Experiment Perilous

by Margaret Carpenter

A psychological novel of Suspense.

Contented Dr. Balley, New York bound, meets an appealing spinster on the plane, learns enough of her story to catch his interest, finds himself obsessed with speculation about her, and suggests that she stay at his hotel. The next morning he hears she has died at her brother's home, and he determines to close the door on the incident. But chance, circumstance and curiosity, plus real apprehension, forbid him to remain inactive, and he finds himself drawn deeper into the plot. [Kirkus]

Genres: Suspense

237 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1943

Reviews

[Pat Camalliere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1943, the story is told in a more leisurely manner than is customary in today’s fiction, but not excessively so. Returning from a trip out west, Dr. Bailey makes the acquaintance of a charming elderly woman, who dies unexpectedly soon after their return to New York. He is drawn into the lives of the woman’s family and soon finds a situation that threatens the life of a young mother and her son. Intrigued at first sight, Bailey gets involved and puts piece after piece of the puzzle together until he finally realizes his own life is in danger. Suspenseful, although a few inconsistencies occur. The villain’s actions are not as significant as one might expect until the final scene, at which time what happens appears too sudden. Yet it was suspenseful and remarkable in that it was the only book written by Margaret Carpenter and was made into a major motion picture soon after its publication.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I should say, I love old movies and Experiment Perilous is one of my recent favorites. I also love old books and am delighted to read the source material for a lot of movies.
The reason I sought this book out was to settle a point I didn’t understand in the movie, Clag and Hunt’s female friend’s role. As it turned out, she was entirely made up for the movie so I never will understand the point of her.
The book is set in ‘modern day’ 1943, as opposed to the movie set in 1903. The only real difference this makes is that the taxis and buses Hunt moves around NYC in are changed to horse drawn carriages for the movie. The atmosphere remains unchanged.
I had the advantage of casting the actors into the book roles of which they all still perfectly fit. Whoever decided to cast George Brent as Huntingdon Bailey was brilliant. He’s just the sort of cerebral, stolid actor the character calls for.
As a fan of the movie and of old books, I was well pleased with this story. The movie followed the book quite closely really. The attention to Dr. Bailey’s thinking in the book fleshed out his character much more for me. The book gives a fascinating glimpse at a scientific man whose experiment he meant only to observe gets entirely away from him and he becomes hopelessly involved against all his better judgments.
I can’t believe this is the only book Margaret Carpenter seemed to have written. It’s a pity because this was a well done story with great pacing and an exciting plot. It became more and more difficult to put down as it progressed.
Give it a try with an open mind.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came to this novel through the 1944 movie. I only saw a little bit of the movie so I have no idea how faithful to the ending the movie was. I do know they shifted the time period (bizarrely) from 1943 when the book was written, to 1903. Maybe they thought that made it seem more sinister? More gothic? Whatever the reason, they really only succeeded in making Hedy Lamarr look dowdy in Edwardian fashions. A dubious achievement at best. As far as the novel, it was interesting but distinctly odd. The author seemed to assume the reader could follow whatever leaps-to-conclusions her characters made without too much detail being spelled out along the way. In my case, she was often mistaken. This conversation is a typical example:

...she was whispering now, her fingers at her own lips—"it was so strange—almost as if Nick and Alec—were the same person."

Dr. Bailey sat very still. He was trembling himself, at what he saw, and at what she, if he was strong enough to keep it from her, must never see.

And the author leaves it at that, never making it clear to the reader exactly what conclusion Dr. Bailey reached. Maybe I'm just not subtle enough or didn't read the book closely enough to get it, but there were many moments like that and I find it rather frustrating.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

as far as I can tell, this is the only novel Margaret S. Carpenter published (1943). It was a huge hit, and made into a movie that was also a big hit, with Hedy Lamarr, George Brent, and Paul Lukas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experim...
It is a fascinating melodrama, a murder mystery, which, as the dust jacket states, "shows fine, intelligent treatment of a difficult theme--that of elusive, indefinable fear."
I recommend both the book and the movie.
P.S. The title refers to the aphorism of Hippocrates:
"Life is short and the art long; the occasion instant, decision difficult, experiment perilous."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ars_lon...

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...

[Jimmy Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I searched this out after seeing the movie, a 1944 black and white production starring George Brent as Dr. Bailey, Hedy Lamarr as Allida Bederaux, with Paul Lukas as Nick Bederaux and Olive Blakeney as the ill-fated Cissie. The movie had the most amazing scene, with disaster affecting a wall of aquariums - very effective.

We meet Dr. Bailey as he is returning by airplane, then train, to his practice; he discovers, as a fellow traveler, an elderly woman who reminds him of his mother. She hasn't traveled in years and requests his assistance in locating a hotel upon arrival; alternately charmed and irritated, he suggests she try his own. During shared meals on the train, he learns about her family and circumstances. They part at the station, she to go directly to her family, he to the hotel. He discovers some of their luggage has been switched...and then discovers she never checked in. Because the seemingly healthy woman died a few days later at the home of her relatives.

It's not what I would consider a traditional Gothic - being set in the 1940's, in the United States, and with a male narrator; but there certainly is romantic tension. And we have the Gothic background from a manuscript of sorts: a diary, and a biography written by this relative of our resident villain to give us insight into his psychological deviousness. The movie added the atmosphere necessary to the genre, setting the book in a horse-drawn / train-dependent era with a bit of fog to add to the general angst - but otherwise followed the book.

Unfortunately I saw the movie first, so I found the book interesting, but slow moving - and lacking the understated vitality of interaction between George Brent and Hedy Lamarr. If I had read the book first, I think I would have liked it better. My vintage Pyramid paperback was 205 pages.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very entertaining thriller with a crazy denouement. Not sure I ever figured out what the benefit of the dastardly plan would have been that couldn't have been accomplished in a less baroque manner. Of course, it was a different time. Maybe it was simpler than going through the courts.