Dead Men Don't Ski (1958) introduces Henry Tibbett, a Scotland Yard Inspector. When Henry and his wife Emmy decided to take a skiing vacation, his superiors decide this is a perfect opportunity to investigate drug smuggling connected to Santa Chiara, a small village in the Italian Alps. On the train Emmy and Henry meet two parties also traveling to the Bella Vista ski hotel: Colonel Buckfast and his annoying wife, and rich young Jimmy Passendell and his friends Caro and Roger. Henry and Emmy throw themselves wholeheartedly into skiing lessons and getting to know their fellow guests until one is shot on the ski lift connecting the hotel to the village below. The local investigators unmask Henry as a fellow policeman and ask his help in translating the interviews with the English guests. Henry in turn brings Emmy in to take notes. Henry's affable gentlemanly exterior hides a sharp mind and a nose for crime, supported by Emmy's cheerful capability and excellent listening skills. This series opener is a thoroughly enjoyable example of the classic British detective novel enlivened with a beautifully rendered setting.
[...].
