Twelve Horses and the Hangman’s Noose by Gladys Mitchell

Twelve Horses and the Hangman’s Noose by Gladys Mitchell

published 1956

 

This Gladys Mitchell book is very unusual indeed – because in terms of plot you could imagine a number of crime authors having written it. The major point of most Mitchell books is that no-one else in or out of their right minds would have tried to build a book round her imaginings. And certainly some readers (me: I am a big fan of GM but…) have long ago given up trying to either work out whodunit from clues, or even make sense of the story once the explanation is given.

But this one is worryingly normal. It reminded me very much of two books previously featured by Josephine Pullein-Thompson – murder amongst the horsey classes. (When I checked up on those two entries I immediately lifted the picture below for this one). A boys’ grammar school is the other main focus – all of this takes place in and around Hampshire and the New Forest, close to where series sleuth Dame Beatrice Adela Le Strange Bradley lives. Her assistant Laura is well to the fore. (Mrs B has become a Dame, and Laura is married to Gavin of the Yard).

Laura likes riding, and knows all the local stables and their owners well. So when one of the owners is – apparently – kicked to death by his horse, she goes investigating. The dead man had the titular 12 horses, and there are question marks over some of them. A complex tale of substitutions, betting and racing follows. Meanwhile, the boys’ school has a big opening ceremony, and at the end of if the body of a dead groom is discovered. What is the connection between the school and the horses?

All these matters are of course deeply mixed up together. Laura has a scooter which she races round on, when not on horseback, and I was particularly pleased with the two top photographs which might represent her. She has a lot of conversations with a lot of people, takes some child witnesses out riding, and generally busybodies around. It makes for pleasant if not startling reading.

Clothes are mostly riding breeches, and jeans for mucking out, but there is also this at the inquest:

Cissie, trim in a black costume which somehow indicated the French nationality which, up to this time, had rarely been suspected by the village, tripped cosily into the witness-box and took the oath in a tragic and theatrical voice.

[After due consideration, I feel I should warn that this sentence – which would be nothing special in the work of Patricia Wentworth – is wholly atypical. I for one would decide to read a book based on this sentence, expecting more and better, and honestly in this case you would be disappointed]

And another of the horsey women is ‘booked at Easter for an equestrian act’ at a circus, and says ‘I’m going to wear breeches and boots. No tights and spangles, thank you. I’ve insisted on that.’ Sadly we never get to see her at the circus.

The school sections mostly consist of the staff being horrible to each other – enjoyably so – and I liked this:

‘if foul play was not involved, something much nastier was.’

‘Sir?’ At the Seahampton Grammar School, sex, except for jokes in the masters’ Comon Room, was taboo.

‘Religion,’ said Mr Bond.

‘Religion?’ Mr Gadd looked surprised. Even at School Assembly religion was almost taboo.

It is an enjoyable read, though good luck with working out anything about the plot.

Scooter 1 Tyne and wear archives 1963

Scooter 2 LSE Library

Young woman clearing a jump is from Florida memories, 1947

Children riding, State Library of Queensland