Detective Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover is the most idle and avaricious hero in all of crime fiction. Why should he even be bothered to solve the case?For its own very good reasons, Scotland Yard sends Dover off to remote Creedshire to investigate the disappearance of a young housemaid, Juliet Rugg. Though there’s every cause to assume that she has been murdered – she gave her favours freely and … – she gave her favours freely and may even have stooped to a bit of blackmail – no body is to be found. Weighing in at sixteen stone, she couldn’t be hard to overlook.
But where is she? And why should Dover, of all people, be called upon to find her? Or, for that matter, even bother to solve the damned case?
Editorial reviews:
“Something quite out of the ordinary.” Daily Telegraph
“Joyce Porter is a joy… Dover is unquestionably the most entertaining detective in fiction.” Guardian
“Plotted with the technique of a virtuoso.” New York Times
“Wonderfully funny.” Spectator
“Dover is wildly, joyously unbelievable; and may he remain so for our comic delight.” Sun
“You will be fascinated by his sheer dazzling incompetence. Porter has a keen eye, a wicked sense of comedy, and a delightfully low mind.” Harper’s
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In this day and age of social and political unrest in so many places in the world, it is a bit difficult to put DOVER ONE into its proper place in history. Let’s start out with the fact the overweight and poorly groomed Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover is not a very nice man. Then let’s add a case in which he has no interest that centers around Juliet Rugg who is described as standing 5 feet, 3 inches tall in stiletto heels, and weighs in at 16 stone (that’s 224 pounds in American – yes, I googled it). So we start out with an unattractive police inspector with a misogynistic attitude toward a potential victim. All of this would seem to place the action in the mid-twentieth century before the words ‘political correctness’ were ever spoken.
However, a thoroughly boorish and unlikeable protagonist does not necessarily make a book unreadable. In fact, once you wrinkle your nose at his characteristics several times, you will find that he is surrounded by the very essence of BBC mystery suspects.
First published over fifty years ago, DOVER ONE is a book of its time. The 1960s was a time of change, not all of which was acceptable to the post-WWII generation. Bits and pieces of the time are interspersed quite subtly throughout the novel. This subtlety makes the book somewhat timeless. Young, modern readers may have difficulty with concepts of being “on the phone” indicating whether or not one had landline in their home, but older folks, like myself will see this as a sign of those times.
The first half of DOVER ONE is pretty much dedicated to making you thoroughly dislike Wilfred Dover while introducing his sergeant, Charles Edward MacGregor, almost as a minor character hardly worth mentioning. Detective Sergeant MacGregor lives in the background but does all the actual work. The residents of Irlam Old Hall are a colorful lot; just the sort you would expect to find in an English village where class structure runs rampant.
I have always enjoyed reading books where inuendo rather than blatant four-letter words are used in delicate situations. The nod to human nature and frailty is given in this way here.
Overall, DOVER ONE is a throwback to an earlier time. Once that is discerned, the case moves on apace. If I had thoughts of stopping this series at book one, I have certainly changed my mind.
The end of the book is priceless!
I just didn’t like anything about it. Would not read another if there is a series.
Wacky detective
tedious
Delighted to see this series available again.
Dover is a totally unique detective! His approach (or lack thereof) to solving crimes is completely strange and somewhat terrifying. The man is a dinosaur in so many ways. I had to keep reading to discover if he improved. It was a vain hope. Good book though.
well written and original twists on most detective characters. A great series of light and enjoyable reads!
It’s hard for me to read books with unlikable main characters, and Dover is about as unlikable as they get.
Well written and entertaining tale of a misbegotten, disorganized, and disheveled heap of a Scotland yard detective who none-the-less manages to solve the crime.
It was too dragged out
It could have been about 50 pages shorter
Main character, Dover was exasperating, but funny.
Great book, the first in the series. I found Dover a most enjoyable character, not necessarily likable yet but I think he will grow on me. He seemingly solves the mystery of the missing person with a lot of luck. The other characters in the story are finely drawn. I look forward to Dover Two and highly recommend these books.
very average