Novel, 2012 Thriller, written from the viewpoints of the two main protagonists, in which a husband falls under suspicion of murder following the disappearance of his wife. A page turning read, with a number of twists and turns along the way. The interesting aspect of this book is the dual narration and the way that develops and gives nods, here and there, to straightforward mysteries, … Continue reading ‘Gone Girl,’ by Gillian Flynn
Movie, 2017 All star adaptation played pretty straight and down the line. Once the ludicrous moustaches Poirot wears and the over-snappy dialogue become less distracting, the film settles down, possibly plodding a little here and there, but offering a reasonable degree of entertainment. Everything feels as it should do – the luxury of Continental Pullman trains and the wealth of its passengers who can afford … Continue reading “Murder on the Orient Express,” directed by Kenneth Branagh
Novel, 1934 Genteel crime novel set not in some country estate, but the nonetheless leafy environs of Belsize Park in London, with a trip up to Coventry thrown in for good measure. While this, and the quite revealing look at life in a boarding house provide a different backdrop, the plotting and mystery are fairly run of the mill. Still, the book works quite well … Continue reading “Murder Underground,” by Mavis Doriel Hay
Movie, 2020 Sumptuous though rather flat adaptation of Du Maurier’s novel, which despite a few fresh touches here and there, never quite comes down as either a full-on romance nor creepy horror. It fails, too, to escape from the shadows of Hitchcock’s classic. Some nice moments, particularly the contrasts between the breezy early scenes on the Med and the claustrophobic atmosphere of Mandalay, although the … Continue reading “Rebecca,” directed by Ben Wheatley
Novel, 1931 Maigret mystery set in the wonderfully, bleakly evoked Northern French port of Concarneau, and following the running down and persecution of a group of friends who hold high and respectable offices in the town’s civic life. A book which offers both a dreamy account of a humdrum life and existence, and in doing so, sets up a story which runs its course, but … Continue reading “The Yellow Dog”, by Georges Simenon
Movie, 1956 Adaptation of a particularly atmospheric Margery Allingham mystery. Much of the novel’s strength lies in conjuring an atmosphere in the reader’s mind. For much of the start of the film, the same effect is achieved. The band of shell-shocked WWII veterans evoke a distinctly other-worldly feeling in the gloom you can more or less feel coming out of the screen. The trouble is … Continue reading “Tiger in the Smoke”, directed by Roy Ward Baker
Movie, 1976 All star cast playing thinly disguised versions of fictional sleuths, pulled together, each with a partner, to a spooky, jokey haunted house, presided over by an erratic owner, a blind butler and a mute housemaid. If the premise is hackneyed, then so is the rest of the film. Amusing, occasionally, and a great cast, but while everyone appears to be having a whale … Continue reading “Murder by Death”, directed by Robert Moore
Movie, 1975 A blend looking back and referencing Chandler and Hammett, and placing an everyman character on a hunt for truth and justice spiraling out from a missing daughter case given to him by a fading Hollywood actress. A really great down at heel atmosphere, which seems to grind into rather than comment on and reflect any romantic associations of Marlowe. The styles, excesses and … Continue reading “Night Moves”, directed by Arthur Penn
Novel, 1937 Murder mystery, following a troupe of actors, members of which are eliminated, one-by-one, in order to deduce the guilty party. Some great descriptions here and there, though all in all, a fairly rigidly structured book in which interview follows interview and red herrings surface without greatly mixing up or adding much. Pretty entertaining, for all that, although it’s hard to fully follow and … Continue reading “Vintage Murder”, by Ngaio Marsh
Novel, 1931 Fairly typical whodunnit, with a gothic edge rendered by an out of the way creepy house and mildly dysfunctional family at the centre of a series of unfolding mysteries. A good pace, too, even allowing for a high number of characters, traits and hints which pull the reader about just like they ought to be. Not a huge amount of peril, but some … Continue reading “Police at the Funeral” by Margery Allingham
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