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Tim Frazer #1
The World of Tim Frazer
Tim Frazer receives a message from erstwhile business partner Harry Denston, telling him to meet him at a remote fishing village. Tim keeps the rendezvous but there is no sign of Harry.
A series of strange happenings, including a Russian shipwreck and a dying secret agent, pulls him into the murky world of international espionage and leads him to uncover the truth behind Harry's disappearance.
A series of strange happenings, including a Russian shipwreck and a dying secret agent, pulls him into the murky world of international espionage and leads him to uncover the truth behind Harry's disappearance.
222 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1962
5 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Francis Durbridge
337 books33 followersFrancis Henry Durbridge was an English playwright and author born in Hull. In 1938, he created the character Paul Temple for the BBC radio serial Send for Paul Temple.
A crime novelist and detective, the gentlemanly Temple solved numerous crimes with the help of Steve Trent, a Fleet Street journalist who later became his wife. The character proved enormously popular and appeared in 16 radio serials and later spawned a 64-part big-budget television series (1969-71) and radio productions, as well as a number of comic strips, four feature films and various foreign radio productions.
Francis Durbridge also had a successful career as a writer for the stage and screen. His most successful play, Suddenly at Home, ran in London’s West End for over a year.
A crime novelist and detective, the gentlemanly Temple solved numerous crimes with the help of Steve Trent, a Fleet Street journalist who later became his wife. The character proved enormously popular and appeared in 16 radio serials and later spawned a 64-part big-budget television series (1969-71) and radio productions, as well as a number of comic strips, four feature films and various foreign radio productions.
Francis Durbridge also had a successful career as a writer for the stage and screen. His most successful play, Suddenly at Home, ran in London’s West End for over a year.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 14, 2025
This is a book that draws the reader in from the very first page when Tim Frazer is reflecting on his first meeting with his one-time business partner Harry Denston.
Their partnership had gone swimmingly well until Harry's behaviour became somewhat bizarre and he also began to borrow money from the company, without at first telling Tim. As matters got worse the partnership dissolved and Tim Frazer's company eventually went into liquidation.
Then out of the blue Tim receives a message from Harry asking to meet him in a remote fishing village in the north. Tim finds this odd but still embarks on the journey but on arrival he discovers that Harry is not there - nor is he likely to be it appears.
It all seems very nefarious and when a Russian ship is wrecked on the coast and one of the sailors is looked after at the hotel and mumbles a name, the tension heightens. Tim continues to try to make contact with Harry but is unable to do so but along the way he does meet up with some shady characters, all of whom seem to be endeavouring to prevent the pair getting together. But they offer him no clue as to Harry's whereabouts nor any idea of why he seems to want to make contact.
And so it continues until, with Tim working with an unspecified organisation who also want the two former partners to meet up, some shreds of evidence emerge that enable Tim to work towards the truth. And in a suspenseful finale all turns out well and the reader can take a breath and relax, having for 222 pages been on the edge of his/her seat. And to complete the tale, Tim seems to be embarking on a new line of work!
This book is in the Crime Classics series (and I can see why) but it is not a blood and thunder crime novel, it is one of suspense which continues unrelentingly throughout the whole book. All in all it is a superb read, very much akin to the Paul Temple series by the same author that I used to listen to on the radio as a boy. I still remember well the Coronation Express theme tune and the excitement building at the end of each episode; this book (without the music) is exactly the same chapter-by-chapter.
14 February 2025
I've just read this again, having forgotten that I had previously read it and my view now is that I might have been a trifle generous in previously giving the book four stars. While it is throughout the early stages a suspenseful read, the ending does fall away slightly and disappoints to a degree. Perhaps three and a half stars would have been more appropriate.
Their partnership had gone swimmingly well until Harry's behaviour became somewhat bizarre and he also began to borrow money from the company, without at first telling Tim. As matters got worse the partnership dissolved and Tim Frazer's company eventually went into liquidation.
Then out of the blue Tim receives a message from Harry asking to meet him in a remote fishing village in the north. Tim finds this odd but still embarks on the journey but on arrival he discovers that Harry is not there - nor is he likely to be it appears.
It all seems very nefarious and when a Russian ship is wrecked on the coast and one of the sailors is looked after at the hotel and mumbles a name, the tension heightens. Tim continues to try to make contact with Harry but is unable to do so but along the way he does meet up with some shady characters, all of whom seem to be endeavouring to prevent the pair getting together. But they offer him no clue as to Harry's whereabouts nor any idea of why he seems to want to make contact.
And so it continues until, with Tim working with an unspecified organisation who also want the two former partners to meet up, some shreds of evidence emerge that enable Tim to work towards the truth. And in a suspenseful finale all turns out well and the reader can take a breath and relax, having for 222 pages been on the edge of his/her seat. And to complete the tale, Tim seems to be embarking on a new line of work!
This book is in the Crime Classics series (and I can see why) but it is not a blood and thunder crime novel, it is one of suspense which continues unrelentingly throughout the whole book. All in all it is a superb read, very much akin to the Paul Temple series by the same author that I used to listen to on the radio as a boy. I still remember well the Coronation Express theme tune and the excitement building at the end of each episode; this book (without the music) is exactly the same chapter-by-chapter.
14 February 2025
I've just read this again, having forgotten that I had previously read it and my view now is that I might have been a trifle generous in previously giving the book four stars. While it is throughout the early stages a suspenseful read, the ending does fall away slightly and disappoints to a degree. Perhaps three and a half stars would have been more appropriate.
July 14, 2016
Another classical mystery that never failed to impress me; it was filled with twists till the end, has a bit of a thriller, and its smooth writing makes you want to continue reading.
It revolves around Tim Frazer, who went to meet Henry Denston, his business partner at a remote fishing village. However, Henry doesn't turn up, and completely disappear after that. A few days later, some officials approach Tim Frazer and ask him to find Henry ASAP (who might be in some sort of a trouble) and they're willing to pay him for his time. Tim accepts since he want to find Henry as well (who owes Tim a lot of money). However, the task doesn't seem easy at all, and people get killed as Tim digs deeper into the mystery.
It revolves around Tim Frazer, who went to meet Henry Denston, his business partner at a remote fishing village. However, Henry doesn't turn up, and completely disappear after that. A few days later, some officials approach Tim Frazer and ask him to find Henry ASAP (who might be in some sort of a trouble) and they're willing to pay him for his time. Tim accepts since he want to find Henry as well (who owes Tim a lot of money). However, the task doesn't seem easy at all, and people get killed as Tim digs deeper into the mystery.
February 23, 2011
Brilliant.
Tim Frazer finds himself sucked into a life of espionage and secret service by trying to help out a friend. He bumbles his way through many odd situations before a proposition is made to him - Find Harry Denston for a Mr Ross. Tim wants to find Harry because Harry has run off with a lot of Tims money and left him with a bankrupt engineering business so it's game on for Tim. Little did he know what Harry was mixed up in,or what the Russian and the name Anya have to do with him. Nuclear weapons, secret formulas, model ships and photographs, undercover spies and stiff upper lips. Great stuff. I only wish we could accept that writing like this is good and honest and does not need any modern flourishing or grit to make it work. Kept me amused for many hours in the car.
Tim Frazer finds himself sucked into a life of espionage and secret service by trying to help out a friend. He bumbles his way through many odd situations before a proposition is made to him - Find Harry Denston for a Mr Ross. Tim wants to find Harry because Harry has run off with a lot of Tims money and left him with a bankrupt engineering business so it's game on for Tim. Little did he know what Harry was mixed up in,or what the Russian and the name Anya have to do with him. Nuclear weapons, secret formulas, model ships and photographs, undercover spies and stiff upper lips. Great stuff. I only wish we could accept that writing like this is good and honest and does not need any modern flourishing or grit to make it work. Kept me amused for many hours in the car.
January 8, 2013
this was a great summer read, esp on a beach. Enjoyed this book immensely from start to finish with its fast moving plot. I bought this book on sale on a whelm from a bookstore closing down. Glad I took a chance and will further explore the wonderful world of Tim Frazer.
December 26, 2023
Een cover die niet echt aanspreekt: noch de titel en ook de handschoenen op de witte achtergrond nodigen uit tot lezen. Enkel de naam Durbridge doet vermoeden dat het hier om een erg goed boek gaat.
Het verhaal is ietwat onwaarschijnlijk maar past perfekt in de stijl van hard-boiled verhalen uit die tijd. Een gewone ondernemer wordt door zijn vriend/vennoot stevig opgelicht en gaat daardoor failliet. Op dat keerpunt in zijn leven krijgt hij van een niet nader genoemde overheidsinstantie die riekt naar de geheime dienst een jobaanbieding. Zijn vriend opsporen met een gewaarborgd inkomen.
Dan begint een dodelijk kat- en muisspel tussen Tim Frazer en een beperkt aantal tegenspelers om de schuilplaats van Harry Denston te ontdekken.
Het beperkt aantal spelers waarvan er dan onderweg nog enkele sneuvelen is typisch voor Durbridge. Zo ook de spannende verhaalstijl met humoristische ondergrond, de vele aktie die gepaard gaat met vele verplaatsingen en de vlotte dialogen en inkijk in het gedachtenproces van Tim.
Het gaat hier niet om een verhaal met Paul Vlaanderen in de hoofdrol maar verder moet dit boek daar niet voor onder doen. Enkel de romantische toets ontbreekt. Er zijn wel enkele hints en open mogelijkheden maar Durbridge maakt daar geen gebruik van. De mooie blonde is zoals vaak bij de schrijver van karakter niet zo mooi als van uiterlijk.
Weer een topper.
Het verhaal is ietwat onwaarschijnlijk maar past perfekt in de stijl van hard-boiled verhalen uit die tijd. Een gewone ondernemer wordt door zijn vriend/vennoot stevig opgelicht en gaat daardoor failliet. Op dat keerpunt in zijn leven krijgt hij van een niet nader genoemde overheidsinstantie die riekt naar de geheime dienst een jobaanbieding. Zijn vriend opsporen met een gewaarborgd inkomen.
Dan begint een dodelijk kat- en muisspel tussen Tim Frazer en een beperkt aantal tegenspelers om de schuilplaats van Harry Denston te ontdekken.
Het beperkt aantal spelers waarvan er dan onderweg nog enkele sneuvelen is typisch voor Durbridge. Zo ook de spannende verhaalstijl met humoristische ondergrond, de vele aktie die gepaard gaat met vele verplaatsingen en de vlotte dialogen en inkijk in het gedachtenproces van Tim.
Het gaat hier niet om een verhaal met Paul Vlaanderen in de hoofdrol maar verder moet dit boek daar niet voor onder doen. Enkel de romantische toets ontbreekt. Er zijn wel enkele hints en open mogelijkheden maar Durbridge maakt daar geen gebruik van. De mooie blonde is zoals vaak bij de schrijver van karakter niet zo mooi als van uiterlijk.
Weer een topper.
September 25, 2022
Giving this title four stars is probably a tad generous, generosity leveraged by emotion and memory. Tim Frazer is an engineer whose business turns turtle thanks to the cavalier actions of his business partner. Frazer gets sucked into the task of trying to find his former partner, in the process being co-opted into some branch of England's secret service. There follows a reasonably well-paced, entertaining tale as Frazer juggles leads and red herrings.
The book is actually a 'novelisation' of a UK TV series, which starred Jack Hedley in the role - if the chapters seem episodic, now you know why. The TV series was released in 1960, two years before the first Bond movie hit the big screens, but by 1960 Ian Fleming had published the first seven Bond novels, so there was definitely an interest in putting espionage on the screen.
There's no sex or glamour in this Frazer story - he's not fighting off beautiful women, he doesn't hang around casinos or have expensive tastes. And he's not a trained killer, is not a man likely to emerge the winner in a pub brawl never mind a confrontation with a trained enemy agent. Tim Frazer is just an intelligent, educated guy who is good at working things out.
And he contrasts with that most famous of Francis Durbridge sleuths, Paul Temple. I read this book because of my loathing for Temple. Way back in the 1950s my mother used to listen to Paul Temple mysteries on the radio - she loved them, she was a huge fan of Francis Durbridge. In the UK, the Temple broadcasts are constantly repeated on Radio 4X (there have even been reconstructions of missing stories with contemporary actors putting on 1940s voices and attitudes). I hate the Temple stories, even if one of my few pleasures in life is sitting listening to the tales while I mutter complaints about characterisation, plot, or simply utter obscenities about the hero. On the plus side, it has a great theme tune.
Temple is a pompous, upper-class English novelist and 'private detective' who seems to be able to order Scotland Yard around. The stories are incredibly bourgeois and dated in their attitudes, the same devices keep recurring (Temple will hear a package ticking and will throw the bomb out the window just before it explodes), they rely heavily on coincidence, etc., etc. They are dire. And the acting is ... well, dated.
So I decided to read something else by Durbridge to see if I could work out why this man had such a reputation and why my mother liked him. And it's not bad, Frazer is a vast improvement on Temple. So the 4th star is perhaps a bit generous ... but then there are reasons why we like some things and not others, our preferences reflect emotions and our personal histories - I hope this little journey through the archaeology of my tastes will give you some better insight into this as a read.
The book is actually a 'novelisation' of a UK TV series, which starred Jack Hedley in the role - if the chapters seem episodic, now you know why. The TV series was released in 1960, two years before the first Bond movie hit the big screens, but by 1960 Ian Fleming had published the first seven Bond novels, so there was definitely an interest in putting espionage on the screen.
There's no sex or glamour in this Frazer story - he's not fighting off beautiful women, he doesn't hang around casinos or have expensive tastes. And he's not a trained killer, is not a man likely to emerge the winner in a pub brawl never mind a confrontation with a trained enemy agent. Tim Frazer is just an intelligent, educated guy who is good at working things out.
And he contrasts with that most famous of Francis Durbridge sleuths, Paul Temple. I read this book because of my loathing for Temple. Way back in the 1950s my mother used to listen to Paul Temple mysteries on the radio - she loved them, she was a huge fan of Francis Durbridge. In the UK, the Temple broadcasts are constantly repeated on Radio 4X (there have even been reconstructions of missing stories with contemporary actors putting on 1940s voices and attitudes). I hate the Temple stories, even if one of my few pleasures in life is sitting listening to the tales while I mutter complaints about characterisation, plot, or simply utter obscenities about the hero. On the plus side, it has a great theme tune.
Temple is a pompous, upper-class English novelist and 'private detective' who seems to be able to order Scotland Yard around. The stories are incredibly bourgeois and dated in their attitudes, the same devices keep recurring (Temple will hear a package ticking and will throw the bomb out the window just before it explodes), they rely heavily on coincidence, etc., etc. They are dire. And the acting is ... well, dated.
So I decided to read something else by Durbridge to see if I could work out why this man had such a reputation and why my mother liked him. And it's not bad, Frazer is a vast improvement on Temple. So the 4th star is perhaps a bit generous ... but then there are reasons why we like some things and not others, our preferences reflect emotions and our personal histories - I hope this little journey through the archaeology of my tastes will give you some better insight into this as a read.
October 10, 2022
Inhalt:
Harry Denston ist in London spurlos verschwunden. Für Tim Frazer, seinen Kompagnon, bedeutet das eine Katastrophe, denn ausser Denston fehlen plötzlich auch noch 5000 Pfund in der gemeinsamen Firmenkasse...
Rätsel über Rätsel für Tim Frazer: Was hat Denstons Freundin Helen Baker mit der Sache zu tun? Wer tötete Mr. Crombie in Tims Wohnung - und vor allem: Wo steckt Harry Denston? (Klappentext)
Meinung:
Dieser Flohmarkt-Fund (Taschenbuch von 1981) machte mich mit dem damals populären Krimi-Autoren und Paul Temple-Erfinder Francis Durbridge bekannt. Der Roman stammt aus dem Jahr 1962 und basiert auf einem Fernsehdrehbuch Durbridges.
Insgesamt war die Lektüre eine Enttäuschung. Obwohl der Roman interessant beginnt und dem Leser ständig der Boden der Gewissheit unter den Füssen weggezogen wird, langweilen die schlecht ausgeführten, eindimensionalen Charaktere ziemlich bald.
Das ständige, fast serielle "Nichts-ist-so-wie-es-zunächst-scheint" ermüdet zusätzlich, denn als zentrales Erzählelement taugt es nicht.
Zudem ist der Roman miserabel übersetzt! Sätze wie "Sein Auftreten war ruhig und überredend" wirken lächerlich und irritierend; leider finden sich solche im Buch zuhauf.
Fazit:
Vielleicht gibt es besseres von Durbridge, Tim Frazer hat mir allerdings die Lust genommen, mich weiter mit diesem Autor zu beschäftigen.
Harry Denston ist in London spurlos verschwunden. Für Tim Frazer, seinen Kompagnon, bedeutet das eine Katastrophe, denn ausser Denston fehlen plötzlich auch noch 5000 Pfund in der gemeinsamen Firmenkasse...
Rätsel über Rätsel für Tim Frazer: Was hat Denstons Freundin Helen Baker mit der Sache zu tun? Wer tötete Mr. Crombie in Tims Wohnung - und vor allem: Wo steckt Harry Denston? (Klappentext)
Meinung:
Dieser Flohmarkt-Fund (Taschenbuch von 1981) machte mich mit dem damals populären Krimi-Autoren und Paul Temple-Erfinder Francis Durbridge bekannt. Der Roman stammt aus dem Jahr 1962 und basiert auf einem Fernsehdrehbuch Durbridges.
Insgesamt war die Lektüre eine Enttäuschung. Obwohl der Roman interessant beginnt und dem Leser ständig der Boden der Gewissheit unter den Füssen weggezogen wird, langweilen die schlecht ausgeführten, eindimensionalen Charaktere ziemlich bald.
Das ständige, fast serielle "Nichts-ist-so-wie-es-zunächst-scheint" ermüdet zusätzlich, denn als zentrales Erzählelement taugt es nicht.
Zudem ist der Roman miserabel übersetzt! Sätze wie "Sein Auftreten war ruhig und überredend" wirken lächerlich und irritierend; leider finden sich solche im Buch zuhauf.
Fazit:
Vielleicht gibt es besseres von Durbridge, Tim Frazer hat mir allerdings die Lust genommen, mich weiter mit diesem Autor zu beschäftigen.
November 13, 2018
This is a pretty average spy/detective story. My Gran had just bought three of these re-issued Tim Frazer books and lent me this one, which I think is the first Tim Frazer book. It's an easy enough, fairly pleasant read and I enjoyed it for the ways it sort of reminded me of my Grandad, who I think would have been at home reading these.
Otherwise, I didn't find the plot particularly gripping and I thought the whole second half pretty unbelievable - particularly the idea that , as it seemed to me he just blundered from one place to another - either bullying people into giving him clues or just haphazardly finding stuff out without really any method or deduction.
Also the whole character of Tim Frazer is pretty nondescript - he's more of a cypher than a real character. Apart from the fact that he's loyal to the friend who screwed him over and that he finds said friend's fiance v. attractive, I don't think we found out anything else about him in the whole book.
Ah well. I guess I won't borrow the other two books form my Gran any time soon.
Otherwise, I didn't find the plot particularly gripping and I thought the whole second half pretty unbelievable - particularly the idea that , as it seemed to me he just blundered from one place to another - either bullying people into giving him clues or just haphazardly finding stuff out without really any method or deduction.
Also the whole character of Tim Frazer is pretty nondescript - he's more of a cypher than a real character. Apart from the fact that he's loyal to the friend who screwed him over and that he finds said friend's fiance v. attractive, I don't think we found out anything else about him in the whole book.
Ah well. I guess I won't borrow the other two books form my Gran any time soon.
August 17, 2021
Back in the 1960s, Francis Durbridge's thriller must watch television with clever twists and characters that you never knew could be trusted. A few I bought the surviving serials via an Australian DVD released and enjoyed them all again. Recently I had the chance get the "The World of Tim Frazer" which I suspect were based on this mostly wiped series. Businessman Tim Frazer is all but broke following the disappearance of his business partner Harry Denston. Investigation brings an unlikely connection to a agent dying in an hotel and a Russian ship wrecked off the Yorkshire coast. British spy master Charles Ross makes Frazer an offer for him continue his search for Denston as he had stolen something which was of a great interest to many person. This book gives a the reader a chance to read a master storyteller at his finest. Complex but highly enjoyable.
November 4, 2024
I became interested in Francis Durbridge after watching some "Francis Durbridge Presents" programs on YouTube. "Bat Out of Hell" featuring a young John Thaw of "Inspector Morse" and "The Sweeney" fame, "Game of Murder", and "Harry Brent" were all exceptionally good with their non-stop twists and turns. They are still all available on YouTube at the time I am writing this review.
After enjoying those videos so much, I decided to give one of his books a go. I was not disappointed. It reads very similarly to the programs I mentioned. It has all sorts of twists and turns, dodgy characters, chance happenings and plenty of action. It is quite pulpy, in a fun sort of way. At just 188 pages, and a fairly large print type at that, it is a very quick and solid read.
After enjoying those videos so much, I decided to give one of his books a go. I was not disappointed. It reads very similarly to the programs I mentioned. It has all sorts of twists and turns, dodgy characters, chance happenings and plenty of action. It is quite pulpy, in a fun sort of way. At just 188 pages, and a fairly large print type at that, it is a very quick and solid read.
February 6, 2022
I have been an avid collector of the Paul Temple stories and had been meaning to read the Tim Frazer ones for awhile. I think in fact I like these better than Paul Temple which tend to be quite violent at times killing off often quite sympathetic characters with almost gay abandon. I listen to the audio books which I know are abridged generally but provide the atmosphere of what it would have been like to listen to them as radio serials in the ?60s. This was well paced with interesting characters and had a good if somewhat transparent plot. All in all I shall be reading the others and enjoyed this immensely
July 17, 2019
I wish these books were more readily available in the U.S. I found this in an apartment I rented in France. Good story, well written.
January 11, 2021
Not a realistic spy thriller as you would expect from Ambler or Deighton but a real page turner and thoroughly enjoyable .A nice quick read .
August 18, 2022
A perfect story that will have the reader guess the solution all the way to the end of Chapter 15!
April 16, 2025
A solid adventure but telegraphed in places, which affected it's impact for me.
December 19, 2015
Great fun. Cold war British spy thriller, stylish and fast-moving. I finished it in a matter of hours and enjoyed every page.
June 1, 2016
Dashed ingenious and recreates the millieu perfectly..
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews