Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Close Quarters | 1947 | Michael Gilbert | Buy |
| 2 | They Never Looked Inside / He Didn’t Mind Danger | 1947 | Michael Gilbert | Buy |
| 3 | The Doors Open | 1949 | Michael Gilbert | Buy |
| 4 | Smallbone Deceased | 1950 | Michael Gilbert | Buy |
| 5 | Death Has Deep Roots | 1951 | Michael Gilbert | Buy |
| 6 | Fear to Tread | 1953 | Michael Gilbert | Buy |
Inspector Hazelrigg was Michael Gilbert’s first recurring detective, appearing in six novels that launched Gilbert’s career in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The series opens with Close Quarters, set in an English cathedral close, and moves through a range of settings that include wartime London and the French legal system. Hazelrigg is a steady, methodical investigator whose cases hinge on careful observation rather than flashy deductions.
The fourth book, Smallbone Deceased, is often considered the highlight of the series and one of the finest British mystery novels of its era. Set in a solicitor’s office where a body is discovered in a deed box, it draws directly on Gilbert’s own legal experience. The series balances fair-play puzzle construction with convincing courtroom and police procedure, giving readers both the satisfaction of a classic detective story and the grounding of real-world legal practice.