George Bellairs was the ''nom de plume'' of Harold Blundell (1902–1982), a crime writer and bank manager born in Heywood, near

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

. He began working for

Martins Bank Martins Bank was a London private bank, trading for much of its time under the symbol of "The Grasshopper", that could trace its origins back to Thomas Gresham and the London goldsmiths, from which it developed into a bank known as Martin's Bank ...

at the age of 15, and stayed there in escalating roles of seniority until his retirement. He then settled in the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

. He wrote more than 50 books, most featuring the detective Inspector Thomas Littlejohn, and all with the same publisher. His radio comedy ''The Legacy'' was aired in 1951. He also wrote four novels under the alternative pseudonym Hilary Landon. His first novel'','' ''Littlejohn on Leave,'' was published in 1941 and his last one, ''An Old Man Dies'', was published close to his death in 1982. He also contributed articles to the ''

Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' and to Manx publications such as '' Manx Life'' and received a short review in the print edition of ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

'' in 1958 for his book ''Corpse at the Carnival''. Many of his books were also published by the Thriller Book Club, and several titles have recently been issued in the British Library Crime Classics series. Harold Blundell served on the boards of The United Manchester Hospitals and

Manchester Royal Infirmary Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) is a large NHS teaching hospital in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England. Founded by Charles White in 1752 as part of the voluntary hospital movement of the 18th century, it is now a major regional and nati ...

. He married Gladys Mabel Roberts in 1930. She presented hi
personal papers
to the

John Rylands Library The John Rylands Research Institute and Library is a Victorian era, late-Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, neo-Gothic building on Deansgate in Manchester, England. It is part of the University of Manchester. The library, which opened to t ...

at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

, England. Blundell died on the

in April 1982 just before his eightieth birthday after a protracted illness.

Bibliography

Written as George Bellairs

Inspector Thomas Littlejohn novels

* ''Littlejohn on Leave'' (1941) * ''The Four Unfaithful Servants'' (1942) * ''Death of a Busybody'' (1942) * ''The Dead Shall Be Raised'' (1942) aka ''Murder Will Speak'' (1942) * ''The Murder of a Quack'' (1943) * ''The Case of the Seven Whistlers'' (1944) * ''Death in the Night Watches'' (1945) * ''He'd Rather Be Dead'' (1945) * ''Calamity at Hardwood'' (1945) * ''The Case of the Scared Rabbits'' (1946) * ''The Crime at Halfpenny Bridge'' (1946) * ''Death on the Last Train'' (1948) * ''Outrage on Gallows Hill'' (1948) * ''The Case of the Demented Spiv'' (1949) * ''The Case of the Famished Parson'' (1949) * ''The Case of the Headless Jesuit'' (1950) aka ''Death Brings in the New Year'' * ''Crime in Lepers’ Hollow'' (1950) * ''Dead March for Penelope Blow'' (1951) aka ''Dead March for Penelope'' * ''Death in Dark Glasses'' (1952) * ''Half-Mast for the Deemster'' (1953) * ''A Knife for Harry Dodd'' (1953) * ''The Cursing Stones Murder'' (1954) * ''Death in Room Five'' (1955) * ''Death Drops the Pilot'' (1956) * ''Death Treads Softly'' (1956) * ''Death in High Provence'' (1957) * ''Death Sends for the Doctor'' (1957) * ''Corpse at the Carnival'' (1958) * ''Murder Makes Mistakes'' (1958) * ''Bones in the Wilderness'' (1959) * ''Toll the Bell for Murder'' (1959) * ''Corpses in Enderby'' (1960) * ''Death in the Fearful Night'' (1960) * ''The Body in the Dumb River'' (1961) aka ''Murder Masquerade'' * ''Death of a Tin God'' (1961) * ''Death Before Breakfast'' (1962) * ''The Tormentors'' (1962) * ''Death in the Wasteland'' (1964) * ''Death of a Shadow'' (1964) * ''Surfeit of Suspects'' (1964) * ''Death Spins the Wheel'' (1965) * ''Intruder in the Dark'' (1966) * ''Strangers Among the Dead'' (1966) * ''Death in Desolation'' (1967) * ''Single Ticket to Death'' (1967) * ''Fatal Alibi'' (1968) * ''Murder Gone Mad'' (1968) * ''The Night They Killed Joss Varran'' (1970) * ''Tycoon’s Death-bed'' (1970) * ''Pomeroy, Deceased'' (1971) * ''Murder Adrift'' (1972) * ''Devious Murder'' (1973) * ''Fear Round About'' (1975) * ''Close All Roads to Sospel'' (1976) aka ''All Roads to Sospel'' * ''The Downhill Ride of Leeman Popple'' (1978) * ''An Old Man Dies'' (1980)

Other novels

* ''Turmoil in Zion'' (1943) aka ''Death Stops the Frolic'' A title that has sometimes mistakenly been attributed to Bellairs is ''Officer That’s Your Man!'' (1948). This short story collection was by P G Arbaleister.

Written as Hilary Landon

* ''Murder at Morning Prayers'' (1947) * ''Circle Around a Corpse'' (1948) * ''Choose your Own Verdict'' (1949) * ''Exit Sir Toby Belch'' (1950)

References

External links

George Bellairs' books on WorldCat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellairs, George English crime fiction writers English mystery writers People from Heywood, Greater Manchester 1902 births 1982 deaths 20th-century English novelists People educated at Heywood Grammar School English male novelists 20th-century English male writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers Writers of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction