Category Archives: Bellairs, George

The Clock Strikes Murder – New Years Eve Mysteries

I love the ubiquitous Christmas mystery and am always on the lookout for new ones. It seems like every golden/silver age mystery writer wrote at least one of them. Less common, but still fun, is the NYE murder, which I also keep my eye out for – and I found a couple of new ones this year.

The Dishonest MurdererThe Dishonest Murderer
by Frances Lockridge, Richard Lockridge
Rating: ★★★★
Series: Mr. & Mrs. North #13
Publication Date: January 1, 1949
Genre: mystery: golden age (1920-1949)
Pages: 297
ReRead?: No

Mr. and Mrs. North attempt to solve the case of a New Year’s Eve murder Freddie Haven has just crossed the Brooklyn Bridge when she sees a man she believes to be her fiancé, Sen. Bruce Kirkhill, on the sidewalk, walking alone through one of Manhattan’s vilest slums. It seems impossible that the shabby figure is actually Bruce, and Freddie tries to put the sight out of her mind. She prepares herself for her father’s New Year’s Eve party, and waits for her husband-to-be to arrive. But the senator never shows. Bruce is found dead in a doorway not far from the Bowery. What was he doing in the wrong part of town, and why was he dressed in a bum’s shabby suit? Freddie begs for help from Mr. and Mrs. North, amateur sleuths who catch killers between sipping martinis. But is she ready to discover that the senator had a secret the shadows of the Bowery weren’t dark enough to hide?

The Dishonest Murderer is the 13th book in the Mr. and Mrs. North Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.


Of the two that I read, this was my favorite, and not only because I actually read it on NYE and New Years Day. It starts at a NYE party – and Mr. and Mrs. North get invited to really good parties. This one was thrown by Vice-Admiral Satterbee, who is also writing a book for Jerry North, and his daughter, Freddie Haven. Freddie’s fiance, Senator Bruce Kirkhill, never shows up.

Because he is dead.

There is intrigue and drama and very little sleep, and Pam North, as is her wont figures everything out first, and manages to put her life in peril in a confrontation with the murderer, although Detective Weigand is on the scene with no delay. There is a potentially intriguing new romance that may or may not go anywhere in future books.

The Case of the Headless JesuitThe Case of the Headless Jesuit
by George Bellairs
Rating: ★★★½
Series: Chief Inspector Littlejohn #16
Publication Date: January 1, 1950
Genre: mystery: silver age (1950-1979)
Pages: 492
ReRead?: No
Project: a century of crime

On New Year’s Eve a string of grisly deaths strike a remote English hamlet

For centuries Cobbold-in-the-Marsh has been haunted by the ghost of a Jesuit priest who lost his head rather than deny his faith. Since then, there hasn’t been much bloodshed in this peculiar little village, but all that changes during the icy week just after Christmas. First a policeman is found drowned in the canal, a tragic death that shows signs of foul play. Then, as the whole town gathers for midnight mass on New Year’s Eve, the prodigal son of the manor house staggers down the aisle. The congregation thinks he’s drunk—until they notice the blood seeping down his side.

Detective-Inspector Thomas Littlejohn and Detective-Sergeant Robert Cromwell are called in from Scotland Yard to oversee the investigation. As they dig into the quirks and secrets of this eerie little enclave, they find that Cobbold is haunted by more than a decapitated priest.


I checked this one out from the KU library and read it right before Christmas. I really enjoy the Chief Inspector Littlejohn mysteries by Bellairs, but this didn’t turn out to be a favorite. The plot summary looked great, and I do love holiday mysteries, but I thought that it was on the weaker side of the books in the series.

Having said that, Chief Inspector Littlejohn ends up adopting the now homeless dog of one of the victims as part of the story, which I found heartwarming and delightful.

Other NYE mysteries, for anyone who is interested, include The Clock Strikes Twelve by Patricia Wentworth, the 7th Miss Silver mystery, which I read in 2020, and one of my favorite Peter Wimsey mysteries, The Nine Tailors, by Dorothy Sayers.

Like I said, I’ve always got a BOLO out for NYE mysteries, so if you know of any that I haven’t identified, mention it in the comments!