Superintendent/Commander George Gideon of

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

is a fictional policeman who appeared in 26

police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eith ...

novels, 21 of which were written by John Creasey under the pseudonym J.J. Marric, and published between 1955 and 1976. Portraying Gideon as a master balancing the management of cases and the workings of law enforcement, it has been considered his "most famous police procedural series". After Creasey's death, the series was continued in five further novels by William Vivian Butler. Anthony Boucher of the ''

New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'' considered the first of the books, ''Gideon's Day'' (1955), to be author's best book.

H. R. F. Keating Henry Reymond Fitzwalter Keating (31 October 1926 – 27 March 2011) was an English crime fiction writer most notable for his series of novels featuring Inspector Ghote of the Bombay CID. Life Keating, known as "Harry" to friends and family, ...

, reviewer for the '' London Times'' picked ''Gideon's Week'' (1956) as one of the "100 Best Crime and Mystery Books" (1845-1986). ''Gideon's Fire'' (1962) won the

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

from the Mystery Writers of America.

The character

George Gideon ("G.G." or "Gee-Gee" to coppers and crooks alike) is powerfully built but has a gentle voice. He has pale-blue eyes. He is famed for his prodigious feats of memory and his ability to handle a bewildering work-load of cases simultaneously. Despite his seniority in rank, Gideon often takes a hands-on approach and on occasions physically engages with criminals. He is respected and liked by his staff - but they know to keep their heads down when his temper is aroused. In the first novel, ''

Gideon's Day ''Gideon's Day'' is the first in a series of police procedural novels by John Creasey writing as J.J. Marric. Published in 1955, it features a day in the professional life of Detective Superintendent George Gideon of the C.I.D., Scotland ...

'' he holds the rank of

Detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

Superintendent, but in the second ''Gideon's Week'', he has been promoted to

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

, and is the operational head of the Yard's entire CID, a position he holds for the rest of the series. One of Creasey's technical advisers for the series was Commander George Hatherill, who had organized the British Army's Special Investigation Branch during World War II, and was the operational head of the Yard's CID from 1954 until 1964 (the same position Gideon held in fiction) during which time he was awarded the

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

. Hatherill is generally believed to have been Creasey's model for Gideon.

Family

Throughout the series, Marric emphasizes the pressure experienced by police families due to the demands of police work, and the impact of distress in the family on the ability to work. Gideon is married to Kate, and has six surviving children. Their relationship has been strained by the loss of a seventh child while Gideon was on the Flying Squad (prior to the start of the series). In ''Gideon's Day '', the first book in the series, the children are described as Tom (age 26); Prudence (18+), Priscilla (15+), Matthew (14), Penelope (12), and Malcolm (8). The oldest children are self-supporting; the younger ones in school. As the series progresses, the children train for careers, move out, and marry. Family relationships are usually mentioned only briefly, to establish a time frame or as they relate to or affect Gideon's work. Penny, the Gideons' youngest daughter, is mentioned most frequently, in part because of her on-and-off relationship with an older police officer, Alec Hobbs. In ''Gideon's Wrath'' (1967) Alec Hobbs' first wife Helen dies, around the time that Hobbs becomes Gideon's deputy. In ''Gideon's River'' (1968) Hobbs escorts Penelope to the river gala, accompanying Gideon and Kate. In ''Gideon's Way'', written by William Vivian Butler and published in 1983, Alec and Penny are married and have a son, George. The number of children was trimmed in the TV series.

Film and TV

In ''

'' (1958, directed by John Ford, USA title: ''Gideon Of Scotland Yard''), Gideon is played by Jack Hawkins. The co-stars were Anna Lee (Kate Gideon), Dianne Foster (Joanna Delafield), Ronald Howard (Paul Delafield), Cyril Cusack (Birdy Sparrow), and Andrew Ray (PC Simon Farnaby-Green). The film was released by Columbia Pictures and is only loosely based on the book of the same title. Ford treats it as a comedy-melodrama, whereas the book is a more serious and straightforward procedural. A 26-part TV series '' Gideon's Way'' (USA title: ''Gideon C.I.D.'') was made in 1964, starring John Gregson, which ran until 1966 in the UK, produced by ITC Entertainment.

Bibliography

# ''

'' (1955) # ''Gideon's Week'' (1956) # ''Gideon's Night'' (1957) # ''Gideon's Month'' (1958) # ''Gideon's Staff'' (1959) # ''Gideon's Risk'' (1960) # ''Gideon's Fire'' (1961) # ''Gideon's March'' (1962) # ''Gideon's Ride'' (1963) # ''Gideon's Vote'' (1964) # ''Gideon's Lot'' (1965) # ''Gideon's Badge'' (1966) # ''

Gideon's Wrath ''Gideon's Wrath'' is the thirteenth in a series of police procedural novels by John Creasey writing as J.J. Marric. Published in 1967, it centres on Commander George Gideon of the C.I.D., Scotland Yard. Plot summary ''Gideon's Wrath'' sees ...

'' (1967) # ''Gideon's River'' (1968) # ''Gideon's Power'' (1969) # ''Gideon's Sport'' (1970) # ''Gideon's Art'' (1971) # ''Gideon's Men'' (1972) # ''Gideon's Press'' (1973) # ''Gideon's Fog'' (1975) # ''Gideon's Drive'' (1976) ''Gideon at Work'' (1957) Three Volumes in one, ''Gideon's Day'', ''Gideon's Week'', ''Gideon's Night'' The series was continued after Creasey's death by William Vivian Butler: * ''Gideon's Force'' (1978) * ''Gideon's Law'' (1981) * ''Gideon's Way'' (1983) * ''Gideon's Raid'' (1986) * ''Gideon's Fear'' (1990)

Gideon's staff and family

References

External links

John Creasey presentation by copyright owner Owatonna Media
Retrieved 2012-06-13 * {{Authority control Fictional British police detectives Crime novel series John Creasey characters Fictional English people Literary characters introduced in 1955 Characters in British novels of the 20th century