Sleeping Partner

by Winston Graham

In this mystery, the police must figure out why Lynn Granville has left her husband Michael. Could it be because he is never at home; because at work Michael has an extremeley attractive new assistant whose marriage has its own problems; or because she herself has created a new life that does not involve him? And why are the police taking such a criminal view on what surely must be a domestic case?

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1998

About the author

Winston Graham was an English novelist best known for the Poldark series of historical novels set in Cornwall, though he also wrote contemporary thrillers, period novels, short stories, non-fiction, and plays. Born in Victoria Park, Manchester, he moved to Perranporth, Cornwall in 1925 and lived there for 34 years. Graham published his first novel, The House with the Stained Glass Windows, in 1934 and married Jean Williamson in 1939, who inspired the character Demelza in Poldark. During World War II, he joined the Auxiliary Coastguard Service. Graham became a member of the Society of Authors in 1945, serving as chairman from 1967 to 1969, and was a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, receiving an OBE in 1983. His Poldark series began with Ross Poldark in 1945 and concluded with Bella Poldark in 2002. He wrote 30 additional novels, short stories, and non-fiction works, including the acclaimed thriller Marnie, adapted by Alfred Hitchcock in 1964. Several other novels, including The Walking Stick and Fortune Is a Woman, were adapted for film. Graham also wrote plays, some adapted from his novels. His works have been translated into 31 languages, and his autobiography, Memoirs of a Private Man, was published posthumously in 2003.

Reviews

[Diane]

Winston Graham was not only just about "Poldark" and
historical stories, he was also a dab hand at psychological
thrillers like "Marnie" and "The Sleeping Partner". Mike
Granville is so engrossed in his "top secret" job that he
doesn't realise his marriage to Lyn is going sour until
she suddenly leaves him and demanding that he only contact
her through her soliciter. Now of course he finds all the
time in the world for tracking her down and learning some
pretty shocking facts about her private life.
Half way through the book he finds her body - in the coal
cellar of their home that he vacated a few days after her
leaving. Before he can inform the police they come calling
- apparently the bank is suspicious about her signature, so
he finds himself tracking down any of her past associations
who bear a grudge - and there are quite a few.
If you have ever seen any British crime movies from the 1950s
- John Mills would have made a good Mike Granville, you know
what to expect.

[Sara]

The Sleeping Partner is a thriller-mystery by Winston Graham, best known for his Ross Poldark series. He often wrote for TV and movies, so he knew how to involve the reader in the plot and string out the reveal until it hurt. I followed a few red herrings right to the edge of the frying pan before I gave up on them. I was pretty near the end before I was sure of who and why, and then there were still a couple of surprises I did not see coming.

Mike Granville’s wife has left him. He is a successful, busy high-tech factory owner, and very distracted by the major government contract he is pursuing. His wife, Lynn, is a beauty who wants to be pampered and wooed, and while she was showing signs of dissatisfaction, the actual parting comes as a big surprise. Even more surprising, she doesn’t confront him face to face. She sends a letter, leaves an address with her bank through which he can contact her, and just plain disappears. He can’t find her, talk to her, apologize or argue his case.

One wonders how well he even knew this woman, as he begins to unravel the pieces of her life and the secrets she has been keeping for months. There are men, of course, friends, his coworkers, hers–any of whom might be the man she has decided to “run away” with, or perhaps there is a man Mike has yet to discover even exists.

Doesn’t sound like anything other than a domestic, personal problem. Problem is, there is a lot going on that just cannot be explained, and the reader can feel the tension building, even before Mike does. The first half of the novel is just interesting and curiosity-building; the second half is a manic roller-coaster that makes the heart beat a little bit faster than usual.

Great fun. Kept me up way past my bedtime!

[David Evans]

I really enjoyed this. I read the Readers Digest condensed version inside the 1961 Anthology of Mystery and Suspense that has been on my parents’ bookshelves since they received it through the RD. Having read and enjoyed “Marnie” and the fact that I’ve been staring at the spine of this book for 60 years this was an oddly belated find but I was not disappointed.
There’s some believable scientific stuff about a scintillometer that Mike Granville has developed that the government are keen to use for detecting uranium in Sudan - if it can be made to work from an aeroplane. Immersed in this and trying to run his factory, Mike may not have considered his marriage to be at risk so it’s a shock to him when his wife leaves him in the book’s first sentence. Suddenly he has to re-evaluate his priorities and try to work out which of their friends and acquaintances may know more than they’re telling. His investigation is complicated by his growing attraction to a work colleague.
For a taste of early 1960’s angst, some good twists and a race to uncover the truth before he can be questioned by the police (who would like a word with him) this is hard to beat. Word of advice Mike: if your spouse hates your choice of toothpaste, that’s not a good sign.

[Eithne Murray]

4.5

A great psychological portrait. From a distance of 70 years it's a great contemporary depiction of the cold war. Graham obviously did huge research on scientific matters but the book wore it lightly. It painted a credible background.

Slightly irritated by Ross Poldark tendencies to the quixotic and self sabotaging.

[Patricia]

Really not the greatest book I've ever read. The story was good but thr writing style was boring.

[Craig Schlossin]

Good writer who can surprise you.

[Shanna]

Wasn’t bad. Probably would have been better if I had not known the jist of the story going in. The title of the book could have been better too.

[Ram]

Mystery crime thriller by Winston Graham in “The Sleeping Partner”.

More at

https://vramonline.wordpress.com/2025...

[Kate]

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