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Deathday
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 24, 2024
(ETA: I discuss the first 70 pages or so in some detail, but it’s mostly “back of the book”-type stuff.)
Adam Crosse, a stuffy British newspaper columnist who’s grown bored with his wife, thought he had engineered the perfect alibi for her murder. Days before, he sent the newspaper a “letter to the editor” about possible poisoned food being sold in town, signed simply: Qualtrough. An entirely made up name. Adam has planned to be gone all evening in order to “interview” him for the paper, and he’ll make sure lots of people see him out and about and far away when his wife’s body is discovered. All seems to go according to plan, until someone shows up at his door. Someone by the name of Qualtrough.
I loved this. Though Adam is a despicable person — misogynistic and racist, with Puritan-esque views on sex and shame and just a snobby holier-than-thou attitude in general — I found his twisted morals and philosophies to be entertaining, even humorous in their deranged moral superiority. They even had their own demented logic to them. Also, at only 150-some pages, the plot is constantly being propelled forward, and the more you learn about his state of mind, the more it becomes apparent just how disturbed he really is. Who is Qualtrough? An imposter? A figment of his imagination? Or is he really who he says?*
I have no idea why this is so forgotten (or never known?) today, but I thought this was well-written, fast-paced, blackly comedic, and pretty intense overall. I even found myself worrying about Adam’s safety, to my eternal shame. I read the entire thing in two sittings, and I’ll definitely be looking out for more of Mr. Hall’s work. He’s had one novel (Devilday) turned into a film with Peter Cushing and Vincent Price, which makes it all the stranger that his work’s been out of print for so long. Too bad every time I look him up on abebooks or Amazon I keep typing “Angus Young” instead of “Angus Hall” then wonder why I’m getting AC/DC-related results.
My brain don’t think good sometimes.
4.5 Stars.
*This part reminded me quite a bit of the 1940 Frank Baker novel, Miss Hargreaves, another unjustly overlooked book, though much more well-known than this one.
Adam Crosse, a stuffy British newspaper columnist who’s grown bored with his wife, thought he had engineered the perfect alibi for her murder. Days before, he sent the newspaper a “letter to the editor” about possible poisoned food being sold in town, signed simply: Qualtrough. An entirely made up name. Adam has planned to be gone all evening in order to “interview” him for the paper, and he’ll make sure lots of people see him out and about and far away when his wife’s body is discovered. All seems to go according to plan, until someone shows up at his door. Someone by the name of Qualtrough.
I loved this. Though Adam is a despicable person — misogynistic and racist, with Puritan-esque views on sex and shame and just a snobby holier-than-thou attitude in general — I found his twisted morals and philosophies to be entertaining, even humorous in their deranged moral superiority. They even had their own demented logic to them. Also, at only 150-some pages, the plot is constantly being propelled forward, and the more you learn about his state of mind, the more it becomes apparent just how disturbed he really is. Who is Qualtrough? An imposter? A figment of his imagination? Or is he really who he says?*
I have no idea why this is so forgotten (or never known?) today, but I thought this was well-written, fast-paced, blackly comedic, and pretty intense overall. I even found myself worrying about Adam’s safety, to my eternal shame. I read the entire thing in two sittings, and I’ll definitely be looking out for more of Mr. Hall’s work. He’s had one novel (Devilday) turned into a film with Peter Cushing and Vincent Price, which makes it all the stranger that his work’s been out of print for so long. Too bad every time I look him up on abebooks or Amazon I keep typing “Angus Young” instead of “Angus Hall” then wonder why I’m getting AC/DC-related results.
My brain don’t think good sometimes.
4.5 Stars.
*This part reminded me quite a bit of the 1940 Frank Baker novel, Miss Hargreaves, another unjustly overlooked book, though much more well-known than this one.
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March 22, 2021Hi - I have a rare copy of this book to buy. DM me if you are interested.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews