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Random House Australia, Black Swan Books, 2006
Reviewed by Kerrie Smith
Crime/Historical Drama
The setting is 1917 and the Great War grinds on, with the youth of the
British Empire and Germany being sacrificed on the Somme. Despite the
disillusionment creeping in, both on the war front and at home, those who
do not volunteer are still regarded as cowards. Douglas Kingsley, an
inspector in His Majesty's Metropolitan Police in London, finds himself in
gaol when he declares that the war offends his sense of logic. Rejected by
his wife and condemned as a conscientious objector, Kingsley is secretly
sent to Flanders to investigate the murder of a British officer at Ypres.
Not only a war hero, young Viscount Alan Abercrombie was also renowned as
a poet. His father, Lord Abercrombie, is the Opposition Chief Whip in the
British Parliament and he wants his son's murderer hunted down and shot.
The setting of the Great War allows Elton to ask questions about the
importance of investigating the murder of one man when so much bloodshed
is occurring all the time. The horrific stage that this war had reached in
the trenches and mud of the Somme allows the reader to view the issue of
crime in war, as distinct from war crimes, from many angles. Elton's
descriptions are detailed, rich, authentic, and informative and yet
through all is woven the thread of who killed Abercrombie and why.
Kingsley's pursuit of the truth, his need to question witnesses about to
die themselves in the next assault, and his personal need to conduct a
thorough investigation, bring into this re-creation of history those
elements that we who read murder mysteries enjoy. At the same time we feel
we can trust Elton's depiction of history. For Kingsley the quest is of
the utmost importance for he undergoes a sort of 'baptism of fire' and
emerges himself a war hero, but also a murderer. Alan Abercrombie was far
from the first casualty in the Great War, so, even in the title of the
book, Elton has created a little puzzle for us to ponder.
Many of us have already met author Ben Elton through his television work
as the writer of shows such as The Thin Blue Line and Blackadder. What is
amazing about Elton is the variety in his work, from comedy to musicals to
serious fiction. THE FIRST CASUALTY is his 12th novel. His first was STARK
(1989) and in 1996 he won a Dagger Award for POPCORN. Already his next
novel CHART THROB (2006) is available. For other titles by Ben Elton check
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/e/ben-elton/ .
July 2006 review, first published on Murder and Mayhem
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