A review by deegee24
Thou Shell of Death by Nicholas Blake

4.0

With his second Nigel Strangeways novel, Nicholas Blake (the pen name of poet Cecil Day Lewis) matured into one of the best mystery writers of the so-called Golden Age. Though Shell of Death takes up many of the conventions of the genre, such as the gathering of all the suspects into a country manor house, and makes them sing due to the strength of characterization and dialogue. You find yourself engrossed in the human relationships as much if not more than the working out of the solution of the crime. That's not to say that the mystery itself is an afterthought--it is an elaborate con but one that is carefully revealed and just plausible enough to suspend your disbelief. What's more, Nigel S. is a great character. Supposedly based on CDL's friend W. H. Auden, Nigel bears some resemblance to eccentric amateur sleuths such as Lord Peter Wimsey and Hercule Poirot, but his speech and behavior are rendered in a more realistic, closely observed manner so he doesn't come across as an awkward caricature.