More like Andrew Garve.

[Vimto]

Can anyone please suggest an author to me in the vein of Andrew Garve. His books were quite short and centred on a particular crime plot that had little in the way of frills, no gratuitous violence or sex but concentrated on excellent original plots which always entertained the reader with their twists and turns and could be read on a wet afternoon.
I heartily recommend them to anyone looking for an old fashioned read with usually, a corpse, an honest CID Inspector, a first rate plot and a satisfactory denouement. They were mostly written from the1950's to the1970's and whilst not from the golden age still come under the umbrella of good old fashioned "English cosies". My only problem is that I have read all thirty or so of them and hence my search for similar ones. Help please.

[Buenchico]

Have you read everything by 'Paul Somers' and 'Roger Bax'? They, like 'Andrew Garve' are pen names used by Paul Winterton:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Winterton

If you like 'traditional' crime novels (albeit with amateur detectives rather than with CID inspectors) have you tried Simon Brett?
http://www.simonbrett.com/

Chris

[Vimto]

Hello Chris, thank you for your reply. I have read the Paul Somers and Roger Bax novels and even found "Death beneath Jerusalem" or similar title which I am informed is a very hard one. I was aware of the connection with these nom-de-plumes as I had a correspondence with Paul Winterton over several years in the 1980's & 90's and he very kindly sent me several signed copies of his books. I told him I was having withrawal symptoms with the lack of new material from him and askd him to keep on writing but he always insisted he was too old.
I will try Simon Brett as you obviously know your field, many thanks again and best wishes, Vimto

[woodelf]

I agree with Chris re Simon Brett, especially the Fethering series featuring Carole and Jude and there's his Mrs Pargeter series too, which are a laff!

[woodelf]

...then there are the books by Francis Durbridge, but not the Paul Temple ones and some novels by Martin Russell, though I don't know whether you'd think these dated.

[mrs_nordling]

Try www.EPO/great minds think a death