and the mystery centers on events in wartime France where the woman was a member of the resistance working with the British. The tale develops and the mystery is gradually solved as the author skips between the British courtroom trial and the adventures of the young lawyer sleuth seeking evidence in France. The characters were likeable and the courtroom proceedings interesting and entertaining while the structure of the story was solid.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Classic British crime drama!If I were a 'courtroom drama' purist I'd be in seventh heaven over this reprint of this 1951 British Crime Classic. I'm not, and yet I found myself following the court action and the investigation process as avidly as if I were watching Rumpole of the Bailey.It's post World War II London. A young French woman, Victoria Lamartine, a former resistance member, and ex Gestapo prisoner has been accused of murder.Her victim is Major Eric Thoseby, her supposed lover and contact in France during the war.It looks like a cut and dried case. But at the last moment Victoria changes briefs and things go from a ho hum, 'Guilty as charged', murder case to 'High Drama.'Victoria's new defense team led by Hargest Macre with young solicitor Nap Rumbold are wily, thorough and astute. The investigations are visually clear and thrilling. As the case builds both in and outside the courtroom (Nap to France and back with former Commando and army officer Major Angus McCann) I was totally engaged. A compelling read!A Poisoned Pen Press ARC via NetGalley
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Victoria Lamartine faces a charge of murder. Her alleged lover Major Thoseby's murder made her the most logical suspect. Attorney Nap Rumbold becomes a late replacement for the defense. Can he save his client from the gallows? Much of the book consists of hearings at the Old Bailey. Some shows Rumbold's activities in trying to clear his client. Lamartine participated in the French Resistance during World War II, and the mystery takes us back to that time to absolve her. Although I enjoyed Perry Mason mysteries during my junior high years, my love of the courtroom mystery did not continue into adulthood. I requested it based on the World War II connection and because of its British Library Crime Classics series designation. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would after discovering it was a courtroom setting. I consider it an average mystery. I received an advance electronic copy through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Crime Fiction, courtroom drama, England, post WW2, murder, suspense, thrillerEvents in occupied France result in a brisk courtroom drama of a murder in England utilizing investigators in both France and England. The accused is a woman who was active in the French Resistance and the victim was a British Major. If you get your nose into this one, it just might be glued there til the end! I requested and received a free ebook copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Stayed up late to finish this one. British courtroom drama that revolves around what happened on a French farm during World War II. I thought the last 1/4 of the book kind of lost steam, but it was still an enjoyable read. I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to find it, but if you come across it, it was fun.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5More the kind of Gilbert I like --steeped in the atmosphere of the British bar --it alternates between trial scenes and scenes in which 2 investigators, one in England and one in France, are looking for evidence to support the defense. Some of the French scenes have a mildly humorous tone that reminds me of Manning Coles. Overall it is satisfying, but when I think about a couple of points, they do not seem consistent --two characters apparently were approved for settling in Britain on the basis of supposed information about their activities in France during WW2, but very cursory amateur investigation proves their stories (one in particular) obviously false. It is hard to believe the French and British governments would not have caught this.