The Methods of Sergeant Cluff

Author/Guide: Gil North

Why a Booktrail?

1960s: A timeless Yorkshire setting although the streets of Gunnarshaw are not all they seem..

ISBN: 978-0712356473
Genre: British Library Crime Classics, Cosy crime, Historical

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What you need to know before your trail

In the small and quiet Yorkshire town of Gunnarshaw, a girl has been found dead. She is identified as Jane Trundle, an assistant in a chemist’s shop. She yearned for a better life, and when Cluff finds more money in her handbag than she would have earned in wages, he starts to get suspicious.
There the investigation begins, but these are the days of gas lamps and cobbled alleyways, danger in the shadows and a community in fear. Gunnarshaw might look innocent but the narrow streets and the small compact nature of the town can sometimes work against it.

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Travel Guide

Gunnarshaw – Skipton

Gunnarshaw is a fictional town but is heavily inspired by Skipton, a jewel in the Yorkshire Crown. It’s known as the Gateway to the Dales and is where the author was born. Gil North is in fact a pen name and is that of the author Geoffrey Horne (1916 – 1988). He retired from the Colonial Service and started to write. TV adaptations of his novels were made in the 1960s. These episodes were filmed in and around Skipton

Skipton is the perfect setting for this story. It’s small and has a great sense of community even now. There’s a market in the centre which brings many people together,a church at the top of the main street and a series of rivers,streams and waterwheels. A real Yorkshire setting.

This is the Skipton of gas lamps, cobbled alley ways, where a crime scene is illuminated by the explosion of a flash bulb. And a crotchety old policeman doing the rounds. The author paints a very realistic portrait of a small Yorkshire community with the daily grind, the harsh at times conditions and the sheer force of mind needed to solve crimes the old fashioned way.

Streetview Maps

B) The Church

C) The Town Hall and the alleyway

Booktrailer Review

Susan: @thebooktrailer

I like Cluff, well like is a funny word to describe a grumpy old man, but Cluff reminded me a little of Columbo – a dog with a bone who never lets go until he gets a bite. And that’s what I like, the old fashioned who dunnit which is more than a why did they do it and how they did it.

I admit that when I found out that Gunnarshaw was Skipton, I was delighted! Ah this must be one of the loveliest towns in Yorkshire and has a unique charm of its own. I visited Skipton long before I read this book, but it all became so clear and I realised I had walked past the crime scene a few times when there! I had wished there was a novel set here and now I’d found this! Very excited to say the least.

The writing style is unique and a bit old fashioned in one way but this is a cracking good mystery with Cluff really getting his teeth into the whys and wherefors. There are others in the series and I’m definitely heading back to Skipton, I mean Gunnarshaw.

Can I just say that even though I read this on Kindle, I do love the shape and size of these books in paperback. They’re almost square and quite heavy and really make them feel like an old fashioned tome.