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兀賳丕 賱賲 兀賯鬲賱賴丕
Forester's masterpiece of suspense. A middle-aged bank clerk with a mountain of debt and an extravagant wife commits a murder in secret. Later, a profitable investment brings him a fortune. Haunded by his crime, he suffers an ironic fate in an excellent final twist.
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First published January 1, 1926
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About the author
C.S. Forester
239听books945听followersCecil Scott Forester was the pen name of Cecil Louis Troughton Smith, an English novelist who rose to fame with tales of adventure and military crusades. His most notable works were the 11-book Horatio Hornblower series, about naval warfare during the Napoleonic era, and The African Queen (1935; filmed in 1951 by John Huston). His novels A Ship of the Line and Flying Colours were jointly awarded the 1938 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction.
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August 18, 2023
- "丕鬲乇賰 賲乇賾 兀賮毓丕賱賴賲 賱賱夭賲賳貙 賮賰賱 爻丕賯賺 爻賷購爻賯賶 亘賲丕 爻賯賶".. 賯氐丞 賰賱丕爻賷賰賷丞 毓賳 丕賱丿賻賷賳 賵丕賱廿爻乇丕賮 賵丕賱噩卮毓 賵丕賱賯鬲賱 賮丕賱毓匕丕亘 賵丕賱鬲亘匕賷乇 賵丕賱賲噩賵賳 孬賲 丕賱禺爻丕乇丞 毓賱賶 丕賱賲爻鬲賵賷賷賳 丕賱乇賵丨賷 賵丕賱賲丕丿賷 賵丕賱禺丕鬲賲丞 丕賱賲鬲賵賯毓丞.
- 賲賳 爻禺乇賷丞 丕賱兀賯丿丕乇 丕賳賴丕 賯丿 鬲毓丕賯亘 毓賱賶 噩乇賲 賱賲 賷賯鬲乇賮賴 丕賲乇亍 亘噩乇賲 賯丿 丕乇鬲賰亘賴 賵賱丕匕 亘丕賱賮乇丕乇!..
- 賲賳 爻禺乇賷丞 丕賱兀賯丿丕乇 丕賳賴丕 賯丿 鬲毓丕賯亘 毓賱賶 噩乇賲 賱賲 賷賯鬲乇賮賴 丕賲乇亍 亘噩乇賲 賯丿 丕乇鬲賰亘賴 賵賱丕匕 亘丕賱賮乇丕乇!..
July 19, 2020
((丕賱噩夭丕亍 賲賳 噩賳爻 丕賱毓賲賱 ))賲賴賲丕 胤丕賱 丕賱賵賯鬲
March 7, 2022
This is an appropriate title for C.S. Forester's dark, sad, psychological crime novel involving the lack of money and crippling debt, a ruthless, abominable act, then an abundance of money that brings no lasting happiness. The story is not a typical mystery concerned with the pursuit of discovering the murderer, as Forester reveals the guilty to the reader from the beginning. Forester's focus is on the psychological impact of a crime on the perpetrator.
Bank clerk William Marble is deeply in debt and desperate fearing the loss of his position at the bank. He blames his wife's spending as the cause of their debts, but he also knows he has his own extravagances in his smoking, his "good" lunches with companions for whom he bought drinks, and his own alcohol purchases, as well as an expensive vacation, holiday gifts, and his neglected photography hobby for which he bought expensive supplies - he sees their spending as "careless" and now he cannot pay his debts. Marble is a contemptible man who in his desperation thinks nothing of killing his unsuspecting, wealthy, and newly arrived Australian nephew, Jim Medland, and later engaging in questionable "insider trading" to make money. He becomes mentally tortured that his nephew's body which he buried in the garden in his backyard will be discovered, which in turn prevents him from moving from their shabby neighborhood. William drinks excessively and spends hours on end staring out on the garden fearing his crime will be discovered and he will then be hanged. He also has an illicit affair with a beautiful, scheming neighbor which he hides from his wife and which threatens his psyche. Marble's vapid wife, Annie, mistreated by William, eventually comes to suspect her husband's crime which further adds to the tension and psychological drama. Their two children also suffer from the paranoia. Annie becomes complicit in her husband's crime by not confronting him which increases the tensions in the family.
It is interesting that William is psychologically tortured by what will happen to him for committing the murder rather than by any guilt about killing his innocent nephew. There is a wonderful twist at the end and the deferred payment is satisfied.
Bank clerk William Marble is deeply in debt and desperate fearing the loss of his position at the bank. He blames his wife's spending as the cause of their debts, but he also knows he has his own extravagances in his smoking, his "good" lunches with companions for whom he bought drinks, and his own alcohol purchases, as well as an expensive vacation, holiday gifts, and his neglected photography hobby for which he bought expensive supplies - he sees their spending as "careless" and now he cannot pay his debts. Marble is a contemptible man who in his desperation thinks nothing of killing his unsuspecting, wealthy, and newly arrived Australian nephew, Jim Medland, and later engaging in questionable "insider trading" to make money. He becomes mentally tortured that his nephew's body which he buried in the garden in his backyard will be discovered, which in turn prevents him from moving from their shabby neighborhood. William drinks excessively and spends hours on end staring out on the garden fearing his crime will be discovered and he will then be hanged. He also has an illicit affair with a beautiful, scheming neighbor which he hides from his wife and which threatens his psyche. Marble's vapid wife, Annie, mistreated by William, eventually comes to suspect her husband's crime which further adds to the tension and psychological drama. Their two children also suffer from the paranoia. Annie becomes complicit in her husband's crime by not confronting him which increases the tensions in the family.
It is interesting that William is psychologically tortured by what will happen to him for committing the murder rather than by any guilt about killing his innocent nephew. There is a wonderful twist at the end and the deferred payment is satisfied.
May 18, 2017
"Then, after desire has
conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it full grown, gives birth to death."
兀賵賱賶 賯乇丌鬲賷 賱賮乇賵爻鬲乇貙 乇賵丕賷丞 氐睾賷乇丞貙 鬲鬲賳丕賵賱 賮賰乇丞 丿賮毓 丕賱孬賲賳 爻賵丕亍 毓丕噩賱丕賸 兀賲 丌噩賱丕賸貙 賵兀賳賴 賱丕 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 鬲亘賯賶 丕賱噩乇賷賲丞 賮賷 胤賷 丕賱賰鬲賲丕賳貙 賮爻賷兀鬲賷 賷賵賲 賵賷購賰鬲卮賮 賰賱 卮賷亍. 賵賮賷賴丕 兀賷囟丕賸 賲賱丕賲丨 爻賷賰賵賱賵噩賷丞 毓賳 賳賮爻賷丞 丕賱賲噩乇賲 -亘毓丿 丕乇鬲賰丕亘賴 賱噩乇賷賲鬲賴- 賲賲丕 匕賰賾乇賳賷 亘卮禺氐賷丞 乇丕爻賰賵賱賷賳賷賰賵賮 亘乇賵丕賷丞 丕賱噩乇賷賲丞 賵丕賱毓賯丕亘.
賯丿 賳毓鬲賯丿 亘兀賳 丕賱賲丕賱 賴賵 賰賱 丕賱爻毓丕丿丞 賵丕賱乇丕丨丞貙 賵毓賳丿賲丕 賳丨氐賱 毓賱賷賴 賳丿乇賰 亘兀賳 丕賱乇丕丨孬 丕賱賳賮爻賷丞 賱丕 鬲購卮鬲乇賶 亘賰賱 兀賲賵丕賱 丕賱丿賳賷丕.
丕爻鬲賲鬲毓鬲 亘賴丕 噩丿丕賸.
...
conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it full grown, gives birth to death."
兀賵賱賶 賯乇丌鬲賷 賱賮乇賵爻鬲乇貙 乇賵丕賷丞 氐睾賷乇丞貙 鬲鬲賳丕賵賱 賮賰乇丞 丿賮毓 丕賱孬賲賳 爻賵丕亍 毓丕噩賱丕賸 兀賲 丌噩賱丕賸貙 賵兀賳賴 賱丕 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 鬲亘賯賶 丕賱噩乇賷賲丞 賮賷 胤賷 丕賱賰鬲賲丕賳貙 賮爻賷兀鬲賷 賷賵賲 賵賷購賰鬲卮賮 賰賱 卮賷亍. 賵賮賷賴丕 兀賷囟丕賸 賲賱丕賲丨 爻賷賰賵賱賵噩賷丞 毓賳 賳賮爻賷丞 丕賱賲噩乇賲 -亘毓丿 丕乇鬲賰丕亘賴 賱噩乇賷賲鬲賴- 賲賲丕 匕賰賾乇賳賷 亘卮禺氐賷丞 乇丕爻賰賵賱賷賳賷賰賵賮 亘乇賵丕賷丞 丕賱噩乇賷賲丞 賵丕賱毓賯丕亘.
賯丿 賳毓鬲賯丿 亘兀賳 丕賱賲丕賱 賴賵 賰賱 丕賱爻毓丕丿丞 賵丕賱乇丕丨丞貙 賵毓賳丿賲丕 賳丨氐賱 毓賱賷賴 賳丿乇賰 亘兀賳 丕賱乇丕丨孬 丕賱賳賮爻賷丞 賱丕 鬲購卮鬲乇賶 亘賰賱 兀賲賵丕賱 丕賱丿賳賷丕.
丕爻鬲賲鬲毓鬲 亘賴丕 噩丿丕賸.
...
March 10, 2024
William Marble is a bank clerk. He is short of money. A chance visit from a well-off distant relative provides him with an opportunity to solve his financial woes. The relative is buried in the garden, but Mr Marble's guilt leads him to start drinking and gazing into the garden to make sure no one discovers his secret.
Some insider information on the imminent rise of a foreign currency allows Mr Marble to become a relatively wealthy man. He can send his son and daughter to the best schools, buy fancy furniture, and his wife can buy the finest clothes. But the nagging fear of discovery eats away at Mr Marble and infects his relationship with this family. He starts an affair with a married woman who ends up blackmailing him. His son discovers the affair and is so upset he rides his motorbike into a wall. His wife discovers his secret. His daughter becomes so ashamed of her parents, she leaves home.
I didn't like the central character at all. William Marble has no redeeming qualities, but credit to the writer for making him so consistently objectionable in every way.
Congratulations to Penguin for including this book in their new Crime and Espionage Modern Classics series. If I hadn't read this book, I would have only associated CS Forester with Horatio Hornblower and The African Queen. Now, I can see why some critics regard Forester as the unsung godfather of English noir.
Some insider information on the imminent rise of a foreign currency allows Mr Marble to become a relatively wealthy man. He can send his son and daughter to the best schools, buy fancy furniture, and his wife can buy the finest clothes. But the nagging fear of discovery eats away at Mr Marble and infects his relationship with this family. He starts an affair with a married woman who ends up blackmailing him. His son discovers the affair and is so upset he rides his motorbike into a wall. His wife discovers his secret. His daughter becomes so ashamed of her parents, she leaves home.
I didn't like the central character at all. William Marble has no redeeming qualities, but credit to the writer for making him so consistently objectionable in every way.
Congratulations to Penguin for including this book in their new Crime and Espionage Modern Classics series. If I hadn't read this book, I would have only associated CS Forester with Horatio Hornblower and The African Queen. Now, I can see why some critics regard Forester as the unsung godfather of English noir.
April 14, 2024
I read this as I was battling a fever and really wicked virus that took everyone in my household down. It was great.
The story of Mr. Marble, a man who is so irresponsible and frivolous with money and has found himself in deep debt takes things to a murderous end. But that's just the beginning of the story. Most of this centers on the aftermath of his rash act and the toll it extracts on himself and his family. He and his secret eventually take most of the family down. Make no mistake though, it wasn't because Marble displayed remorse. It was a very engaging and tense read as one tries to figure out if he will be caught. This illustrates well that payment for a bad deed can come in many ways. The only thing that I didn't love is that by story's end, the poor victim still hasn't been discovered. Still, even that was a fitting end. Some things go unknown.
This was penned by the author of the Horatio Hornblower books and while I haven't read those as yet, if this is any indication, Forester knows how to spin a tale.
This is recommended. Highly.
The story of Mr. Marble, a man who is so irresponsible and frivolous with money and has found himself in deep debt takes things to a murderous end. But that's just the beginning of the story. Most of this centers on the aftermath of his rash act and the toll it extracts on himself and his family. He and his secret eventually take most of the family down. Make no mistake though, it wasn't because Marble displayed remorse. It was a very engaging and tense read as one tries to figure out if he will be caught. This illustrates well that payment for a bad deed can come in many ways. The only thing that I didn't love is that by story's end, the poor victim still hasn't been discovered. Still, even that was a fitting end. Some things go unknown.
This was penned by the author of the Horatio Hornblower books and while I haven't read those as yet, if this is any indication, Forester knows how to spin a tale.
This is recommended. Highly.
May 23, 2020
I've read this book on fadedpage . It was easy to read, few characters and the events were not that complicated. The main idea revolves around the greed of Marble who makes him abandon his principles and his human values to meet his needs.
We could start to reveal what will happen quickly. However, the style of the writer remains attractive. We feel that there is a depth in the characters, we can experience the emotions of each of them through the good description of Forester.
We could start to reveal what will happen quickly. However, the style of the writer remains attractive. We feel that there is a depth in the characters, we can experience the emotions of each of them through the good description of Forester.
February 14, 2019
賴匕賴 鬲噩乇亘鬲賷 丕賱孬丕賳賷丞 賲毓 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賲購賲賻孬賻賾賱丞 廿匕丕毓賷賸賾丕貙 賵 賯丿 卮丕亍 丕賱賯丿乇 兀賳 鬲賰賵賳 賲毓 賴匕丕 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 丕賱匕賷 賱賲 兀賯乇兀賿 賱賴 賯胤購賾貙 爻賷爻賷賱 爻賲賷孬 賮賵乇爻鬲乇貙 賱丕 兀賳賰乇 兀賳賾 丕賱賯氐丞 賰賱丕爻賷賰賷丞 賵 賯丿 兀禺匕鬲 胤丕亘毓賸丕 賷爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賷 卮禺氐 兀賳 賷鬲賰賴賾賳 亘賴貙 賵 賱賰賳 兀毓噩亘鬲賳賷 賵 亘卮丿丞貙 賮賯丿 賰丕賳 兀丿丕亍 賰賱 卮禺氐賷丞 賲丨賰賲賸丕 賵 賯丿 毓賰爻鬲 丕賱賲卮丕毓乇 丕賱賲購鬲賵賯毓丞 賲賳賴丕 亘丕賱囟亘胤.
賴賷 乇賵丕賷丞 氐睾賷乇丞貙 鬲亘丿兀 亘賲卮賴丿 丕爻鬲賮鬲丕丨賷貙 賵 賴匕賴 丕賱賳賵毓賷丞 兀乇丕賴丕 丿丕卅賲賸丕 禺賷乇 胤乇賷賯 賱賱賵氐賵賱 廿賱賶 丕賱亘丐乇丞 丕賱賲胤賱賵亘丞 賲賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賵 丕賱賯丕乇卅貙 賮賮賷 賴匕丕 丕賱賲卮賴丿 賷丿禺賱 卮禺氐 賰賷 賷爻鬲兀噩乇 丕賱賲賳夭賱 丕賱匕賷 爻賷賰賵賳 賲爻乇丨 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 丕賱賲兀爻丕賵賷丞 丕賱賯丕丿賲丞貙 賵 賷賯丕亘賱 丕賱爻賷丿 賴丕乇賲賵賳鬲貙 賵 丕賱匕賷 賰丕賳 噩丕乇賸丕 賱賱兀爻乇丞 丕賱鬲毓賽爻丞貙 賵 賷爻鬲賮賴賲 丕賱賲購爻鬲兀噩賽乇 賲賳賴 毓賳 賯氐丞 丕賱爻賷丿 賲丕乇亘賱貙 賮賷丨賰賷 丕賱爻賷丿 賴丕乇賲賵賳鬲貙 賵 賳亘丿兀 賮賷 鬲賯賳賷丞 丕賱毓賵丿丞 亘賲噩乇賶 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬貙 兀賵 丕賱丨賰丕賷丞 丿丕禺賱 丕賱丨賰丕賷丞貙 兀賵 丕賱賮賱丕卮 亘丕賰.
丕賱爻賷丿 賲丕乇亘賱 丕賱匕賷 賵賯毓 囟丨賷丞 賱賳夭賵丕鬲 夭賵噩鬲賴 丕賱丕爻鬲賴賱丕賰賷丞 丕賱賲亘匕乇丞 丕賱賲乇賷囟丞 亘爻毓丕乇 丕賱卮乇丕亍 賲賳 兀噩賱 丕賱卮乇丕亍貙 賮賷賯鬲乇囟 賵 賷賯鬲乇囟 丨鬲賶 賷賮賱爻 鬲賲丕賲賸丕 賮賷 睾賲丕乇 丕賱丿賷賵賳 丕賱賴丕卅賱丞貙 賵 賮賷 賱賷賱丞 賵 賴賵 賷丨爻亘 丕賱賮賵丕鬲賷乇 丕賱鬲賷 鬲夭賷丿 賮賷 賰賱 丿賯賷賯丞...賷乇爻賱 廿賱賷賴 賯丿乇賴貙 丕亘賳 兀禺鬲賴 賲賳 兀爻鬲乇丕賱賷丕貙 亘賲馗賴乇 孬乇賷貙 賯丕丿賲賸丕 賮賷 毓乇亘丞 兀噩乇丞 賮禺賲丞貙 賲乇鬲丿賷賸丕 賲毓胤賮賸丕 賲賳 丕賱賮乇賵 丕賱賮丕禺乇貙 賵 賷丿禺賳 爻噩丕卅乇 賰賵亘賷丞 賮賷 毓賱亘丞 賲賳 丕賱匕賴亘 丕賱禺丕賱氐.
賴賳丕 賷馗賴乇 丕賱丕禺鬲亘丕乇貙 兀賵 丕賱噩丕賳亘 丕賱卮賷胤丕賳賷 丕賱匕賷 賷鬲賱亘爻 賰賱 丕亘賳 丌丿賲 賮賷 賱丨馗丞 賲丕貙 賵 賷賯乇乇 丕賱爻賷丿 賲丕乇亘賱 兀賳 賷丨丕賵賱 廿賯賳丕毓 丕亘賳 兀禺鬲賴 亘卮鬲賶 丕賱賵爻丕卅賱 賰賷 賷賯乇囟賴 賲亘賱睾賸丕 賰亘賷乇賸丕貙 孬賲 賷丨丕賵賱 禺丿丕毓賴 亘丕賯鬲乇丕丨 卮乇丕亍 賮乇賳賰丕鬲 乇禺賷氐丞 孬賲 亘賷毓賴丕貙 賵 賱賰賳 丕賱夭丕卅乇 賷囟噩乇 賲賳 賰賱 賴匕丕 賵 賷毓鬲夭賲 丕賱乇丨賷賱...賵 賲賳 賴匕賴 丕賱賳賯胤丞貙 鬲賯賱亘 丨賷丕丞 賴匕賴 丕賱兀爻乇丞 乇兀爻賸丕 毓賱賶 毓賯亘貙 賵 賷賯乇乇 丕賱爻賷丿 賲丕乇亘賱 兀賳 賷賯鬲賱 賴匕丕 丕賱乇噩賱貙 賵 鬲馗賴乇 賮賰乇丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 丕賱兀爻丕爻賷丞貙 卮賷胤丕賳 丕賱賲丕賱貙 丕賱匕賷 兀囟丨賶 丕賱賲乇亍 賲囟丨賷賸賾丕 賮賷 爻亘賷賱賴 亘賰賱 卮賷亍貙 丨鬲賶 丌丿賲賷鬲賴貙 賱丕 賷賴賲貙 丕賱賲賴賲 兀賱丕 兀賰賵賳賻 兀賯賱賾 賲賳 睾賷乇賷貙 賷賱夭賲賳賷 兀賳 兀卮鬲乇賷 賵 兀卮鬲乇賷貙 爻兀氐亘丨 賯丕鬲賱賸丕責...賮賱賷匕賴亘 丕賱噩賲賷毓 廿賱賶 丕賱噩丨賷賲.
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賱丕 鬲鬲賳丕賵賱 賮賰乇丞 丕賱噩夭丕亍 賵丨丿賴丕 賮賷 乇兀賷賷貙 亘賱 廿賳賴丕 鬲賵噩賴 丕賳鬲賯丕丿賸丕 賱丕匕毓賸丕 禺賮賷賸賾丕 廿賱賶 噩賳賵賳 丕賱毓氐乇 丕賱丨丿賷孬 賵 賴賵爻 丕賱丕爻鬲賴賱丕賰 賵 丕賱丕賯鬲賳丕亍貙 丨鬲賶 賱賵 兀氐亘丨 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 賷乇賶 兀乇賵丕丨 丕賱丌禺乇賷賳 毓乇丕賯賷賱 賷噩亘 廿夭丕賱鬲賴丕 亘兀賷丞 胤乇賷賯丞貙 丕賱噩夭丕亍 賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賯丿 鬲賲孬賱 賮賷 丕賳賯賱丕亘 丨丕賱 丕亘賳鬲賴 賵賷賳賷 賵 賳馗乇鬲賴丕 丕賱丿賵賳賷丞 廿賱賶 兀亘賵賷賴丕貙 賵 鬲賲孬賱 賮賷 賲乇囟 夭賵噩鬲賴貙 賵 賱賰賳 丕賱兀丿賴賶 賵 丕賱兀賲乇賾 賰丕賳 賮賷 丕賱卮賷胤丕賳丞 丕賱鬲賷 馗賴乇鬲 賮噩兀丞賸 賰賷 鬲賲鬲氐 丿賲賴貙 賲丿丕賲 賰賵賱賷賳夭 兀賵 乇賷鬲丕貙 賮毓賳 胤乇賷賯 賴匕賴 丕賱賲乇兀丞貙 毓賵賯亘 毓賱賶 噩乇賷賲鬲賷賳 賵 賱賷爻 噩乇賷賲丞 賵丕丨丿丞.
賲丕 賳賮毓賱賴 丕賱賷賵賲貙 爻賷購乇丿 廿賱賷賳丕 丨鬲賲賸丕 賵 賱賵 亘毓丿 丨賷賳貙 鬲噩乇亘丞 噩賷丿丞 賱賱睾丕賷丞 賵 丕爻鬲賲鬲毓鬲 亘賰賱 鬲賮丕氐賷賱 丕賱鬲噩乇亘丞 丕賱廿匕丕毓賷丞貙 賵 賱賰賳 賱賲賳 兀乇丕丿 兀賳 賷爻賲毓賴丕貙 賮賴賷 賲賵噩賵丿丞 亘毓賳賵丕賳 賲禺鬲賱賮貙 " 兀賳丕 賱賲 兀賯鬲賱賴丕" 賵 鬲賯乇賷亘賸丕 賱賲 鬲鬲乇噩賲 廿賱賶 丕賱毓乇亘賷丞 賮賷 賳爻禺丞 賵乇賯賷丞 廿賱丕 賮賷 丿丕乇 丕賱賯賵賲賷丞 賱賱胤亘丕毓丞貙 亘毓賳賵丕賳 丕賱噩夭丕亍.
賰丕賳鬲 賲賳 廿禺乇丕噩: 賮丕乇賵賯 賱胤賷賮 賵 廿毓丿丕丿: 毓夭鬲 丕賱爻賷丿 廿亘乇丕賴賷賲.
亘胤賵賱丞: 廿丨爻丕賳 丕賱賯賱毓丕賵賷貙 乇卮丿賷 丕賱賲賴丿賷貙 卮賵賯賷 亘乇賰丞貙 賮丕鬲賳 兀賳賵乇貙 兀丨賲丿 丕賱賳丕噩賷貙 賲丨賲賵丿 丕賱爻賷丿貙 氐亘乇賷 毓亘丿 丕賱賲賳毓賲貙 賲丨賲丿 亘賴噩鬲貙 丿/賳亘賷賱 丕賱丨賱賮丕賵賷.
鬲賲賾鬲.
佟伽 賮亘乇丕賷乇 佗贍佟侃
August 27, 2013
This is my first book by the author. This is dark, psychological suspense involving Marble and his family. Marble commits a murder and is successful in hiding it. A while later, by stroke of luck, he comes into lot of money. He has money now but his life goes into a downward spiral and the story ends in an ironic climax. It is a tale of karmic justice, in ways.
The writing in the book is brilliant. Forester keeps up the tension throughout the story. As a reader, we can 'feel' the anticipation of the man thinking of committing a murder; as the story progresses we can 'feel' throughout the story the tension in Marble's mind, his fear of getting caught, how he tries to preserve himself, how deeply it affects his family.
Marble is a pathetic, selfish man. I pretty much hated all the characters in the book - except perhaps the fleeting John Mendel and the son James. The story was dark and sad for my taste, but wasn't able to stop reading. After I put down the book, am still thinking about it - its not that its a shocking tale, but still not able to help feeling annoyed and disgusted in turns! I will probably not read the book again, but 4 stars for the sheer brilliance of writing.
The writing in the book is brilliant. Forester keeps up the tension throughout the story. As a reader, we can 'feel' the anticipation of the man thinking of committing a murder; as the story progresses we can 'feel' throughout the story the tension in Marble's mind, his fear of getting caught, how he tries to preserve himself, how deeply it affects his family.
Marble is a pathetic, selfish man. I pretty much hated all the characters in the book - except perhaps the fleeting John Mendel and the son James. The story was dark and sad for my taste, but wasn't able to stop reading. After I put down the book, am still thinking about it - its not that its a shocking tale, but still not able to help feeling annoyed and disgusted in turns! I will probably not read the book again, but 4 stars for the sheer brilliance of writing.
April 20, 2018
discussed as a pair with: /review/show...
What a fascinating pair to read back to back. Payment Deferred is a very modern psychological thriller which hooks the reader in from the start: an astonishing work to come up with in the 1920s by a young man at the start of his career.听 The Snow Kimono might also be defined as a psychological thriller, as long and meandering as Forester's is to the point. And, again in contrast, Henshaw's novel is the first he'd written for 25 years, having a normal career after realising that there would be no money in writing for him.
I suspect that Henshaw is too clever for me. I spent too much time wondering what I was doing. Whereas CS Forester knows exactly what you are doing. Following the journey this simple question takes听 you on: will the murderer get away with his deed? And despite - or perhaps because of - the implications of the title, the reader is sort of barracking (in the Australian usage of the word) for the petty man who acts on this big idea.
rest here:
What a fascinating pair to read back to back. Payment Deferred is a very modern psychological thriller which hooks the reader in from the start: an astonishing work to come up with in the 1920s by a young man at the start of his career.听 The Snow Kimono might also be defined as a psychological thriller, as long and meandering as Forester's is to the point. And, again in contrast, Henshaw's novel is the first he'd written for 25 years, having a normal career after realising that there would be no money in writing for him.
I suspect that Henshaw is too clever for me. I spent too much time wondering what I was doing. Whereas CS Forester knows exactly what you are doing. Following the journey this simple question takes听 you on: will the murderer get away with his deed? And despite - or perhaps because of - the implications of the title, the reader is sort of barracking (in the Australian usage of the word) for the petty man who acts on this big idea.
rest here:
March 7, 2021
I quite enjoyed this story; quite different from the other CS Forester books, the Horatio Hornblower stories I've read before. Well-paced, gets right into the story. Tense psychological mystery.
October 4, 2024
賲爻乇丨賷丞 廿匕丕毓賷丞 毓賱賶 賯賳丕丞 賷賵鬲賷賵亘 丕賱亘乇賳丕賲噩 丕賱孬賯丕賮賷
丕賱賰賱丕爻賷賰賷丕鬲
丕賱賯氐氐 氐丕乇鬲 賲爻鬲賴賱賰丞 賱賰孬乇丞 賲丕 賵賯毓 丕賯鬲亘丕爻賴丕 賵鬲丨賵賷乇賴丕 賵鬲賲孬賷賱賴丕
賱賰賳 賲丕 丕賱賮乇賯 亘賷賳 賯氐丞 賵丕禺乇賶 乇睾賲 丕賱鬲賰乇丕乇責!
丕爻賱賵亘 丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞
乇爻賲 丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲 賵禺胤賵胤賴丕
鬲胤賵乇 丕賱 plot
丕賱賯氐丞 爻乇丿鬲 毓賱賶 賱爻丕賳 氐丕丨亘 丕賱亘賷鬲 賱賱賲丐噩乇 丕賱噩丿賷丿
賰丕賳 丕賱賲丐噩乇 丕賱賯丿賷賲 賲丨丕爻亘丕 賲丿賷賵賳丕 賵夭賵噩鬲賴 賲爻乇賮丞
夭丕乇賴 賯乇賷亘 賵乇兀賶 賱丿賷賴 丕賱賲丕賱 賮賯鬲賱賴 賵爻胤丕 毓賱賶 丕賱賲丕賱
賵馗賮賴 賵氐丕乇 睾賳賷丕 賵鬲毓乇賮 毓賱賶 賮乇賳爻賷丞
賵賮賷 賱丨馗丞 爻賰乇 丕毓鬲乇賮 賱賴丕
氐丕乇鬲 丕賱賮乇賳爻賷丞 鬲亘鬲夭賴
賵丕亘賳鬲賴 鬲亘鬲夭賴
賵夭賵噩鬲賴 賲乇囟鬲 賵毓賱賲鬲
賵丕賳鬲賴鬲 丕賱賯氐丞 亘賲賵鬲賴丕 亘丕賱爻賷丕賳賷丿 賵賰卮賮 丕賱丨賯丕卅賯
丕鬲賴賲 亘賯鬲賱 卮禺氐賷賳
丕賱賯乇賷亘 賵丕賱夭賵噩丞
賵賱賰賳 賴賱 丨賯丕 賯鬲賱賴丕責!!
丕賱賰賱丕爻賷賰賷丕鬲
丕賱賯氐氐 氐丕乇鬲 賲爻鬲賴賱賰丞 賱賰孬乇丞 賲丕 賵賯毓 丕賯鬲亘丕爻賴丕 賵鬲丨賵賷乇賴丕 賵鬲賲孬賷賱賴丕
賱賰賳 賲丕 丕賱賮乇賯 亘賷賳 賯氐丞 賵丕禺乇賶 乇睾賲 丕賱鬲賰乇丕乇責!
丕爻賱賵亘 丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞
乇爻賲 丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲 賵禺胤賵胤賴丕
鬲胤賵乇 丕賱 plot
丕賱賯氐丞 爻乇丿鬲 毓賱賶 賱爻丕賳 氐丕丨亘 丕賱亘賷鬲 賱賱賲丐噩乇 丕賱噩丿賷丿
賰丕賳 丕賱賲丐噩乇 丕賱賯丿賷賲 賲丨丕爻亘丕 賲丿賷賵賳丕 賵夭賵噩鬲賴 賲爻乇賮丞
夭丕乇賴 賯乇賷亘 賵乇兀賶 賱丿賷賴 丕賱賲丕賱 賮賯鬲賱賴 賵爻胤丕 毓賱賶 丕賱賲丕賱
賵馗賮賴 賵氐丕乇 睾賳賷丕 賵鬲毓乇賮 毓賱賶 賮乇賳爻賷丞
賵賮賷 賱丨馗丞 爻賰乇 丕毓鬲乇賮 賱賴丕
氐丕乇鬲 丕賱賮乇賳爻賷丞 鬲亘鬲夭賴
賵丕亘賳鬲賴 鬲亘鬲夭賴
賵夭賵噩鬲賴 賲乇囟鬲 賵毓賱賲鬲
賵丕賳鬲賴鬲 丕賱賯氐丞 亘賲賵鬲賴丕 亘丕賱爻賷丕賳賷丿 賵賰卮賮 丕賱丨賯丕卅賯
丕鬲賴賲 亘賯鬲賱 卮禺氐賷賳
丕賱賯乇賷亘 賵丕賱夭賵噩丞
賵賱賰賳 賴賱 丨賯丕 賯鬲賱賴丕責!!
April 6, 2014
From BBC Radio 4 - Saturday Drama:
Most famous for his Hornblower series, C.S. Forester wrote three seminal psychological thrillers at the start of his career that took crime writing in a new direction, portraying ordinary, desperate people committing monstrous acts, and showing events spiralling terribly, chillingly, out of control.
In Payment Deferred set in 1926, William Marble, a bank clerk living in south London with his wife Annie and their two children, is desperately worried about money and is in grave danger of losing his house and job. An unexpected visit by a young relative with an inheritance tempts William to commit a heinous crime.
Most famous for his Hornblower series, C.S. Forester wrote three seminal psychological thrillers at the start of his career that took crime writing in a new direction, portraying ordinary, desperate people committing monstrous acts, and showing events spiralling terribly, chillingly, out of control.
In Payment Deferred set in 1926, William Marble, a bank clerk living in south London with his wife Annie and their two children, is desperately worried about money and is in grave danger of losing his house and job. An unexpected visit by a young relative with an inheritance tempts William to commit a heinous crime.
November 11, 2021
Fant谩stico livro.
At茅 ao fim, e estou a referir-me mesmo 谩 煤ltima p谩gina, uma surpresa completa. Realmente uma das melhores hist贸rias de crime que li.
Um ritmo viciante e um enredo que nos obriga a ler sempre mais uma p谩gina. Muito bom!
Gostei imenso e de leitura obrigat贸ria para quem gosta do g茅nero.
At茅 ao fim, e estou a referir-me mesmo 谩 煤ltima p谩gina, uma surpresa completa. Realmente uma das melhores hist贸rias de crime que li.
Um ritmo viciante e um enredo que nos obriga a ler sempre mais uma p谩gina. Muito bom!
Gostei imenso e de leitura obrigat贸ria para quem gosta do g茅nero.
October 17, 2019
Fade to grey...
We first meet William Marble as he sits in his dining room one evening, totting up his debts. William is a bank clerk who deals in currency exchange, and his salary is of the respectable rather than the generous kind. Despite his humble house, he and his wife Annie always overspend their budget and for a long time William has been shuffling his debt around, borrowing from one person to pay off another. But now he鈥檚 reached the point where he has no-one left to tap and his creditors are looking to be paid. Then his young nephew arrives unexpectedly from Australia, with a wallet stuffed with wads of banknotes. And it just so happens William has a cupboard full of photography chemicals that can easily double as poison...
This is not a detective novel, so that little blurb isn鈥檛 nearly as spoilerish as it might seem. The murder happens right at the beginning, and the book is actually about the impact it has on William鈥檚 psychology. We watch as guilt and fear eat away at him, destroying his already weak character. It鈥檚 very well written and psychologically convincing but, oh my, it鈥檚 depressing! William is deeply unlikeable while Annie is portrayed as so stupid that it seems unlikely that William would ever have found her attractive. They have two teenage children. Winnie, William鈥檚 favourite, starts out OK, but becomes progressively harder to like as the book goes on, while John, the son, has all the makings of a fine young man till his father鈥檚 increasingly erratic behaviour begins to affect him. I had a lot of sympathy for John, a little for poor stupid Annie, and none at all for the other two.
William eventually solves his money problems by carrying out a shady transaction at his bank 鈥� what today we鈥檇 describe as insider trading. Clearly Forester understood what he was talking he about when he described the details of how this scheme worked, but I fear I didn鈥檛 and my eyes began to glaze over. However, the end result is that William suddenly becomes well off, and we see how this change in fortune too affects the members of the family, not for the better.
The element of suspense comes from wondering what the outcome will be. Will William give himself away? Will Annie begin to suspect him? But it鈥檚 very underplayed 鈥� for reasons made clear early on, there鈥檚 no active investigation going on into the young victim鈥檚 disappearance. While the vast majority of the book is very credible, the ending left me annoyed at the abrupt and contrived way Forester tied everything up.
As you can probably tell, this one is not a favourite of mine. I often struggle with books where the criminal is the main character unless there鈥檚 plenty of black humour to lift the tone. In this one there is no humour, leaving it a bleak story with a couple of episodes that I found distinctly unpleasant. Had it been set amidst the anxious speed of big city life I would call it noir, but the respectable dullness of the middle-class suburban setting left the tone feeling grey. I also felt it went on too long (though in actual pages it鈥檚 quite short) 鈥� the endless descriptions of William drinking whisky to drown his guilt, his heart constantly thudding, pounding, racing, poor Annie鈥檚 repeated descent into sobbing for one reason or another, all became so repetitive that they lost any impact after a while. However, this is mostly a matter of personal taste 鈥� I do think it does what it sets out to do very well; that is, to show the disintegration of the man and the effect this has on his family. Call me shallow but, although I admired the skill and the writing, I simply didn鈥檛 find it entertaining or enjoyable. Nor was it quite tragic enough to be harrowing, somehow.
I can鈥檛 wholeheartedly recommend it, but the ratings on 欧宝娱乐 suggest plenty of people have enjoyed it far more than I did, so if the idea of it appeals to you, don鈥檛 let my reaction put you off. Noir is not my favourite colour, even when it鈥檚 faded...
We first meet William Marble as he sits in his dining room one evening, totting up his debts. William is a bank clerk who deals in currency exchange, and his salary is of the respectable rather than the generous kind. Despite his humble house, he and his wife Annie always overspend their budget and for a long time William has been shuffling his debt around, borrowing from one person to pay off another. But now he鈥檚 reached the point where he has no-one left to tap and his creditors are looking to be paid. Then his young nephew arrives unexpectedly from Australia, with a wallet stuffed with wads of banknotes. And it just so happens William has a cupboard full of photography chemicals that can easily double as poison...
This is not a detective novel, so that little blurb isn鈥檛 nearly as spoilerish as it might seem. The murder happens right at the beginning, and the book is actually about the impact it has on William鈥檚 psychology. We watch as guilt and fear eat away at him, destroying his already weak character. It鈥檚 very well written and psychologically convincing but, oh my, it鈥檚 depressing! William is deeply unlikeable while Annie is portrayed as so stupid that it seems unlikely that William would ever have found her attractive. They have two teenage children. Winnie, William鈥檚 favourite, starts out OK, but becomes progressively harder to like as the book goes on, while John, the son, has all the makings of a fine young man till his father鈥檚 increasingly erratic behaviour begins to affect him. I had a lot of sympathy for John, a little for poor stupid Annie, and none at all for the other two.
William eventually solves his money problems by carrying out a shady transaction at his bank 鈥� what today we鈥檇 describe as insider trading. Clearly Forester understood what he was talking he about when he described the details of how this scheme worked, but I fear I didn鈥檛 and my eyes began to glaze over. However, the end result is that William suddenly becomes well off, and we see how this change in fortune too affects the members of the family, not for the better.
The element of suspense comes from wondering what the outcome will be. Will William give himself away? Will Annie begin to suspect him? But it鈥檚 very underplayed 鈥� for reasons made clear early on, there鈥檚 no active investigation going on into the young victim鈥檚 disappearance. While the vast majority of the book is very credible, the ending left me annoyed at the abrupt and contrived way Forester tied everything up.
As you can probably tell, this one is not a favourite of mine. I often struggle with books where the criminal is the main character unless there鈥檚 plenty of black humour to lift the tone. In this one there is no humour, leaving it a bleak story with a couple of episodes that I found distinctly unpleasant. Had it been set amidst the anxious speed of big city life I would call it noir, but the respectable dullness of the middle-class suburban setting left the tone feeling grey. I also felt it went on too long (though in actual pages it鈥檚 quite short) 鈥� the endless descriptions of William drinking whisky to drown his guilt, his heart constantly thudding, pounding, racing, poor Annie鈥檚 repeated descent into sobbing for one reason or another, all became so repetitive that they lost any impact after a while. However, this is mostly a matter of personal taste 鈥� I do think it does what it sets out to do very well; that is, to show the disintegration of the man and the effect this has on his family. Call me shallow but, although I admired the skill and the writing, I simply didn鈥檛 find it entertaining or enjoyable. Nor was it quite tragic enough to be harrowing, somehow.
I can鈥檛 wholeheartedly recommend it, but the ratings on 欧宝娱乐 suggest plenty of people have enjoyed it far more than I did, so if the idea of it appeals to you, don鈥檛 let my reaction put you off. Noir is not my favourite colour, even when it鈥檚 faded...
March 2, 2024
丕賱丕匕丕毓賴 丕賱賲氐乇賷賴 毓丕賲賱賴 卮睾賱 噩丕賲丿
賯氐賴 賰賱丕爻賷賰賷賴 賲賲鬲毓賴 毓賳 丕賱胤賲毓 丕賱匕賷 丕賵丿賷 氐丕丨亘賴 賵毓丕卅賱鬲賴 丕賱賷 丕賱丕賳賴賷丕乇 賵丕賱賲賵鬲
賰兀賳賰 噩賵丕 賮賷賱賲 丕亘賷囟 賵丕爻賵丿
賯氐賴 賰賱丕爻賷賰賷賴 賲賲鬲毓賴 毓賳 丕賱胤賲毓 丕賱匕賷 丕賵丿賷 氐丕丨亘賴 賵毓丕卅賱鬲賴 丕賱賷 丕賱丕賳賴賷丕乇 賵丕賱賲賵鬲
賰兀賳賰 噩賵丕 賮賷賱賲 丕亘賷囟 賵丕爻賵丿
April 14, 2024
Originally published on my blog in May 1999.
Most crime novels are about the process of detection. Payment Deferred the novel which made Forester's name, is about the effect that a crime has on the unsuspected criminal.
The Marble family are sinking into debt; their miserable suburban lower middle class existence is about to reach the point when it will have to be exchanged for something even worse, as credit is no longer extended to them, and threats of legal action are being made. If those threats materialise, they will lead to Mr Marble's position in the local high street bank being lost, and the family will be ruined. Salvation suddenly appears in the guise of an Australian cousin, coming to England after the death of his parents. He has made his fortune, and he knows no one in England; suddenly, Mr Marble is tempted to murder (with the potassium cyanide kept for his hobby of photography), when he sees the vast amount of cash being carried by the young man.
Burying the young man in the back garden, Marble becomes gradually destroyed psychologically, like Macbeth, by paranoid fantasies that his crime will be discovered. Occasionally, these fears drive him to acts he would not normally be capable of: a brilliant coup on the foreign exchanges to provide the money to buy his rented house so he can prevent the garden falling into another's hands, for example. Generally, they fuel his drink habit and lead to depression, sleeplessness and so on.
There are no strong characters in Payment Deferred; it is a study in weakness. There is no one with whom the reader would want to identify. By this avoidance of the heroic, Forester creates more believable characters than he ever did in his later career. The novel is a tragedy in the sense of Greek drama: Marble's one act of hubris brings a punishment from within himself (it is a long time before even his family start to suspect what has happened), as though haunted by Orestes' Furies. Payment Deferred may well be Forester's best work, though it is certainly not pleasant reading.
Most crime novels are about the process of detection. Payment Deferred the novel which made Forester's name, is about the effect that a crime has on the unsuspected criminal.
The Marble family are sinking into debt; their miserable suburban lower middle class existence is about to reach the point when it will have to be exchanged for something even worse, as credit is no longer extended to them, and threats of legal action are being made. If those threats materialise, they will lead to Mr Marble's position in the local high street bank being lost, and the family will be ruined. Salvation suddenly appears in the guise of an Australian cousin, coming to England after the death of his parents. He has made his fortune, and he knows no one in England; suddenly, Mr Marble is tempted to murder (with the potassium cyanide kept for his hobby of photography), when he sees the vast amount of cash being carried by the young man.
Burying the young man in the back garden, Marble becomes gradually destroyed psychologically, like Macbeth, by paranoid fantasies that his crime will be discovered. Occasionally, these fears drive him to acts he would not normally be capable of: a brilliant coup on the foreign exchanges to provide the money to buy his rented house so he can prevent the garden falling into another's hands, for example. Generally, they fuel his drink habit and lead to depression, sleeplessness and so on.
There are no strong characters in Payment Deferred; it is a study in weakness. There is no one with whom the reader would want to identify. By this avoidance of the heroic, Forester creates more believable characters than he ever did in his later career. The novel is a tragedy in the sense of Greek drama: Marble's one act of hubris brings a punishment from within himself (it is a long time before even his family start to suspect what has happened), as though haunted by Orestes' Furies. Payment Deferred may well be Forester's best work, though it is certainly not pleasant reading.
January 22, 2016
Having enjoyed Forester鈥檚 wonderful Hornblower adventure novels in my younger years, I had no hesitation to now explore his earlier works classified as noir mysteries. The first he wrote in the 1920s was 鈥楶ayment Deferred鈥� about the machinations of Mr. Marble, a stuffy and stodgy English bank clerk caught in a predicament of financial embarrassment. Simply put, his wages have not been able to support the cost of his own and his wife鈥檚 moderate necessities. His obligation to local merchants have reached the limits of his creditworthiness. The rent for their austere suburban dwelling is in arrears. He has become dependent on friends and co-workers to extend him short-term loans.
Then a solution presents itself one evening from out of the blue when a well-heeled Australian nephew appears on his doorstep. Marble ceases the moment to murder his unsuspecting relative for a stash of cash in his possession. A late evening disposal of the body is hastily arranged by digging a grave in a small plot of garden while Mrs. Marble and their two teenage children are safely ensconced in their beds. Thusly Mr. Marble鈥檚 overdue bills are taken care of by the proceeds from his felonious deed. But from thereon he dreads having to move away from his dwelling which could lead to the discovery of the buried corpse. The solution is to purchase the residence but he has no means to do so. This leads him to devise a scheme to play the foreign currency market, with the help of his insider position in the bank; but he needs an accomplice to fund the operation.
I would not call this novel a thriller, nor is it a mystery. It is a gripping tale of one man鈥檚 desperate abominations. His actions, once committed, cannot be reversed. They haunt him incessantly and impact the lives of his wife and children adversely. It has an unanticipated ending. Noticeably, there are no likable characters. It is noir through and through. Although this story is overshadowed by dramatic fatalism it is has underlying layers of ridicule, cynicism and wittiness.
Then a solution presents itself one evening from out of the blue when a well-heeled Australian nephew appears on his doorstep. Marble ceases the moment to murder his unsuspecting relative for a stash of cash in his possession. A late evening disposal of the body is hastily arranged by digging a grave in a small plot of garden while Mrs. Marble and their two teenage children are safely ensconced in their beds. Thusly Mr. Marble鈥檚 overdue bills are taken care of by the proceeds from his felonious deed. But from thereon he dreads having to move away from his dwelling which could lead to the discovery of the buried corpse. The solution is to purchase the residence but he has no means to do so. This leads him to devise a scheme to play the foreign currency market, with the help of his insider position in the bank; but he needs an accomplice to fund the operation.
I would not call this novel a thriller, nor is it a mystery. It is a gripping tale of one man鈥檚 desperate abominations. His actions, once committed, cannot be reversed. They haunt him incessantly and impact the lives of his wife and children adversely. It has an unanticipated ending. Noticeably, there are no likable characters. It is noir through and through. Although this story is overshadowed by dramatic fatalism it is has underlying layers of ridicule, cynicism and wittiness.
April 10, 2013
A memorable psychological drama.
I ordered and read this immediately after finishing The Pursued by the same author. If anything I enjoyed it even more.
Poor Mr Marble, he's trapped in a stultifying job and marriage (as he sees it) and drowning in debt. His taste for whiskey doesn't help. Temptation arrives in the form of a wealthy relative, temptation he seizes without a thought for the consequences. Unfortunately for Mr Marble, this novel is a tale of consequences. Rather than the freedom he sought, has Mr Marble鈥檚 act of spontaneity condemned him to spend the rest of his days trapped in a vice of lies and deceit, from which no amount of wealth can release him?
Forrester鈥檚 appeal to me lies in his ability to take us seamlessly from the internal tortures of one character to another. In this way, he rackets up the tension bit by bit. We may not like the characters, but privy as we are to their innermost thoughts, we understand them and empathise. I won't spoil the ending, but it takes an unexpected form.
A dark domestic tale, a murder mystery and psychological thriller rolled into one.
Nina Jon is the author of the Jane Hetherington Adventures in Detection crime and mystery series. To learn more please link through
I ordered and read this immediately after finishing The Pursued by the same author. If anything I enjoyed it even more.
Poor Mr Marble, he's trapped in a stultifying job and marriage (as he sees it) and drowning in debt. His taste for whiskey doesn't help. Temptation arrives in the form of a wealthy relative, temptation he seizes without a thought for the consequences. Unfortunately for Mr Marble, this novel is a tale of consequences. Rather than the freedom he sought, has Mr Marble鈥檚 act of spontaneity condemned him to spend the rest of his days trapped in a vice of lies and deceit, from which no amount of wealth can release him?
Forrester鈥檚 appeal to me lies in his ability to take us seamlessly from the internal tortures of one character to another. In this way, he rackets up the tension bit by bit. We may not like the characters, but privy as we are to their innermost thoughts, we understand them and empathise. I won't spoil the ending, but it takes an unexpected form.
A dark domestic tale, a murder mystery and psychological thriller rolled into one.
Nina Jon is the author of the Jane Hetherington Adventures in Detection crime and mystery series. To learn more please link through
December 30, 2019
A sensational murder/crime thriller set in the 1920s, it keeps you turning every page. Only a measly 188 page long short novel, you can easily finish reading this in an afternoon. If you're starting this, maybe save it for a long plane ride, or at least an afternoon of quiet, because once you begin reading, you won't want to put it down.
It is not a typical whodunit. You, the reader, and the main character all know who did it. The story's novelty lies in the drama that unfolds after the central murder. This story is one of those delights where the reader is actively rooting for the central character (I don't want to call him the "hero" ) to get his deserved disgrace.
Forester has a gift for capturing human frailties, the flaws that get magnified under desperation and misery. The characters of this novel are all desperate, and their immoral actions driven by that desperation lead to an ever growing spiral of misery.
The book is heartbreaking at times, treacherous at others, but there isn't a single boring page. And like all good crime thrillers, it has a great ending.
It is not a typical whodunit. You, the reader, and the main character all know who did it. The story's novelty lies in the drama that unfolds after the central murder. This story is one of those delights where the reader is actively rooting for the central character (I don't want to call him the "hero" ) to get his deserved disgrace.
Forester has a gift for capturing human frailties, the flaws that get magnified under desperation and misery. The characters of this novel are all desperate, and their immoral actions driven by that desperation lead to an ever growing spiral of misery.
The book is heartbreaking at times, treacherous at others, but there isn't a single boring page. And like all good crime thrillers, it has a great ending.
March 16, 2019
I've never read any of the 'Hornblower' books and was pleasantly surprised by this and the other crime stories by Forester that I've recently read. It certainly captures its era - Forester seems to like portraying 'the common man' and we get an insight into the social and economic climate of the time.
The protagonist is a thoroughly unlikable character: we don't sympathise with him for the majority of the novel as many of his actions seem cold hearted and selfish. When tragedy strikes, we feel something for him, but by then, he is steeped too far in his own egotism for us to care very much.
First published in 1932, it feels like an English version of James M Cain's crime novels ('The Postman Always Rings Twice' was published two years later, so maybe Mr Cain was inspired by Forester?), although Forester's writing is less sexually explicit than Cain's.
Well worth a read if you like crime novels - and even if you don't.
The protagonist is a thoroughly unlikable character: we don't sympathise with him for the majority of the novel as many of his actions seem cold hearted and selfish. When tragedy strikes, we feel something for him, but by then, he is steeped too far in his own egotism for us to care very much.
First published in 1932, it feels like an English version of James M Cain's crime novels ('The Postman Always Rings Twice' was published two years later, so maybe Mr Cain was inspired by Forester?), although Forester's writing is less sexually explicit than Cain's.
Well worth a read if you like crime novels - and even if you don't.
April 30, 2018
I've not yet read Crime and Punishment, but is this perhaps somewhat similar? A man commits a murder for financial gain and then has to live with the consequences. He is able to convert his ill-gotten gains into true wealth, but fear of discovery keeps him from fully enjoying it, much to the bewilderment of his family, who are baffled (and limited) by his restraint.
None of the characters is particularly likeable, except perhaps for the hapless victim, which makes it hard to care much what happens. I very much enjoyed the ending, however.
None of the characters is particularly likeable, except perhaps for the hapless victim, which makes it hard to care much what happens. I very much enjoyed the ending, however.
November 7, 2017
2 1/2 stars if I could. It is a bit dated but probably very popular in its time.
July 22, 2021
A modern [indoor plumbing, brick houses, jobs in the city, motorbikes]
morality [crime doesn't pay]
drama.
I don't think it's too spoliery to say that an undistinguished and unattractive character commits an opportunistic murder and then we are treated to 150 pages of the disintegration of his psyche and his family. It's well done, in a lurid, exaggerated way, with some dark ironies in the ways it plays out.
The setting, 'suburbia', which often gets a mention in the reviews as the stifling cauldron of something or the gossipy gulag of whatever, actually barely features in the novel. One suspects a knee-jerk classist reaction on the part of blurb-writers and middle-class reviewers who aspire to living in a metropolitan flat or Cotswold cottage but are stuck in suburbia themselves. Forester's characters are driven by their own flaws, and (albeit with gentle nods to limited parts of the class spectrum) basically two fingers to the neighbours. The house and the family loom much larger than their environment, social or otherwise.
morality [crime doesn't pay]
drama.
I don't think it's too spoliery to say that an undistinguished and unattractive character commits an opportunistic murder and then we are treated to 150 pages of the disintegration of his psyche and his family. It's well done, in a lurid, exaggerated way, with some dark ironies in the ways it plays out.
The setting, 'suburbia', which often gets a mention in the reviews as the stifling cauldron of something or the gossipy gulag of whatever, actually barely features in the novel. One suspects a knee-jerk classist reaction on the part of blurb-writers and middle-class reviewers who aspire to living in a metropolitan flat or Cotswold cottage but are stuck in suburbia themselves. Forester's characters are driven by their own flaws, and (albeit with gentle nods to limited parts of the class spectrum) basically two fingers to the neighbours. The house and the family loom much larger than their environment, social or otherwise.
May 8, 2022
3.7 stars, rounded up to 4.0
Possible Spoiler
A gripping tale of a man, Will Marble, who is desperately short of money, and has a wife and two school children to support. He is, with admission, somewhat careless with the little money he makes slaving at a bank, and his wife is guilty of overspending also.
Things are looking grim for Marble financially-wise and despair is setting in when on one stormy night, his Australian nephew Jim Medland, makes a visit to the Marble home.
Medland, son of Will's estranged sister, has not only made a visit to relatives that he hasn't previously met, he has also inherited a lot of money following his parents' passing. And Medland is currently carrying a lot of that money on him in cash, a fact that doesn't go unnoticed by Marble.
As the evening is getting on, and the Marbles are ready for bed, Medland is waiting for the opportunity to make moves and leave to go back to the hotel he is staying at. But Marble, with greed and hunger for quick money, has other plans and decides in a moment of madness to poison his nephew and takes his money. This he does, and buries his nephew in the back yard of his home.
It's not really a spoiler to reveal this, it happens early and we know who is guilty of murder. The book is more a psychological tale of the murder's aftermath, the fear and worry that besets Marble as he tries to hide any evidence that any killing has occurred. He is stricken with fear, paranoid with constant thoughts that someone someday may discover a buried body in his yard.
This results in him refusing to leave their run-down house for a better place to live when the family's financial fortunes have improved, and his behavior becomes unstable, erratic and puzzling to his family, who at first are unaware of what has happened. He takes to drink to numb the fear and anxiety of getting caught, and knows through research that a killer has only to make one small mistake to give himself away. Even his somewhat vague wife begins to realize something is wrong.
His life is now financially comfortable, but there is no peace of mind for William Marble.
Life is now worse than it has ever been, as he lives in a constant state of fear and anxiety, of being exposed and making that one mistake, whatever it may be, resulting in his downfall.
Overall, a very good book, and I recommend it. Will Marble is not an attractive or likable character. He is awful for most part to his family and an act of violence to his wife in one scene has no justification whatsoever.
But does he get his comeuppance, do his worst fears become realized? Well, possibly, but not in the way he or the reader of this book, envisaged.
Possible Spoiler
A gripping tale of a man, Will Marble, who is desperately short of money, and has a wife and two school children to support. He is, with admission, somewhat careless with the little money he makes slaving at a bank, and his wife is guilty of overspending also.
Things are looking grim for Marble financially-wise and despair is setting in when on one stormy night, his Australian nephew Jim Medland, makes a visit to the Marble home.
Medland, son of Will's estranged sister, has not only made a visit to relatives that he hasn't previously met, he has also inherited a lot of money following his parents' passing. And Medland is currently carrying a lot of that money on him in cash, a fact that doesn't go unnoticed by Marble.
As the evening is getting on, and the Marbles are ready for bed, Medland is waiting for the opportunity to make moves and leave to go back to the hotel he is staying at. But Marble, with greed and hunger for quick money, has other plans and decides in a moment of madness to poison his nephew and takes his money. This he does, and buries his nephew in the back yard of his home.
It's not really a spoiler to reveal this, it happens early and we know who is guilty of murder. The book is more a psychological tale of the murder's aftermath, the fear and worry that besets Marble as he tries to hide any evidence that any killing has occurred. He is stricken with fear, paranoid with constant thoughts that someone someday may discover a buried body in his yard.
This results in him refusing to leave their run-down house for a better place to live when the family's financial fortunes have improved, and his behavior becomes unstable, erratic and puzzling to his family, who at first are unaware of what has happened. He takes to drink to numb the fear and anxiety of getting caught, and knows through research that a killer has only to make one small mistake to give himself away. Even his somewhat vague wife begins to realize something is wrong.
His life is now financially comfortable, but there is no peace of mind for William Marble.
Life is now worse than it has ever been, as he lives in a constant state of fear and anxiety, of being exposed and making that one mistake, whatever it may be, resulting in his downfall.
Overall, a very good book, and I recommend it. Will Marble is not an attractive or likable character. He is awful for most part to his family and an act of violence to his wife in one scene has no justification whatsoever.
But does he get his comeuppance, do his worst fears become realized? Well, possibly, but not in the way he or the reader of this book, envisaged.
August 4, 2019
3.5
(丨匕丕乇賷 兀賳 鬲睾囟亘 兀賲乇兀賴 賮賱賳 鬲鬲賵賯毓 兀亘丿丕賸 胤乇賷賯丞 兀賳鬲賯丕賲賴丕)
賲賳 兀賱胤賮 賲爻乇丨賷丕鬲 丕賱亘乇賳丕賲噩 丕賱孬賯丕賮賶 丕賱鬲賶 兀爻鬲賲毓鬲 賱賴丕 丨鬲賶 丕賱丌賳
(丨匕丕乇賷 兀賳 鬲睾囟亘 兀賲乇兀賴 賮賱賳 鬲鬲賵賯毓 兀亘丿丕賸 胤乇賷賯丞 兀賳鬲賯丕賲賴丕)
賲賳 兀賱胤賮 賲爻乇丨賷丕鬲 丕賱亘乇賳丕賲噩 丕賱孬賯丕賮賶 丕賱鬲賶 兀爻鬲賲毓鬲 賱賴丕 丨鬲賶 丕賱丌賳
January 7, 2022
A very grim little story.
April 29, 2020
The Hornblower series are my favorite books! I read Payment Deferred which is totally different from the others. But Forester pulls you in to this drama. The miserable characters rivel in the desperation of events. Quite the twist.
May 14, 2020
A true claustrophobic, domestic-based crime noir thriller, peppered with gritty psychological insights. No place for heroes in this study of weakness, greed and Macbethian madness. Great short read with a cruel, ironical ending. Guilt is a self-prophesying emotion, it seems.
January 2, 2025
karma is a bitch or whatever Jojo Siwa said
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