Sudden Fear

by Edna Sherry, Curtis Evans (Introduction)

SUDDEN FEAR

Myra Hudson is the last in the long line of the Hudsons, and her fame, wealth and power are legendary. She has written seven plays in the last fifteen years, all of them successful. Now she watches the rehearsal for her latest, “Immoral Courage,” and notices that one of the male leads, Lester Blaine, is too handsome for the part. So she has him removed. But there he is on opening night, charming his way past her defenses—and into her life.

Their subsequent marriage seems perfect. Lester is the ideal husband, devoted and attentive. Then one day while listening back to last night’s Dictaphone recordings Myra discovers a horrible secret. The machine had been activated when Lester and Irma Neves, Myra’s protégé, had entered the room later that night—and secretly made plans to kill her.

Genres: Noir, Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller

231 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1948

Reviews

[Carla Remy · Rating 4 out of 5]

From 1948
A typical mid-20th Century Domestic Drama which has a lot of Pulp in it. Like all the characters are scheming to murder each other.

[tortoise dreams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sudden Fear is heavily plotted (one of the author's particular skills), with compelling portraits of the main characters, all about a murderous love triangle involving the beautiful and the not-so. In which we learn that Pride and Revenge know no pain, and never to mess with a smart woman. This was the first solo novel by Edna Sherry (1885-1967), published when she was 63, but she then went on to write eight more crime novels (still writing when she was 80!). Basis for the classic 1952 film noir of the same name starring Oscar-winners Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, and Gloria Grahame. Enough differences between the two formats to make both worthwhile. Plus, since I saw the film first I pictured some of the characters as their movie counterparts. Just eye that cover of Joan Crawford with a pistol and her eyebrow blindness. Sudden Fear is part of the invaluable Film Noir Classics series from Stark House Press that offers the often little-known or forgotten original novels for some of the great film noirs. The series includes the source novels for films such as While the City Sleeps, Out of the Past, On Dangerous Ground, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Born to Kill, and Fallen Angel among others.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Chad Schimke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sudden Fear by Edna Sherry (1948)
A playwright fires an actor as she workshops her play prior to opening night. She becomes embroiled in a tangled plot of murder, a double cross, jealous rivals, a frame job and a counter attack. With her husband, a bourgeois girl she saves from drowning, her secretary and her financial advisor.
https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2019...
Sudden Fear

[AC · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

Taut, devilishly smart, well written

[Christine Mathieu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes novels on which movies are based can be really rewarding (for instance "The Blank Wall" by Elisabeth Sanxay-Harding, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" by Patricia Highsmith, "House of Numbers" by Jack Finney or "The Woman in Red" by Anthony Gilbert), but it's not always the case.
For instance I was sorely disappointed with reading the novel on which one of my all-time favorite film noirs with Bogart & Bacall (Dark Passage) is based. What a great film - what a mediocre book!

I love the movie "Sudden Fear" with Joan Crawford as Myra and Jack Palance as Lester, watched it at least a dozen times over the past decades, so I wanted to read the book at some point. But unfortunately it's just average.
It takes Edna Sherry close to 130 pages to build up some suspense.
Watch the movie instead!

[Michela Derry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected it was better or as good as the film. But i preferred the film

[John Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it because I watched the movie that was made of it (starring Joan Crawford) and had trouble understanding part of the plot. So when I read the book I got what was going on.

[Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a slow but steady start, this one just gallops along. I read the last 75 pages in one sitting since I couldn't put it down.

Myra is a wealthy and successful playwright in 1940s New York. During a rehearsal for a new play, she has a good-looking actor playing a small part fired, claiming he isn't right for the part.
Despite this, the hopeful actor claims to hold no grudge, and after befriending her, eventually ends up marrying Myra. While during a stay at a summer cottage, Myra saves the life of a pretty lady, Irma who eventually becomes a part of Myra and her husband's lives. Little does Myra know that Irma is one very toxic lady, and her husband, claiming indifference to her, is besotted instead.
It's no real spoiler to say that they both conspire to kill Myra, making plans - not knowing that they are being accidently recorded. But Myra has heard the recording, and giving nothing away, decides to kill before they can kill her.

The book becomes a fun page-turner from here as Myra, as if writing a plot for a play, decides to bump off her gold-digging husband and the girl who has no gratitude for what Myra did for her.

Myra may have her faults. Pride and obsession with how the world sees her may be some of her worst enemies. They are strong enough to prevent her from going to the police. A good part of the book shows how meticulous her plan is to destroy husband Lester and the truly horrible Irma before they destroy her.

Sure, the book shows its age, there are some stereotypes, a newly married couple already have separate bedrooms, and it seems that a woman can't get married and keep their old job too, it's one way or the other. And like other old books, women in their 40s or 50s are deemed ancient, past it, with their greying or white hair(!)

But this fun read kept me entertained all the way through and I truly hoped the flawed Myra would achieve her aim and come out of it all unscathed. Does she? I will say that I felt the ending was a bit rushed, with one character (spoiler) finished off a bit too easily and conveniently. Not quite the ending I hoped for, even though most of what I did wish for did happen.
Haven't seen the movie as of this writing, but I believe it had a different ending to the book, and a few other small changes as well.

Despite seeing some lukewarm reviews, I ended up liking this even more than I thought I would, so thumbs up.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this 1948 short crime novel pretty quickly, wanting to know how it turned out. . I wouldn't really call this a mystery. The book was out of print for a really long time and so maybe I read a review of it when it was reissued.

The whole scheme was intriguing with good twists but the language was quite dated and some of the dialogue sounded stilted. Myra and Irma are each evil in their own ways. Lester is just a handsome but lazy guy motivated by his own comfort and then his lust.

The portrayal of the black maid would never pass nowadays, I hope.

Also, there was one big hole: I think Irma should have smelled a rat when she told Myra that she thought she could see a fire in her house from the balcony where they were having dinner and Myra didn't approach the parapet to see, because she thought Irma was going to push her off (in fact she did intend to do that). But who wouldn't run to see if their house was on fire? This is not a spoiler because the description in the book indicates that Lester and Irma are secretly making plans to kill her.

[Christine Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't read the blurb or the Introduction, go right to Chapter One. If not, half the plot of the book will be spoiled. (The Intro should be an Afterword, since it gives away most of the action.) It is a real page-turner, fraught with suspense and melodrama. There are several dated racial references, however, and some dialogue from the forties that dates it too, but the characterizations are good and the atmosphere is noir indeed. I look forward to seeing the movie, in which Joan Crawford is perfectly cast as Myra. (Note: The name Irma just doesn't work for a beautiful femme fatale, imho.)

[Jan C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stilted writing

Compared to more "modern" who-done-its, this reads more like a off Broadway play. I thought the writing was stilted and sometimes trite tho the plot was fairly decent. Would be interesting to see how someone could edit this and bring it up to date.

[Barry Fulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

You learn your husband and the young woman whose life you saved are planning to kill you. What do you do? Edna Sherry finds a solution that will finish him off and punish her. But it will work only if each of many activities takes place exactly as planned. Could it backfire? This fast-paced 1948 mystery will guide you on what to avoid if you find yourself in a similar circumstance.

[Donna M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent!!!

O! M! G! Such a fascinating, exciting novel! Edna Sherry is a writer who should NEVER be forgotten! Read this book immediately, and then watch the movie—you will never regret it or forget the ending

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: Joan Crawford appeared in the film. While a play is still in production, an actor gets fired. It becomes murder and in-fighting.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, loved it, loved it

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a great story, even though the blatant, albeit brief, racist depiction of the only black character detracts from the overall impression.

[Joe DiPietro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, pulpy, mystery fun which inspired the (far superior) Joan Crawford film noir.

[Sharon Healy-Yang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another noir gem from Stark House. Sudden Fear deftly weaves together the murder plots against Myra Hudson and by Myra Hudson. Edna Sherry breezily relays Myra's involvement in a marriage where she and her younger husband both fool each other and themselves by playing roles of loving spouses, only to have everything unravel when Myra discovers a murder plot against her by her husband and the gorgeous young woman she had saved from drowning. Myra's brilliant plan to turn their own plot against them is thrillingly paced by the author, with twist and turns as to who will get away with what. The ending is a tour de force. I wouldn't say the book is better than the film, for Joan Crawford's Myra makes her character particularly interesting by portraying her as far more sympathetic than the book's main character. Nevertheless, on its own terms, this book hits every note beautifully. A recommended read. You won't be able to put it down!

[John Marr · Rating 4 out of 5]

The basis for the classic film noir, this one also ranks high on all-too short good book/good movie list.
It even edges out the movie by having a far better ending: a little less contrived, a lot more ironic, and above all, happy in the noirish way imaginable.