Product Description

Flanders, June 1917: a British officer and celebrated poet, is shot dead, killed not by German fire, but while recuperating from shell shock well behind the lines. A young English soldier is arrested and, although he protests his innocence, charged with his murder. Douglas Kingsley is a conscientious objector, previously a detective with the London police, now imprisoned for his beliefs. He is released and sent to France in order to secure a conviction. Forced to conduct his investigations amidst the hell of The Third Battle of Ypres, Kingsley soon discovers that both the evidence and the witnesses he needs are quite literally disappearing into the mud that surrounds him. Ben Elton's tenth novel is a gut-wrenching historical drama which explores some fundamental questions. What is murder? What is justice in the face of unimaginable daily slaughter? And where is the honour in saving a man from the gallows if he is only to be returned to die in a suicidal battle? As the gap between legally-sanctioned and illegal murder becomes evermore blurred, Kingsley quickly learns that the first casualty when war comes is truth.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32032 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 419 pages

From the Back Cover
‘A work of formidable imaginative scope … the writing is so good, the language so surprisingly subtle and the characters so beautifully delineated’
Daily Telegraph

Douglas Kingsley is sent to Flanders in 1917 to investigate the murder of a British officer. Forced to conduct his investigations amidst the hell of the third Battle of Ypres, Kingsley soon discovers that both the evidence and the witnesses he needs are quite literally disappearing into the mud that surrounds him.

Ben Elton’s tenth novel is a gut-wrenching historical drama which explores some fundamental questions. What is murder? What is justice in the face of unimaginable daily slaughter? And where is the honour in saving a man from the gallows if he is only to be returned to die in a suicidal battle?

As the gap between legally-sanctioned and illegal murder becomes ever more blurred, Kingsley quickly learns that the first casualty when war comes is truth.

‘Riveting action scenes bristle with a queasy energy … unputdownable and disgustingly realistic’
Sunday Telegraph

About the Author
BEN ELTON's career as both performer and writer encompasses some of the most memorable and incisive comedy of the past twenty years. In addition to his hugely influential work as a stand-up comic, he is the writer of such TV hits as The Young Ones, Blackadder and The Thin Blue Line. Elton has written three musicals, The Beautiful Game, We Will Rock You and Tonight's the Night and three West End plays. His internationally bestselling novels include Popcorn, Inconceivable, Dead Famous and High Society. The First Casualty is his tenth novel.

Customer Reviews

A Page Turner
I must confess that I have not read a Ben Elton novel for sometime (Blast From the Past being the last), which is odd as it was Ben that inspired me to have a go at writing. Having read an article on The First Casualty I gave it a go... and loved it. Yes, like many I picked up on the obvious Blackadder 4 links, but as a period project obviously close to the author's heart this works on all levels, i.e. great characters, intrigue, history and comical observation. Against the backdrop of murder investigation there is a touching and poignant account of life in the trenches which really hits home - the cramped train journey, the march to the front and the appalling sanitation. It is observed from all angles - gung-ho hero, pacifist, revolutionary to the scared and brow beaten ordinary Tommy. Ben Elton brings it altogether to make one great novel.

Loved it
I really think that Ben Elton has matured as a writer from the comedy sketch 'Stark' to this his tenth novel and finest work. Yes you do still get the cheeky juvenile Elton skits but this story captures and intrigues, particularly as you spare a thought for life in the trenches (if you ever want to read the best depiction of how it feels to be on a front line then Stephen Crane's 'Red Badge Of Courage' remains the classic). The blueprint for 'The First Casualty' is straight out of Blackadder 4 - the concert party, nympho nurse and digs at the class system (and Haig) - familiar. And like that piece of TV work, this is a classic

Maybe his best...
Reading some of the other reviews here was extremely depressing and also worrying. This is nothing like Black Adder, miles from it. It is a wonderful story. Not an exhaustive history of the first world war but deeply evocative of the horrors of the trenches and the nonsense of war, or certainly that particular one. A really great read with excellent characterisation. Also, although far from a comedy, one of the funniest lines I've ever read when the private and the colonel meet with the hero's piece of cake.