First Person Gently
Review of the Constable Kindle eBook edition (2013) of the Cassell hardcover original (1972).

‘Do you like doing this job of yours?’
I made a face. ‘Not very much.’
‘Why do it then?’
‘There’s something sacramental about it.’
‘Sacramental!' He laughed amusedly. 'I suppose you do hear lots of confessions.’
‘My people are usually at the end of their tether. I represent their last link.’
‘Through you salvation.’
‘In a sort of way. Murder is a crime that must be shriven. The killer puts himself outside society and I’m his only way back.’

Gently Where She Lay finds Superintendent George Gently called in on a case where divorcee Vivienne Selly is found smothered in her bed. This case was unique in the books of the series that I've read to date in that it is written in the first person from Gently's point of view. That doesn't really provide any real eureka moment where we learn Gently's realization of the culprit, as that simply comes along naturally during the course of the interviews.

The book was more risque than other books of the series, as we learn that the victim was a dominatrix and had a cult of followers. The sexual element is not portrayed explicitly however. The ending reveal was more pathetic than dramatic.

I am continuing with the George Gently novels as my current 'light' reading next to more serious reads and/or my translation work. Although author Alan Hunter does experiment with occasional stream of consciousness and other unconventional methods for the genre, overall they are mostly in the cozy line and I still try to imagine Martin Shaw from the TV series in the Gently role, even though the TV adaptation was quite different.

See cover at https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/...
The rather disturbing dust cover of the original hardcover published by Cassell in 1972, which gives the impression of it being a nightmare out of Paul Gauguin's Tahiti period. Image sourced from Goodreads.

Trivia and Links
The George Gently books were adapted as the TV series Inspector George Gently (2008-2017) with actor Martin Shaw in the title role. Very few of the TV episodes are based on the original books though and the characters are quite different e.g. Sgt. Bacchus does not appear in the books. The timeline for the TV series takes place in the 1960s only. A trailer for the first episode can be seen here. ( )