The Original Inspector George Gently Collection

This is a lovely mystery series set in the 1960s . I ordered it originally because it stars Martin Shaw, but found it to be very well produced, with great acting, spectacular locations, and a lot of historical 60s detail that gives it authenticity. It also shows how far we've come in workplaces and society since those days, and how far we still haven't progressed. Very enjoyable.

We have a subscription to Acorn the British T.V channel on our Roku t.v system. That's where we discovered the very honorable George Gently Detective program. As luck would have it, a few weeks of watching ran us out of the programs, the character. George Gently is really very interesting though and I wanted to keep up with the tales. That's where this very good book falls in, If you're a a Fan, You'll enjoy this book as much as I have. I don't want to review the tales because I dislike knowing too much, Just read the book, You'll enjoy it.

A good detective story and well worth a read.

Even better than the TV series.I have watched (on Netflix) the Gently series. I downloaded two of the books to my Kindle for travel. Glad I did. The books were excellent. Well developed character, maybe a shade darker than TV, but they ring true, if less gruesome than recent crime books. Only 49 more books to go.......

This book is a collection of the first 2 Inspector George Gently novels, "Gently Does It" and "Gently By the Shore." Interested readers who come from the BBC television series, note that Gently will be familiar, but the supporting cast of characters changes from story to story, with some of the more delightful members recurring throughout the overall series."Gently Does It" is an entertaining examination of police process and tactics, and our introduction to George Gently, already a Chief Inspector with London's CID (Criminal Investigation Department). He's on holiday in Norchester, a recurring East Anglia location in the series, when a murder occurs. The local police - including an amusing detective inspector who serves as a kind of reappearing foil for Gently throughout his Norchester adventures - are eager to close up the case quickly, but Gently's intuition and dedication to the truth lead him to a different conclusion. As in many later books in the series, we know the culprit rather early in the story, but it's the game of collecting facts and evidence that set this character and series apart from other whodunits. An enjoyable first foray into Gently's world."Gently By the Shore" sees Gently and his stalwart sergeant Dutt called in specifically for their case-solving skills. As in nearly all the Gently books, what's important here is the gathering of information and evidence. A colorful supporting cast of coppers, townsfolk, and criminals bring to brighter life what might otherwise be a simple detective story.The Gently stories typically rely on discovering information. If you're looking for an action thriller with lots of gunplay, these first two books probably aren't for you...though, the action does approach shootout levels of excitement in later books. Rather, if you're willing to join Gently in concentrated contemplation - and are willing to trust in a little bit of luck - this is a good start to those adventures.

These are well written with good character development. If you are not familiar with british crime novels, some of the English language references may puzzle you a bit. The series beginnings take place shortly after WWII. Gently is a veteran of the Burma Campaign and became a police officer. I;'e only read the first book in the series (there's about 20-something in all). I enjoyed that first book, and will start in on the second one very shortly. There was a BBC? PBS? series made based the novels. The characters plots and interactions, played by the cast is very well done.. So get the first book, and start reading. I believe you'll like it.

Having seen all but one of the Gently broadcasts on television, I read this two-volume collection in order to find out more about Mr. Gently. I wasn't disappointed, and I plan to read others in this series. I usually read non-fiction, so I'm not sure to whom I would recommend this volume. For novices to mystery reading like myself, it's probably a great introduction to that genre. The author is skilled with words, turns a graceful phrase now and again, and the story goes down a treat.

Alan Hunter was very clear about not liking to be criticised for something he never intended to write. What he wrote, in these stories, was the how and why of police work, the procedural, slightly mundane, everyday footslogging stuff which all policemen have to wade through to get at the facts. I have read six of the novels so far and am quite addicted to the T.V. series as well, so it would be fair to say I am quite a fan. I like the wry touches of humour and pathos woven into the tales - the image of Gently sitting at the back of the room and surreptitiously blowing smoke rings at a Scotland Yard detective's ear cracked me up, it is so easily imagined. (Revenge for being ignored even though it was his case.) Being English probably helps, but I think these books would appeal to any police/crime aficionado.

Love the TV series so I decided to read the books. This is a good start because it is yhe first teo books in one.

It took me a while to adjust from the TV Gently characters, this is set in a slightly earlier period and the characters are completely different to the TV series. If you recently watched the Magpie Murder series on tv this is more like the Gently books. Having said that these books are hugely enjoyable, with a good injection of humour written in. As the author has said its not a whodunnit as such as it becomes pretty obvious but its how George Gently gets his man or woman that is so engrossing. I'm only on book three so looking forward to a long relationship withe the new (old) characters.

Story is set in the 1950s in a very different England from today. Well written and engaging plot. Slow and well paced rhythm

I am a great fan of the TV series and when I saw this I couldn't wait to buy and read it.. I was not disappointed.. I will be buying more of the Inspector George Gently books in the future..

Entertaining story lines, good plots