The Asking Price

by Henry Cecil

Ronald Holbrook, a 52-year-old bachelor, has lived happily in Islington for the past 20 years, until June Doughty, the youngest daughter of his next-door neighbor, turns 17 and decides she is in love with him. When Jane tells him she intends to marry him, he is amused at first. But when he realizes she is deadly serious, he is forced to take action -- thereby hangs a very black comedy.

Genres: Mystery

189 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Henry Cecil Leon (19 September 1902 – 23 May 1976), who wrote under the pen-names Henry Cecil and Clifford Maxwell, was a judge and a writer of fiction about the British legal system. He was born near London in 1902 and was called to the Bar in 1923. Later in 1949 he was appointed a County Court Judge, a position he held until 1967. He used these experiences as inspiration for his work. His books are works of great comic genius with unpredictable twists of plot, but are not intended to be realistic or strong on characterization. They typically feature educated and genteel fraudsters and blackmailers who lay ludicrously ingenious plots exploiting loopholes in the legal system. There are several recurring characters, such as the drunken solicitor Mr Tewkesbury and the convoluted and exasperating witness Colonel Brain. He writes well about the judicial process, usually through the eyes of a young barrister but sometimes from the viewpoint of the judge; Daughters in Law contains a memorable snub from a County Court judge to a barrister who is trying to patronise him.

His 1955 novel Brothers in Law was made into a film in 1957 and, later, a television and radio series starring Richard Briers. While at Paramount Pictures, Alfred Hitchcock worked on adapting No Bail for the Judge for the screen several times between 1954 and 1960, and hoped to co-star Audrey Hepburn, Laurence Harvey, and John Williams, but the film was never produced.

Reviews

[Wendyfoleybtinternet.Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a really interesting concept, and although really far fetched in its premise that a middle aged man would just go along with a marriage to a teenager against his better judgement, I liked the twists and turns particularly the finale

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Jill]

The Asking Price by Henry Cecil (1990)

[Gouthami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Subtle humour - commentary on life - easy reading