Michael Gilbert is in that group of celebrated classic crime authors whose names I have known for decades, but of whose books I have inexplicably not read more than one or two. (R. Austin Freeman, Michael Innes, Ellery Queen, and Margaret Millar also belong to that unjustly neglected group.) So when Reading the Detectives over at Goodreads chose as one of its March reads Death in Captivity, Gilbert's 1952 novel of murder occurring within a prisoner-of-war camp, I was grateful for the opportunity to be (re)introduced to the author and his straightforward style of storytelling.
Northern Italy, 1943: a camp holding Allied officers runs on routine, while in other parts of the world the war rages on. A mix of British, Scottish, and American military men cook, fraternize, play rugby, and even rehearse for a tongue-in-cheek production of The Barretts of Wimpole Street. Although the armed sentries and the Carabinieri largely leave their prisoners alone, the men also recognize that Fascist campo leader Captain Benucci could be a dangerous and deadly adversary if provoked. So it falls to Colonel Baird, acting in concert with the other imprisoned commanders and some hand-picked officers, to make sure that their plans for an escape tunnel beneath the large iron stove of Hut C are carried out quickly, quietly, and undetected.
But the project encounters one very messy obstacle: the body of Cyriakos Coutoulos, an unpopular soldier and suspected informant, is discovered at the tunnel's end, buried in sand from a structure collapse. Reluctant to bring the escape tunnel to their Italian captors' attention – but knowing that Coutoulos must be found soon and in similar circumstances to avoid complications – the dead man is secretly transferred to another hut where a second tunnel had been started and aborted. When Captain Benucci focuses his suspicions on Captain Roger Byfold as the killer, it falls to Henry "Cuckoo" Goyles to assume the role of amateur detective under very nontraditional circumstances.
But the project encounters one very messy obstacle: the body of Cyriakos Coutoulos, an unpopular soldier and suspected informant, is discovered at the tunnel's end, buried in sand from a structure collapse. Reluctant to bring the escape tunnel to their Italian captors' attention – but knowing that Coutoulos must be found soon and in similar circumstances to avoid complications – the dead man is secretly transferred to another hut where a second tunnel had been started and aborted. When Captain Benucci focuses his suspicions on Captain Roger Byfold as the killer, it falls to Henry "Cuckoo" Goyles to assume the role of amateur detective under very nontraditional circumstances.
Part locked-room mystery, part wartime escape drama, Death in Captivity is a thoroughly enjoyable tale, nicely plotted and smartly paced. In his informative introduction to the British Library Crime Classics edition, author Martin Edwards reminds us that Michael Gilbert was himself a prisoner of war, and that the author dedicates this book to two fellow escapees with whom he traversed the Italian countryside towards the front line.
There are a number of surprises to be found in the story, not least of which is the unusual and unique setting for this murder mystery.
There are a number of surprises to be found in the story, not least of which is the unusual and unique setting for this murder mystery.
A captured officer camp surely holds amenities and carries a sense of laissez-faire not afforded to troop prisoners; it took me a few chapters to acclimate to the relative independence and limited supervision of our group of heroes. But that liberty is needed narratively for the men to execute long-term escape plans, and such afforded respect is in keeping with the uncertainty of the situation. The fortunes of war may change, and those in power will need to plead mercy before their one-time captives. It is also likely true-to-life, as the author had first-hand experience of the Italian camp at Fontanellato.
My sole criticism is that the cast of characters has a largely physical and ideological sameness. Some officers are older, some younger, and nationalities and ranks differ, but they are cut from the same sober-minded, stiff-upper-lip cloth, and none really stand out as individual personalities. Still, the situation alone encourages more than enough sympathy for the prisoners' plight, and we find ourselves rooting for the mild but mindful Goyles to arrive at light at the end of the tunnel, both literally and figuratively, by finding freedom and solving the mystery. The officers may be allowed certain amenities, but their efforts to escape and survive are clearly a matter of life and death.
Also published as The Danger Within, it looks like I come late to the review party! You can find astute critiques of Death in Captivity from TomCat at Beneath the Stains of Time, Tracy at Bitter Tea and Mystery, Sergio at Tipping My Fedora, Kate at crossexaminingcrime, and The Puzzle Doctor at In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel.
My sole criticism is that the cast of characters has a largely physical and ideological sameness. Some officers are older, some younger, and nationalities and ranks differ, but they are cut from the same sober-minded, stiff-upper-lip cloth, and none really stand out as individual personalities. Still, the situation alone encourages more than enough sympathy for the prisoners' plight, and we find ourselves rooting for the mild but mindful Goyles to arrive at light at the end of the tunnel, both literally and figuratively, by finding freedom and solving the mystery. The officers may be allowed certain amenities, but their efforts to escape and survive are clearly a matter of life and death.
Also published as The Danger Within, it looks like I come late to the review party! You can find astute critiques of Death in Captivity from TomCat at Beneath the Stains of Time, Tracy at Bitter Tea and Mystery, Sergio at Tipping My Fedora, Kate at crossexaminingcrime, and The Puzzle Doctor at In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel.
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