The idea for this week's contribution to Pattinase's Friday's Forgotten Books came about when I was writing my review of H.R.F Keating's most recent A SMALL CASE FOR INSPECTOR GHOTE? (which I have to confess I did not enjoy).In 1963(?) Keating won a CWA Gold Dagger for #1 in the Inspector Ghote series, THE PERFECT MURDER. Amazon tells me it also won an Edgar Special Award. The Inspector Ghote series now has 26 titles. [Coincidentally it has been running for the same length of time as Ruth Rendell's Wexford series, but Keating has 4 more titles to his credit.]
Synopsis (from Fantastic Fiction)
Inspector Ghote's first cases for the Bombay Police Department include a seemingly unsolvable murder and the theft of one rupee from the desk of the Minister of Police Affairs and the Arts.
Now, I have never read any Keating before the one I recently finished, but I guess, for many of you, this one evokes old memories. A friend told me that she had a real Keating binge "back then".
So do you remember this novel? Do you remember what you liked about it? Why was it an award winner?
H.R.F. Keating (1926- ) is obviously a very popular author with well over 60 novels to his credit.
In 1980 he won another CWA Gold Dagger for #12 in the Inspector Ghote series, THE MURDER OF THE MAHARAJAH.
In 1996 the CWA awarded him the Cartier Diamond Dagger for outstanding services to crime literature.
H.R.F Keating's own blog is here.
Keating was the crime books reviewer for The Times (London) for fifteen years, as well as serving as the chairman of the Crime Writers Association and the Society of Authors.
I went to an event featuring Simon Brett interviewing Harry Keating who is in his 80s and not too well.
ReplyDeletePerhaps his later books are not up to the standard of those written in his physical and mental prime.
I am ashamed to admit I have never read a book by Keating. Funny how some books call to you and others don't.
ReplyDeleteI have not read any of Keating´s books, but in an author writes more than 60 books, there are quite often some which are not up to scratch.
ReplyDeleteI would say the same about Agatha Christie, I like several of her books, but I could also mention some I would never read again. Even Ruth Rendell (one of my favourites) has written books that strike me as ordinary, almost boring.