The death of Terry Venables, the former England football player and manager, has prompted many reminiscences about this talented and popular man. Naturally these have focused on his achievements in the football world, but he was a multi-faceted character, sometimes controversial (especially in his business activities) but always, it seemed to me, interesting and charismatic. Among many other things, he found time to create the very enjoyable James Hazell mysteries.
The Hazell books were written in collaboration with Gordon Williams, a writer of genuine accomplishment, who died in 2017. The pair had previously written a football novel called They Used to Play on Grass (about plastic pitches, now so commonplace!) under their own joint names.
Williams had used the pen-name P.B. Yuill for his strange stand-alone novel The Bornless Keeper and for some reason the pair decided to use the same name for the three Hazell mysteries that they wrote together. The books are short, snappy reads, very much of their time. I'm glad to have a couple of them signed by both Williams and Venables.
Over the years, there haven't been many really good British private eye characters. I think Hazell was one of the most appealing. The late Bob Adey, no mean judge, ranked the books as in the same league as those by Robert B. Parker - quite an accolade. It's no great surprise that the character was taken up for television; here are my thoughts after watching the shows again on Talking Pictures TV.
I used to enjoy the TV series with Nicolas Ball. Mysteries without murder. Sometimes shown on Talking Pictures TV.
ReplyDeleteYes, the shows are very dated but still pretty good light entertainment
ReplyDeleteWell said, Martin. I was also saddened to hear of the loss of Terry Venables. A unique character. I used to love Hazell, very much a memorable show of it's time with some excellent supporting characters. We need more quirky tv detectives, they have become very predictable. Anyone remember Shoestring, which I am sure is now horribly dated. But they were series that stayed in the mind and made viewers think.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Martin. I loved these three books (and the TV series) as a late 1970s teenager. Ironically, in my bookcase they sit next to Jacqueline Wilson's five 1970s psychological thrillers which are similarly very much of their time but still very enjoyable: another crime writer better known today for other things ... Martyn
ReplyDeleteThanks, Martin. I felt the Hazell series had stood the test of time pretty well with Nicholas Ball a charismatic character. I think one episode had John Bindon as an unsurprisingly convincing, psychotic character. Another not dissimilar character was Sharman, played by Clive Owen which I have not seen repeated.
ReplyDeleteShoestring was great, Anon, and may have stood the test of time better than some other material from that period, though I haven't rewatched - yet...
ReplyDeleteMartyn, I really like those early Jacqueline Wilsons. Dated now, for sure, but they definitely showed her talent.
ReplyDeleteRichard, I'd forgotten about Sharman - created by Mark Timlin, whom I met briefly once or twice. Pacy books, though I didn't really love the TV version, despite the presence of Clive Owen.
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