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The Catalyst
In this modern-day Greek tragedy, the Fates play havoc with a middle-aged English trio who have planned a restful and much-needed holiday in Greece. Hugh Wilmot, his wife Florence, and her sister Beatrice have secretly loathed one another for years. Confronted with the pressures of new people and new places, their emotions rise to the boiling point under the hot Aegean sun.
As the time ripens for an explosion, the catalyst turns out to be Greece herself, working through film actress Rosamund Oakley, who is inadvertently cast in the role of Aphrodite, Greek goddess of beauty, love, and mischief. Hugh, having met Rosamund on a sight-seeing excursion, is attracted by her beauty and mystery, which for him match and enhance his exotic new surroundings. But almost immediately a strange series of events leads to three gruesome murders—one in which a moral criminal figures, one in which the intended victim is well and truly skewered, and finally a murder-by-suicide.
Another catalyst, this time in the guise of a folk-singing couple with a clue to the identity of the crazed killer, triggers the shattering resolution to this tale of three travellers who found more hate than love among the ruins of ancient Greece.
As the time ripens for an explosion, the catalyst turns out to be Greece herself, working through film actress Rosamund Oakley, who is inadvertently cast in the role of Aphrodite, Greek goddess of beauty, love, and mischief. Hugh, having met Rosamund on a sight-seeing excursion, is attracted by her beauty and mystery, which for him match and enhance his exotic new surroundings. But almost immediately a strange series of events leads to three gruesome murders—one in which a moral criminal figures, one in which the intended victim is well and truly skewered, and finally a murder-by-suicide.
Another catalyst, this time in the guise of a folk-singing couple with a clue to the identity of the crazed killer, triggers the shattering resolution to this tale of three travellers who found more hate than love among the ruins of ancient Greece.
190 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
About the author
Josephine Bell
89 books21 followersJosephine Bell (the pseudonym of Doris Bell Collier Ball) was born into a medical family, the daughter of a surgeon, in Manchester in 1897.
She attended Godolphin School from 1910 to 1916 and then she trained at Newnham College, Cambridge until 1919. On completing her studies she was assigned to University College Hospital in London where she became M.R.C.S. and L.R.C.P. in 1922 and M.B. B.S. in 1924. She married Dr. Norman Dyer Ball in 1923 and the couple had a son and three daughters.
From 1927 until 1935 the couple practised medicine together in Greenwich and London before her husband retired in 1934 and she carried on the practice on her own until her retirement in 1954.
Her husband died in 1936 and she moved to Guildford, Surrey and she became a member of the management committee of St. Luke's Hospital from 1954 to 1962.
She began writing detective fiction in 1936 using the pen name Josephine Bell and her first published novel in the genre was 'Murder in Hospital' (1937).
Perhaps not surprisingly many of her works had a medical background and the first one introduced one of her enduring characters, Dr David Wintringham who worked at Research Hospital in London as a junior assistant physician. He was to feature in 18 of her novels, ending with 'A Well Known Face' (1960).
Overall she wrote more than 60 books, 45 of them in the detective fiction genre where, as well as medical backgrounds, she used such as archaeology in 'Bones in the Barrow' (1953), music in 'The Summer School Mystery' (1950) and even a wildlife sanctuary as background in 'Death on the Reserve' (1966).
She also wrote on drug addicition and criminology and penned a great number of short stories. In addition she was involved in the foundation of the Crime Writers' Association in 1953, an organisation in which she served as chair person in the 1959–60 season.
She died in 1987.
Gerry Wolstenholme
June 2010
She attended Godolphin School from 1910 to 1916 and then she trained at Newnham College, Cambridge until 1919. On completing her studies she was assigned to University College Hospital in London where she became M.R.C.S. and L.R.C.P. in 1922 and M.B. B.S. in 1924. She married Dr. Norman Dyer Ball in 1923 and the couple had a son and three daughters.
From 1927 until 1935 the couple practised medicine together in Greenwich and London before her husband retired in 1934 and she carried on the practice on her own until her retirement in 1954.
Her husband died in 1936 and she moved to Guildford, Surrey and she became a member of the management committee of St. Luke's Hospital from 1954 to 1962.
She began writing detective fiction in 1936 using the pen name Josephine Bell and her first published novel in the genre was 'Murder in Hospital' (1937).
Perhaps not surprisingly many of her works had a medical background and the first one introduced one of her enduring characters, Dr David Wintringham who worked at Research Hospital in London as a junior assistant physician. He was to feature in 18 of her novels, ending with 'A Well Known Face' (1960).
Overall she wrote more than 60 books, 45 of them in the detective fiction genre where, as well as medical backgrounds, she used such as archaeology in 'Bones in the Barrow' (1953), music in 'The Summer School Mystery' (1950) and even a wildlife sanctuary as background in 'Death on the Reserve' (1966).
She also wrote on drug addicition and criminology and penned a great number of short stories. In addition she was involved in the foundation of the Crime Writers' Association in 1953, an organisation in which she served as chair person in the 1959–60 season.
She died in 1987.
Gerry Wolstenholme
June 2010
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 23, 2013
Hugh Wilmot, his wife Florence and his sister-in-law Beatrice are taking a holiday in Greece. They form an uneasy trio and their fellow holiday makers soon realise all is not well between them. Bea and Florence bicker constantly and all three of them are quick to tell others their side of the story.
When they recognise Rosamund Oakley, a famous and beautiful film star in their party and Hugh strikes up a friendship with her the blue touch paper is lit and the outcome can only be a tragedy. This is a disturbing and unsettling story of human relations gone wrong. The bickering between Hugh, Florence and Bea is very well done and the tension mounts towards the inevitable crisis.
Many of the events in the story can be interpreted in more than one way and this keeps the reader guessing about which of the trio is mad and/or a liar and even whether all three of them are both insane and liars. This is a very well written book with some horribly believable characters and situations and it is frightening to see how quickly minor disagreements can result in major tragedies.
When they recognise Rosamund Oakley, a famous and beautiful film star in their party and Hugh strikes up a friendship with her the blue touch paper is lit and the outcome can only be a tragedy. This is a disturbing and unsettling story of human relations gone wrong. The bickering between Hugh, Florence and Bea is very well done and the tension mounts towards the inevitable crisis.
Many of the events in the story can be interpreted in more than one way and this keeps the reader guessing about which of the trio is mad and/or a liar and even whether all three of them are both insane and liars. This is a very well written book with some horribly believable characters and situations and it is frightening to see how quickly minor disagreements can result in major tragedies.
Displaying 1 of 1 review