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Paul Temple #3
News of Paul Temple
As detective Paul Temple turns his hand to writing plays, his leading lady Iris Archer pulls out shortly before the play is due to open and declares that she is heading for France. However, shortly after her disappearance Paul Temple receives a guest at his Scottish holiday home – none other than that of Iris Archer.
As the plot thickens a mysterious letter is passed on to Paul Temple by a young man, with explicit instructions to deliver it to John Richmond. Meanwhile, what does the enigmatic Doctor Steiner have to do with events? And more importantly, who is the masked leader operating under the codename Z4?
It is up to Paul Temple to unravel the case.
As the plot thickens a mysterious letter is passed on to Paul Temple by a young man, with explicit instructions to deliver it to John Richmond. Meanwhile, what does the enigmatic Doctor Steiner have to do with events? And more importantly, who is the masked leader operating under the codename Z4?
It is up to Paul Temple to unravel the case.
3 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 1940
3 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Francis Durbridge
331 books33 followersFrancis Henry Durbridge was an English playwright and author born in Hull. In 1938, he created the character Paul Temple for the BBC radio serial Send for Paul Temple.
A crime novelist and detective, the gentlemanly Temple solved numerous crimes with the help of Steve Trent, a Fleet Street journalist who later became his wife. The character proved enormously popular and appeared in 16 radio serials and later spawned a 64-part big-budget television series (1969-71) and radio productions, as well as a number of comic strips, four feature films and various foreign radio productions.
Francis Durbridge also had a successful career as a writer for the stage and screen. His most successful play, Suddenly at Home, ran in London’s West End for over a year.
A crime novelist and detective, the gentlemanly Temple solved numerous crimes with the help of Steve Trent, a Fleet Street journalist who later became his wife. The character proved enormously popular and appeared in 16 radio serials and later spawned a 64-part big-budget television series (1969-71) and radio productions, as well as a number of comic strips, four feature films and various foreign radio productions.
Francis Durbridge also had a successful career as a writer for the stage and screen. His most successful play, Suddenly at Home, ran in London’s West End for over a year.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 17, 2022
Paul Temple has a new play in preparation and Iris Archer is engaged as his leading lady. But even before rehearsals she pulls out without explanation. Paul Temple and his wife Steve plan a holiday in Scotland but just before they leave Sir Graham Forbes of Scotland Yard calls on them and when asked what the Yard are currently up to he tells Temple, somewhat jokingly, '[W]e are up against one of the greatest criminal organisations ...'. Temple laughs and informs Forbes that they are on their way to Scotland for a relaxing holiday to which Forbes remarks, '[K]eep out of mischief.'
Well that is exactly what Temple does not do for mischief follows him wherever he goes ... and so does Forbes because he, too, ends up in Scotland investigating a major case of espionage. And there is a diverse cast of characters who could be involved, with the top person in the criminal organisation being known as Z4. But nobody knows who this mysterious mastermind is or whether he is male or female.
And, ironically, the hub of the organisation seems to be in Scotland so Temple is there to give a helping hand once Forbes arrives on the scene. Thereafter it is intrigue and action all the way, with suspects coming in and out of the picture but still without any definite identification of Z4.
But Paul Temple is too clever for all that and eventually, at great hardships to himself and Steve and one or two narrow escapes, he unravels what is rather a more convoluted mystery than Francis Durbridge usually presents us with but nevertheless it is an entertaining and at times exciting read.
Well that is exactly what Temple does not do for mischief follows him wherever he goes ... and so does Forbes because he, too, ends up in Scotland investigating a major case of espionage. And there is a diverse cast of characters who could be involved, with the top person in the criminal organisation being known as Z4. But nobody knows who this mysterious mastermind is or whether he is male or female.
And, ironically, the hub of the organisation seems to be in Scotland so Temple is there to give a helping hand once Forbes arrives on the scene. Thereafter it is intrigue and action all the way, with suspects coming in and out of the picture but still without any definite identification of Z4.
But Paul Temple is too clever for all that and eventually, at great hardships to himself and Steve and one or two narrow escapes, he unravels what is rather a more convoluted mystery than Francis Durbridge usually presents us with but nevertheless it is an entertaining and at times exciting read.
October 30, 2023
Paul Vlaanderen en Ina gaan op vakantie naar Schotland. Enkele van hun vrienden waarvan ze verwachten dat die naar Frankrijk zouden gaan, duiken ook op in hun vakantieplaatsje. Daar is wat geheimzinnigs aan de hand.
De lezer krijgt daar sneller van Vlaanderen (ten gerieve van de spanning en variatie in het hoorspel) gegevens in verband met de tegenpartij. Dit is de bende van Z. We maken kennis met Z.02 en al snel blijkt dat er een Z.04 op de achtergrond bestaat. Een meestercrimineel die misdaden plant maar ook meedogenloos kan straffen als er wat misgaat.
De cover is grappig en goed gevonden, een ouderwetse detectivhoed schalks boven een bloedrode letter Z. De essentie van het verhaal en toch compleet nietszeggend, er wordt geen enkel detail van het eigenlijke verhaal weggegeven.
De beklemmende sfeer van het vakantiedorpje, de gevaarlijke wegen, chauffeurs die veel te snel rijden, vliegen dat nog een gevaarlijk avontuur vormt vormen een prachtig decor. Durbridge laat natuurlijk iemand vermoorden, mensen worden gevangen genomen en opgesloten, anderen verongelukken (al dan niet "geholpen") en gevangenen proberen te ontsnappen. Al bekopen ze dat soms met de dood.
Een typische Vlaanderen, spannend, veel aktie, speurwerk geholpen door enkele toevalsteffers en een verrassende onknoping. Absoluut de moeite waard en een must voor de liefhebber van het genre.
De lezer krijgt daar sneller van Vlaanderen (ten gerieve van de spanning en variatie in het hoorspel) gegevens in verband met de tegenpartij. Dit is de bende van Z. We maken kennis met Z.02 en al snel blijkt dat er een Z.04 op de achtergrond bestaat. Een meestercrimineel die misdaden plant maar ook meedogenloos kan straffen als er wat misgaat.
De cover is grappig en goed gevonden, een ouderwetse detectivhoed schalks boven een bloedrode letter Z. De essentie van het verhaal en toch compleet nietszeggend, er wordt geen enkel detail van het eigenlijke verhaal weggegeven.
De beklemmende sfeer van het vakantiedorpje, de gevaarlijke wegen, chauffeurs die veel te snel rijden, vliegen dat nog een gevaarlijk avontuur vormt vormen een prachtig decor. Durbridge laat natuurlijk iemand vermoorden, mensen worden gevangen genomen en opgesloten, anderen verongelukken (al dan niet "geholpen") en gevangenen proberen te ontsnappen. Al bekopen ze dat soms met de dood.
Een typische Vlaanderen, spannend, veel aktie, speurwerk geholpen door enkele toevalsteffers en een verrassende onknoping. Absoluut de moeite waard en een must voor de liefhebber van het genre.
August 4, 2015
Thrilling! Great detective story, even quite humorous
April 25, 2025
This is the 3rd Paul Temple adventure, first broadcast as a radio serial in Nov/Dec, 1939, and published in this 'ghost-written' book form in 1940. The provenance is significant.
Frankly, if a 14 year old English public schoolboy had produced this in 1938, his English teacher might have legitimately have complimented him on his efforts, inquired whether he'd enjoyed the Robert Donat portrayal of Richard Hannay in Hitchcock's 1935 '39 Steps', then deconstructed the script to help the said schoolboy understand a more sophisticated approach to plotting, characterisation, use of drama and tension, etc., etc., etc.
If an experienced professional writer had produced this in 1939, I would have hoped his script editor / publisher would queried what it was he'd been smoking and suggest that, after undergoing an urgent detox, he sit down and try to produce something with more originality and quality.
This could well be one of the most ludicrous stories ever to make it into print (I gather no recordings of the original radio production have survived - it would have liked to have heard that serial).
The plot is juvenile - indeed, there must have been thousands of literate teenagers in England in 1939 who could have come up with a more imaginative romp than this one. The reliance on coincidence is taken to extremes - that all the principal actors should turn up in the same remote Scottish village beggars credibility, never mind belief.
And it's the same old same old - this time its a gang led by a mystery Mr.Big (this time they're spies not jewel thieves) and the whole mystery is about unmasking the bad guy. Ludicrous acts of violence intervene, the whole plot is sterile, and Durbridge hasn't even tried to embrace any real understanding of policing and criminal investigation - Scotland Yard's Commissioner seems to be working as an active investigator (rather than leaving the job to the various spooks maintained by the Home Office or War Office, etc.) ... and to be in operational control of all the police forces in Scotland!
The setting is in Scotland (and is about as convincingly Scottish as Brigadoon done with a Home Counties accent) and there is only one 'Scottish' character (given an 'och aye the noo' speech impediment so you'll know), all the other actors are English ... except, of course, for the Austrian. Every spy novel needs a foreigner!
The setting is in Scotland because that's where Richard Hannay had his adventure. The spies are after the plans for a secret weapon - because that's what Richard Hannay found himself chasing. I kept waiting for the discovery that Mr.Big could be identified by his missing finger.
But perhaps the most amazing thing about this drivel is that it was first broadcast in November, 1939, the war in Europe having broken out weeks before, on 1st September. Not a single mention of Germany, or Nazis, no attempt to give a mediocre radio script some verisimilitude and immediacy by engaging with the current emergency.
I can't believe someone at the BBC didn't query the script and suggest its 'Nazification'. I can't believe its ghost-writer didn't argue for a dramatic revision of the novel for a 1940 audience (Durbridge didn't write the novel, a jobbing ghostwriter called Charles Holton translated the serial into book form, but gets no credit even in the 2015 edition I read). Surely, in 1940, it needed updating, needed a plot transplant?
I've read three Temple novels now, and listened to half a dozen of the radio serials. The radio serials make me laugh - the books explore another dimension of ludicrous, I shan't be reading any more.
Frankly, if a 14 year old English public schoolboy had produced this in 1938, his English teacher might have legitimately have complimented him on his efforts, inquired whether he'd enjoyed the Robert Donat portrayal of Richard Hannay in Hitchcock's 1935 '39 Steps', then deconstructed the script to help the said schoolboy understand a more sophisticated approach to plotting, characterisation, use of drama and tension, etc., etc., etc.
If an experienced professional writer had produced this in 1939, I would have hoped his script editor / publisher would queried what it was he'd been smoking and suggest that, after undergoing an urgent detox, he sit down and try to produce something with more originality and quality.
This could well be one of the most ludicrous stories ever to make it into print (I gather no recordings of the original radio production have survived - it would have liked to have heard that serial).
The plot is juvenile - indeed, there must have been thousands of literate teenagers in England in 1939 who could have come up with a more imaginative romp than this one. The reliance on coincidence is taken to extremes - that all the principal actors should turn up in the same remote Scottish village beggars credibility, never mind belief.
And it's the same old same old - this time its a gang led by a mystery Mr.Big (this time they're spies not jewel thieves) and the whole mystery is about unmasking the bad guy. Ludicrous acts of violence intervene, the whole plot is sterile, and Durbridge hasn't even tried to embrace any real understanding of policing and criminal investigation - Scotland Yard's Commissioner seems to be working as an active investigator (rather than leaving the job to the various spooks maintained by the Home Office or War Office, etc.) ... and to be in operational control of all the police forces in Scotland!
The setting is in Scotland (and is about as convincingly Scottish as Brigadoon done with a Home Counties accent) and there is only one 'Scottish' character (given an 'och aye the noo' speech impediment so you'll know), all the other actors are English ... except, of course, for the Austrian. Every spy novel needs a foreigner!
The setting is in Scotland because that's where Richard Hannay had his adventure. The spies are after the plans for a secret weapon - because that's what Richard Hannay found himself chasing. I kept waiting for the discovery that Mr.Big could be identified by his missing finger.
But perhaps the most amazing thing about this drivel is that it was first broadcast in November, 1939, the war in Europe having broken out weeks before, on 1st September. Not a single mention of Germany, or Nazis, no attempt to give a mediocre radio script some verisimilitude and immediacy by engaging with the current emergency.
I can't believe someone at the BBC didn't query the script and suggest its 'Nazification'. I can't believe its ghost-writer didn't argue for a dramatic revision of the novel for a 1940 audience (Durbridge didn't write the novel, a jobbing ghostwriter called Charles Holton translated the serial into book form, but gets no credit even in the 2015 edition I read). Surely, in 1940, it needed updating, needed a plot transplant?
I've read three Temple novels now, and listened to half a dozen of the radio serials. The radio serials make me laugh - the books explore another dimension of ludicrous, I shan't be reading any more.
August 22, 2022
Rating 2.5
Another PT novel that was okay but didn’t really hit the mark with me. I still really enjoy the radio serials when I listen to them, and some of the tv/movie adaptations however the more novels I have read the more I think FD was better at radio than prose.
As with the first two novels in the series, the dead and injured count is quite high again and yet neither PT or Sir Graham seem that bothered about it. Even with the unintentional suicidal of the scientist towards the end of the story, they didn’t seem to care.
The actual plot was initially interesting but then the coincidences and inconsistencies started piling up and removed the enjoyment for me. The idea that an intelligence gathering group would go to the trouble of buying a hotel in the middle of Scotland and recruiting locals as agents was too far fetched for me. This story works as a radio series listened to over a number of weeks/episodes as any issues over plotting are ignored due to the pacing of the story, unfortunately in prose they cannot be hidden for me at least.
As with the majority of PT novels the story moves along at a quick pace, but the investigatory techniques used by PT were even more vague than usual I thought, how he and Steve are still breathing at the end stretches credibility too far for me. Most detective/thrillers have some suspension of disbelief but I did find this one too much by the end. Also as with the majority of PT novels the plot moves along nicely until around page 140 (or so) and then suddenly ends - as if the author hit a word or page count and therefore had to end the book. So overall poorly paced I thought.
Possibly I am being a bit harsh, but having read a number of PT novels in the last couple of months, mainly to remove them from my tbr after so long, and after also relistening to one of the radio serials which I still enjoy- I find the novels very disappointing
Another PT novel that was okay but didn’t really hit the mark with me. I still really enjoy the radio serials when I listen to them, and some of the tv/movie adaptations however the more novels I have read the more I think FD was better at radio than prose.
As with the first two novels in the series, the dead and injured count is quite high again and yet neither PT or Sir Graham seem that bothered about it. Even with the unintentional suicidal of the scientist towards the end of the story, they didn’t seem to care.
The actual plot was initially interesting but then the coincidences and inconsistencies started piling up and removed the enjoyment for me. The idea that an intelligence gathering group would go to the trouble of buying a hotel in the middle of Scotland and recruiting locals as agents was too far fetched for me. This story works as a radio series listened to over a number of weeks/episodes as any issues over plotting are ignored due to the pacing of the story, unfortunately in prose they cannot be hidden for me at least.
As with the majority of PT novels the story moves along at a quick pace, but the investigatory techniques used by PT were even more vague than usual I thought, how he and Steve are still breathing at the end stretches credibility too far for me. Most detective/thrillers have some suspension of disbelief but I did find this one too much by the end. Also as with the majority of PT novels the plot moves along nicely until around page 140 (or so) and then suddenly ends - as if the author hit a word or page count and therefore had to end the book. So overall poorly paced I thought.
Possibly I am being a bit harsh, but having read a number of PT novels in the last couple of months, mainly to remove them from my tbr after so long, and after also relistening to one of the radio serials which I still enjoy- I find the novels very disappointing
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2019
Returning to his original profession, writing, Temple has penned a play designed to showcase leading lady Iris Archer who mysteriously withdraws from the production before rehearsals commence. With time on his hands, Temple and the intrepid Steve decide on a motoring holiday in Scotland (shades of the 39 Steps and Robert Donat - sighs) and encounter a strange young man who insists they hand a letter to a fellow guest at their hotel. Not only does the guest turn out to be their friend, Sir Graham Forbes of Scotland Yard (staying under a pseudonym) but an acquaintance (and evident red herring) from their recent transatlantic crossing and Iris Archer, also turn up! Yes, the plot is silly and greatly borrowed from the 39 Steps in that it encompasses espionage, secret weapons and lots of double crossing, but like all the Temples, remains frothy fun.
December 13, 2018
A writer gets involved in a mystery.
This was an old-fashioned murder / spy mystery – think of the old black and white films on TV. Some of the characters were a bit clichéd but overall I enjoyed the writing style / story.
This was an old-fashioned murder / spy mystery – think of the old black and white films on TV. Some of the characters were a bit clichéd but overall I enjoyed the writing style / story.
February 5, 2024
A witty GA romp with Paul Temple & the ever glamorous Steve as they return from America & decide to spend a few days in Scotland.
They become involved in routing out the head of an international spy ring who has kidnapped an inventor of a screen that could be a useful wartime weapon
They become involved in routing out the head of an international spy ring who has kidnapped an inventor of a screen that could be a useful wartime weapon
February 3, 2025
It started really well and seemed very intriguing. But somewhere around the middle everyone started behaving as if they left their brain at home. From Paul and Steve walking right into the dungeons and letting themselves be captured to the policeman allowing Iris to escape, it irked me to no end.
June 14, 2017
A good romp with plenty of the usual suspense and mystery.
March 14, 2022
I did not like this book. After I have heard some of the BBC broadcast I thought I'd give it a try. Did not enjoy it.
June 15, 2023
I missed out pp59-155 because it seemed so slow and corny, even for 1940, when it was first published. It’s very old fashioned without any redeeming features.
April 15, 2025
A 1930s espionage thriller - a bit dated but rips along and our hero solves the mystery after quite a few dead bodies along the way.
January 5, 2017
I read the book version. Way too many murders. Standard plot.
December 7, 2021
Barely a 3 stars tbh
October 23, 2011
Listened to this in the car. First time I'd heard any Paul Temple, and it being read by Anthony Head helped. The plot is multi-layered and is about a spy ring who kill people. The fun is working out ho's involved and which are the read herrings. It is of its time, so some words and phrases do sound odd.
April 3, 2020
Enjoyable but the straight-forward audiobooks, ie not dramatised, are simply not as good. You miss out on all the car screechings and crashes, high pitched 'HELP' yellings, the stern "By Timothy!!" exclamations, bombs going off, door bells ringing, glasses clinking, etc.
February 21, 2017
This was slightly more complicated than your average Paul Temple; it seemed like more thought had gone into the plot. Maybe it should get 3.5 stars then, but I don't think a Paul Temple could ever get 4 stars from me. They're all too cliché.
Still, an enjoyable listen.
Still, an enjoyable listen.
May 13, 2012
Lightweight classic mystery that suits being confined more or less to bed for an extended period. Made rather more enjoyable by Anthony Head's gentle, measured reading.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews