Green for Danger

In World War II England, a military hospital may hide a murderer: "[Brand] could construct puzzles with the best of them." (Elizabeth George)

As German V-1 rockets rain down on the English countryside, the men and women of the military hospitals fight to stay calm. The morning after a raid, Doctor Barnes prepares for a routine surgery to repair a postman's broken leg. But with general anesthesia, there is always danger. Before the first incision is made, the postman turns purple. Barnes and his nurses do what they can, but the patient is dead in minutes.

The coroner calls for an inquest. Barnes has a history of lost patients and cannot afford more trouble. Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Cockrill is unimpressed by the staff at the hospital, which he finds a nest of jealousy, indiscretion, and bitterness. One of them, doctor or nurse, murdered the postman - and it won't be long before they kill again.

©1944, 1972 Christianna Brand (P)2021 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Perfect!

Great narrator! This is one of my favorite movies so I didn't think I would care for the book but I loved it! 😍

Well, I was wrong!

I focused on one person throughout; I was wrong! I have to wonder what percentage of readers guessed correctly.

Really Excellent!

This is the first Brand that I’ve read but it’s quite excellent. I didn’t figure out the murderer rather early in the story but not the how. The reading is quite good as well. I felt though after I knew the murderer it did drag a little bit.

Great plot twist!

closed-circle-mystery, suspense, suspicion, thriller, 1940, British-detective, British-crime-classics, golden-age-mysteries, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-setting, hospital, jealousies, Kent, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, obsession, secrets, the-blitz*****

First published in 1944.
Set in a Kentish military hospital in 1940 which was commandeered for civilian use during The Blitz.
This classic whodunit drove me nutz trying to identify the killer. I needed some of the included info to guess the cause of death (due to changes in procedures, etc. over the years). I never did put together the motives until the end. Terrific character definition, especially Inspector Cockrill.
This story was even made into a film in 1946.
In the US, I have never seen a cannister of CO2 in a healthcare setting, and all Oxygen cannisters are green regardless of size since well before 1964.
I requested and received an EARC from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
Despite not including the excellent and informative Introduction by Martin Edwards, I gave my eyes a rest and bought the audio narrated brilliantly by Derek Perkins.