tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72918239840593205182024-03-19T04:14:58.912+00:00'Do You Write Under Your Own Name?'Martin Edwards' Crime Writing BlogMartin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.comBlogger3588125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-85644462599632349752024-03-18T12:08:00.044+00:002024-03-18T12:08:00.133+00:00An eventful week<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcmPSXPNTtY8Vi4wROb-rIl-GzQHWGjRITi2KVCTMZp9Ft4p605Avu64hGKzHTX6Bw7JRoBrumIJf3DPW4BhYVTUiTAVm3iXrWUWxO3BZle-KQGAMkYaMzHXFsHlT7lFfik26kWdr21UNvzImizEj5ipV5tkmAxDruPpHrOOZoCq24zBUoW4dO3jNbtlx9" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="510" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcmPSXPNTtY8Vi4wROb-rIl-GzQHWGjRITi2KVCTMZp9Ft4p605Avu64hGKzHTX6Bw7JRoBrumIJf3DPW4BhYVTUiTAVm3iXrWUWxO3BZle-KQGAMkYaMzHXFsHlT7lFfik26kWdr21UNvzImizEj5ipV5tkmAxDruPpHrOOZoCq24zBUoW4dO3jNbtlx9" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Last week was eventful in more ways than one. This blog raced past a total of 3.5 million views - current figures are running at over 3000 views a day, which is atypical, to say the least. Not quite sure what has prompted all this traffic, but I've been very glad to receive plenty of good comments as well, not just on current posts but also on some of the older ones. </p><p>As spring approaches, I've started doing a variety of events - three very enjoyable ones last week, all with an added appeal because they offered a chance to give some support to worthy endeavours. I began with a trip to Royal Lancaster Grammar School, whose A-level students, lucky things, are studying crime fiction. How education has changed! A different sort of audience for me - probably the youngest since the days when I had a year or two as writer in residence at the Heath Comprehensive School in Runcorn - and a very good one. </p><p>I was impressed by the range and number of questions the students asked and it was wonderful to see these young people taking such an interest. Afterwards, the teacher who arranged the event told me one student had already said they felt inspired to write a crime novel - a lovely reaction.</p><p>Later in the week I had the chance to return to the Wirral peninsula, where I lived for eight years in the 80s. It wasn't simply about nostalgia, although there was a bit of that. Ann Cleeves was launching her latest paperback, <i>The Raging Storm</i>, and the two events were organised by Linghams, a very good bookshop in Heswall, and designed to support the RNLI, the dedicatees of the book. I was asked to chair the two events, both held in an excellent venue, a church in Hoylake, only a mile or two from my old flat. Also taking part was Chris Williams, whom Ann has known for many years, and who is closely involved with the RNLI.</p><p>There were two events because the first one, on Thursday evening, quickly sold out all 200 tickets. With two engaging speakers, my job was very easy and then there was a pleasant evening meal and conversation in the bar with Ann and her colleagues Emma and Steve in the pub/hotel where we were all staying on the banks of the Dee.</p><p>Next morning there was a chance to catch up with Murder Squad founder Margaret Murphy before we headed back to Hoylake. Chris took us on a guided tour of the lifeboat station and showed us round the very impressive lifeboat - it cost about £3 million and really is state-of-the-art. It's worth noting that the RNLI is funded entirely by public donations. </p><p>The second event was just as enjoyable as the first, with Chris proving to be a natural raconteur. Sue Porter of Linghams made sure everything went very smoothly and it was a real pleasure to be associated with events that were not only fun but also helped to raise money and awareness for a marvellous cause.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6mw-irptO-huFGhpjou-hAI3BVzmoQ3ZtRqNdkSSbb-jGmccipx-o_bNdfii1ROfqgjS9OL9-td_nht9qR4fXroI0ilkp-y9aQJzeFOvO5iJV9Enwt7TEUa65EQeE_cRZRwGMVzxxqPFSrrBtWhRx5ajDqbRaAjHRMFBoTbBWT9pb0PO-0bUvlZ9aDlk/s4032/IMG_4132.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6mw-irptO-huFGhpjou-hAI3BVzmoQ3ZtRqNdkSSbb-jGmccipx-o_bNdfii1ROfqgjS9OL9-td_nht9qR4fXroI0ilkp-y9aQJzeFOvO5iJV9Enwt7TEUa65EQeE_cRZRwGMVzxxqPFSrrBtWhRx5ajDqbRaAjHRMFBoTbBWT9pb0PO-0bUvlZ9aDlk/s320/IMG_4132.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-23121076231745281062024-03-15T13:38:00.000+00:002024-03-15T13:38:00.246+00:00Forgotten Book - Lion in the Cellar<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwA1W8dm2ygaI6dJGQ1Bs9qONGGQBpIMckdU6VgqEATZTf7RKgpqKaEv5_EB7aKbQmef2tfsdWFCQCQ5zck-9z3dSOF0hyaEAHDbU9pESGJHF6VwMklCpm42V-xvSeUCwn46dCM2oDhWgyd6HAsCKn76Vxd935OqOAX4A8FXhrQ6igeabYGj6QiFjOl-ni" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="271" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwA1W8dm2ygaI6dJGQ1Bs9qONGGQBpIMckdU6VgqEATZTf7RKgpqKaEv5_EB7aKbQmef2tfsdWFCQCQ5zck-9z3dSOF0hyaEAHDbU9pESGJHF6VwMklCpm42V-xvSeUCwn46dCM2oDhWgyd6HAsCKn76Vxd935OqOAX4A8FXhrQ6igeabYGj6QiFjOl-ni" width="149" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>Pamela Branch's career as a crime writer was cut short by her early death from cancer in 1967, but although she only published four novels, they earned the approval of such expert judges as Francis Iles, to whom she dedicated one of her books. I think it's probably fair to say that her books may be an acquired taste - Julian Symons, first instance, was impervious to her charms - but I like her zany humour.</p><p>Her second novel, <i>Lion in the Cellar</i>, first appeared in 1951. Her publisher was Robert Hale, who are generally associated with the library market - so first editions are scarce, although happily there have been paperbacks, including a green Penguin edition from 1962, which mentions that she was working on a fifth book. Perhaps illness prevented her from finishing it. Her writing style strikes me as very concentrated, and perhaps the intense effort that, I suspect, she had to expend on making each story work explains why she produced relatively little. The late Tom and Enid Schantz admired her work and their Rue Morgue Press reprinted all four titles.</p><p>The main setting of this story is a disreputable London pub called the Carp, overseen by the formidable landlady, Mrs Filby. We are quickly introduced to a large cast of characters - her regulars and people who live nearby. Among them is George Heap, an amiable-seeming chap who happens to be a serial killer. His niece Sukie, who is charming and naive but incurably dishonest, is married to a hapless young barrister. Her grandmother too was a serial killer, while her mother was an arsonist. So what chance does poor Sukie have?</p><p>I enjoyed this book. At times the convolutions are excessive, and it's not always easy to keep track of what is going on, but there is ample compensation in some very funny lines and situations. Branch really was very witty and I think her work deserves to be better known.</p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-81481312817131153602024-03-13T11:10:00.000+00:002024-03-13T11:10:00.143+00:00Sally Stevens - I Sang That<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1Mb4Zf4rAtRAbk-YVqZtjCNTvzycO_XMe1HSkELv0CJ8ofSQ_JnYKaWm_wr8T7_V8SNXnaHmyLNpYANzQ9-LrEuGnl8_mhLh_SJblvdTGt7kB0ZQOwywXLj0tLdZvqefSqamZoZYrQZpc7LIdOBDPm5C_SiSA8AY6UwSFTm6JlleJ8r-AqYanxsCFgjqX" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="180" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1Mb4Zf4rAtRAbk-YVqZtjCNTvzycO_XMe1HSkELv0CJ8ofSQ_JnYKaWm_wr8T7_V8SNXnaHmyLNpYANzQ9-LrEuGnl8_mhLh_SJblvdTGt7kB0ZQOwywXLj0tLdZvqefSqamZoZYrQZpc7LIdOBDPm5C_SiSA8AY6UwSFTm6JlleJ8r-AqYanxsCFgjqX" width="155" /></a></div><br /><br /></div>I'm no musician, but the music business has long fascinated me and it featured in a story called 'Eternally' that I wrote about twenty years ago. As a student, although I had a burning desire to write crime fiction, I spent more time on other types of writing and wrote song lyrics with a couple of friends of mine. One of the songs, 'Easy Come, Easy Go', was set to music by an Italian physics student, Giovanni Carrea, who produced his own album. Thanks to Giv, for the one and only time in my life I featured in the Pop Page of the <i>Oxford Mail</i>. The album occasionally surfaces on eBay and has been known to sell for over £100 so perhaps it counts as a cult classic! Anyway, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKGiVcsRnqQ">here is the song,</a> (the second track, four minutes into the recording) so you can judge for yourself why I never became the new Bernie Taupin or Hal David...<div><br /></div><div>At about the same time as the album was made, I saw on television <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vAHEvDf5Ok&t=15s">a memorable concert</a> featuring Burt Bacharach conducting the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in Canada. Among the stand-out moments were two songs sung by the leader of the backup singers. One of the songs, 'Charlie', has a quite lovely melody. I later discovered that the singer's name was Sally Stevens and she went on to co-write a song with Burt which featured on his album <i>Woman</i>, a project undertaken with the Houston Symphony Orchestra which was a commercial flop but which features some of his finest orchestral work.</div><div><br /></div><div>To cut a very long story short, in recent years I've been in occasional touch with Sally via social media and I was delighted to learn that she'd published a memoir about her remarkable career. <i>I Sang That</i> is a fascinating record of Sally's contribution to musical (and film) history. She has worked with so many legendary figures, including John Barry, Henry Mancini, and Michel Legrand. I am particularly fond of her performance on the soundtrack of the suspense film <i>La Piscine</i> of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmtjblnTp40">'Ask Yourself Why'</a> , one of Legrand's finest melodies. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>I Sang That</i> brims with anecdotes, and I was naturally fascinated by Sally's account of touring the world with Burt Bacharach during the Seventies. Despite the fact that he was famously a hard taskmaster, it's clear that like other musicians he worked with, she admired his perfectionism and professionalism, as well as finding him a generous colleague. Sally's description of the work she has done over the years - and continues to do - is consistently engaging. Her literary talents certainly aren't confined to writing lyrics - this is an absorbing narrative which casts fresh light on the world of backup singers, among many other things.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sally has just published a novel, <i>The Odyssey of Mrs Naomi Billingsley</i>, which sounds very interesting. It's not a crime novel, but she tells me she is a fan of the genre, and her favourite authors include Michael Connolly and P.D. James - excellent taste! As for <i>I Sang That</i>, it's extremely readable and if you fancy an insight into an important part of the music scene that hasn't, as far as I know, been discussed too extensively in print, you certainly won't be disappointed. Recommended.</div>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-12246382875349663862024-03-11T18:54:00.040+00:002024-03-11T18:54:00.297+00:00John Pugmire R.I.P.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDHvHSlgYmg_8tDbVJqhQX8VKP4mTAOcHjQughHt6V4E14h3nuZWsKw8R5A16_B0CELbJY64Y5D1r10oRrSp3poUQsz-puhXRASbbHRF0ycdYxbpmmv3yJuMxA5ARNaof2S4wsUc4r5J4JZ86fbuyogKWDBGdVb9MgQo-5qYjpq6xp4DW_s8hqytDsjIDB" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="138" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDHvHSlgYmg_8tDbVJqhQX8VKP4mTAOcHjQughHt6V4E14h3nuZWsKw8R5A16_B0CELbJY64Y5D1r10oRrSp3poUQsz-puhXRASbbHRF0ycdYxbpmmv3yJuMxA5ARNaof2S4wsUc4r5J4JZ86fbuyogKWDBGdVb9MgQo-5qYjpq6xp4DW_s8hqytDsjIDB" width="175" /></a></div><br />I was very sorry to hear on Friday of the death of my friend John Pugmire. John's wife Helen told me he passed away on Thursday morning. I knew he'd had health problems, but the news came as a shock and I shall miss John greatly. He was a great fan of the Golden Age and since the death of Bob Adey nobody has done more than John to advance the cause of locked room mysteries. He championed the likes of Paul Halter as well as a number of interesting Japanese writers including Alice Arisugawa.<p></p><p>John was a Brit who lived in New York, but I enjoyed his company on a number of trips to the States. He attended the Edgar awards back in 2016 and was one of the very first to congratulate me when <i>The Golden Age of Murder</i> won. Next morning he and I travelled back together on the train from New York City to Washington DC and he was also with me the following day when the book won the Agatha. The next year, he was on my table at the Gala Dinner at Malice Domestic when I received the Poirot award. John is second right in the photo below.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgn_R9f2lCsxgon3As_8N5SRbSrIdvVDn_DGdLhWdcMaPItURkPj7eyJgBfUwC7pGNnq0jo4by-mNdYV8HLUbPpgyhzuxBlgCZ4Vevjd_jPxqW_ysUB1fdwV4w7JDLq2BT72YLEEyIF-E0UEzyTD2CDTc8CO5K_tQZfr8SHbI4gKwjXRZjZMDO-6e35qLA3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="2498" height="47" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgn_R9f2lCsxgon3As_8N5SRbSrIdvVDn_DGdLhWdcMaPItURkPj7eyJgBfUwC7pGNnq0jo4by-mNdYV8HLUbPpgyhzuxBlgCZ4Vevjd_jPxqW_ysUB1fdwV4w7JDLq2BT72YLEEyIF-E0UEzyTD2CDTc8CO5K_tQZfr8SHbI4gKwjXRZjZMDO-6e35qLA3" width="320" /></a></div><br />He and I kept in regular touch and I was impressed by his work in developing Locked Room International, a small press which revived a great many unknown impossible crime stories. He asked me to write an intro for Stacey Bishop's <i>Death in the Dark</i> and he proved just as good to work with as he was to chat to. <p></p><p>John was one of the group of trusted crime fiction history experts I asked to take a look at the manuscript of <i>The Life of Crime</i> and of course his comments were invaluable. He was a lovely man and I treasure the memories of the times we shared together.</p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-1156436623648838382024-03-08T11:35:00.023+00:002024-03-08T11:35:00.523+00:00Forgotten Book - Death of Cold<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqT7pWWZGM7H61Phq6FnAbUZ9zq3GaxrY2np9NkNuY8vUlZfS50GT3O9u3urqdIA_l-o9yaCW3SwyYEs4-3gBmJ59cdY_bxtRcuWE_BeTCsr0pDBZqHrraQohCRE4ultctw6rZiE3cMjTuWPArmia89h7rSYVKUYaUNgK9rYwSYFYsGgSiWzTQHp0PfhJL" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="184" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqT7pWWZGM7H61Phq6FnAbUZ9zq3GaxrY2np9NkNuY8vUlZfS50GT3O9u3urqdIA_l-o9yaCW3SwyYEs4-3gBmJ59cdY_bxtRcuWE_BeTCsr0pDBZqHrraQohCRE4ultctw6rZiE3cMjTuWPArmia89h7rSYVKUYaUNgK9rYwSYFYsGgSiWzTQHp0PfhJL" width="161" /></a></i></div><i><br /></i><i>Death of Cold</i>, which dates from 1956, was Leo Bruce's second novel about Carolus Deene (and I fear it rather crazily and unnecessarily gives away the solution to the first, which I haven't read - aaaagh!) and although the actual title isn't one of his better ones, the story itself is extremely enjoyable. Now that I've read several Deene books, I see that numerous ingredients crop up in one book after another, but here they are handled with freshness and vim.<p></p><p>The mayor of Oldhaven has disappeared from the pier at Oldhaven, where he was fishing while awaiting news of the birth of his first grandchild. A few days later, his body is found. The coroner establishes that he was drowned and the police aren't interested (Bruce's disdain for the police is evident throughout this novel). Deene, who knows the dead man's daughter and son-in-law, gets involved.</p><p>The usual pattern of interviews is followed. There is a very, very funny one involving a sleazy pornographic bookseller and his long-suffering wife, and several other scenes contain great lines. The seaside setting (quite common in Bruce's books) is very nicely done, although I agree with <a href="https://grandestgame.wordpress.com/list-of-authors/leo-bruce/death-of-cold-leo-bruce/">this review on the excellent The Grandest Game in the World blog</a> that a map (or two) would have been beneficial, but there's a lot of entertainment along the way before Carolus reveals all.</p><p>There are two features, and, arguably, weaknesses, of the Carolus Deene books that are evident here. First, Carolus detects mainly by intuition rather than by hard evidence. On the whole, I think this is handled well enough for it not to be problematic. Second, the psychological motivation of the culprit is inadequately foreshadowed. This is, I think, a more serious flaw and in this book it could have been remedied without giving the game away. Overall, though, this book is highly enjoyable. </p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-51769551288076930662024-03-06T14:00:00.000+00:002024-03-06T14:00:00.624+00:00Eyes of Laura Mars - 1978 film review<div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXwmmCj5fSpmpc4Kz6nRMERcmcxCfM9otxsvhW_XCW97VFG9HlBYVGPQGrqk3VCfeFyy_ipzFKb_utAzCgN6IdA5vQu4a6VEoWhuAdfX5nVOhczjDTjqISoxogAK-gu3qeRApIz-K_pZR0sat9uyK8s4rSCObI3hPkq0tzMYh6ayaEbdl4WdjDNNv9gG5l" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2174" data-original-width="1446" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXwmmCj5fSpmpc4Kz6nRMERcmcxCfM9otxsvhW_XCW97VFG9HlBYVGPQGrqk3VCfeFyy_ipzFKb_utAzCgN6IdA5vQu4a6VEoWhuAdfX5nVOhczjDTjqISoxogAK-gu3qeRApIz-K_pZR0sat9uyK8s4rSCObI3hPkq0tzMYh6ayaEbdl4WdjDNNv9gG5l" width="160" /></a></div><br /><br /></i></div><i>Eyes of Laura Mars</i> is an offbeat serial killer film that has a great deal going for it. For a start, the trendy fashion photographer Laura Mars is played by Faye Dunaway, while the role of a troubled cop gave a good part to Tommy Lee Jones quite early in his career. The cast also includes Raul Julia, while the title song, 'Prisoner', was sung by Barbra Streisand. And the original version of the story (and an early draft of the screenplay) was written by John Carpenter.<div><br /></div><div>There's a strong 70s feel to the movie, which probably made it seem daring at the time but is now rather too dated for comfort. It's been compared to the Italian <i>giallo </i>films, and it does have something in common with them. Laura's photography emphasises stylish violence, and this courts controversy. Things soon take a dark turn when Laura dreams of a home intrusion and attack, in circumstances quickly replicated when her photo editor is murdered rather horribly.</div><div><br /></div><div>Neville, the cop, points out to Laura the previous unsolved killings which seem to mirror her fashion shoots. Laura continues to have visions, and the body count continues to rise. The story material is promising, but after a while I felt the film lost its way. We don't care as much for the characters as we should. This is partly because of Laura's glacial personality, partly because (spoiler alert!) the visions are never explained, which I found pretty unsatisfactory.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are moments when one senses that the film's makers are trying to comment on the nature of the fashion business, but the balance between plot, character, and situation seems to me to be unsatisfactory. I came to the film with quite high expectations, and although it's not a bad movie, it's certainly not as good as it could have been. And that, I gather, was very much John Carpenter's view too.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-37970784401581672202024-03-04T13:58:00.000+00:002024-03-04T13:58:33.537+00:00Books and Book News<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgST_izY1xYrjVi3eQhVVI9CCWvbQBKPPtEH0dfyYqaCRrWY-QYI0pKZKMT-9vtZfFca4C3P43csEORc72ZJ9BqjIWoREUmzHreL8m2ixMQw_PzRJKNm_ou3IjKbW7rZeNRhoIK0Xi2atm8nnJEr1crLWG00g9vjnXzNAYMFKJojJzqJ51GissasuIMO3TH/s466/Sepulchre%20St%20UK%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="299" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgST_izY1xYrjVi3eQhVVI9CCWvbQBKPPtEH0dfyYqaCRrWY-QYI0pKZKMT-9vtZfFca4C3P43csEORc72ZJ9BqjIWoREUmzHreL8m2ixMQw_PzRJKNm_ou3IjKbW7rZeNRhoIK0Xi2atm8nnJEr1crLWG00g9vjnXzNAYMFKJojJzqJ51GissasuIMO3TH/s320/Sepulchre%20St%20UK%20cover.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The sun is shining and there's definitely a touch of spring in the air. After a winter of writing, I'm looking forward to various book activities and associated trips. Today I've sent in the fruit of my winter labours, the manuscript of <i>Hemlock Bay</i>, to my publisher, after it received the seal of approval from my agent. So it was timely as well as gratifying to learn that the extremely well-read Kate Jackson has chosen <i>Sepulchre Street</i>, the previous Rachel Savernake novel, as her <a href="https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress.com/2024/03/03/book-of-the-month-february-2024/">February book of the month</a></p><p>I mentioned Bill Knox and <i>The Lazarus Widow</i> the other day and was pleased to be name-checked in a <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-68439420">BBC website article about Bill</a> I'm also delighted that this month sees the first two books in the series, <i>Gallows Court</i> and <i>Mortmain</i> <i>Hall</i>, published in Taiwan. This is the very first time I've ever been published in Taiwan and I'm grateful to Tymo Lin and everyone else who has made this possible. Here are the covers:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEja-a8kh4OT3IDZZy5H6fONCw-leeQthMiZeAGRHuK2Rur7wl6BM5V7RIbtw0wqOdiJTUvph6Xn_ilH14Xjukp-AXfiS3kE2e3rKRoNbvk6kUFvWTOHNmtoHIcZT0Cg9aOyTO5tv6QmDgzTRtf8Cy9SoW9-7Z6cdvMMuyR6FlIZeIfoU9lrAphyRH9BHwYT" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1242" data-original-width="855" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEja-a8kh4OT3IDZZy5H6fONCw-leeQthMiZeAGRHuK2Rur7wl6BM5V7RIbtw0wqOdiJTUvph6Xn_ilH14Xjukp-AXfiS3kE2e3rKRoNbvk6kUFvWTOHNmtoHIcZT0Cg9aOyTO5tv6QmDgzTRtf8Cy9SoW9-7Z6cdvMMuyR6FlIZeIfoU9lrAphyRH9BHwYT" width="165" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOrOWLAnCdDeMIY_1UY8SXJKdxgg6jRi2MS-S70OxwgV29nko5DObaZMVUX7CuEfVRh_U2aSDV05QLPQMNHCUfItU9rsLq3VT8iY-BYx_u_-Hgcs9EUDQMrPll87gIGOYo7Dawy6PGUOLu_2n5icpSBDtjtzTxn7K7jf31bdB0DgFhSjXJCOtYfiINyyUQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOrOWLAnCdDeMIY_1UY8SXJKdxgg6jRi2MS-S70OxwgV29nko5DObaZMVUX7CuEfVRh_U2aSDV05QLPQMNHCUfItU9rsLq3VT8iY-BYx_u_-Hgcs9EUDQMrPll87gIGOYo7Dawy6PGUOLu_2n5icpSBDtjtzTxn7K7jf31bdB0DgFhSjXJCOtYfiINyyUQ" width="166" /></a></div><br />Yesterday I was glad to catch up with a number of friends at an excellent CWA Northern Chapter Sunday lunch in Knutsford. I took along the gorgeous, specially bound copy of Eileen Dewhurst's <i>The</i> <i>House That Jack Built</i>, which celebrates Eileen's joy in membership of the CWA. Here's a photo of Jean Briggs and me with the book, taken by Jason Monaghan:<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjH2-PqyBDX4WBYOHs-wlh8wqRnU1xFSvAY7QxCwlo9QuGzYyf5WceDKI311HG03kcS_E-DXZPri3vXx-M-t42bhOMDhc78sFz1d4KCKo535zsdtRe2RBhZQ0bW8uPKazJTLF4pddRBUNl7XEjnpl90SGanP_j8nAVyKZYJvl60VMVQMBYR_pdP7VLlPVYG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjH2-PqyBDX4WBYOHs-wlh8wqRnU1xFSvAY7QxCwlo9QuGzYyf5WceDKI311HG03kcS_E-DXZPri3vXx-M-t42bhOMDhc78sFz1d4KCKo535zsdtRe2RBhZQ0bW8uPKazJTLF4pddRBUNl7XEjnpl90SGanP_j8nAVyKZYJvl60VMVQMBYR_pdP7VLlPVYG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-78171484890602421502024-03-04T12:00:00.003+00:002024-03-04T12:00:00.618+00:00File on Fenton and Farr by Q. Patrick<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjT7X8umzm4Im4WrArXs7R73J8HywtxmeBNlWmeiJlxp76iqlbt53e_lYKMpT8xMnd5azBq8ryw6k7j-sZ4jWTUJ1Dk-Hr4hD2xM8brdjFd1iHgAIWc5pTl2gewypeCQHtiMCQlLiYPpJOlpn2Se2_V34f1hHy3QgIAVj9zHQMLP1xJyqgqjpvS13IutgC9" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="198" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjT7X8umzm4Im4WrArXs7R73J8HywtxmeBNlWmeiJlxp76iqlbt53e_lYKMpT8xMnd5azBq8ryw6k7j-sZ4jWTUJ1Dk-Hr4hD2xM8brdjFd1iHgAIWc5pTl2gewypeCQHtiMCQlLiYPpJOlpn2Se2_V34f1hHy3QgIAVj9zHQMLP1xJyqgqjpvS13IutgC9" width="186" /></a></i></div><i><br /><br /></i><p></p><p><i>File on Fenton and Farr</i> isn't a Forgotten Book but a Forgotten Crime Dossier. It was written by Q. Patrick (Richard Webb and Hugh Wheeler) and appeared in 1938. The dossiers compiled by Dennis Wheatley and J.G. Links, starting with <i>Murder off Miami</i>, had proved a big hit, and so - as often happens in the publishing world - the bandwagon soon found others clambering aboard. Helen Reilly produced <i>File</i> <i>on Rufus Ray </i>(which I hope to read soon) while Q.Patrick turned out this one and then <i>File on Claudia Cragge</i>, before war intervened to put the dampener on the dossier craze for a good many years - although not forever.</p><p>I've never seen any online review of <i>File on Fenton and Farr</i>, which is a testament to the dossier's rarity. I'm fairly sure that the basic premise was inspired by the real-life Hall-Mills case, which has interested a number of crime writers over the years, including Antony Abbot and Mary-Carter Roberts. But the Q. Patrick storyline soon deviates sharply from the real-life situation.</p><p>I would hazard a guess that Webb and Wilson may have conceived this story as a novel before turning it into a dossier. I say this because there is a <i>lot </i>of text in the story, while the visual clues (which include a lipstick!) seem, for the most part, to be incidental to the main elements of the story. There is one visual clue relevant to an alibi which struck me as unconvincing, to say the least. Well, perhaps I say this simply because I didn't figure it out, but I'm not sure how <i>anyone</i> would figure it out.</p><p>Another reason why I think this began life (at least in the planning stage) as a novel is that the characterisation is less superficial than that of the Wheatley-Links dossiers, the first two of which are probably my favourites among all the dossiers. One interesting ingredient is that I'm fairly sure that the photograph of one of the suspects in the story was actually of Hugh Wheeler, while it's possible that one of the others showed Webb. Overall, quite an entertaining mystery, with a number of clever touches.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-90481502317061492862024-03-01T00:40:00.008+00:002024-03-01T00:40:00.121+00:00Forgotten Book - Strip Death Naked<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPTF4OVmzOXNr8gJCBnaHWau2B1gY-mtslVjvEl61NneTiQ9jPy2SYbED1TYMvGkiz_4Xx8ouU2pHyehprTyPICfYoX7OuZ3fyPtJUbSdDH45QbCkZEf8y1PVaatDXFpUdibKRey6-P9O7GamjOWHvkxCRXjoxKhwknEWOM7AmyTuPfSUCRTGtPAn6RvmA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="191" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPTF4OVmzOXNr8gJCBnaHWau2B1gY-mtslVjvEl61NneTiQ9jPy2SYbED1TYMvGkiz_4Xx8ouU2pHyehprTyPICfYoX7OuZ3fyPtJUbSdDH45QbCkZEf8y1PVaatDXFpUdibKRey6-P9O7GamjOWHvkxCRXjoxKhwknEWOM7AmyTuPfSUCRTGtPAn6RvmA" width="174" /></a></i></div><i><br /></i><i>Strip Death Naked</i>, first published in 1959, is a rather odd murder mystery. The author, Norman Longmate, worked for the BBC as a senior administrator, but wrote in his spare time. A versatile author, he was best-known as a historian, several of whose books achieved considerable acclaim. He wrote five detective novels in as many years, starting with <i>Death Won't Wash</i> in 1957; the first four were published by Cassell, and the fifth by Robert Hale, a sign of declining fortunes, which is probably why he abandoned the genre.<p></p><p>As the title hints, the setting of the story is a naturist camp. More than twenty years earlier, a nudist colony featured in E.R. Punshon's <i>Death among the Sunbathers</i>, a pretty dreary mystery by any standards, and the weakest Punshon that I've read. Punshon tackled naturism satirically and yet in a rather decorous way. Longmate's writing reflects the attitudes of the late 50s. In other words, it's much franker and less twee than Punshon's book, but by modern standards old-fashioned and in some respects sexist. </p><p>Longmate's series detective, Superintendent Bradshaw, is consulted when patrons of Sunways are photographed naked and the photos are sent to their employers. This happens on several occasions over a period of time, but somehow a great Press scandal is avoided. A small group of potential suspects is identified and when they conveniently stay at Sunways at the same time, Sergeant Chris Raymond is sent to join the happy campers and investigate.</p><p>Longmate writes pretty well and there are some good touches in this story. The pace doesn't flag and a key aspect of the killer's M.O. is very fairly clued. However, I simply didn't believe the motive, which I didn't think was properly foreshadowed, and the killer's objective could have been achieved much more easily by adopting a more direct approach. And that wasn't the only aspect of the story that I simply couldn't buy into. Overall, I'd rate this novel as a curiosity, more notable for reflecting social attitudes of the time (a subject that Longmate was very interested in) than for its eventful yet somewhat wayward plot.</p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-37461170215372616442024-02-28T12:00:00.000+00:002024-02-28T12:00:00.139+00:00Felicia's Journey - 1999 film review<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgl0KHYlFR1wKLyEqFIufmyHSC80ZSU_TMygfIUL6iXssHO92ofAyW7r9j8KxpOqIqh6HhXv-BA6Ux_GQkSuMVuTv22OEd4_jaOPE391yY-ugQo78vQYMNw2Kf0FeIgFa2_sd9C0c9KWR-WQ8YUDVnk-RxUn27cjJS11oQT5lseqbDtAccXaexXu7vSIA7M" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="187" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgl0KHYlFR1wKLyEqFIufmyHSC80ZSU_TMygfIUL6iXssHO92ofAyW7r9j8KxpOqIqh6HhXv-BA6Ux_GQkSuMVuTv22OEd4_jaOPE391yY-ugQo78vQYMNw2Kf0FeIgFa2_sd9C0c9KWR-WQ8YUDVnk-RxUn27cjJS11oQT5lseqbDtAccXaexXu7vSIA7M" width="166" /></a></div><br /><br /></div>I first came across the name of William Trevor as a teenager, when a rave review of his novel <i>The</i> <i>Children of Dynmouth</i> prompted me to borrow the book from the local library. I was greatly impressed, and the final paragraphs have stayed with me ever since, which I can't say about many books. I then discovered Trevor's admirable short stories. I've not read him for a while, but he remains my favourite Irish writer.<div><br /></div><div>When I discovered that <i>Felicia's Journey</i>, directed by the estimable Atom Egoyan, was based on a novel by Trevor, I decided to watch it, and I wasn't disappointed. It's a slow-burn, subtle film, but I found it thoughtful, mysterious (although not in a detective puzzle way) and gripping.</div><div><br /></div><div>We're introduced to a man called Hilditch, who is in charge of the works canteen at a factory in Birmingham. He's fussy but pleasant and well-respected by the people who work for him - always a good sign. But there are one or two things about him that strike a slightly odd note, especially when he goes home in his Morris Mini Minor and cooks elaborate meals for himself while watching an old cooking programme on television. Meanwhile, Felicia, a naive but lovely teenager, travels from Ireland to England in search of Johnny, a boy she's fallen in love with. She bumps into Hilditch a couple of times, and he takes pity on her, offering to help her find Johnny. But all is not as it seems...</div><div><br /></div><div>The cast is excellent, and is led by Bob Hoskins, who had an unrivalled ability to combine menace with genuine pathos. The role of Hilditch is challenging, to say the least, but he handles it with aplomb. Elaine Cassidy is excellent as Felicia, and there's a smallish role for Brid Brennan, who plays Johnny's mother. I watched Brid Brennan recently in a newish film, the Irish language suspense movie <i>Doineann</i>, where she carries a slight story with a great performance in the role of a veteran detective. <i>Doineann</i> is a decent enough film, but it isn't (perhaps because the script lacks Trevor's quality) in the same league as <i>Felicia's Journey</i>, which explore the relationships between parents and children, and between innocence and guilt, with a sophistication that is never dull, never irritating. </div>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-16884857395907175772024-02-26T11:32:00.035+00:002024-02-26T11:32:00.123+00:00Crippen & Landru's 30th birthday<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj40W-9lDi_5chbdqYAsxhl8dk0ykE3aoT5MZliicA2U44I9CPcXJP6oki1OtrkGexVlBUo1QLNHKVyHMAnygC97BncuPxx7G2_hNxekXbaAe4pMa1gCFPUxi1FQO0Zm6lBP0P4O9IDcpHQtBeABFzwxfGPK9msCnSj7l6lNI2h9LyUic62_zwB7BQ9nJEM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="190" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj40W-9lDi_5chbdqYAsxhl8dk0ykE3aoT5MZliicA2U44I9CPcXJP6oki1OtrkGexVlBUo1QLNHKVyHMAnygC97BncuPxx7G2_hNxekXbaAe4pMa1gCFPUxi1FQO0Zm6lBP0P4O9IDcpHQtBeABFzwxfGPK9msCnSj7l6lNI2h9LyUic62_zwB7BQ9nJEM" width="171" /></a></div><br /><br /></div>Long before the British Library (and its many followers) started publishing Crime Classics, there was Crippen & Landru, a small press based in the United States which quickly established a splendid reputation for quality of book production matched with high-calibre content. It's a reputation which has been burnished over the years and I'm delighted that this year sees the press's 30th anniversary since it came into being. A remarkable achievement, well worth celebrating.<div><br /></div><div>Crippen & Landru were founded by Douglas G. Greene, who was already well-established as an authority on classic detective fiction. His biography of John Dickson Carr is a model of its kind and he had done some great work in helping to shepherd deserving books back into print. The main focus of his imprint was short stories and this has remained the case through the years. There have been many wonderful single author collections, some of them from contemporary writers, many from notable authors of the past.</div><div><br /></div><div>When Doug was ready to take a step back from the intensive demands of running Crippen & Landru, Jeffrey Marks took over at the helm (although Doug is still involved). Jeff was the ideal man for the job; he too has published significant books about the genre, including bios of Craig Rice and Anthony Boucher, and the very interesting <i>Atomic Renaissance</i> about female post-war crime writers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Although I'm based on the other side of the Atlantic, I've had the pleasure of working with Crippen & Landru on a number of occasions, starting with editorial work on <i>The Trinity Cat</i>, a collection of stories by Ellis Peters for the 'Lost Classics' series - was it really 18 years ago? It's always a pleasure to spend in the company of Doug and Jeff and this anniversary is as good a moment as any to thank them for their contribution to the genre. And if you like good mysteries, Crippen & Landru have plenty of books to keep you royally entertained.</div>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-71428481710174123882024-02-23T13:00:00.115+00:002024-02-23T14:25:51.685+00:00Forgotten Book - The Murders Near Mapleton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4yNTWD-OsznifS2o82NwTSQx6Z1TFOLGcpn2x1CBSAybD7GFp3Zo9-HKp0vf_zMI3mz1e7qu1JHaD6H7c685IS195afzOG3rfyvh0_xJGwYwfqpbkghB_Fjy9us-lAwtufOG0MC8ommYKfvF86BjN_fDaYOeRZyuzOGjYkyev5bxDmQOsdK_YyvG_jHG/s278/download.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="181" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4yNTWD-OsznifS2o82NwTSQx6Z1TFOLGcpn2x1CBSAybD7GFp3Zo9-HKp0vf_zMI3mz1e7qu1JHaD6H7c685IS195afzOG3rfyvh0_xJGwYwfqpbkghB_Fjy9us-lAwtufOG0MC8ommYKfvF86BjN_fDaYOeRZyuzOGjYkyev5bxDmQOsdK_YyvG_jHG/s1600/download.jpg" width="181" /></a></div><br /><p>Steve Barge, who blogs as The Puzzle Doctor, has done Golden Age mystery fans a big favour by reviving interest in the books of Brian Flynn and working with Dean Street Press to reissue a good many of the novels. Steve's intros are a model of their kind: concise, informative, and readable. I've read several of the books now and I must say that they contain some excellent ideas, several of which are genuinely ingenious and definitely pleasing.</p><p>This is certainly true of <i>The Murders Near Mapleton</i>, which dates from 1929. The story gets off to a tremendous start. The setting of the first chapter, a country house dinner on Christmas Eve, is conventional enough, but there are interesting undercurrents in the dinner table conversation and Flynn wastes no time in getting down to action. By page 34, the master of the house has gone missing, a threatening message has been discovered in a Christmas cracker, two dead bodies have been found (one on a railway track) and one of the deceased, believed by everyone to be a man, turns out to be a woman. Oh, and quite apart from various other minor excitements, somehow the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Austin Kemble, has got involved. </p><p>I was impressed by all of this and it's fair to say that, when all is revealed, there are some very clever touches indeed. But - you knew there was a 'but' coming, didn't you? - this book also displays Flynn's characteristic weaknesses. The first of these is that his brilliant amateur detective, Anthony Bathurst, is smug and (in this book more than the others I've read) frankly irritating. One also wonders how Sir Austin got such a plum job - he seems to be so useless as to make Francis Durbridge's Sir Graham Forbes seem like Poirot. Flynn's over-ornate writing style also makes me groan. For instance: 'The realisation flooded his brain with pellucid certainty that once again the clutch of circumstance had summoned him to cross swords with one who was undoubtedly a master criminal.' Steve wonders why Flynn was never elected to the Detection Club; I'm pretty sure the answer is to be found in Dorothy L.Sayers' reviews of two of his 1934 novels - she notes the ingenuity, but flays the prose. </p><p>In any elaborate mystery of this type, the author hopes (believe me, I know!) that the reader will be generous in terms of suspending disbelief. Fair enough. However, I was completely baffled by the fact that the transvestism was almost ignored by the detectives, even though inevitably it played a - wholly unconvincing, I'm afraid - part in the story. Sir Austin and the almost equally hapless Inspector Craig hardly mention it and even Anthony seems to take the deception for granted. </p><p>As Steve Barge points out, Gladys Mitchell used a very similar idea in a novel also published in 1929 - a notable coincidence, but I agree with him that there's no reason to suspect plagiarism; it's clearly just an idea that occurred to two writers at much the same time, something that happens in reality with quite depressing frequency, perhaps as a reaction to a topical news item. But I do think better use could be made of this idea than Flynn managed. For some time, inspired by the Mitchell novel, I've been wondering if the concept could become an ingredient in a Rachel Savernake mystery and used in a fresh way. Maybe reading this book is the spur I needed!</p><p>This novel has been widely discussed on the blogosphere, and although <a href="https://grandestgame.wordpress.com/list-of-authors/brian-flynn/the-murders-near-mapleton-flynn/">the review on The Grandest Game in the World</a> is pretty crushing, the overall consensus of the reviews is definitely favourable - see, for instance, <a href="https://mysteriesahoy.com/2020/12/16/the-murders-near-mapleton-by-brian-flynn/">this one at Murder Ahoy!</a> Despite my reservations, and my sense that this book could have been terrific and didn't live up to its early promise, I did enjoy reading it, something that without Steve's efforts and his advocacy for Brian Flynn simply wouldn't have been possible.</p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-92155780733468076712024-02-21T12:57:00.000+00:002024-02-21T12:57:00.132+00:00The Usual Suspects - 1995 film review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXpr_E1krSkVy9fyz30qb8CZPQRuVm0ARdIxeajTqzus1xkv--ZMxCGHnqwvCpuXNRpe_iP-1p8Q7KRoCRq6J5c6iTjZl7Cw97B3vpZEG9xkif6u1jgpFDeuAwKkArqq06VNXwRQSGL9AOUgdFkGtI4_zbBVgcjBhdhww03M_TjcK9Sps1iezipuGxYEnA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="693" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXpr_E1krSkVy9fyz30qb8CZPQRuVm0ARdIxeajTqzus1xkv--ZMxCGHnqwvCpuXNRpe_iP-1p8Q7KRoCRq6J5c6iTjZl7Cw97B3vpZEG9xkif6u1jgpFDeuAwKkArqq06VNXwRQSGL9AOUgdFkGtI4_zbBVgcjBhdhww03M_TjcK9Sps1iezipuGxYEnA" width="166" /></a></div><br />I've mentioned <i>The Usual Suspects</i> a number of times on this blog over the years, although I've never discussed it in any detail. It's a film I enjoyed watching not too long after its release and I decided to take another look at it, to see how well it has held up, twenty-eight years on. The short answer is that it still seems pretty good to me.<p></p><p>Christopher McQuarrie won an Oscar for his screenplay, while Kevin Spacey won for 'best supporting actor'. Both Spacey and the director, Bryan Singer, have had well-documented issues in recent years, but I think it's fair to say that this movie remains a major highlight in their careers. Spacey plays the part of 'Verbal' Kint, a talkative guy with a limp who is a confidence trickster.</p><p>Most of the story is told via flashback and it's not always easy to follow. In essence, Kint is explaining to a sceptical cop the circumstances surrounding a fire on a ship in California, which followed a sequence of gangster killings of those on board. Kint and a severely injured Hungarian criminal are the only survivors. The tale unfolds suggests that the person responsible was a master-criminal called Keyser Soze whom nobody can identify.</p><p>There's a brilliant twist ending, which I enjoyed again even though I knew it was coming. Really, it's the twist that lifts the film out of the ordinary, even though there are excellent performances by Gabriel Byrne and Pete Postlethwaite as well as Spacey, and a number of good lines and visual images. A very clever idea, nicely executed. </p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-34903711158082782882024-02-19T13:20:00.001+00:002024-02-19T13:20:00.126+00:00Bill Knox, Sue Ward, and The Lazarus Widow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9rsFo7meqY8uT0MDdZpYe0oogwpMyZHZzwDlWmLfA74-C-ss3QT3CmUAyGavB9fS8sPY5NGs_-AaNqkdZbHko5Rwvtp4JGuROORzvMtQLqqRWUVj1-Nk1jkOxLdgUuAV8CNB4bJfizDr9eAHpODy2O-CUqf8dSHZFfj_UJwQr5G6FqN40_vk2hHnmizkI/s640/Bill%20and%20Myra%20Knox%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9rsFo7meqY8uT0MDdZpYe0oogwpMyZHZzwDlWmLfA74-C-ss3QT3CmUAyGavB9fS8sPY5NGs_-AaNqkdZbHko5Rwvtp4JGuROORzvMtQLqqRWUVj1-Nk1jkOxLdgUuAV8CNB4bJfizDr9eAHpODy2O-CUqf8dSHZFfj_UJwQr5G6FqN40_vk2hHnmizkI/s320/Bill%20and%20Myra%20Knox%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>It's hard for me to believe, but twenty-five years have passed since I was commissioned to finish Bill Knox's last novel, <i>The Lazarus Widow</i>, which was published under our joint names way back in 1999. This was the final entry in his long-running and best-known series featuring the Scottish cops Thane and Moss.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was an extremely interesting project to undertake and one of the lasting pleasures I've had from it is that I got to know his widow, Myra, and their daughter Sue. Myra died some years ago, but Sue and I are still in regular touch. She has kindly shared a couple of photos from the family album. The above picture dates from her 21st birthday and shows Bill, Myra and the three children. The one below is from the Knoxes' wedding day.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qHhaH1o7dLt-0c-blpH7hHsb8Et-5RMAXvoyoKBJ0xFffsJ0LC9ly64TXd0B2pKvqAYcz7K3c4mRRHaQJuoWT7I2nVnEAc0oP2069uqdKOOX0HJrg7Qn9DnkKrtiSeKqvamjBB_FRpi1mi0xmxXbZLSyQ95jP8mdho8zDcP3QtuArL7PwoM4vYVt2jvZ/s640/Bill%20and%20Myra%20Knox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qHhaH1o7dLt-0c-blpH7hHsb8Et-5RMAXvoyoKBJ0xFffsJ0LC9ly64TXd0B2pKvqAYcz7K3c4mRRHaQJuoWT7I2nVnEAc0oP2069uqdKOOX0HJrg7Qn9DnkKrtiSeKqvamjBB_FRpi1mi0xmxXbZLSyQ95jP8mdho8zDcP3QtuArL7PwoM4vYVt2jvZ/s320/Bill%20and%20Myra%20Knox.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> </div><div>I'm delighted to say that Bill's books are now being made available again. There's a link to the very first Thane and Moss novel <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deadline-Thane-Moss-Book-1-ebook/dp/B0CPW3DHTY/">here</a>. The big question in my mind with <i>The Lazarus Widow </i>was always: what will the family think about my effort? Sue has kindly shared her own thoughts, which are definitely reassuring from my point of view!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtrRDYH23Tb_UwT57irzXuAr2QOXKPhbqJKzUOvd8BsoXlWPJmK8NpBQp4WJ0vkmJEZU8rZCFASEIE6wyQiL3790CPVaGlZxD3Y-o5jSwOA9_cg6UjhnY_GP5rTrKdyMROzwcisVk0BR5NdGGkbi5uC0a4z0DlN3mj4ar33VR_UMMbp5_1alwNRYSx7oj/s270/download%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="187" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtrRDYH23Tb_UwT57irzXuAr2QOXKPhbqJKzUOvd8BsoXlWPJmK8NpBQp4WJ0vkmJEZU8rZCFASEIE6wyQiL3790CPVaGlZxD3Y-o5jSwOA9_cg6UjhnY_GP5rTrKdyMROzwcisVk0BR5NdGGkbi5uC0a4z0DlN3mj4ar33VR_UMMbp5_1alwNRYSx7oj/s1600/download%20(1).jpg" width="187" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">'My mum was with my dad for all her adult life. They
experienced many ups and downs and moments of happiness and grief together.</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When my father sadly died her practical nature chose to
focus, in part, on the completion of his last book. He had dedicated his
working life to journalism and it seemed unjust to her that a work of his
should remain uncompleted. It was the ending or closure that she needed to see
a job well done and to do his considerable talent justice. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That was not to be as easy a task as it seemed. The chosen
writer would need a certain style and to be a fan of my dad’s work if the right
feeling was to be present in the completed novel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An additional challenge would be the lack of directional
and plot planning evidence left for the brave creature who, once chosen, agreed
to such a task. Not a single clue as to the intended ending or chain of events
to reach that end was available. It was simply not the way he worked.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To read the completed work was a seamless and thrilling
experience. A mixture of job extremely well done and a pleasing feeling of
closure and completion.' <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Susan Ward MBE</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-51381383823764949482024-02-16T10:36:00.001+00:002024-02-16T14:12:11.813+00:00Forgotten Book - The Stylist<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjumVHao7olo4hpvwrgB-Rh-fLjqzd04-0jIlcWBLQWpW6CPoCR0v-9knMlvVHr8x-Kv-gPuInooVE03j7zTtMQANoGkzX7tDy8DNJyblI2YFT30Rp3cv4g_aix-Mx-m74MvMWTzGlpjpyA5qRs3Qq6GBh0_oELhwOBBdHQ_KXtF4MSpn-AqwpRphLue0yn" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjumVHao7olo4hpvwrgB-Rh-fLjqzd04-0jIlcWBLQWpW6CPoCR0v-9knMlvVHr8x-Kv-gPuInooVE03j7zTtMQANoGkzX7tDy8DNJyblI2YFT30Rp3cv4g_aix-Mx-m74MvMWTzGlpjpyA5qRs3Qq6GBh0_oELhwOBBdHQ_KXtF4MSpn-AqwpRphLue0yn" width="180" /></a></div><br />The early members of the Detection Club, notably Anthony Berkeley, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Agatha Christie, were all exceptionally interested in the study of true crime cases, and that enthusiasm informed their own work in many ways. I talked about this in some detail in <i>The Golden Age of Murder</i> and it's a subject I plan to return to at a later date. In the meantime, I'm researching widely and I've just read an interesting novel by a Detection Club member of later vintage, Guy Cullingford (whose real name was Constance Taylor) which, in its later stages, reveals the influence of some of the same real life cases that fascinated Berkeley, Sayers, and Christie.<p></p><p>The book in question is <i>The Stylist</i>. It was published in 1968 and was the penultimate Cullingford crime novel (although she also wrote a historical novel a decade or so later). <i>The Stylist</i> is a seriously obscure book. It was never published in paperback or in the United States. I've never read any discussion about it anywhere online, although I have managed to find one contemporary review, from Edmund Crispin, in the <i>Sunday Times</i>. I'd have been unaware of its quality had I not chanced upon an inscribed copy (complete with a photo of the author and a letter from her husband) that caught my fancy.</p><p>The jacket describes the book as a 'thriller', but if you're looking for slam-bam action from the get-go, this one is not for you. It's a slow-burn novel, very much character-driven. One ingredient in the story, local government corruption, calls to mind Michael Gilbert's very different <i>The Crack in the Teacup</i>, published two years earlier. Another element is suggestive of yet another very different book, Patricia Highsmith's <i>The Talented Mr Ripley</i>. And the true crime cases which are name-checked late on in the story are those involving Edith Thompson and Alma Rattenbury, which have inspired quite a few crime novels. This one, however, is distinctive.</p><p>Laura Chance is a wealthy woman in her fifties married to a dodgy self-made man. She's bored, but when she encounters a new hair stylist, Pierre (an Englishman called Peter) who is half her age, she finds a new interest in life. Slowly, slowly, Cullingford deploys an interesting range of characters in Laura's circle, and in Pierre's, but one can neve be entirely sure where the story is heading. Not much happens for ages, but I was kept gripped by the quality of writing and characterisation. It's subtle and occasionally witty and I really enjoyed it. </p><p>And if that isn't enough to encourage you, then I should add that Edmund Crispin, who likened the writing to Trollope, was also enthusiastic. So was Francis Iles, who described it as 'comfortably disturbing throughout...a book not to be missed by the discerning' (with thanks to Arthur Robinson for highlighting the Iles review). What a pity that the book made so little impact - the author must have been very disappointed, because it's clear to me that she took great pains over the writing, and to very good effect. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-36626713608675203242024-02-14T13:00:00.001+00:002024-02-14T13:00:00.247+00:00The Secret of Seagull Island - 1982 film review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHWJUeXpKJ_moMocQQlcBaBLlTxgBM_lSuKU-Rt1xdOeKAAsW0oV3iSN_1VNeUEJdwTPoQdr3itQBgilOkdIJBwrQEYAcAOSP3lK6Tupf6JvT6MTZtFd3qh3Pt7B9wI7-x_Qaf76Tcjscn-EqkgNPHHYepZab1qTgaoSPqGZKmLWx3rTlfhNB6608Nm681" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="201" data-original-width="251" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHWJUeXpKJ_moMocQQlcBaBLlTxgBM_lSuKU-Rt1xdOeKAAsW0oV3iSN_1VNeUEJdwTPoQdr3itQBgilOkdIJBwrQEYAcAOSP3lK6Tupf6JvT6MTZtFd3qh3Pt7B9wI7-x_Qaf76Tcjscn-EqkgNPHHYepZab1qTgaoSPqGZKmLWx3rTlfhNB6608Nm681" width="300" /></a></div><br />'Bizarre but watchable' is the verdict of one website on <i>The Secret of Seagull Island</i>, and you couldn't sum this film up much better in three words. I say 'film' but in fact its origin was a five-part Anglo/Italian TV serial and the jumpy editing that seems to have taken place in the process of adaptation contributes to the off-kilter feel of the enterprise. I was drawn to the film mainly because it stars Jeremy Brett, always an interesting actor. Suffice to say that he's not in Sherlock Holmes mode here...<p></p><p>We begin with a brief underwater scene, which ends violently before switching to Barbara Carey (Prunella Ransome) arriving in Italy to search for her missing sister Marianne, who is blind. A chap called Lombardi seems to know more about Marianne that he admits and Barbara enlists the help of a British cultural attache (Nicky Henson) who soon becomes smitten with her. </p><p>Barbara's investigation leads her to an encounter with David Malcolm (Jeremy Brett) who owns his own island, lucky chap, which he shares with a female admirer and...someone else. There are quite a few twists and turns, and although I should have seen the major twist coming, the truth is that I didn't. </p><p>It's an odd film, and certainly no masterpiece, but it's always fun to watch Jeremy Brett, particularly when he goes into OTT mode. It made a nice change to see Nicky Henson playing a wholly likeable if slightly bumbling character, appropriately called Martin, although I felt Prunella Ransome struggled a bit with a very demanding role. One of the co-writers was Jeremy Burnham, an interesting chap who - uniquely - both acted in and wrote episodes of <i>The Avengers</i>, as well as scripting one episode of <i>Inspector Morse</i>. It rather sums up the eccentric nature of this film that the soundtrack was written by Tony Hatch, better known for writing the theme to <i>Crossroads</i>.</p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-31115601900037407222024-02-12T12:00:00.001+00:002024-02-12T12:00:00.140+00:00Finishing a Novel<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFI-hK6eqclyKL3SNHosoaJOhVYaHF2NuzvBliEE0TvzV5M6Scvg0yE_FloV6059o2aORxsYkbIL78O7FoA2JUR4Rkzjs2tZR_BvCeDrfME4F2aHv3M-K08PoX8w4PBRUHr0h7Jmg7kOZUOCY0n9fiGpEUIKjRAXOO3-HVy7OWVFifWFROxAjDmieaLUzf/s4032/F320F774-DA6C-4CDF-9801-877FF51ECB04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFI-hK6eqclyKL3SNHosoaJOhVYaHF2NuzvBliEE0TvzV5M6Scvg0yE_FloV6059o2aORxsYkbIL78O7FoA2JUR4Rkzjs2tZR_BvCeDrfME4F2aHv3M-K08PoX8w4PBRUHr0h7Jmg7kOZUOCY0n9fiGpEUIKjRAXOO3-HVy7OWVFifWFROxAjDmieaLUzf/s320/F320F774-DA6C-4CDF-9801-877FF51ECB04.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Today I'm sending off to my agent the manuscript of my latest novel. This is the fifth in the Rachel Savernake series and it's called <i>Hemlock Bay</i>. I'm pleased with it, but whilst it really is very important for an author to be pleased with a new book, in commercial terms at least, it's <i>essential</i> for one's agent and editor to approve. So - fingers crossed!<div><br /></div><div>I finished the novel before sending it out and also revised it more than once. This is an approach I've evolved over the years and I don't always follow it - it depends on the book. Usually, I want the book to be in the best achievable state before anyone else comments on it. Before I start writing, I'm often asked for a synopsis, but I don't feel tightly bound by synopses - indeed, there's remarkably little resemblance between the synopsis I wrote for <i>Blackstone Fell</i>, for instance, and the novel that was actually published! They are very, very different. One of the reasons for this, of course, is that one gets fresh ideas during the course of writing a book (and that's perhaps also a good reason for taking a fair amount of time to write a novel, not just rushing through it).</div><div><br /></div><div>But is the novel really finished when it's sent to one's agent? Without getting too metaphysical about it, I'm almost tempted to argue that a novel is never actually finished. This may seem ridiculous, but it's common for agents and editors to make suggestions for changes. Because I'm fairly experienced as a novelist now, changes made at the editorial stage tend to be minor (the main exceptions in my career were <i>I Remember</i> <i>You</i> and <i>Take My Breath Away</i>, both of which underwent radical surgery at the behest of two very good editors, Kate Callaghan and David Shelley respectively).</div><div><br /></div><div>And even when a book is published, is that really the end of it, for all time? Usually, but not necessarily. What if a new ebook edition gives one the chance to make fresh changes? I'm an inveterate tinkerer (as David Brawn, my wonderful and long-suffering editor for non-fiction books such as <i>The Life of Crime</i> is acutely aware) and given the chance I would always want to make ongoing changes to what I've written - but life is too short to do this extensively. I did, however, make various changes to <i>The Golden</i> <i>Age of Murder</i> for the paperback edition and I was delighted to have the chance to do so.</div><div><br /></div><div>I suppose all this springs from my belief that writing is in many ways a constant quest for improvement. In trying to improve as a writer, one is also trying to improve the text. If your mind stays receptive to new ideas, then it's almost inevitable that you'll think of better ways to write a passage here, a paragraph there. </div><div><br /></div><div>What will be the fate of <i>Hemlock Bay?</i> At this stage, it's impossible for me to know for sure. But whatever its shortcomings, I have really loved writing it. And doing the research - in particular, visiting Heysham, shown in the photo above, last June. That was a trip that really fired my imagination, though Hemlock Bay is very different from Heysham, not least in terms of the rising body count...</div>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-21307468312099499532024-02-09T17:31:00.000+00:002024-02-09T17:31:59.618+00:00Forgotten Book - Die All, Die Merrily<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjA6KH9Vs94orjNmw6GILQ70wF4zUwOuPYe4SLnytSlyx_O9XHwaiTIXbu7Ao4eE4y-jDedQ4uFe_wyMw2jRakhz9t-SlVOK6gwQIaTFu0n0uJp5yRKOUU6QiRZh2_jdLI68ygLN9NXHrqwPzvSjXWs1jTNpqgo3Fpy1Xgchhkt3ds3DyWeVSgzXln3AyOj" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="186" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjA6KH9Vs94orjNmw6GILQ70wF4zUwOuPYe4SLnytSlyx_O9XHwaiTIXbu7Ao4eE4y-jDedQ4uFe_wyMw2jRakhz9t-SlVOK6gwQIaTFu0n0uJp5yRKOUU6QiRZh2_jdLI68ygLN9NXHrqwPzvSjXWs1jTNpqgo3Fpy1Xgchhkt3ds3DyWeVSgzXln3AyOj" width="165" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>In recent years I've become a big fan of Leo Bruce's detective novels. His characteristic blend of humour and ingenuity appeals to me, although it was somewhat out of fashion by 1961, when he published <i>Die All, Die Merrily</i> (the title is a quote from <i>Henry IV, Part One</i>), one of 23 novels featuring his amateur detective Carolus Deene. Before I read the Deene books, I tended to assume that they were inferior to his Sergeant Beef novels. But they aren't - at their best, they are truly entertaining.</p><p>This book illustrates Bruce's strengths. Deene is urged to get involved with a mystery involving the family of Lady Drumbone, who would nowadays be described as a political activist, and whom Bruce mocks mercilessly. The case concerns a tragedy - the apparent suicide of her nephew. The dead man left behind a tape recording in which he confesses to strangling an unnamed woman - but who was the supposed victim?</p><p>It's a teasing set-up and Deene embarks on a long series of interviews, a couple of which are very funny indeed (one interviewee, a woman who is obsessed with featuring in the newspapers, is especially memorable). Bruce was very good on dialogue and it dominates his novels. Of course, one has to suspend disbelief, but the writing is usually engaging enough for the unlikely developments to be a source of pleasure rather than irritation.</p><p>The solution to the mystery is cunning and quite complex and I didn't see the key twists coming. Inevitably the characterisation isn't in-depth, and I don't think the culprit's cruelty and ruthlessness - because, as is sometimes the case with Bruce, there is quite a bit of darkness about the crimes - were adequately foreshadowed. For once, however, I didn't mind this, because I had so much fun along the way before all was revealed.</p><p><br /></p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-58652963517633808322024-02-07T12:30:00.000+00:002024-02-07T12:30:00.129+00:00Paranoiac - 1963 film review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5euNt_qHAeXR6TptnOvTOguZywNU2jruLumx4sy_TWof-vF0yaY5dE5oOboMKWxIMuzA2RMDcD84XUiPgvCQZN1DbUDY2ZJA4JOH34rkUBnr_6WL9Q8wXm1-DgxX04JgtXR7ncKxrSx4ph7LTORrou9CfwMQ-ieE-jFjIUVSxD0t1bkYwPtBu2N25dlD4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="197" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5euNt_qHAeXR6TptnOvTOguZywNU2jruLumx4sy_TWof-vF0yaY5dE5oOboMKWxIMuzA2RMDcD84XUiPgvCQZN1DbUDY2ZJA4JOH34rkUBnr_6WL9Q8wXm1-DgxX04JgtXR7ncKxrSx4ph7LTORrou9CfwMQ-ieE-jFjIUVSxD0t1bkYwPtBu2N25dlD4" width="185" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>If you were going to make a Hammer Horror movie, I don't think that a novel written by Josephine Tey would spring to mind as obvious source material. Yet her excellent story <i>Brat Farrar</i> was turned by Jimmy Sangster into <i>Paranoia</i>c, and what is even more surprising is that he made a pretty good job of it. Some Tey fans may hate the over-the-top elements, but the film was definitely more enjoyable than I expected. </p><p>Directed by Freddie Francis - who won two Oscars for other work - the film moves at a sprightly pace, opening with a church service in memory of members of the Ashby family. The death of the parents, followed by the subsequent suicide of their oldest child Tony, meant that the remaining children, Eleanor and Simon, have been brought up by their Aunt Harriet.</p><p>But they are a troubled group, to put it mildly. Eleanor (Janette Scott) is haunted by Tony's death and Simon (Oliver Reed, at his most crazed and menacing) is trying to have her committed to an asylum so that he can inherit the whole of the family fortune. Eleanor is being 'looked after' by a glamorous French nurse who is having a torrid affair with Simon, while Harriet (Shelia Burrell) has plenty of issues of her own. The family solicitor and trustee (Maurice Denham) fights a losing battle to maintain order, not helped by the villainy of his son and junior partner. Elisabeth Lutyens' music adds to the mood of melancholy and melodrama.</p><p>The quality of the cast contributes to the success of the film. There are incestuous sub-texts that would have startled Tey, and although the 'returning prodigal' character is played rather woodenly by Alexander Davion, there are enough plot twists and moments of drama to satisfy most viewers looking for a Sixties horror movie that is better written than most.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-59654862780978017362024-02-05T14:08:00.000+00:002024-02-05T14:08:00.128+00:00 A Reflection of Fear - 1972 film review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWtrmGp1WfFsf2QPDmjSgsu54g8lpDFcDDZ6s6bXdg9OoG0yKkrc4GMy3hKDqPf1b-kAFzeHuSpmtEfZasAOUUKSR6OW1zmVRNq0r6yPdbQc96qRVKE9FuaAmivy5DAIVkuNmJhWVTn9nlYxvsuh3aGFqRnOASxz27NFOKeah2YqaiYi5dtWIKlflhbn3V" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2195" data-original-width="1462" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWtrmGp1WfFsf2QPDmjSgsu54g8lpDFcDDZ6s6bXdg9OoG0yKkrc4GMy3hKDqPf1b-kAFzeHuSpmtEfZasAOUUKSR6OW1zmVRNq0r6yPdbQc96qRVKE9FuaAmivy5DAIVkuNmJhWVTn9nlYxvsuh3aGFqRnOASxz27NFOKeah2YqaiYi5dtWIKlflhbn3V" width="160" /></a></div><br />A while back, Scott Herbertson drew my attention to the books of Forbes Rydell, a pen-name for two women, DeLoris Stanton Forbes and Helen B. Rydell. I'm hoping to read and review at least one of their books before long. Forbes (1923-2013) also wrote books under other names - Tobias Wells, DeLoris S. Forbes, and Stanton Forbes. One of the Stanton Forbes novels was <i>Go to Thy Deathbed</i>, which was filmed just over half a century ago as <i>A Reflection of Fear</i>. So when this popped up on Talking Pictures recently, I decided to watch it.<p></p><p>The film has a strong cast, led by Robert Shaw, who plays a writer called Michael. At the start of the film, he has long been estranged from Katherine, who is the mother of his child, Marguerite. Katherine is played by Mary Ure, a very beautiful woman who was married to Shaw but who suffered from alcoholism and died in tragic circumstances in 1975 at the age of just 42. This is, sadly, the last film she made. Marguerite is played by Sondra Locke, whose own life was somewhat troubled, and who in this role plays a character aged 15, even though she was in her late twenties at the time.</p><p>It's clear from the start that Marguerite is strange and perhaps disturbed. She lives with Katherine and her grandmother (Signe Hasso) in a remote mansion and spends much of her time talking to her dolls and even amoeba collected from a pond. She has grown up apart from her father but seems to have developed an obsession with him and longs to see him again. When Michael turns up, with his girlfriend (Sally Kellerman) in tow, bad things begin to happen...</p><p>This is a strange, unsettling film. The final twist is extraordinary, but not foreshadowed (unlike the majority of the plot developments, which are fairly predictable) and it is introduced in a bizarrely off-hand way, via a telephone message. Apparently the film was severely mangled in the editing process, resulting in various oddities which detract from one's viewing enjoyment. So it's a curiosity rather than a masterpiece. Even so, there's something hypnotic about some of the photography (the director, William A. Fraker, was noted as a cinetographer) which makes it worth a look. And I'd be interested to read the source novel - which presumably follows a much more logical path. </p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-35367224531131868452024-02-02T11:26:00.070+00:002024-02-02T15:24:45.198+00:00Forgotten Book - Bricklayer's Arms aka Shadow of a Crime<div><i><br /></i></div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQzh7et5wmfRh4yyId4jv35YFyAVV50WzD172bKXCQQdNobEoKOb1dCkcS1kQK2LBsi-i5DubSHLbHHb6TSyTp3J8l_J842bMLZ-fpg2oWTKzkmb1WZIAlCEDLeZkTexG50UUUQtos-mpwsRTFZH0G6_HvaStFPbOiaahI6Nohyphenhyphenjeapd9bM3PAu6MaPH_/s395/Bricklayer's_Arms_(novel).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQzh7et5wmfRh4yyId4jv35YFyAVV50WzD172bKXCQQdNobEoKOb1dCkcS1kQK2LBsi-i5DubSHLbHHb6TSyTp3J8l_J842bMLZ-fpg2oWTKzkmb1WZIAlCEDLeZkTexG50UUUQtos-mpwsRTFZH0G6_HvaStFPbOiaahI6Nohyphenhyphenjeapd9bM3PAu6MaPH_/s320/Bricklayer's_Arms_(novel).jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br />Bricklayer's Arms</i> is a novel by John Rhode first published in 1945. It's an engaging story and I should say right away that is one of the most enjoyable books that I've ever read by this astonishingly prolific author. All too often the ingenuity of his murder methods is matched only by the flatness of his writing, and in some of the books it can be a real slog to get to the explanation for the unlikely m.o. and the revelation of a culprit whose identity was predictable, even if the howdunit element wasn't. In <i>Bricklayer's Arms</i>, however, Rhode shuffles his story ingredients with real skill. Even the title is a rather pleasing joke (which was denied to American readers, who were presented with the commonplace alternative <i>Shadow of a Crime</i>).<div><br /></div><div>A striking feature of the book is that almost all the detective work is done by Jimmy Waghorn, with the aid of a capable local sergeant. We hardly see Dr Priestley and frankly I didn't miss him. I'm sure that Priestley had a loyal following in his day and that commercially it made sense for Rhode to write this as a series mystery. But, as can happen with a long series, Rhode was trapped by his own formula. By 1945, Priestley's presence in the story - I know it's heresy to say this, so far as some Golden Age fans are concerned! - was not just anachronistic but pointless. In my opinion, this book would have been better written as a conventional police investigation, perhaps rather in the Freeman Wills Crofts mould. </div><div><br /></div><div>So what of the story itself? It opens with the discovery of the body of a motorcyclist, a young estate agent who has come to grief on a village road near a railway bridge. It turns out that his uncle was driving on the same road, and that the uncle has a motive for murder. The uncle had been lured out by a phoney telephone call - a device that Rhode uses <i>twice</i> in this book as well as in other stories such as <i>Vegetable</i> <i>Duck</i> and <i>The Telephone Call</i>. But gradually, and rather pleasingly, the plot thickens. A second killing, late in the story, is neatly contrived.</div><div><br /></div><div>The twists and turns of the mystery are so good that I wish Rhode had paid more attention to presenting his characters in greater depth, so that their psychological motivations were more compelling. Including a map would also have been a big help. At the end of the book, I got the impression that Rhode was in a rush to get finished and crack on with his next book. This is a story with great potential, which is partly realised, but could have been even better. Nevertheless, it beguiled me on a protracted train journey and definitely exceeded my expectations.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-14843791571897787332024-01-31T23:16:00.058+00:002024-01-31T23:16:00.137+00:00The 39 Steps and Three Days of the Condor<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeDg7__hqBjkDEd1sidI2pMOU-XaKT_bO0w_-sWlqV1YNIiroz4UFsGSVh-WyFPgX2KTXN-sXymcmKDnjQ5FUjf3MVAEC8D6i5kEFZE0JQnY7gUZa9EtKLKvl4iL7rrZyW5dzOv7CqkROK-_ZQFWMO_gSwveTAjZt_03vOeI9tOQr8uXEs8ZgiHcHHoE8z" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="192" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeDg7__hqBjkDEd1sidI2pMOU-XaKT_bO0w_-sWlqV1YNIiroz4UFsGSVh-WyFPgX2KTXN-sXymcmKDnjQ5FUjf3MVAEC8D6i5kEFZE0JQnY7gUZa9EtKLKvl4iL7rrZyW5dzOv7CqkROK-_ZQFWMO_gSwveTAjZt_03vOeI9tOQr8uXEs8ZgiHcHHoE8z" width="175" /></a></div><br />I've recently watched again two high-calibre thrillers, <i>The 39 Steps</i> and <i>Three Days of the Condor</i>, and it struck me that despite many obvious differences - one is British and one American, and they reflect the concerns of different generations - they have a great deal in common. In each story, an ordinary guy is thrust into a dangerous conspiracy involving high-stakes espionage, and doesn't know who he can trust. It turns out that his enemies are in the heart of the establishment, and he finds himself being pursued both by the establishment (which believes he is a maverick killer) and the really bad guys. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5FGhIsz-zGpR-CoN5PBimqguqh3aQ7VHnKzwd9XqgbIb41QxpGty7xb45QYt03OvnGlElsewt3IuB-ffZ7BOXGF0K6CFp7ZQ68Kc0r1THq8tZru5mjuURo8F4GFC6o76rcqYqr_dj5kZ91fHhZbPKJIS7E8-a9QpPrkObgHimV6Q_PFOxx5UvY4ym-5TD" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1781" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5FGhIsz-zGpR-CoN5PBimqguqh3aQ7VHnKzwd9XqgbIb41QxpGty7xb45QYt03OvnGlElsewt3IuB-ffZ7BOXGF0K6CFp7ZQ68Kc0r1THq8tZru5mjuURo8F4GFC6o76rcqYqr_dj5kZ91fHhZbPKJIS7E8-a9QpPrkObgHimV6Q_PFOxx5UvY4ym-5TD" width="162" /></a></div><br />Each story is based on a novel rather than being an original screenplay, but in each case the script varies greatly from the source material. In each film, our hero relies on an attractive blonde woman - whom he meets by chance - for help, and finds himself bound to her in more ways than one. The pace is unrelenting in each film, with no wasted words or scenes and effective but straightforward characterisation (the jealous crofter and his mistreated wife are brilliant cameos in the Hitchcock movie). And each film benefits from having a strong cast and a gifted director.<p></p><p>A further common factor, I suggest, is that the films are such good entertainment that they bear watching more than once. I've seen each of them at least three times (and I'm not counting the remakes of <i>The 39</i> <i>Steps</i>); I reviewed <a href="https://doyouwriteunderyourownname.blogspot.com/2012/11/three-days-of-condor.html">Three Days of the Condor</a> on this blog way back in 2012 and my views about its merits haven't really changed since then.</p><p>Over the years, there have been plenty of good manhunt thriller novels and films, but this pair are hard to beat. Watching them again was truly pleasurable.</p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-24161883698715492712024-01-29T13:30:00.000+00:002024-01-29T13:30:00.136+00:00A Kiss Before Dying - 1956 film review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1EylEus20jCJ3umf03OThYh1TrgjfIn0fEnvarcKTTEJhzd2wF-grXwQ1WmDIHXotlgxCCO4gH-mJ68-ki5N_X5GSV1rAN5uwyOXJo_LVwnRFo2ZY3CDa2F5VURBGRpgRBLJ4Zkp9YtoewRK9b1k9MXHyxk6bdlRp5UXAi4nnibiC1V25LkM4KmI2fNGg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="181" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1EylEus20jCJ3umf03OThYh1TrgjfIn0fEnvarcKTTEJhzd2wF-grXwQ1WmDIHXotlgxCCO4gH-mJ68-ki5N_X5GSV1rAN5uwyOXJo_LVwnRFo2ZY3CDa2F5VURBGRpgRBLJ4Zkp9YtoewRK9b1k9MXHyxk6bdlRp5UXAi4nnibiC1V25LkM4KmI2fNGg" width="156" /></a></div><br />I've mentioned Ira Levin several times in this blog and I talk about him in <i>The Life of Crime</i>. He wasn't a prolific novelist, but most of his books were filmed. He was also a top class mystery playwright, responsible for <i>Deathtrap</i> and the much less renowned but intriguing <i>Veronica's Room</i>. A very talented writer indeed.<p></p><p>Yet even though I'm a Levin fan, for some reason I've not yet covered his brilliant Edgar-winning debut novel <i>A Kiss</i> <i>Before Dying </i>on this blog - one of these days! - although I've mentioned it in passing. Now I've seen the original film based on the book, which dates from 1956. I gather a remake in the 90s was pretty dire, but this one is a good watch.</p><p>For reasons I won't elaborate on here, the screenplay structures the story in a different way from the book - and this is a perfectly reasonable thing to do in the circumstances. The young Robert Wagner plays Bud Cortiss, a handsome but slightly raffish young student who is less than pleased to be told that his girlfriend (played by the equally young Joanne Woodward, who was also destined for future success) is pregnant and that her father is likely to disinherit her.</p><p>The key plot twist in the film isn't as effective as the comparable revelation in the book, but nevertheless this is a fairly short, snappy movie that kept me entertained. And it's a bonus to see two well-known film stars right at the start of their careers.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-32838037564197449812024-01-26T12:30:00.045+00:002024-01-26T12:30:00.142+00:00Forgotten Book - Redemption<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjB4IsFN-e7ZCc0cMx2BLMUmlA4jKHXN869BzyUrEJ4lw3NomMl4HMDfRYCRpD30lc9BkpMcnnV_i91qAhc7QK279jML_wlEJbejwfJVO_bndUwTdw-MgIXRnOc9IRtPsIGFAslP_5rDYTapP7uwPALflJd5R0xxXZyVNbS6XoC9NQuM4d6qofG1Au_ADh5" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="175" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjB4IsFN-e7ZCc0cMx2BLMUmlA4jKHXN869BzyUrEJ4lw3NomMl4HMDfRYCRpD30lc9BkpMcnnV_i91qAhc7QK279jML_wlEJbejwfJVO_bndUwTdw-MgIXRnOc9IRtPsIGFAslP_5rDYTapP7uwPALflJd5R0xxXZyVNbS6XoC9NQuM4d6qofG1Au_ADh5" width="146" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><i>Redemption</i> was the second book in Jill McGown's Lloyd and Hill series, her fifth novel in all. It was first published in 1988 and it has in recent times enjoyed a new life as a Christmas mystery and retitled <i>Murder at the Old Vicarage</i>. There is perhaps an element of dumbing-down in the alternative title compared to the original, but I suppose that if it helps to draw the book to attention of more readers, that's not a bad thing.</p><p>Because it is a <i>really</i> good book in the traditional vein. The early chapters in particular made me think of the writing of Ann Cleeves; there are definite similarities. Jill was perhaps slightly less concerned with landscape and setting and slightly more concerned with plot than Ann, but they are both very good at characterisation and creating engaging police detectives.</p><p>A striking feature of this traditional mystery is that the pool of suspects is small and there isn't a sub-plot (in the sense that there's a single puzzle to be solved - one can argue that the tangles of the emotional relationships are in lieu of that kind of sub-plot). At first we see things from the point of view of the vicar, Graham, whose daughter Joanna has a husband who has hit her more than once. Graham's wife Marian is a doting mother and perhaps the strongest member of the family. And then there is Eleanor, a young and very attractive widow, to whom Graham is increasingly attracted. A violent murder is committed early on, and suspicion and viewpoints shift regularly.</p><p>I think it's fascinating that the spark for the story came from a joke that Jill McGown was told, and which features towards the end of the book, prompting a lightbulb moment on the part of Judy Hill. One of the interesting features of the story is that the most emotionally compelling writing concerns two affairs - one of them between Lloyd and Hill. In each case, it's clear that the author's sympathies seem to be with the marriage-breaker and that she favours putting an end to a marriage that has gone stale. This approach contributes to the moral complexity and ambiguity of a novel that I found very readable - a first-rate example of Jill McGown's craft. </p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-74197128038036474802024-01-25T12:00:00.014+00:002024-01-25T12:00:00.129+00:00Writing about blind detectives - part two<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTNoYkBe8ac5PP6Wab5g1tcgbXmReBm1-Rz0EPJiY29Zt1Tqim4aTNX_hLlf1Y_oAZ4ckl6OhT9W1sxvx9R_tBM7gVu1PAP-kTQqv2avDgOKOJkKDHvUdXV9Ag0qEqlbNlVNEF4wCM69XiFoZu9gO2BfriLowCkWuCU4B4wbmHnT3mevBI9ucUE6tE5V4S/s218/Bletchley.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="135" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTNoYkBe8ac5PP6Wab5g1tcgbXmReBm1-Rz0EPJiY29Zt1Tqim4aTNX_hLlf1Y_oAZ4ckl6OhT9W1sxvx9R_tBM7gVu1PAP-kTQqv2avDgOKOJkKDHvUdXV9Ag0qEqlbNlVNEF4wCM69XiFoZu9gO2BfriLowCkWuCU4B4wbmHnT3mevBI9ucUE6tE5V4S/s1600/Bletchley.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>Today, Christina Koning continues her discussion of blind detectives:</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">'The
stories collected in Clinton H Stagg’s <i>The Problemist</i> (1915), about New
York detective Thornley Colton, are no less entertaining than Bramah’s Carrados
tales — and no less improbable, as regards their protagonist’s extraordinary
powers of perception. Although blind from birth, Colton has an uncanny ability
to describe someone he has never met from seemingly inconsequential details — the
colour of a woman’s dress is correctly guessed, on the principle that ‘all
stout women who breathe asthmatically wear purple’ and so on.</span></p>
<p class="Default" style="mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">John
Fergusons’s </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Man in the Dark</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (1928) offers a more plausible account
of blindness, as its central character, blinded war veteran Sandy Kinloch,
finds himself an unwitting witness to the murder of a campaigning journalist. I
liked the fact that the novel begins in a London pea-souper (as mine does) —so
that the reader isn’t at first made aware that Kinloch is blind. The emphasis
on what he can hear, touch and smell adds realism to the portrayal too.</span></p>
<p class="Default" style="mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then
there is Bruce Alexander’s </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Blind Justice </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">(1994) about the eighteenth
century magistrate (and brother of Henry Fielding), Sir John Fielding, whose
blindness — in this story at least — does not prevent him from solving a
complicated locked room murder mystery. In this, he is assisted by Jeremy
Proctor, an orphaned boy who acts as his ‘eyes’. The wonderful historical
detail in this book, the first of a series about Fielding, makes it well worth
reading — as does its convincing portrayal of the central character’s
blindness.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There
have been blind detectives in cinema and television, too.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the 1971 TV series, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Longstreet</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, set
in New Orleans, the eponymous detective, played by James Franciscus, solves
crimes — including the murder of his wife — with the assistance of a white
German Shepherd called Pax. More recently, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Blind Detective</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (2013),
described as a ‘Hong-Kong Chinese action crime/ romantic comedy film’, starring
Andy Lau as a blind detective who makes a living solving cold cases, shows that
stories about differently-abled detectives still continue to intrigue.'</span></p><p class="Default" style="mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Christina's new book, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">Murder
at Bletchley Park, </span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">the eighth book in the Blind Detective
series, is published by Allison and Busby. I'd also like to take this opportunity to mention the books of Vicki Goldie, the Secretary of the CWA, which include <i>Blind Witness </i>and <i>Blind Pool</i>.</span></p>
<p class="Default" style="mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></p>Martin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.com10