Nigel Strangeways is a fictional British

private detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

created by

Cecil Day-Lewis Cecil Day-Lewis (or Day Lewis; 27 April 1904 – 22 May 1972), often written as C. Day-Lewis, was an Irish-born British poet and Poet Laureate from 1968 until his death in 1972. He also wrote mystery stories under the pseudonym of Nicholas Bla ...

, writing under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

of Nicholas Blake. He was one of the prominent detectives of the

Golden Age of Detective Fiction The Golden Age of Detective Fiction was an era of classic murder mystery novels of similar patterns and styles, predominantly in the 1920s and 1930s. The Golden Age proper is, in practice, usually taken to refer to a type of fiction which was pred ...

, appearing in sixteen novels between 1935 and 1966. He also features in a couple of short stories.

Character overview

A gentleman detective Strangeways is an

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

-educated writer and nephew of an Assistant Commissioner at Scotland Yard. His surname is derived from the

Strangeways Prison HM Prison Manchester is a Category A and B men's prison in Manchester, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. It is still commonly referred to as Strangeways, which was its former official name derived from the area in which it is l ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

. In the first novel ''

A Question of Proof ''A Question of Proof'' is a 1935 detective novel by Cecil Day-Lewis, written under the pen name of Nicholas Blake. It is the first in a series of novels featuring the private detective Nigel Strangeways. Day-Lewis chose to write under an assume ...

'' he is modelled on the poet

W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...

but this aspect became less marked as the series progressed. As well as being a private investigator he also works as a literary scholar, producing a study of the

Caroline Caroline may refer to: People * Caroline (given name), a feminine given name * J. C. Caroline (born 1933), American college and National Football League player * Jordan Caroline (born 1996), American (men's) basketball player Places Antarctica * ...

poets amongst other works. Slightly arch he is given to using literary quotes during his investigations, which often pass over the heads of the other characters. His style of detection has been compared to that of

John Dickson Carr John Dickson Carr (November 30, 1906 – February 27, 1977) was an American author of detective stories, who also published using the pseudonyms Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson, and Roger Fairbairn. He lived in England for a number of years, and i ...

Gideon Fell Gideon (; ) also named Jerubbaal and Jerubbesheth, was a military leader, judge and prophet whose calling and victory over the Midianites are recounted in of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. Gideon was the son of Joash, from the Abie ...

. During the course of the novels, Strangeways becomes involved in a number of cases reflecting the changing periods of the time. A variety of locations are used for the murder investigations he undertakes including a public school (''

'', 1935), a

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...

('' There's Trouble Brewing'', 1937), a

holiday camp A holiday camp is a type of holiday accommodation that encourages holidaymakers to stay within the site boundary, and provides entertainment and facilities for them throughout the day. Since the 1970s, the term has fallen out of favour with term ...

(''Malice in Wonderland'', 1940) a

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament ...

ministry ('' Minute for Murder'', 1947), a

publishing house Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

(''

End of Chapter ''End of Chapter'' is a 1957 detective novel by Cecil Day-Lewis, written under the pen name of Nicholas Blake. It is the twelfth in a series of novels featuring the private detective Nigel Strangeways.Reilly p.135 Synopsis Strangeways is called ...

'', 1957) and a

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours know ...

('' The Widow's Cruise'', 1959). ''The Smiler with the Knife'' (1939) features a

Fascist Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...

organisation plotting to overthrow British democracy, while '' The Sad Variety'' (1964) focuses on an attempt by British

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...

s and their

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

backers to kidnap a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...

Novels

* ''

'' (1935) * ''Thou Shell of Death'' (1936) * '' There's Trouble Brewing'' (1937) * '' The Beast Must Die'' (1938) * ''The Smiler with the Knife'' (1939) * ''Malice in Wonderland'' (1940) * ''The Case of the Abominable Snowman'' (1941) * '' Minute for Murder'' (1947) * '' Head of a Traveller'' (1949) * ''

The Dreadful Hollow ''The Dreadful Hollow'' is a 1953 detective novel by Cecil Day-Lewis, written under the pen name of Nicholas Blake. It is the tenth in a series of novels featuring the private detective Nigel Strangeways Nigel Strangeways is a fictional Brit ...

'' (1953) * ''

The Whisper in the Gloom ''The Whisper in the Gloom'' is a 1954 detective novel by Cecil Day-Lewis, written under the pen name of Nicholas Blake. It is the eleventh in a series of novels featuring the private detective Nigel Strangeways. The novel introduced the recurri ...

'' (1954) * ''

'' (1957) * '' The Widow's Cruise'' (1959) * ''

The Worm of Death ''The Worm of Death'' is a 1961 detective novel by the Anglo-Irish writer Cecil Day-Lewis, written under the pen name of Nicholas Blake. It is the fourteenth in a series of novels featuring the private detective Nigel Strangeways.Reilly p.135 Sy ...

'' (1961) * '' The Sad Variety'' (1964) * ''

The Morning after Death ''The Morning after Death'' is a 1966 detective novel by Cecil Day-Lewis, written under the pen name of Nicholas Blake. It is the sixteenth and last entry in the series of novels featuring the private detective Nigel Strangeways.Reilly p.135 S ...

'' (1966)

Adaptations

Film

The fourth novel in the series '' The Beast Must Die'' has been adapted several times for film and television. The film versions include a 1952 Argentine adaptation, and the 1969 French film '' This Man Must Die''.

Television

'' and ''The Beast Must Die'' were separately adapted for the 1960s BBC anthology series ''Detective''. Strangeways was played by

Glyn Houston Glyn Houston (23 October 1925 – 30 June 2019) was a Welsh actor best known for his television work. He was the younger brother of film actor Donald Houston. Early life Glyndwr Desmond Houston was born at 10 Thomas Street, Tonypandy, Glamorg ...

and Bernard Horsfall, respectively. In 2021, ''The Beast Must Die'' was yet again adapted as a television series for

BritBox BritBox is an online digital video subscription service, founded by BBC Studios and ITV plc, operating in nine countries across North America, Europe, Australia and South Africa.

and

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

Billy Howle William Walter Douglas Howle (born 9 November 1989) is a British actor. His films include '' On Chesil Beach'', ''The Seagull'', and ''Outlaw King''. On television, he is known for his roles in the E4 drama ''Glue'', the BBC miniseries '' The Se ...

starred as Strangeways.

Radio

''A Question of Proof'' and ''The Beast Must Die'' were adapted by

Michael Bakewell Michael Bakewell (born 1931) is a British television producer. Bakewell was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire in England. He is best known for his work during the 1960s, when he was the first Head of Plays at the BBC, after Sydney Newman divide ...

for BBC Radio in 2004. Both dramas starred

Philip Franks Philip Franks (born 2 February 1956) is an English actor and director, known to the public chiefly for his roles in English television series, such as '' The Darling Buds of May'' and '' Heartbeat''. Early life Franks was born on 2 February 19 ...

as Strangeways.

References

Bibliography

* Blackwell, Laird R. ''H.C. Bailey's Reggie Fortune and the Golden Age of Detective Fiction''. McFarland, 2017. * Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999. * James, Russell. ''Great British Fictional Detectives''. Remember When, 21 Apr 2009. * Stanford, Peter. ''C Day-Lewis: A Life''. A&C Black, 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Strangeways, Nigel Fictional male detectives Fictional private investigators Fictional characters introduced in 1935 Novel series