Fields of Heather ([A Superintendent Gently suspense novel]) [Hardcover]

[Subsequently published in the U.S.A. as "Death on the Heath", by Walker Publications, (1982), ISBN 0 8027 5468 6]

THE 28th CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT GEORGE GENTLY, C.I.D; MURDER MYSTERY NOVEL. [now a television series starring Martin Shaw]. .. FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, I HAVE SUPPLIED A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE BOOK, AND HERE IS WHAT THE DUST JACKET FLAPS [the 'blurb'] STATES :

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In a lonely thicket of gorse near the Suffolk coast, a man lies dead on a summers afternoon: Frederick Quennell, amateur yachtsman and head of a successful local firm of printers. Later examing the site, Chief Superintendent Gently (newly married to Gabrielle Orbec, and reluctantly in chrge of the investigation) wonders who wanted Quennell dead.

There is no shortage of suspects, as the Suffolk police point out. Quennell's neglected wife is deeply in love with an artist - a man moreover, who's been suspected of murder once before. What about Raymond Tallis, who headed the printing firm until Quennell took his place? Tallis's own family affairs are complex: his brother Arthur drowned in a yachting accident, with Tallis and Quennell both on board at the time, and Tallis themn married his brother's widow...

In the tranquil Suffolk countryside, scented with heather and sea-breezes, Gently sets to work to disentangle the emotional bonds - the jealousy, love, hatred, and remorse - the enmesh the dead man's family and friends. And he starts by contemplating not just one previous death, but two...

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REVIEWS FROM PREVIOUS "GENTLY" NOVELS :

["Gently French"] .... GENTLY FRENCH is the twentieth crime story by Alan Hunter to be published by Cassell. For eighteen years he has been creating mysteries for Gently to solve. Originally hailed as an English Maigret, Gently soon took his own highly individual place among the most popular of policemen in English detective fiction. He has been widely praised by most of our home critics but his skill has also been acknowledged abroad. Discussing Alan Hunter's work in the 'New York Times Book Review,' Anthony Boucher described Gently as : ... "probably the best interrogator in the business today.".

["Gently Does It"] ... In 1955, when his first story 'Gently Does It' was published, he was welcomed in 'Time and Tide' in these terms : ... "Fond as we all are of the old familiar faces, it is a particular (and rare) pleasure to be able to welcome a talented newcomer in the blood-soaked circle of true detective novelists. In Chief Inspector Gently of the Yard, Alan Hunter presents a new and most acceptable detective, owing a good deal perhaps to Inspector Maigret, but nevertheless standing solidly in his own very English boots. The author is careful to point out that 'Gently Does It' is a detective story but not a whodunit, and broadly speaking this claim is upheld, though the identity of the murderer is by no means immediately apparent. The county-town background is lovingly authentic, and the authour's bold determination to share all clues and information equally with the reader and the Chief Inspector pays handsome dividends. We accompany Gently fascinated from hunch to clue to certainty and finally, in a very tight corner, to proof. I look forward to watching this splendidly sympathetic sleuth consume thousands more of his favourite peppermint creams."

["Gently By The Shore"] ... The following year 'Gently By The Shore' confirmed his success and F.E.Pardoe wrote in the 'Birmingham Post' : ... "When Alan Hunter introduced Chief Inspector Gently just over twelve months ago, it looked as though an important new figure had joined the ranks of fictional detectives; 'Gently By The Shore' more than fulfils the promise of the earlier book." Midway through his career, Julian Symons in the 'Sunday Times' described his tenth story as : ..."a wholly modern blend of thriller and puzzle that defies categorisation. Don't on any account miss it."

Every year since 1955 (and occassionally twice a year) a new Gently has appeared, and in 1971 Mathew Coady wrote in the 'Guardian': .... "It's a measure of Mr Hunter's skill that after eighteen investigations one always wants more."

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"FIELDS OF HEATHER" IS THE 28th CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT GEORGE GENTLY NOVEL, WHICH IS NOW A TELEVISION SERIES STARRING MARTIN SHAW.