What do you think?
Rate this book
Michael Gray #4
MURDER OF A WIFE
Dr. Michael Gray is constantly getting drawn into the lives, and murders, of his troubled clientele. His keen eye for human behavior leads him to meet some of San Francisco’s most memorable denizens—and to forever be in mortal danger.
After a shadowy figure attempts to bludgeon her in her bed, housewife Karen Champion believes her husband is out to get her. The problem is no one will believe anything Karen says.
A known pathological liar, Karen can’t turn to the police—so she goes to the famous psychoanalyst Michael Gray for help. When she tells Gray what her husband is plotting, Gray is pulled deep into a world of quack doctors, a blackmailing private eye, and a killer who found that one vicious murder was only the beginning.
“A neglected master.” —Ray Bradbury
“Kuttner is magic.” —Joe R. Lansdale
182 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1958
1 person is currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Henry Kuttner
739 books208 followersHenry Kuttner was, alone and in collaboration with his wife, the great science fiction and fantasy writer C.L. Moore, one of the four or five most important writers of the 1940s, the writer whose work went furthest in its sociological and psychological insight to making science fiction a human as well as technological literature. He was an important influence upon every contemporary and every science fiction writer who succeeded him. In the early 1940s and under many pseudonyms, Kuttner and Moore published very widely through the range of the science fiction and fantasy pulp markets.
Their fantasy novels, all of them for the lower grade markets like Future, Thrilling Wonder, and Planet Stories, are forgotten now; their science fiction novels, Fury and Mutant, are however well regarded. There is no question but that Kuttner's talent lay primarily in the shorter form; Mutant is an amalgamation of five novelettes and Fury, his only true science fiction novel, is considered as secondary material. There are, however, 40 or 50 shorter works which are among the most significant achievements in the field and they remain consistently in print. The critic James Blish, quoting a passage from Mutant about the telepathic perception of the little blank, silvery minds of goldfish, noted that writing of this quality was not only rare in science fiction but rare throughout literature: "The Kuttners learned a few thing writing for the pulp magazines, however, that one doesn't learn reading Henry James."
In the early 1950s, Kuttner and Moore, both citing weariness with writing, even creative exhaustion, turned away from science fiction; both obtained undergraduate degrees in psychology from the University of Southern California and Henry Kuttner, enrolled in an MA program, planned to be a clinical psychologist. A few science fiction short stories and novelettes appeared (Humpty Dumpty finished the Baldy series in 1953). Those stories -- Home There Is No Returning, Home Is the Hunter, Two-Handed Engine, and Rite of Passage -- were at the highest level of Kuttner's work. He also published three mystery novels with Harper & Row (of which only the first is certainly his; the other two, apparently, were farmed out by Kuttner to other writers when he found himself incapable of finishing them).
Henry Kuttner died suddenly in his sleep, probably from a stroke, in February 1958; Catherine Moore remarried a physician and survived him by almost three decades but she never published again. She remained in touch with the science fiction community, however, and was Guest of Honor at the World Convention in Denver in 198l. She died of complications of Alzheimer's Disease in 1987.
His pseudonyms include:
Edward J. Bellin
Paul Edmonds
Noel Gardner
Will Garth
James Hall
Keith Hammond
Hudson Hastings
Peter Horn
Kelvin Kent
Robert O. Kenyon
C. H. Liddell
Hugh Maepenn
Scott Morgan
Lawrence O'Donnell
Lewis Padgett
Woodrow Wilson Smith
Charles Stoddard
Their fantasy novels, all of them for the lower grade markets like Future, Thrilling Wonder, and Planet Stories, are forgotten now; their science fiction novels, Fury and Mutant, are however well regarded. There is no question but that Kuttner's talent lay primarily in the shorter form; Mutant is an amalgamation of five novelettes and Fury, his only true science fiction novel, is considered as secondary material. There are, however, 40 or 50 shorter works which are among the most significant achievements in the field and they remain consistently in print. The critic James Blish, quoting a passage from Mutant about the telepathic perception of the little blank, silvery minds of goldfish, noted that writing of this quality was not only rare in science fiction but rare throughout literature: "The Kuttners learned a few thing writing for the pulp magazines, however, that one doesn't learn reading Henry James."
In the early 1950s, Kuttner and Moore, both citing weariness with writing, even creative exhaustion, turned away from science fiction; both obtained undergraduate degrees in psychology from the University of Southern California and Henry Kuttner, enrolled in an MA program, planned to be a clinical psychologist. A few science fiction short stories and novelettes appeared (Humpty Dumpty finished the Baldy series in 1953). Those stories -- Home There Is No Returning, Home Is the Hunter, Two-Handed Engine, and Rite of Passage -- were at the highest level of Kuttner's work. He also published three mystery novels with Harper & Row (of which only the first is certainly his; the other two, apparently, were farmed out by Kuttner to other writers when he found himself incapable of finishing them).
Henry Kuttner died suddenly in his sleep, probably from a stroke, in February 1958; Catherine Moore remarried a physician and survived him by almost three decades but she never published again. She remained in touch with the science fiction community, however, and was Guest of Honor at the World Convention in Denver in 198l. She died of complications of Alzheimer's Disease in 1987.
His pseudonyms include:
Edward J. Bellin
Paul Edmonds
Noel Gardner
Will Garth
James Hall
Keith Hammond
Hudson Hastings
Peter Horn
Kelvin Kent
Robert O. Kenyon
C. H. Liddell
Hugh Maepenn
Scott Morgan
Lawrence O'Donnell
Lewis Padgett
Woodrow Wilson Smith
Charles Stoddard
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 16, 2018
Author's 4th and final Dr. Michael Gray, a San Francisco based psychoanalyst & sleuth, mystery novels.
"Marked for murder! No one would believe her - not even the police."
Dr. Michael Gray is in over his head in this scintillating mystery.
A known pathological liar, Karen Champion can’t turn to the police—so she goes to the famous psychoanalyst Michael Gray for help. When she tells Gray that her husband is planning to kill her, Gray’s investigation takes him to a quack doctor, a blackmailing private eye, and a killer who found that one vicious murder was only the beginning.
Henry Kuttner died at age forty four, in 1958 and much of his best work was published posthumously that same year. Earlier, as Lewis Padgett, Will Garth, and others.
This hardcover of “Murder of A Wife” is volume 28 in the Garland Publishing, Inc. series of books printed as “50 Classics of Crime Fiction 1950 – 1975” chosen by Jacques Barzun & Wendell Hertig Taylor and is a re-print, originally published in paperback by Permabook in 1958.
Small print run.
The lis of 50 Classics of Crime Fiction 1950–1975 can be found here:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
"Marked for murder! No one would believe her - not even the police."
Dr. Michael Gray is in over his head in this scintillating mystery.
A known pathological liar, Karen Champion can’t turn to the police—so she goes to the famous psychoanalyst Michael Gray for help. When she tells Gray that her husband is planning to kill her, Gray’s investigation takes him to a quack doctor, a blackmailing private eye, and a killer who found that one vicious murder was only the beginning.
Henry Kuttner died at age forty four, in 1958 and much of his best work was published posthumously that same year. Earlier, as Lewis Padgett, Will Garth, and others.
This hardcover of “Murder of A Wife” is volume 28 in the Garland Publishing, Inc. series of books printed as “50 Classics of Crime Fiction 1950 – 1975” chosen by Jacques Barzun & Wendell Hertig Taylor and is a re-print, originally published in paperback by Permabook in 1958.
Small print run.
The lis of 50 Classics of Crime Fiction 1950–1975 can be found here:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
March 17, 2021
Το «Ο φόνος της συζύγου» είναι το τέταρτο και τελευταίο βιβλίο του Henry Kuttner, με ήρωα τον Δρα Michael Gray, του ερευνητή ψυχαναλυτή από το San Francisco, που ερευνά εγκλήματα, χρησιμοποιώντας περισσότερο ψυχολογικές μεθόδους, παρά αστυνομικές.
Σε αυτή του την περιπέτεια, ο δόκτορας Γκρέι καλείται να διαλευκάνει μια μυστηριώδη υπόθεση, στην οποία τον ενέπλεξε, η Κάρεν Τσάμπιον. Η Τσάμπιον είναι μια παθολογική ψεύτρα, η οποία δεν έτυχε να ακούσει ποτέ την «ιστορία του βοσκού με τον λύκο». Ως εκ τούτου, μη μπορώντας να καταφύγει στην αστυνομία, η οποία δεν πιστεύει πια τα ψέματά της, στρέφεται για βοήθεια στον Μάικλ Γκρέι, λέγοντάς του πως ο άντρας της σκοπεύει να τη βγάλει από τη μέση. Εκείνος αναλαμβάνει την υπόθεση και κατά τη διάρκεια των ερευνών του, έρχεται αντιμέτωπος με έναν τσαρλατάνο γιατρό, ένα δολοφόνο κι έναν αμφιβόλου ηθικής ιδιωτικό ερευνητή. Για μια ακόμη φορά λοιπόν, παρακολουθούμε τον Γκρέι, να διυλίζει κυριολεκτικά τον «κώνωπα», ν’ αναλύει σε βάθος τα λόγια και τις συμπεριφορές αυτού του, τόσο παράξενου, σμαριού ανθρώπων και να βρίσκει την άκρη σ' αυτό το κουβάρι.
«Ο φόνος της συζύγου» είναι για μένα το καλύτερο από τα τέσσερα της σειράς. Το βρήκα πιο μεστό και πιο «ζουμερό», πιο ώριμο θα έλεγα, παρόλο που σε κάποια σημεία κατάλαβα τι έμελλε να συμβεί. Το στυλ και το ύφος του βιβλίου παραμένει το ίδιο με τα άλλα τρία. Παλαιάς κοπής αλλά με αέρα διαχρονικό. Χωρίς περιγραφές σκληρής βίας και χωρίς αιματοβαμμένες σκηνές, ο Kuttner επιλέγει τον δύσκολο δρόμο, εκείνον που απαιτεί από το αναγνωστικό του κοινό να βάλει το μυαλό σε λειτουργία και να εμβαθύνει στα νοήματα. Οι σπουδές άλλωστε του συγγραφέα στην κλινική ψυχολογία, συνδράμουν στη δημιουργία μιας άψογης ψυχογραφίας, την οποία απολαμβάνω κάθε φορά. Περνάει από λεπτό «κόσκινο» κάθε μικρή ή μεγάλη παρέκκλιση στη συμπεριφορά των ηρώων του, χρησιμοποιώντας πραγματικές ψυχαναλυτικές μεθόδους της εποχής. Έπρεπε να περάσουν πολλά χρόνια, για να υιοθετηθούν επίσημα πλέον, από την αστυνομία, οι μέθοδοι που περιγράφει ο Χένρυ Κάτνερ στα βιβλία του. Όπως έχω ξαναπεί, τόσο ο Κάτνερ και το άλλο του μισό, ο Δρ. Μάικλ Γκρέι, είναι σύγχρονοι profilers που μας έρχονται από το παρελθόν!
Αν είσαι λοιπόν φαν της noir μυθιστοριογραφίας, τότε μην παραλήψεις να αναζητήσεις τα βιβλία του Henry Kuttner και ιδίως αυτά των εκδόσεων Αλεξάνδρεια, που είναι πολύ προσεγμένα τόσο σε ποιότητα έκδοσης όσο και από πλευράς μετάφρασης και επιμέλειας. Είμαι σίγουρη πως θα τα αγαπήσεις.
Υ.Γ. Γράφοντας την άποψή μου για το βιβλίο, έτυχε να ακούω το "Losing my Religion" των αγαπημένων R.E.M. και όλως παραδόξως, του ταίριαζε όμορφα!
Δείτε την άποψή μου στο blog μας: https://vivliografika.blogspot.com/20...
Σε αυτή του την περιπέτεια, ο δόκτορας Γκρέι καλείται να διαλευκάνει μια μυστηριώδη υπόθεση, στην οποία τον ενέπλεξε, η Κάρεν Τσάμπιον. Η Τσάμπιον είναι μια παθολογική ψεύτρα, η οποία δεν έτυχε να ακούσει ποτέ την «ιστορία του βοσκού με τον λύκο». Ως εκ τούτου, μη μπορώντας να καταφύγει στην αστυνομία, η οποία δεν πιστεύει πια τα ψέματά της, στρέφεται για βοήθεια στον Μάικλ Γκρέι, λέγοντάς του πως ο άντρας της σκοπεύει να τη βγάλει από τη μέση. Εκείνος αναλαμβάνει την υπόθεση και κατά τη διάρκεια των ερευνών του, έρχεται αντιμέτωπος με έναν τσαρλατάνο γιατρό, ένα δολοφόνο κι έναν αμφιβόλου ηθικής ιδιωτικό ερευνητή. Για μια ακόμη φορά λοιπόν, παρακολουθούμε τον Γκρέι, να διυλίζει κυριολεκτικά τον «κώνωπα», ν’ αναλύει σε βάθος τα λόγια και τις συμπεριφορές αυτού του, τόσο παράξενου, σμαριού ανθρώπων και να βρίσκει την άκρη σ' αυτό το κουβάρι.
«Ο φόνος της συζύγου» είναι για μένα το καλύτερο από τα τέσσερα της σειράς. Το βρήκα πιο μεστό και πιο «ζουμερό», πιο ώριμο θα έλεγα, παρόλο που σε κάποια σημεία κατάλαβα τι έμελλε να συμβεί. Το στυλ και το ύφος του βιβλίου παραμένει το ίδιο με τα άλλα τρία. Παλαιάς κοπής αλλά με αέρα διαχρονικό. Χωρίς περιγραφές σκληρής βίας και χωρίς αιματοβαμμένες σκηνές, ο Kuttner επιλέγει τον δύσκολο δρόμο, εκείνον που απαιτεί από το αναγνωστικό του κοινό να βάλει το μυαλό σε λειτουργία και να εμβαθύνει στα νοήματα. Οι σπουδές άλλωστε του συγγραφέα στην κλινική ψυχολογία, συνδράμουν στη δημιουργία μιας άψογης ψυχογραφίας, την οποία απολαμβάνω κάθε φορά. Περνάει από λεπτό «κόσκινο» κάθε μικρή ή μεγάλη παρέκκλιση στη συμπεριφορά των ηρώων του, χρησιμοποιώντας πραγματικές ψυχαναλυτικές μεθόδους της εποχής. Έπρεπε να περάσουν πολλά χρόνια, για να υιοθετηθούν επίσημα πλέον, από την αστυνομία, οι μέθοδοι που περιγράφει ο Χένρυ Κάτνερ στα βιβλία του. Όπως έχω ξαναπεί, τόσο ο Κάτνερ και το άλλο του μισό, ο Δρ. Μάικλ Γκρέι, είναι σύγχρονοι profilers που μας έρχονται από το παρελθόν!
Αν είσαι λοιπόν φαν της noir μυθιστοριογραφίας, τότε μην παραλήψεις να αναζητήσεις τα βιβλία του Henry Kuttner και ιδίως αυτά των εκδόσεων Αλεξάνδρεια, που είναι πολύ προσεγμένα τόσο σε ποιότητα έκδοσης όσο και από πλευράς μετάφρασης και επιμέλειας. Είμαι σίγουρη πως θα τα αγαπήσεις.
Υ.Γ. Γράφοντας την άποψή μου για το βιβλίο, έτυχε να ακούω το "Losing my Religion" των αγαπημένων R.E.M. και όλως παραδόξως, του ταίριαζε όμορφα!
Δείτε την άποψή μου στο blog μας: https://vivliografika.blogspot.com/20...
March 18, 2019
Βαθμολογία: 4,4/5 ή 8,8/10.
Σύντομα θα γίνει και η κριτική του βιβλίου.
Σύντομα θα γίνει και η κριτική του βιβλίου.
February 21, 2023
Very interesting book
Very interesting book unusual mystery based on psychoanalysis and character study. Enjoyable journey into the 1950s culture. The doctor and chief of police work well together to solve the mystery. Well written highly recommended.
Very interesting book unusual mystery based on psychoanalysis and character study. Enjoyable journey into the 1950s culture. The doctor and chief of police work well together to solve the mystery. Well written highly recommended.
January 1, 2024
https://georgette60.blogspot.com/2024...
Καλογραμμένο βιβλίο με ενδιαφέρουσα πλοκή όπου ο συγγραφέας παίζει με τον μυαλό του αναγνώστη ,το προκαλεί και καταφέρνει να κάνει την ιστορία τραβηγμένη μεν αλλά και ρεαλιστική ταυτόχρονα.Είναι καλός αφηγητής και συνδυάζει αριστοτεχνικά τις περιγραφές που μοιάζουν σκέψεις για τα διάφορα ανθρώπινα προβλήματα και ωραία εξερεύνηση της προσωπικότητας των ηρώων όπου γίνεται αναλυτική ψυχογραφία των χαρακτήρων.Σε βάζει να σκεφθείς και να εμβαθύνεις τα νοήματα που εισπράτεις .Κύριος πρωταγωνιστής είναι ένας ψυχαναλυτής που προσπαθεί να διαλευκάνει μία ασυνήθιστη υπόθεση μυστηρίου.
Καλογραμμένο βιβλίο με ενδιαφέρουσα πλοκή όπου ο συγγραφέας παίζει με τον μυαλό του αναγνώστη ,το προκαλεί και καταφέρνει να κάνει την ιστορία τραβηγμένη μεν αλλά και ρεαλιστική ταυτόχρονα.Είναι καλός αφηγητής και συνδυάζει αριστοτεχνικά τις περιγραφές που μοιάζουν σκέψεις για τα διάφορα ανθρώπινα προβλήματα και ωραία εξερεύνηση της προσωπικότητας των ηρώων όπου γίνεται αναλυτική ψυχογραφία των χαρακτήρων.Σε βάζει να σκεφθείς και να εμβαθύνεις τα νοήματα που εισπράτεις .Κύριος πρωταγωνιστής είναι ένας ψυχαναλυτής που προσπαθεί να διαλευκάνει μία ασυνήθιστη υπόθεση μυστηρίου.
September 19, 2022
This is a 1958 crime mystery novel by American writer Henry Kuttner, who is famous for his work as a writer of science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories. This is the fourth and last book in Kuttner’s Michael Gray psychoanalyst amateur detective series. The setting is in 1950s San Francisco. Gray is a psychologist in private practice in San Francisco who does a lot of consulting work for the police department. The book has an interesting plot and Kuttner deals with both psychology as well as hypnosis in some details. Overall, it is an interesting read. The title of the book is also intriguing. There are three couples in the book and readers are kept guessing which wife is going to be the murder victim.
Spoiler Alert. The story starts off with Karen Champion, the wife of Dennis Champion who owns 51% of an electronic company called Quigley Champion Developments. The other 49% is owned by a married couple Roger and Joyce Quigley. Karen, who suffers from an undiagnosed illness called confabulation, goes into blackouts that causes temporary amnesia periodically. After the attack is over, she has no recollection of what happened. So she invented stories to explain the missing time. People therefore believe she is a habitual lier. When Karen complained to the cops that Dennis (who has recently separated from her even though they still love each other) tried to kill her with a glass lamp after sneaking into her apartment at night, at first nobody listened given her history of filing fake police reports. Later, things escalated when Oliver Albano, a friend of Karen who was visiting her in her apartment, was beaten to death by somebody who looked like Dennis. Soon after, a private investigator who is also a serial blackmailer was found murdered in a deliberate hit-and-run. In both deaths, Dennis was the prime suspect and he was later arrested by the police.
Gray, however, believes Dennis to be innocent and he starts investigating. It turns out what happened was Dennis’ partner, Roger Quigley, is the murderer. Roger’s original plan is to disguise himself as Dennis (with Dennis’ signature horn-rimmed glasses and moustache) and assault Karen in her apartment. He hopes that Karen would then have the police arrest Dennis for attempted murder and Dennis will be declared insane and be committed. If that happens, Roger would be able to get control of the partnership that he, his wife and Dennis are partners. Roger succeeded the first time and Karen did call the police even though they did not believe her. When Roger tried a second time, he ran into Albano in Karen’s apartment and Roger has to kill Albano to escape. Later, when a corrupt private investigator called Ira Fenn tried blackmailing Roger, Roger killed Fenn as well and tried to frame Dennis for the murder by setting Dennis up using an elaborate scheme. Roger’s plan went awry when his wife Joyce (who was the lover of Albano) forces a confession out of Roger and Roger decided to kill her. Gray, who have by that time figured out Roger is the one behind all the murders, arrived in time with the police and saved Joyce.
Spoiler Alert. The story starts off with Karen Champion, the wife of Dennis Champion who owns 51% of an electronic company called Quigley Champion Developments. The other 49% is owned by a married couple Roger and Joyce Quigley. Karen, who suffers from an undiagnosed illness called confabulation, goes into blackouts that causes temporary amnesia periodically. After the attack is over, she has no recollection of what happened. So she invented stories to explain the missing time. People therefore believe she is a habitual lier. When Karen complained to the cops that Dennis (who has recently separated from her even though they still love each other) tried to kill her with a glass lamp after sneaking into her apartment at night, at first nobody listened given her history of filing fake police reports. Later, things escalated when Oliver Albano, a friend of Karen who was visiting her in her apartment, was beaten to death by somebody who looked like Dennis. Soon after, a private investigator who is also a serial blackmailer was found murdered in a deliberate hit-and-run. In both deaths, Dennis was the prime suspect and he was later arrested by the police.
Gray, however, believes Dennis to be innocent and he starts investigating. It turns out what happened was Dennis’ partner, Roger Quigley, is the murderer. Roger’s original plan is to disguise himself as Dennis (with Dennis’ signature horn-rimmed glasses and moustache) and assault Karen in her apartment. He hopes that Karen would then have the police arrest Dennis for attempted murder and Dennis will be declared insane and be committed. If that happens, Roger would be able to get control of the partnership that he, his wife and Dennis are partners. Roger succeeded the first time and Karen did call the police even though they did not believe her. When Roger tried a second time, he ran into Albano in Karen’s apartment and Roger has to kill Albano to escape. Later, when a corrupt private investigator called Ira Fenn tried blackmailing Roger, Roger killed Fenn as well and tried to frame Dennis for the murder by setting Dennis up using an elaborate scheme. Roger’s plan went awry when his wife Joyce (who was the lover of Albano) forces a confession out of Roger and Roger decided to kill her. Gray, who have by that time figured out Roger is the one behind all the murders, arrived in time with the police and saved Joyce.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
February 4, 2020Synopsis: a known pathological liar, Karen Champion can’t turn to the police, so she goes to psychoanalyst Michael Gray for help.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews