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Sergeant Cluff #2
The Methods of Sergeant Cluff
Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder "Martin Edwards' brief but informative Introduction notes that the Cluff stories inspired a BBC television series, and you can see North's elliptical scene-setting and clipped dialogue are perfect for brief, understated segments on the telly, and they're strikingly modern to boot." ― Kirkus Reviews It is a wet and windy night in the town of Gunnarshaw, on the edge of the Yorkshire moors. The body of young Jane Trundle, assistant in the chemist's shop, is discovered lying face down on the cobblestones. Sergeant Caleb Cluff is not a man of many words, and neither does he play by the rules. He may exasperate his superiors, but he has the loyal support of his constable and he is the only CID man in the division. The case is his. Life in Gunnarshaw is tough, with its people caught up in a rigid network of social conventions. But as Cluff's investigation deepens, Gunnarshaw's veneer of hard-working respectability starts to crumble. Sparse, tense, and moodily evoking the unforgiving landscape, this classic crime novel keeps the reader guessing to the end. Originally published in 1961, this is the second in the series of Sergeant Cluff detective stories. Televised in the 1960s, they have since been neglected. This new edition is published in the centenary year of the author's birth.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
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234 people want to read
About the author
Gil North
19 books7 followersGil North is the pseudonym of Geoffrey Horne, a British writer. He was born in Skipton Yorkshire and educated at Ermysted's Grammar School and Christ's College Cambridge. He married Betty Duthie in 1949. From 1938 to 1955 he was a civil servant in the African colonies. He has also written novels under his own name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
d-n-f
May 5, 2017This is my first, and will definitely be my last, encounter with Sargeant Cluff.
36% and I feel like I deserve a medal for making it this far.
The writing style is confusing, excruciatingly boring and overly descriptive. It fills a lot of pages in which nothing much happens.
Thank you (and apologies for not liking this) to Poisoned Pen Press for providing a digital copy of The Methods of Sargeant Cluff via Netgalley for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
36% and I feel like I deserve a medal for making it this far.
The writing style is confusing, excruciatingly boring and overly descriptive. It fills a lot of pages in which nothing much happens.
Thank you (and apologies for not liking this) to Poisoned Pen Press for providing a digital copy of The Methods of Sargeant Cluff via Netgalley for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
August 24, 2016
Sergeant Caleb Cluff, the sullen Yorkshire bachelor policeman, returns in this sequel to Gil North’s wonderful debut novel Sergeant Cluff Stands Firm. He’s not all of the way recovered from the suspense-filled fallout of that case, but he takes on the investigation of the death of a young shop girl, Jane Trundle. Pretty, blonde and eager to escape her stultifying, poverty-stricken home and parents, Jane was clearly up to something, as her purse is loaded with pound notes — more than she could possibly have earned at working at the chemist’s shop (pharmacy for us Yanks).
Once again, no one knows the village of Gunnarshaw and its environs like native son Cluff. And, while Cluff is the polar opposite of the polite Miss Marple in most ways, he shares with her not only his encyclopedic knowledge of his village but an exceptional understanding of human psychology. The dog Clive, the eager Constable Barker, petty, envious Inspector Mole, and the cantankerous Mrs. Croft return, as well, much to my delight. But the greatest delight was watching Sergeant Cluff torn between his copper instincts and his instincts as to human nature. I can’t wait for the release of No. 3 in the series, Sergeant Cluff Goes Fishing!
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, British Library, and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.
Once again, no one knows the village of Gunnarshaw and its environs like native son Cluff. And, while Cluff is the polar opposite of the polite Miss Marple in most ways, he shares with her not only his encyclopedic knowledge of his village but an exceptional understanding of human psychology. The dog Clive, the eager Constable Barker, petty, envious Inspector Mole, and the cantankerous Mrs. Croft return, as well, much to my delight. But the greatest delight was watching Sergeant Cluff torn between his copper instincts and his instincts as to human nature. I can’t wait for the release of No. 3 in the series, Sergeant Cluff Goes Fishing!
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, British Library, and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.
June 19, 2016
"The Methods of Sergeant Cluff" is a detective novel that was originally published in the early 1960s and is set in England. The writing tended to be vague and dreamy. Characters would have whole conversations using "he" or "she" without defining who they meant. They also found themselves in the middle of action without being conscious of starting it. A lot of time was spent describing the moody setting.
There were enough clues that you can guess whodunit, but the story wasn't about finding evidence. Cluff doesn't like to talk and did as little interviewing as possible. When he had to visit suspects, he'd moodily survey and pass judgment on the occupants. (And if there was something wrong in a relationship, he blamed the woman. One woman's main faults seemed to be that she kept a neat house and didn't worship her husband as god.)
Cluff decided on a suspect despite a lack of evidence. He didn't bother to get evidence. Instead, he stalked the suspect until he went crazy and another death occurred. I didn't like that Cluff "solved" the case by both provoking and allowing another murder. There were no sex scenes. There was one use of swearing.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
There were enough clues that you can guess whodunit, but the story wasn't about finding evidence. Cluff doesn't like to talk and did as little interviewing as possible. When he had to visit suspects, he'd moodily survey and pass judgment on the occupants. (And if there was something wrong in a relationship, he blamed the woman. One woman's main faults seemed to be that she kept a neat house and didn't worship her husband as god.)
Cluff decided on a suspect despite a lack of evidence. He didn't bother to get evidence. Instead, he stalked the suspect until he went crazy and another death occurred. I didn't like that Cluff "solved" the case by both provoking and allowing another murder. There were no sex scenes. There was one use of swearing.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
November 20, 2016
This is one of the books reprinted in the British Library of Crime Classics, and there is an intro written by Martin Edwards in 2016. Sgt. Caleb Cluff is a despondent, gruff man who plays his cards close to his vest. He knows the people of Gunnarshaw, on the edge of the Yorkshire moors, as well as any man. His methods are his own, and he doesn't play by anyone's rules. The story begins with a woman found dead, face down in a rain puddle, and if the sun ever is seen again in this story, I've forgotten it. Another reviewer called the writing style "a bit schizophrenic." I have to agree with that assessment, as frequently I had no idea of what was going on, and often I couldn't even figure out which character was speaking! Overall, I can't say I enjoyed this book at all, although I was eager to read it, as I very much like the books in this Crime Classic series. I doubt I will read another.
July 30, 2021
This was my first experience with Sergeant Cluff - in the fairly short tale of a muddled woman in a close knit Yorkshire town.
On the plus side, it’s an atmospheric story with rain and mud, and a real sense of a town peeping through curtains at their neighbours. There’s a good plot that keeps you reading, albeit it’s reasonably predictable.
On the negative, I really couldn’t get in to the writing. It’s very ‘this happened. Then this happened’ with some very oddly written dialogue that I really struggled to get into.
It was an OK read, but I probably wouldn’t seek out other Cluff stories.
On the plus side, it’s an atmospheric story with rain and mud, and a real sense of a town peeping through curtains at their neighbours. There’s a good plot that keeps you reading, albeit it’s reasonably predictable.
On the negative, I really couldn’t get in to the writing. It’s very ‘this happened. Then this happened’ with some very oddly written dialogue that I really struggled to get into.
It was an OK read, but I probably wouldn’t seek out other Cluff stories.
January 9, 2017
If I could give this zero stars I would! I found it drab and depressing, and not at all difficult to guess "who done it"!
October 3, 2016
Behind the net curtains...
Although Sergeant Caleb Cluff is still on leave following the events in the last book, when the body of a young woman is found, as the only CID man in Gunnershaw, he is called to the scene. A local man, he knows the people of the town, so he recognises the girl as Jane Trundle and is immediately aware of who the chief suspect will be – a young man who was in love with her despite her constant rejection of him. But Cluff isn't convinced that Jack would do such a brutal thing and begins to cast his net wider, much to the annoyance of his superiors who'd rather get the case wrapped up quickly.
For the first thirty or forty pages of this short book, I was a bit uncertain of whether it was going to live up to the previous excellent one, Sergeant Cluff Stands Firm. There are a lot of indications that Cluff and the other characters know things about Jane and some of the other characters, but for what seems like quite a long time the reader is kept in the dark. Happily, however, before it becomes too annoying, this background knowledge is gradually revealed, and the plot begins to darken.
Sergeant Cluff is allocated a uniformed officer to work with him, PC Barker. But Cluff is really a bit of a loner and an early version of the maverick cop who has become so ubiquitous now. His methods are mainly to use his local knowledge, together with a bit of intuition and his deep understanding of the passions of the human heart, to help him decide who committed the crime, and then to silently intimidate and harass his suspects until they either confess or do something that incriminates them. He has a strong sense of justice, but doesn't think the law is necessarily always the best way to achieve that. And while he has a moral code, his methods sometimes step well beyond what would have been considered acceptable even back in those less politically correct days of the early1960s. At loggerheads with several of his colleagues, it is only his habit of getting results that allows him to get away with his behaviour.
North's writing style seems improved from the previous book – fewer staccato sentences and a better flow. The dialogue remains somewhat stilted, but I'm delighted to note that his obsession with describing the breasts of every female character seems to have disappeared. (Perhaps some kindly woman hit him over the head with a hardback copy of book 1 – if so, thank you!) The real strength of his writing comes in his descriptions of this industrial town – all blacks and greys and browns, dirt from the mills and factories, and poverty hidden behind a façade of respectability and net curtains. This is a town set in the midst of Yorkshire moors and farming country, though, and himself the son of a landowning farmer, Cluff is as at home with these prosperous countrymen as he is with the townspeople. Some of his insights into his characters are beautifully written – sparsely, but with truth and a real empathy for the narrowness and hardships of their lives.
The climax of the book heads towards the over-dramatic and dangerously close to the credibility line, but somehow it works. The plot becomes very dark, and Cluff's behaviour, to put it mildly, is morally dubious, but it seemed to me to echo the amateur detectives of the old school, who would often allow justice to take its own course outwith the confines of the law. Again, as with the first book, I found that from halfway through I was totally hooked, unable to put the book down until I saw how it all played out. The current trend of lengthy crime novels had almost made me forget the pure pleasure of racing through a book in one or two breathless sessions, and yet there's as much depth and plot in this as in most books that are three times as long; and considerably more tension. (I suspect that may be why the credibility issue doesn't matter so much – there's not enough time for the reader to dwell on the details.)
Excellent – I hope the British Library go on to publish the rest of the series.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, British Library via Midas PR.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Although Sergeant Caleb Cluff is still on leave following the events in the last book, when the body of a young woman is found, as the only CID man in Gunnershaw, he is called to the scene. A local man, he knows the people of the town, so he recognises the girl as Jane Trundle and is immediately aware of who the chief suspect will be – a young man who was in love with her despite her constant rejection of him. But Cluff isn't convinced that Jack would do such a brutal thing and begins to cast his net wider, much to the annoyance of his superiors who'd rather get the case wrapped up quickly.
For the first thirty or forty pages of this short book, I was a bit uncertain of whether it was going to live up to the previous excellent one, Sergeant Cluff Stands Firm. There are a lot of indications that Cluff and the other characters know things about Jane and some of the other characters, but for what seems like quite a long time the reader is kept in the dark. Happily, however, before it becomes too annoying, this background knowledge is gradually revealed, and the plot begins to darken.
Sergeant Cluff is allocated a uniformed officer to work with him, PC Barker. But Cluff is really a bit of a loner and an early version of the maverick cop who has become so ubiquitous now. His methods are mainly to use his local knowledge, together with a bit of intuition and his deep understanding of the passions of the human heart, to help him decide who committed the crime, and then to silently intimidate and harass his suspects until they either confess or do something that incriminates them. He has a strong sense of justice, but doesn't think the law is necessarily always the best way to achieve that. And while he has a moral code, his methods sometimes step well beyond what would have been considered acceptable even back in those less politically correct days of the early1960s. At loggerheads with several of his colleagues, it is only his habit of getting results that allows him to get away with his behaviour.
North's writing style seems improved from the previous book – fewer staccato sentences and a better flow. The dialogue remains somewhat stilted, but I'm delighted to note that his obsession with describing the breasts of every female character seems to have disappeared. (Perhaps some kindly woman hit him over the head with a hardback copy of book 1 – if so, thank you!) The real strength of his writing comes in his descriptions of this industrial town – all blacks and greys and browns, dirt from the mills and factories, and poverty hidden behind a façade of respectability and net curtains. This is a town set in the midst of Yorkshire moors and farming country, though, and himself the son of a landowning farmer, Cluff is as at home with these prosperous countrymen as he is with the townspeople. Some of his insights into his characters are beautifully written – sparsely, but with truth and a real empathy for the narrowness and hardships of their lives.
Cluff climbed to his feet, a mourner at the death of a marriage that could not be broken while they lived, because this was Gunnershaw and they lived in Rupert Street and were middle-aged and had to exist, both of them, on the pittance the man earned, because, more than anything, they were respectable and the wife could not tolerate, if the husband could, what the neighbours would say. The man could no longer deceive himself about the extent of his wife's disloyalty. Everything between them was finished and had to go on still, as it had always done.
The climax of the book heads towards the over-dramatic and dangerously close to the credibility line, but somehow it works. The plot becomes very dark, and Cluff's behaviour, to put it mildly, is morally dubious, but it seemed to me to echo the amateur detectives of the old school, who would often allow justice to take its own course outwith the confines of the law. Again, as with the first book, I found that from halfway through I was totally hooked, unable to put the book down until I saw how it all played out. The current trend of lengthy crime novels had almost made me forget the pure pleasure of racing through a book in one or two breathless sessions, and yet there's as much depth and plot in this as in most books that are three times as long; and considerably more tension. (I suspect that may be why the credibility issue doesn't matter so much – there's not enough time for the reader to dwell on the details.)
Excellent – I hope the British Library go on to publish the rest of the series.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, British Library via Midas PR.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
August 12, 2016
Sadly I did not enjoy this book and actually had to make myself finish it. The dialog was clipped and a little confusing to follow sometimes. I suppose it is just his writing style...
He asked, "Is it pleasant for you, working here?"
He asked again, "You all left together last night?"
She shook her head: "Jane went early."
"I see"
"She did sometimes."
"I've met her in the streets."
"She wasn't always in the shop. She worked with Mr. Greensleeve as well."
"In the dispensary?'
"He uses it for an office too."
"When the shop's open?"
"She was helping him yesterday afternoon."
There didn't seem to be much detecting going on in my opinion. Cluff just seemed to stand around town with his head down and his eyes half opened watching and listening...
'Barker tried to trace, step by step, the manner in which Cluff had collected his information, how Cluff had got to the point he'd reached. There was nothing connected, when Barker thought of it, in Cluff's meanderings here and there in Gunnarshaw, no hint of a prearranged plan of campaign. The thing seemed to grow of itself, round Cluff, without Cluff really having anything to do with it.'
He didn't seem to put much effort into anything...
'A man with a handcart, sweeping the gutter, jerked his head at Cluff and the Sergeant jerked his head in return, an exchange of greetings more economical than words but just as effective.'
I did like his constable, Barker and Cluff's dog, Clive. Best characters in the book. The descriptions of the town and the rooms they were in were very well written and gave you a good sense of atmosphere...
'Clive wriggled past her, making along the passage for his bowl in the kitchen. She let them in and Cluff took Barker into the low-ceilinged living room, where a round, oak table was laid for breakfast. Barker's nostrils twitched at the smell of frying bacon and his mouth watered.
The room was warm, dim in the grey morning, a huge fire blazing in the grate, adding its comfort to the comfort of big chintz-covered armchairs and a couch, to the softness of a thick-piled carpet and the cheerful glint of horse-brasses on the walls. Rough-hewn, black-oak beams reached for Barker. An immense cat, long-furred, coiled in a chair on the right of the hearth.'
It seemed to be more about Cluff and his relationship with Gunnarshaw and its residents than the mystery or any detecting. Had it not been for the clipped feeling of the writing I might have enjoyed it still. The ending was quite a surprise! I just would have liked a little more detecting and placing of clues.
He asked, "Is it pleasant for you, working here?"
He asked again, "You all left together last night?"
She shook her head: "Jane went early."
"I see"
"She did sometimes."
"I've met her in the streets."
"She wasn't always in the shop. She worked with Mr. Greensleeve as well."
"In the dispensary?'
"He uses it for an office too."
"When the shop's open?"
"She was helping him yesterday afternoon."
There didn't seem to be much detecting going on in my opinion. Cluff just seemed to stand around town with his head down and his eyes half opened watching and listening...
'Barker tried to trace, step by step, the manner in which Cluff had collected his information, how Cluff had got to the point he'd reached. There was nothing connected, when Barker thought of it, in Cluff's meanderings here and there in Gunnarshaw, no hint of a prearranged plan of campaign. The thing seemed to grow of itself, round Cluff, without Cluff really having anything to do with it.'
He didn't seem to put much effort into anything...
'A man with a handcart, sweeping the gutter, jerked his head at Cluff and the Sergeant jerked his head in return, an exchange of greetings more economical than words but just as effective.'
I did like his constable, Barker and Cluff's dog, Clive. Best characters in the book. The descriptions of the town and the rooms they were in were very well written and gave you a good sense of atmosphere...
'Clive wriggled past her, making along the passage for his bowl in the kitchen. She let them in and Cluff took Barker into the low-ceilinged living room, where a round, oak table was laid for breakfast. Barker's nostrils twitched at the smell of frying bacon and his mouth watered.
The room was warm, dim in the grey morning, a huge fire blazing in the grate, adding its comfort to the comfort of big chintz-covered armchairs and a couch, to the softness of a thick-piled carpet and the cheerful glint of horse-brasses on the walls. Rough-hewn, black-oak beams reached for Barker. An immense cat, long-furred, coiled in a chair on the right of the hearth.'
It seemed to be more about Cluff and his relationship with Gunnarshaw and its residents than the mystery or any detecting. Had it not been for the clipped feeling of the writing I might have enjoyed it still. The ending was quite a surprise! I just would have liked a little more detecting and placing of clues.
February 28, 2019
"Do you have proof for that"
"It's true all the same."
Congratulations on one of the most obnoxious type of detective. The one that just knows. He's wrong by the way. But then he engages in some vigilant-justice by proxy and everything is fine again.
Read
January 12, 2025Was quite confusing. Cluff the detective and Clive the dog (who he writes like a person) and throw in a Barker- who’s who?! And what’s happening? Who is saying what? He just doesn’t write clearly.
Or interestingly.
Or interestingly.
July 31, 2025
If you're looking for a slim novella that is dour in atmosphere, features everything that is The Worst about small towns, and has a detective who prefers to detect based on his feelings (instead of the facts), then this is the story for you.
It is grim, from start to finish. Cluff is a completely opaque character; apparently he survived some sort of trauma in the first book, and most people in the village give him a wide berth. Here, he is called the scene of a girl found murdered on the cobbles in a rough part of town. Suspicion falls onto several people in her circle, including the man who wanted to marry her, and the man she was having a clandestine affair with. Not until the end of the novel does it become clear whodunit.
I can't say that the lot of them didn't get their just desserts, but it was not a fun read, and I can't really recommend it. I also can't believe this series was ever made into a successful TV serial!
It is grim, from start to finish. Cluff is a completely opaque character; apparently he survived some sort of trauma in the first book, and most people in the village give him a wide berth. Here, he is called the scene of a girl found murdered on the cobbles in a rough part of town. Suspicion falls onto several people in her circle, including the man who wanted to marry her, and the man she was having a clandestine affair with. Not until the end of the novel does it become clear whodunit.
I can't say that the lot of them didn't get their just desserts, but it was not a fun read, and I can't really recommend it. I also can't believe this series was ever made into a successful TV serial!
May 25, 2016
Jane Trundle - an assistant in a chemist's shop is found dead on a wet and windy night in Gunnershaw. Sergeant Caleb Cluff must investigate without treading on the toes of the great and the good and without upsetting his superiors any more than he usually does. He has idiosyncratic ways of investigation that often seem to involve nothing more than sitting and thinking, or walking the wet streets with his dog Clive. But he gets results and this case is no exception.
Though this book is short I found it quite difficult to read. The dialogue is elliptical and it isn't always obvious what anyone is talking about or even who is speaking at times. This is the second Sergeant Cluff story I have read but I don't think I shall be reading any more as I find the style a bit too pared down.
Quite clearly the book is well written - but not for me. Others may love it. If you have read any of Alan Hunter's George Gently books then you will see similarities in style though Gil North seems to have taken that style even further. The author does paint a realistic portrait of a northern town in the nineteen sixties and the grinding poverty many people endured with no hope of improvement. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review.
Though this book is short I found it quite difficult to read. The dialogue is elliptical and it isn't always obvious what anyone is talking about or even who is speaking at times. This is the second Sergeant Cluff story I have read but I don't think I shall be reading any more as I find the style a bit too pared down.
Quite clearly the book is well written - but not for me. Others may love it. If you have read any of Alan Hunter's George Gently books then you will see similarities in style though Gil North seems to have taken that style even further. The author does paint a realistic portrait of a northern town in the nineteen sixties and the grinding poverty many people endured with no hope of improvement. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review.
July 4, 2019
Because so many of the British Library Crime Classics have been reissues of golden age novels, I kind of guessed what a short North Yorkshire set book with a character called Caleb Cluff written in 1961 would be like. I guessed it would be a proto cosy, full of characters and slightly grating local colour
By god was I wrong
What this is is basically a North Yorkshire Simenon. There’s the same poverty, desperation, melancholy and bleakness that figures in a lot of the Maigret books. Cluff is imposing, physically and by dint of his connection with the town (I was quite proud I guessed it as Skipton early on) in terms of his personal history. He’s a man of few words, in fact they all are: short, clipped, gnomic, weary bits of dialogue. Everyone seems tired and weary and sad
It’s a fascinating book - if a little too dour to actively enjoy - because North seems intent to use the crime novel to show the desperate poverty in these Dales towns. I think he would be horrified by the gentrification of so many of these places because that’s pretty much the driving force of the novel, albeit in a nascent form. Surprisingly it’s got a lot more in common with the Red Riding books than I ever could have guessed it would
By god was I wrong
What this is is basically a North Yorkshire Simenon. There’s the same poverty, desperation, melancholy and bleakness that figures in a lot of the Maigret books. Cluff is imposing, physically and by dint of his connection with the town (I was quite proud I guessed it as Skipton early on) in terms of his personal history. He’s a man of few words, in fact they all are: short, clipped, gnomic, weary bits of dialogue. Everyone seems tired and weary and sad
It’s a fascinating book - if a little too dour to actively enjoy - because North seems intent to use the crime novel to show the desperate poverty in these Dales towns. I think he would be horrified by the gentrification of so many of these places because that’s pretty much the driving force of the novel, albeit in a nascent form. Surprisingly it’s got a lot more in common with the Red Riding books than I ever could have guessed it would
April 20, 2019
Oh dear, this was not a great book at all. I love the covers of these British Classic murder mysteries and usually the inside matches the cover but not this time alas. The main character was morose, taciturn and just plain odd, and the way it was written was tricky to follow who was speaking and why. Luckily it wasn't very long so raced through most of it quickly, skimming a bit, but won't bother with this author again. Apparently some of them were televised back in the sixties, can't think why!
September 26, 2016
I found this police detection series reprinted and met author Gil North and his character Detective Caleb Cluff. An early series of eleven books that set the standard for The Golden Age of Mysteries, the times between wars in English towns and villages. An excellent introduction by Martin Edwards.
October 8, 2017
There is something about Cluff and his dog Clive solving murders. This one had a slight twist at the end. I love the grim, Yorkshire setting and the bleakness. The characters are also entertaining. The dour, plodding Cluff with his standoff ness personally is refreshing. The style is also easy to read and one day I will have to visit Skipton which the town of Gunnarshaw is based upon.
January 1, 2022
I think I do vaguely remember the television versions of the Sergeant Cluff stories. It would certainly be interesting to see an episode having now read one of the stories. The actual story is far less interesting for me than the setting. It was published in 1961 and being set in a rural community in north Yorkshire it feels more as if it is in the early 1950s. If you were studying changes in social mores this would be an informative read. Like Sting 'I was born in the '50s' and the domestic details of this story do ring true. In the 1960s there were still many households in the UK with primitive indoor plumbing. Many still had no indoor toilet or bathroom. Even if you had a bathroom you wouldn't have a daily bath. The expression 'bath night' comes from the practice of a weekly bath rather than a daily one. Many working people engaged in physical labour to earn a living and much of that left you dirty at the end of the day. Hot water was expensive and would eat up the electricity so most would have a daily strip wash in the kitchen or bathroom, if you had one. Hair washing was done with a jug or sometimes a spray device that fixed onto the taps but often slid off spraying everywhere but where it was intended. I felt the atmosphere of the story captured that feeling of the constant battle to keep yourself and your stuff clean! Running alongside this was the attitude of society towards women and girls. For younger readers this may sound exaggerated but it really isn't. I think the author offered a realistic picture of how society saw women's roles and their place, which were limited to say the least. Cluff was certainly a morose character. I enjoyed the read but I did wonder what attracted the BBC producers at the time to dramatise the stories. Maybe the BBC felt there was a need for more drama that was less urban based and less rooted in the south.
April 22, 2025
This is a second in a series of Sergeant Cliff mysteries (I believe there are around 11 altogether) and it would certainly have been better for me to have read the first beforehand since there are several references to it in this narrative.
The author does a good job at capturing the dourness of the North Yorkshire Dales’ Town of Gunnershaw (v loosely based on Skipton) but in a sense it is too good a job since he frequently gets lost in his obsession with description.
It’s a confusing read and I found myself frequently re-reading passages to make sense of them - he also jumps scenarios from one paragraph to the next - one moment two characters are chatting in a car, the next they are in a store or it’s two other characters or a stream of Sgt Cluff’s consciousness.
The basic murder mystery is almost of secondary importance to the descriptions of Gunnarshaw and there are so few suspects that it was rather simple to guess the murderer. Unlike many murder mysteries of this ilk there is just the one murder!
Although I found the dour, largely silent Cluff to have a certain appeal the writing style was so off-putting that I won’t be rushing to read the others in this Gil North series.
Incidentally North (a pseudonym) was a Colonial Administrator before becoming a novelist and it shows - it reads rather like a novel written by the kind of civil servant mandarin exemplified in ‘Yes, Minister’!
The author does a good job at capturing the dourness of the North Yorkshire Dales’ Town of Gunnershaw (v loosely based on Skipton) but in a sense it is too good a job since he frequently gets lost in his obsession with description.
It’s a confusing read and I found myself frequently re-reading passages to make sense of them - he also jumps scenarios from one paragraph to the next - one moment two characters are chatting in a car, the next they are in a store or it’s two other characters or a stream of Sgt Cluff’s consciousness.
The basic murder mystery is almost of secondary importance to the descriptions of Gunnarshaw and there are so few suspects that it was rather simple to guess the murderer. Unlike many murder mysteries of this ilk there is just the one murder!
Although I found the dour, largely silent Cluff to have a certain appeal the writing style was so off-putting that I won’t be rushing to read the others in this Gil North series.
Incidentally North (a pseudonym) was a Colonial Administrator before becoming a novelist and it shows - it reads rather like a novel written by the kind of civil servant mandarin exemplified in ‘Yes, Minister’!
July 9, 2018
This is my second venture into reading a Gil North novel and I would say it is a slight improvement on his first novel (Sergeant Cluff Stands Firm). However the constantly dark and dismissal weather in Gunnarshaw along with it's more than depressing characters ensures that I probably won't be reading any more of Gil North's novels. Inspector Cluff is both dour and exasperating and mostly reliant on his own intuition - based on his so called knowledge of the local area and it's people - this for me is a negative point in classical crime books as the author is being lazy and has not shown how the Inspector really knows what he does and why. If you are looking for genuine cosy classical crime novels from the 60s I would suggest Patricia Moyes - Who saw her die? If Martin Edwards is reading this review - can we see more authors who were part of the Detection Club (Golden Age Crime Classics) and who are no longer in print and whose books are unobtainable e.g. R.C. Woodthorpe & Milward Kennedy. Re-issuing books like Gil North has the disadvantage that these books are readily available on the second hand market - where as many cosy readers and collectors would like to read books that are unobtainable such as Miles Burton & ECR Lorac. I would give this book 5.5 out of 10.
December 4, 2019
This was a quick read which I started early afternoon and finished late in the evening. The author sets a very atmospheric tone contrasting the beauty of the moors with the gritty poverty of many of the town dwellers. This is a detective novel with a difference because there is a pervading menace here but it comes from the "good" guy. Although he does take note of evidence and even found some for himself at one point, he generally ignores his colleagues and even his Inspector and to a lesser extent the Chief Superintendent, seem in awe and are jealous of him. He visits all his suspects though he doesn't really interview them. He is just there looming over them and for the main suspect he spends a lot of time just standing in the street nearby. He doesn't speak but the atmosphere is such that you can almost hear the words "I know what you've done my lad and I'll have you. Be sure of that, I'll have you." The ending is very good too. I'd never heard of this author or the tv series that was apparently made of the Cluff books but I would like to read more.
September 25, 2017
A body is found in the Yorkshire moors town of Gunnarshaw and Sergeant Cluff sets to work investigating.
The body is Jane Trundle's.
It is one of those crimes with no clues evident, but Cluff gets down to it, along with his trusty companion Clive, his dog.
This is a very atmospheric story, with suspicious characters and Inspector Mole.
Apparently two series of "Cluff" were filmed, but no trace of first series as the episodes were wiped.
The second is in the BBC archives and maybe on day they will be shown.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.
The body is Jane Trundle's.
It is one of those crimes with no clues evident, but Cluff gets down to it, along with his trusty companion Clive, his dog.
This is a very atmospheric story, with suspicious characters and Inspector Mole.
Apparently two series of "Cluff" were filmed, but no trace of first series as the episodes were wiped.
The second is in the BBC archives and maybe on day they will be shown.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.
April 23, 2022
Not as good as the first, but when is the second in a series ever as good as the first?
Another depressing, plodding case for Sergeant Cluff. This time it's a young girl who worked at the pharmacy and was seen in the company of a local (poor) boy. But this girl wasn't going to be trapped in the same life as her folks, she was going to use her looks to get out.
It's kind of obvious who the killer is, but it's still fun watching Cluff and his dog Clive plod through the dismal weather, working his local knowledge to eventually unmask the killer.
Dark, depressing, simple, predictable, yet someone still a good story.
Another depressing, plodding case for Sergeant Cluff. This time it's a young girl who worked at the pharmacy and was seen in the company of a local (poor) boy. But this girl wasn't going to be trapped in the same life as her folks, she was going to use her looks to get out.
It's kind of obvious who the killer is, but it's still fun watching Cluff and his dog Clive plod through the dismal weather, working his local knowledge to eventually unmask the killer.
Dark, depressing, simple, predictable, yet someone still a good story.
January 17, 2018
A short, quick read that was reasonably enjoyable.
The dialogue is clipped which makes it seem quite realistic and a fairly true reflection of how people talk, however, it can make it hard to follow.
There was no action, Cluff just potters around with his dog. Whilst he seems to spend most of his time not doing anything he does occasionally talk to people, however, he doesn’t ask them many questions and definitely doesn’t trouble them to give him any answers.
A good twisty ending with an interesting decision from Cluff.
The dialogue is clipped which makes it seem quite realistic and a fairly true reflection of how people talk, however, it can make it hard to follow.
There was no action, Cluff just potters around with his dog. Whilst he seems to spend most of his time not doing anything he does occasionally talk to people, however, he doesn’t ask them many questions and definitely doesn’t trouble them to give him any answers.
A good twisty ending with an interesting decision from Cluff.
March 8, 2019
The author can depict moods very well, unfortunately here it is depressing. Relationships are not portrayed in a favorable light. Marriages, in particular, are dreary and soul-killing. Most of the people in the town are toxic.
I was annoyed how a lot of people's statements were not finished. People trailed off or were interrupted. Others were not clear about what they were saying, rather it was implied. I felt like shaking them and saying end in a period. Spit it out don't make vague suggestions.
I was annoyed how a lot of people's statements were not finished. People trailed off or were interrupted. Others were not clear about what they were saying, rather it was implied. I felt like shaking them and saying end in a period. Spit it out don't make vague suggestions.
March 19, 2022
Sergeant Clufff does things differently from others, no running chases or earnest searching for clues, he solves the crime by knowing the people around him and the village where they live and listening to what people do and don't say to him. The village backdrop is perfect as a working class village with a population that is being left behind by the fast evolving industrial landscape but with some "new money" middle class people moved into the area. Typical of a lot of post WW2 northern towns and villages.
April 6, 2025
The methods of Sergeant Cluff are put into full view in this unique police procedural, which suggests the influences of a number of authors, but succeeds in being its own thing. You see, whether the crime is murder, robbery, garden variety bad behavior, suicide, Cluff’s method is to stroll around his Yorkshire market town, taking the temperature of the community, and acting scary around the local evildoers. So, when it comes to knowing his town and deducing from his rich experience of Yorkshire life, he’s a regular Miss Marple. When it comes to bringing justice to local villains, he’s Mike Hammer, more concerned about bringing revenge than anything resembling the majesty of the law. Sgt. Cluffs author, in the meantime, has read his Simenon, and here adopts his style. He’s also read too many American paperbacks of the era, and has internalized their misogyny.
Cluff also suggests BBC cop shows of the future — the hostile relationship between Cluff and his superior at the station strongly suggests the dynamic in DI Frost’s future cases. And the Yorkshire mill/market town? In 30 years, it will likely be the hellhole shown in Happy Valley.
This unique series is worth finding.
Cluff also suggests BBC cop shows of the future — the hostile relationship between Cluff and his superior at the station strongly suggests the dynamic in DI Frost’s future cases. And the Yorkshire mill/market town? In 30 years, it will likely be the hellhole shown in Happy Valley.
This unique series is worth finding.
May 6, 2022
Gil North is still pretty much a new author to me and once again thanks to British Library Classics it now available. The Sergeant Cluff book gives the reader a chance to hear about a rural life that is of a bygone. Cluff is looking into the murder of a local girl but refuses to arrest the first available villain instead he uses his strong personality to weaken his main suspect. A good read without frills.
December 26, 2024
Terrific second book featuring “the inevitable Cluff” as the narrator describes him. Beautifully crafted descriptions of the Yorkshire Dales and the characters North includes. As a poet who knew the author’s son, i find it fascinating that he lived in the town in North Yorkshire he renamed Gunnarshaw, and I know all too well the “grim-faced” inhabitants but also their reassuringly stoical and certain movements. Some wonderful passages in this novel - I can’t wait to read the next volume.
April 7, 2022
First published in 1961, 'The Methods of Sergeant Cluff' is the second in a series of short novels by Gil North featuring policeman Caleb Cluff, and set in and around a remote Yorkshire town inspired by Skipton. As before, the gritty storyline populated by some well written though extremely gruff characters makes for makes for an all too short piece of excellent storytelling.
February 9, 2023
I thought I would enjoy this; I did not. Originally published in 1961, I found the writing style very annoying. Speech was often written in such a way that it was very difficult to know who was supposed to be speaking. Attitudes to women in this novel were quite appalling, which I suppose was to expected in that era, but I kept being sidetracked into indignation.
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