Review: GIDEON'S RIDE, J. J. Marric (John Creasey) -audio book

• Narrated by: Raymond Sawyer
• Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins 
• Series: Gideon of Scotland Yard, Book 9, first published 1963
• Format: Unabridged 
• Available as an audio book from Audible.com

Synopsis (Audible)

A gang is at work robbing any passenger they find travelling alone on the top deck of London's buses. One night they strike too hard and murder results, followed by another killing of the bus conductress who could have indentified them. This is just one of several cases laden with human interest and suspense which came Gideon's way in another busy week at Scotland Yard.


My Take

I've been working my way through these pioneering police procedurals and I've probably read enough for now. There is a sameness to them all as we are presented with the daily working of the London Police force, George Gideon's determination that only the best is acceptable, and the wide range of cases that he has to deal with.

They do make very acceptable short journey listening but they seem to follow a formula. There is little doubt that Gideon will eventually catch up with the crims although some suspense is created by whether he will do it in time to prevent another murder etc. As the blurb says, each book has several cases in it, and there is also some human interest in the form of Gideon's family life, and a picture of London life in the 1960s. In their day they would have made engrossing reading as they forged a pattern for police procedurals.

In GIDEON'S RIDE the cases are quite varied and Gideon is dissatisfied at the end because one murderer has got away for the time being.

My rating:4.3

I've also reviewed

4.4, GIDEON'S DAY
4.4, GIDEON'S WEEK
4.3, GIDEON'S NIGHT
4.4, GIDEON'S MONTH

Review: GIDEON'S MONTH, John Creasey writing as J. J. Marric - audio book

• audio book available from audible.com 2013 
• Written by: John Creasey
• Narrated by: Hugh Kermode
• Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins 
• Series: Gideon of Scotland Yard, Book 4 (see the list on Fantastic Fiction)
• Format: Unabridged 
• originally published 1958

Synopsis (Publisher)

The month of May seemed to be starting quietly enough for Inspector Gideon of Scotland Yard. But no sooner had he begun to relax in the sunny weather than things started happening all over the great metropolis… From an army of children seemingly led by a modern Fagin to a homicidal housekeeper, Gideon has to solve the crimes before the month--and his job--are history. 

My Take

If you like your British police procedurals particularly in audio book form, and very well narrated, then these may suit. GIDEON'S MONTH follows the pattern of the earlier titles (see below) - George Gideon, Commander of Scotland Yard, managing an extraordinarily heavy case load, with the attitude that nothing is too small for his attention. The complexity of his job is well illustrated: murders, disappearances, abductions, and thefts. Gideon likes to keep close control of all those who work for him. In addition the author explores relationships within his team and also the support GG gets from his family.

Highly recommendable, and expect to find me listening to some more.

My rating: 4.4

I've also listened to
4.4, GIDEON'S DAY
4.4, GIDEON'S WEEK
4.3, GIDEON'S NIGHT   

Review: GIDEON'S NIGHT, John Creasey (JJ Marric) - audio

• first published in 1957
• a sequel to GIDEON'S DAY and GIDEON'S WEEK
• audio version narrated by Arthur Bash 
• available from Audible.com 
• Length 6 hours and 37 mins, unabridged

Synopsis

Another night, another shift for Commander George Gideon. Amidst the undertones of gang warfare, Gideon must deal with two psychopaths trailing pain and blood in their wake. One targets infants, and the other young women on London's foggy streets.

My take

George Gideon takes his role as Commander at New Scotland Yard very seriously. He believes that it is important that those in his charge see him as a worker, someone who cares what they do. That is why he decides to work at night for a week.

And this particular night it is one incident after another: someone is snatching baby boys; there is an active prowler targetting young women and it is only a matter of time before he kills; then two of the gangs in the docklands are sizing up for an outright battle; and a young woman is concerned because her husband has been missing for a few days.

It is worth reading the two earlier books
4.4, GIDEON'S DAY
4.4, GIDEON'S WEEK
because you get a lot of background material for GIDEON'S NIGHT. These are of course police procedurals but in 1957 they were breaking new ground, personalising the job that the police do, and establishing the sort of pattern we see in later novels like Ruth Rendell's Wexford series.

Each of the cases that Gideon manages in GIDEON'S NIGHT could very well have been presented as short stories. The links between the cases are George Gideon himself and the cases themselves remain as stand-alones. In later police procedurals you would very likely find the cases linking up.

Despite the fact that this audio book was only released in 2010, technically it is not a particularly good production. The narrator tries to achieve voice differentiation, but he often sounds as if he is standing in a tin can, there are times when he knocks the microphone or the desk, and even times when he stumbles over words. These were not issues in the earlier two books that I listened to.

So my rating of 4.3 is for the book not the technical side.

About the author
John Creasey (1908-1973) published over 600 books under 20+ different pseudonyms. In 1969 he was given the Mystery Writers of America’s highest Honour, the Grand Master award.

Review: GIDEON'S WEEK, J.J. Marric (aka John Creasey) - audio

• first published in 1956
• aka GIDEON'S FEAR
• this version available at Audible.com
• narrated by Christopher Scott
• unabridged, length 6 hrs and 33 mins
• #2 in the Gideon series
• source: I bought it

Synopsis

No week in the life of Commander Gideon of Scotland Yard could be entirely uneventful. However, a mass escape from Millways Gaol made this a particularly harassing week. Ruby Benson set up her killer husband and it's up to Gideon to protect the woman from her bloodthirsty spouse's vendetta--or die trying.

My take

I thought this was a more accomplished piece of writing than GIDEON'S DAY,  the first in the series, which I listened to and reviewed last week. The hunt for the escapees from Millways Gaol holds it together nicely for the whole book.

Gideon and his wife Kate have overcome some emotional hurdles, a friend of his daughter Pru approaches Gideon at work when her brother is accused on murder, and we get a better glimpse of the personal lives of Gideon and his offsider Lemaitre.

George Gideon is really the fore-runner of Ruth Rendell's Reg Wexford. He is so well described I can see him in my mind's eye. He is a big man, someone all his colleagues and those he commands look up to, thoroughly nice, with a photographic memory and the ability to make snap decisions.

My rating: 4.4

Review: GIDEON'S DAY, J.J. Marric (aka John Creasey) - audio

• Narrated by Tim Bentinck 
• Unabridged
• Length: 6 hours 22 mins
• first published in 1955
• #1 of the Gideon series (aka GIDEON OF SCOTLAND YARD)
• Available from Audible.com

Synopsis

London is faced with the murder of a little girl and a policeman's murder. George Gideon, while trying to bring these killers to justice, has to deal with a criminal gang that is after one of it's own.

One of the most senior officers within Scotland Yard, George Gideon's crime-solving abilities are in the finest traditions of London's world-famous police headquarters. His analytical brain and sense of fairness is respected by colleagues and villains alike.

If you'd like to read some of the book click on the cover image to the right.

My take

GIDEON'S DAY, published under the pseudonym of J.J. Marric, really was the forerunner of those police procedurals which have become so popular in recent decades. It precedes by 10 years the works of Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo in the Martin Beck series.
There were eventually 22 titles in the Gideon series 1955-1978 (2 of them posthumously).

Of course many of us remember the television series too.
On YouTube there is a segment of the colour film with Jack Hawkins playing George Gideon.
The television series starred John Gregson.

What strikes you as you listen is how busy Gideon's day actually was, so many things happened. George Gideon was a pretty fiery character who demanded high standards of himself and all who worked with him. His day begins with him dressing down a subordinate whom he has discovered is taking bribes from a London drug peddler. Within the hour the man has been killed in a driving hit-and-run.

I'm looking forward to following this up with GIDEON'S NIGHT and GIDEON'S WEEK.

My rating: 4.4