BIGGLES SEES TOO MUCH
Book First Published in July 1970 - 156 pages
I believe
this Biggles book was never serialised elsewhere. If anybody knows differently then please E-MAIL ME
The first edition dust jacket showing the original price of 12
shillings (and
with reference to 60p as decimalisation was coming in 1971)
CHAPTERS
Click on any chapter for a summary of the events in that chapter or
see the general story summary below
4 – BIGGLES MAKES SOME INQUIRIES
Whilst on holiday in Polcarron, Biggles sees four men get out of a Daimler car
and go shark fishing. When the boat returns it contains four different men.
Biggles later recalls that one of the men was wanted criminal 'Limpy' Logan.
Returning to investigate with Algy, Bertie and Ginger, the Daimler driver is
spotted. However, he is suspicious of Biggles and Bertie and makes enquiries
about them at their hotel, 'The Fishermen's Arms'. The next thing to happen is
that Biggles receives a parcel bomb at the hotel. Hearing the ticking, Biggles manages
to throw it out of the door just before it explodes and this is the picture on
the dust cover of the book. The Daimler car is registered to a Julius Brunner
of Penlock Grange. His brother, Stephen runs 'The
Fishermen's Arms'. Ginger is dropped off to keep watch on Penlock
Grange and accidentally meets the owner, Julius Brunner. Brunner invites Ginger
in to shelter from the rain, and then drugs his tea. Meanwhile, Tom Draper, the
barman at 'The Fishermen's Arms' has been sacked and he confides in Bertie
about the strange goings-on at the hotel. There are shifty looking people
coming and going in twos and threes and they never have any luggage when they
arrive. Later Tom is killed when he falls off a cliff and the suspicion is that
he has been murdered. Biggles goes looking for Ginger at Penlock
Grange and overhears an incriminating conversation between Stephen and Julius
Brunner. Ginger is released after being told that he had been taken ill. Bertie
and Algy follow the Daimler to Portwin Cove and see two
men being taken to a boat. Biggles and Bertie have trouble at their hotel as
Stephen Brunner wants them out but Biggles refuses to leave. Algy uses an
aeroplane to follow the boat from Portwin Cove and it
takes its passengers to a small rocky island just off the Channel Islands. Air
Commodore Raymond and the Assistant Chief Constable of the county arrive to
assist and a coastguard boat captained by Frank Cole is put at Biggles'
disposal. The villain's boat is chased to their island where it is wrecked in
rough seas. After Biggles' party comes under fire, they withdraw and wait for
the sea to calm. Returning after an air reconnaissance, Biggles finds bodies
everywhere as the villains have fallen out with each other and a shoot out occurred. Amongst the dead are the driver of the
Daimler and Stephen Brunner. A French fisherman is caught in the crossfire and
two surviving crooks are eventually arrested by the French police. Back at Penlock Grange, Inspector Gaskin finds that Julius Brunner
has shot himself with a shotgun. This book was of course, the last of the
Biggles series. Biggles' last published words (until the private publication of
the uncompleted book Biggles
Does Some Homework) are
"The trouble with me is I see too much. All I do is knock my pan out
working overtime. I'll be more careful in future" although the final line
belongs to Bertie when he reminds Biggles "You can't always win, old boy,
so you might as well forget it".
There are no story illustrations in this book
Biggles Sees too Much
Publication Details - published by Brockhampton Press
Frontispiece
Click on the above to see it in more detail