Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

Hello fellow Classic Mystery readers,

Welcome to our discussion about Malice Aforethought by (Francis Iles, your discussion leader is Tom.
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Please note: If you have not finished reading the book spoilers are permitted in this discussion from the start. If you would like to use the spoiler formatting it can be found on the top right of the comment box in the "(some html is ok)" menu.
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Summary

On a balmy summer's day in 1930 the great and the good of the county are out in force for the annual, much-anticipated tennis party at the Bickleighs, although not everyone has much enthusiasm for the game. The tennis party exists for other reasons - and charmingly mannered infidelity is now the most popular pastime in the small but exclusive Devonshire hamlet of Wyvern's Cross. Which is why, in his own garden, the host, Dr Edmund Bickleigh, is desperately fighting to conceal the two things on his mind: a mounting passion for Gwynfryd Rattery - and the certain conviction that he is going to kill his wife ...

Thanks for the intro, Gem. Nothing says Classic Mystery to me quite like a title from the Golden Age and I think we have a pretty good one here. Hopefully everyone is able to find a copy in one medium or another without too much difficulty. Looking forward to the discussion and we will kick things off this coming Sunday. See you then!

Oh boy. Looking forward to it.

Hello all. Welcome to November and the discussion of this month's Classic Mystery Malice Aforethought by Anthony Berkeley Cox a.k.a. Francis Iles. Because he published under more than one nom de plume,Cox is not one of the more recognizable names from the Golden Age. And yet he was one of the driving forces popularizing detective fiction at the time, founding the world famous Detection Club in 1930 along with fellow mystery writers Freeman Wills Crofts and Agatha Christie. Published in 1931, Malice Aforethought is one of the earlier instances of the "inverted detective story" -- one in which the identity of the murderer is revealed at the beginning of the story rather than at the end. So instead of a whodunit, this month we have more of a what-tripped-them-up tale. Fun stuff that I hope will generate some great discussion. Let us know what you think!

I started the first few pages of this before being pulled away, and I really enjoyed them. Looking forward to getting back to it!

"Murder is a serious business." Just love that.

About half way through and so far enjoying the narrative voice. Cox/Iles sure has a delivery shot through with a sense of irony. Or maybe muted sarcasm would be a better way of describing it. Either way, it lightens the mood (of a murder, no less) rather nicely.

Tom wrote: "About half way through and so far enjoying the narrative voice. Cox/Iles sure has a delivery shot through with a sense of irony. Or maybe muted sarcasm would be a better way of describing it. Eithe..."

Totally agree. It lightens the mood of murder. The writing of this novel is wonderful. The crime is murder just like every other murder mystery, right? But the character development through the inner thoughts of the doctor makes this book shine.

Although I'm getting a kick out of the writing, as always I'm struggling to find time read in print rather than audio and it's taking me a while to get through it. Only 20% of the way in, but glad to be reading it!

Barbara wrote: "Although I'm getting a kick out of the writing, as always I'm struggling to find time read in print rather than audio and it's taking me a while to get through it. Only 20% of the way in, but glad ..."

Oh good. I'll be interested in your thoughts.

Barbara wrote: "Although I'm getting a kick out of the writing, as always I'm struggling to find time read in print rather than audio and it's taking me a while to get through it. Only 20% of the way in, but glad ..."

I'm with you. Too many intrusions on our productive reading time. Glad you are enjoying it so far. And something for you to look forward to: the Dr. Bickleigh character continues to evolve with more and more hints of sociopathy in his meticulous planning.

Finished this today - and what fun it was! Such clever plotting and great character descriptions. It doesn't have the feel of a golden age mystery at all, particularly one set in the late 1920's. More like something from the 40's or 50's - or even later.

(view spoiler)[Interesting how as much as I loathed Bickleigh, it was so cleverly written that I found myself rooting for him during the trial! And the ending was just perfect. (hide spoiler)]

Barbara wrote: "Finished this today - and what fun it was! Such clever plotting and great character descriptions. It doesn't have the feel of a golden age mystery at all, particularly one set in the late 1920's. M..."

Totally agree.

Hi folks. Been off-line for a few days, so catching up a bit. Looks like the growing consensus is that this is pretty darn good book. And I will add my voice to that chorus having just finished it a couple of days ago. Expected it to be good, but not this good. Agree with you, Barbara, on this one kind of rising above most golden age works. To me there were several things about this book that were revolutionary for their time:

1) The "inverted detective story" - we knew whodunit all along, but we still got a surprise at the end.
2) Almost complete focus on the murderer and his perspective - minimal involvement of any sleuthing detective.
3) An intensely psychological character development: we get a psyche-deep look at Dr. Bickleigh's spiral - very rare for a mystery/detective story from that era.

Put it all together and it was a five-star read for me. Would love to hear other folks' thoughts on this.

Tom, that deep look inside Bickleigh's deteriorating mental health reminded me of Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train in particular.

Barbara wrote: "Tom, that deep look inside Bickleigh's deteriorating mental health reminded me of Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train in particular."

...which I have not yet read (recall the movie being quite good, but saw it many years ago). But if it is in a class with this one, I will definitely check it out. Thanks for the tip!

FWIW, I think the book is better at psychological creepiness.

Barbara wrote: "Tom, that deep look inside Bickleigh's deteriorating mental health reminded me of Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train in particular."

I hadn't thought about this but it's true. Liked that book as well.

Has anyone seen the film/tv mini-series based on this? I've not gotten a copy of the book but I remember seeing (and loving) the dramatization years ago.

Kirsten "keep calm there are only 24 days left" wrote: "Has anyone seen the film/tv mini-series based on this? I've not gotten a copy of the book but I remember seeing (and loving) the dramatization years ago."

I saw part of a series on Netflix (I think) a while back starring Ben Miller but then it was cancelled or changed streaming mediums because I could never find it again. What I saw was good. I'd like to see it all.