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Toff #8
The Toff Goes to Market
It’s a time of shortage and rationing. The Honourable Richard Rollison (aka ‘The Toff’) is in the army, but gets permission to visit his aunt, Lady Matilda Wirrington, who is supposedly on her death bed. Had she died, things would have been different, but as it was a recovery led from one thing to the other and ‘The Toff’ found himself involved in an investigation of the black market – profiteering by dishonest ‘businessmen’ in order to earn huge amounts of money out of people’s needs in times of inadequate supply. This, though, went beyond that and wholesale murder raised its ugly head as both ‘The Toff’ and Scotland Yard battle it out with those involved.
A 1942 crime thriller novel by the British writer John Creasey. It was the eighth in his long-running featuring the gentleman amateur detective The Toff. It was one of a number of novels produced in the era that featured the booming wartime black market as a major plotline. It has been republished on a number of occasions.
-Wikipedia
A 1942 crime thriller novel by the British writer John Creasey. It was the eighth in his long-running featuring the gentleman amateur detective The Toff. It was one of a number of novels produced in the era that featured the booming wartime black market as a major plotline. It has been republished on a number of occasions.
-Wikipedia
- GenresMystery
217 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1942
About the author
John Creasey
432 books72 followersAKA Gordon Ashe, M E Cooke, Norman Deane, Robert Caine Frazer, Patrick Gill, Michael Halliday, Charles Hogarth, Brian Hope, Colin Hughes, Kyle Hunt, Margaret Lisle, Abel Mann, Peter Manton, J.J. Marric, Richard Martin, Rodney Mattheson, Anthony Morton, Jeremy York, Henry St. John Cooper and Margaret Cooke.
John Creasey (September 17, 1908 - June 9, 1973) was born in Southfields, Surrey, England and died in New Hall, Bodenham, Salisbury Wiltshire, England. He was the seventh of nine children in a working class home. He became an English author of crime thrillers, published in excess of 600 books under 20+ different pseudonyms. He invented many famous characters who would appear in a whole series of novels. Probably the most famous of these is Gideon of Scotland Yard, the basis for the television program Gideon's Way but others include Department Z, Dr. Palfrey, The Toff, Inspector Roger West, and The Baron (which was also made into a television series). In 1962, Creasey won an Edgar Award for Best Novel, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Gideon's Fire, written under the pen name J. J. Marric. And in 1969 he was given the MWA's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.
John Creasey (September 17, 1908 - June 9, 1973) was born in Southfields, Surrey, England and died in New Hall, Bodenham, Salisbury Wiltshire, England. He was the seventh of nine children in a working class home. He became an English author of crime thrillers, published in excess of 600 books under 20+ different pseudonyms. He invented many famous characters who would appear in a whole series of novels. Probably the most famous of these is Gideon of Scotland Yard, the basis for the television program Gideon's Way but others include Department Z, Dr. Palfrey, The Toff, Inspector Roger West, and The Baron (which was also made into a television series). In 1962, Creasey won an Edgar Award for Best Novel, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Gideon's Fire, written under the pen name J. J. Marric. And in 1969 he was given the MWA's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 21, 2020
Lady Matilda Wirrington (The Toff's Aunt)..."Richard, I bought a case of tinned salmon two weeks ago, and opened the first tin yesterday for lunch. That’s what caused it. Dr. Carruthers knows it was the salmon, but he doesn’t know it was out of a case.” “I know that buying a case of tinned salmon is enough to have you fined a thousand pounds, and possibly earn you a prison sentence,” Rollison said. "Richard, I wanted to talk to you, quickly, because if you are a detective you might be able to stop any more of that salmon being sold. If it nearly killed me – and I’m as strong as Glory – what will it do to other people who buy cases?” “I’ll try – I really will,” Rollison promised her. “Don’t get too worked up though; it might have been one bad tin out of the gross, or however many were in the case. I’ve a lot of queer and unsocial habits,” he continued with a teasing smile, “but I’ll do my level best to keep the family escutcheon clean.”
Soon afterwards Lady Gloria limped and Rollison walked out of the room, Rollison very thoughtful. He knew a chemist who would examine some of the other tins and be discreet, and his first need was to get the case and to send samples for analysis. When Glory led him to the store-room where the salmon and other things were kept under lock and key he experienced a temporary revulsion of feeling. The store- room was an offence to anti-hoarding laws, morals, and ordinary wartime patriotism. He was jerked out of a reverie by Lady Gloria. “Now I suppose you’re going to let her down. If you do I won’t forgive you.” ...In the course of 12 hours, reflected Rollison, he had learned of three distinct aspects of the black market trading. Aunt Matilda as a buyer, Lett and Lizzy as sellers, and the police as the judiciaries. Other angles had also been presented, not the least being Livy's (the Italian wine steward), at the Regal. Only then did he really began to assess the immense range over which the market spread. He began to understand much more clearly why Grice was eager for help.
Soon afterwards Lady Gloria limped and Rollison walked out of the room, Rollison very thoughtful. He knew a chemist who would examine some of the other tins and be discreet, and his first need was to get the case and to send samples for analysis. When Glory led him to the store-room where the salmon and other things were kept under lock and key he experienced a temporary revulsion of feeling. The store- room was an offence to anti-hoarding laws, morals, and ordinary wartime patriotism. He was jerked out of a reverie by Lady Gloria. “Now I suppose you’re going to let her down. If you do I won’t forgive you.” ...In the course of 12 hours, reflected Rollison, he had learned of three distinct aspects of the black market trading. Aunt Matilda as a buyer, Lett and Lizzy as sellers, and the police as the judiciaries. Other angles had also been presented, not the least being Livy's (the Italian wine steward), at the Regal. Only then did he really began to assess the immense range over which the market spread. He began to understand much more clearly why Grice was eager for help.
June 26, 2017
I like reading the Creasey books because my mother loved reading them. I wonder if she liked this one?
There's a good story here with lots of good characters and well written setting. However, the actual writing of the plot is too muddled to make a good book. The story dodges from one element to the next with poor elements of writing and makes the book often confusing. Adding that the interaction between the good guy vs all is entirely too cordial. Except those who are pre-written as bad guys. Varying the dialogue would have made the book more interesting instead of the segregated cast.
Since i know a bit of the black market during World War Ii, and now, that was well delineated. I wonder while Creasey was trying to chastise the black market he got lost assembling this story?
Bottom line: I don't recommend this book. 4 out of 10 points.
There's a good story here with lots of good characters and well written setting. However, the actual writing of the plot is too muddled to make a good book. The story dodges from one element to the next with poor elements of writing and makes the book often confusing. Adding that the interaction between the good guy vs all is entirely too cordial. Except those who are pre-written as bad guys. Varying the dialogue would have made the book more interesting instead of the segregated cast.
Since i know a bit of the black market during World War Ii, and now, that was well delineated. I wonder while Creasey was trying to chastise the black market he got lost assembling this story?
Bottom line: I don't recommend this book. 4 out of 10 points.
September 8, 2018
Interesting story set in London during World War II. As law abiding citizens learn to live with rationing meant to help the war effort, many people resort to the black market to make huge profits or find hard to procure items. The Toff gets drawn into this seamy side of life by mistake and finds a way to make a difference in cleaning up this problem.
January 30, 2024
Another consistently good book by Creasey,
You get,
Moral rich people,
Fat immoral people,
A glimpse at WW2 civilian life in Britan,
Black marketing,
A mystery and bit of violence.
You get,
Moral rich people,
Fat immoral people,
A glimpse at WW2 civilian life in Britan,
Black marketing,
A mystery and bit of violence.
May 21, 2013
Books set during WWII like this one are automatically dated, but that's not an impediment to enjoying a book.
The Toff, one of John Creasey's knock offs of the Saint, finds himself up against a war time black market ring, when his aunt, one of his few relatives that he likes, buys a case of canned salmons from the marketeers and comes down with food poisoning.
The plot doesn't make a great deal of sense, and The Toff has most of his anti-establishment edges knocked off, to fit into the army life.
Not one of the best in the series.
The Toff, one of John Creasey's knock offs of the Saint, finds himself up against a war time black market ring, when his aunt, one of his few relatives that he likes, buys a case of canned salmons from the marketeers and comes down with food poisoning.
The plot doesn't make a great deal of sense, and The Toff has most of his anti-establishment edges knocked off, to fit into the army life.
Not one of the best in the series.
May 25, 2016
this is The Toff #8; read some time in 1988
September 13, 2016
for the time it was written in, I enjoyed this book. I will read the rest of his books.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews