Friday, November 25, 2016

Forgotten (or Overlooked) Book: THE LIST OF ADRIAN MESSENGER (1959) by Philip MacDonald


No question about it, re-reading this after many years, nothing much has changed - it remains a thoroughly splendid book. There - I said it and I'm glad. Even better then the first time around. It is and should be viewed a classic. Period.

Better, of course, than the movie with those tiresome rubbery make-up tricks meant and failing to intrigue (if you've seen the film you'll know what I mean) - a movie only saved by the wonderfully warm and intelligent performances of George C. Scott, Jacques Roux and Colin Brook. I recommend the film based on those three actors and the spiffy, fast-moving plot (different in many ways from the book) DESPITE Kirk Douglas' ham-bone turn and the rest of the make-up jiggery-pokery. Honestly, if they'd only gone forward with the film in a straight forward way, John Houston would have had another classic film to brag about.

But back to the book:

Which has a richer and more complex plot than the film and becomes the sort of thing you don't ever want to end. Don' you love when that happens? I know, I'm getting googly, but bear with me.

Anthony Gethryn is the gentleman detective/crime-solver par excellence (happy to work with Scotland Yard) conceived by the very underrated Philip MacDonald (who also wrote and co-wrote excellent screenplays), a writer mostly forgotten these days. It's really a shame that MacDonald's books are no longer available in new editions. I, for one, would love nothing better than a whole shelf devoted to his trade paperbacks - stand-alones and Anthony Gethryns. As it is, I pick them up as best I can online.

(I've reviewed MacDonald's other classic, WARRANT FOR X, and would have gladly linked it for you, but for whatever reason, Google - in its infinite wisdom - now no longer permits me to search the blog by name or title so I can't find the damn thing and neither will you. I don't know why this is happening but at some point I hope the powers that be will wake up and change whatever they did and go back to the way it was.)

Anthony Gethryn is, of course, the kind of sleuth we love. He is brilliant, elegant, upper class and worthy of all we've come to associate with gentleman detectives from the golden age. He has manners! He has a family and lives in a wonderful house in London. (Though home and family are conveniently absent this time out, since I suspect they would have only curtailed his agility.)

I can't even begin to express just how much I love this book except to say that I am going to begin rereading it yet again in a few days time just as soon as I finish with several library books whose deadlines are fast approaching.  More about those in later posts. (You can keep track of what I'm reading by checking the blog's left side bar near the top under 'Finished Reading', and also my Page: 'Books Read in 2016'.)

Something odd: I had remembered the ending of THE LIST OF ADRIAN MESSENGER film as being a bit better than the ending of the book, but upon this second re-reading, I've decided I was wrong. The book has a better ending. Totally different and in a way, more satisfying.

Okay, and now The plot:

"This tale hinges, like so much in humanity's sorry history, on a piece of paper. In this case no broken treaty or injudicious epistle from one Personage to another, but a slip upon which Adrian Messenger wrote the names and addresses and occupations of ten men."

Messenger is an English author currently at work on a memoir. A day or so before a fateful trip to America, he lunches with a friend, General Firth, who works in an advisory capacity at Scotland Yard - Special Assistant to the head of the C.I.D. (Both Messenger and Firth had shared hair-raising war time activities and know each other to be the sort who wouldn't waste each other's time with nonsense.) They have an enigmatic conversation which results in Messenger giving Firth a list of ten names and asking him to quietly and unofficially check on whether those ten men are still living at those ten addresses within the United Kingdom.

More than that, Messenger will not say. Except that the thing he's working on is so preposterous no one would believe it anyway - and no, it's not a conspiracy of any sort. Once Messenger returns from America, he'll have more details.

But Messenger is destined to gather no more details. Once his plane is over the Atlantic, an explosion takes care of it and the passengers bound for America. All except for one survivor, journalist Raoul St. Denis who, fortunately, overhears Messenger's final rambling words as both men and an unconscious woman (who later dies and has nothing to do with the story) dangle on a crate floating in the sea.

It is assumed, at first, that the tragedy is the result of a horrible malfunction of plane-ware.

General Firth, in the meantime, has done his duty by Messenger - he's instituted a stealthy check of the names on the list and the results trouble him enough that he wants to consult.

In turn, he and Sir Lucas (aforementioned head of the C.I.D. and old crony of Anthony Gethryn) arrange a dinner meeting (naturally at one of their clubs) with Gethryn.

"There was something in your voice, my friend. What is this - a problem?" 

"That," said Lucas cryptically, is what Firth wants to find out."

And find out they do over the next exciting pages of this thrilling escapade of a book. I know, I know, my hyperbole is running amok - but honestly, I can hardly contain my enthusiasm. I have a strange fascination for stories featuring competent people faced with an enigmatic problem they are determined to solve for no other reason than because something is wrong which must be set right. It's my kind of story and I'm always on the look-out for one I may have missed. It's the kid in me that fell hook line and sinker for tales of this sort, ages ago. I am enamored of rational men (or women) using their guile, intelligence and wit to do the right thing. Old fashioned, especially these days, but there it is.

Back to the book:

 Troublesome odds: All of the men on Adrian Messenger's list have, one by one, over the previous five years, met accidental deaths. The odds of which trouble not only Firth, but immediately fascinate Gethryn. Though Lucas drags his feet a bit, he too finally comes to see that the odds of that sort of thing happening by chance are absurd.

Eventually, Gethryn and the lone survivor of the plane tragedy, journalist Raoul St. Denis, meet in person, though they had actually 'met' before during the War when both were underground operatives connected by long distance radio and false names. St. Denis is/was an explosives expert who will fall in love (at first sight) with Jocelyn Messenger, a painter of miniatures once married to Adrian Messenger's brother, killed in the war. Long story short, they all get involved, in varying degrees in the hunt for an unknown and very efficient killer. A man who has been getting away with murder (on two occasions, mass murder) for years and left nary a clue. Not a serial killer of the sort we're used to reading about, so it's not your average tale of a man driven by blood lust or sex or politics or even delusion. As Messenger himself says in the beginning, "And anyway, if I'm right it's a far older sin than any politics..."

In the end, here's my advice: grab a copy anyway you can find it - if you're lucky, your library might have one, though mine didn't. Now and again a copy shows up on Amazon or Abe Books and there's your chance. Mine was only four bucks (a rackety old paperback). But you have to move swiftly.

Then allot a long afternoon to one of the cleverest thrillers ever written. Events in the book happen between one Christmas and the next, so this would be an appropriate title to add to your seasonal reading list even if, well, the holidays don't have anything to do with things except in passing.

And another thing:

One of Philip MacDonald's many writing strengths is his way with settings, convivial or otherwise. He has the Agatha Christie knack of almost immediately being able to lift you up and set you down in whatever surroundings are required. He is especially good at drawing the reader in as if he or she were a guest and welcome to our adventure.

It was a darkening and bitter half past four when, back in London's outskirts again, he crossed the river at Putney and headed for Chelsea; fifteen minutes later when he rang the bell of Number Five Whistler's Walk, and two minutes later when the little Scotswoman, after a short conversation over the inter-house phone, led him across to the studio.

Charming outside, this was even more so within. It was long and high and the whole northern section of the roof was glass. At one end fir logs crackled in a fireplace of dark red brick and at the other a big stove glowed. Around the stove and under the glass roof was all the pleasing litter of a painter's workplace, but about the hearth were order and comfort; deep chairs and a sofa and a low round table upon which stood a tea service on a silver tray.

And he entered, Jocelyn rose from one of the big chairs and from the other side of the hearth, on the sofa, Raoul St. Denis raised a hand in greeting. Permeating the comfortable glow of the place, lending an invisible nimbus to the man and woman already in it, there was an atmosphere of felicitous and personal excitement which for want of a better word Anthony was forced to describe to himself as 'romantic.' He answered Raoul's gesture in kind, and smiled at Jocelyn as she came to meet him. And looking at her was suddenly smitten, albeit with a pleasantly wistful benevolence, by consciousness of his years.

All this and a fascinating hunt for killer who will stop at nothing - what more could you want?

Todd Mason will be doing hosting doings for author Patricia Abbott at his blog, Sweet Freedom this Friday. Don't forget to check in to see what other forgotten or overlooked books other bloggers are talking about today.

26 comments:

  1. That's interesting - like you, I remember the book's ending feeling a bit distant, as if seen from a long distance literally and so not very dynamic - the movie is totally different and certainly more conventional (followed by the fun reveal of the masks of course). Great choice Yvette, I used to adore MacDonald's books and still have most of them.

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    1. If you still have this one, Sergio - it is worth a re-read. I only have a couple of MacDonald's books, but little by little I'm hoping to build a small library of his work.

      Yeah, the ending of the book surprised me this time out since I had thought it lacked something. But then, upon re-reading it, it didn't. A bit far-fetched, but very satisfying.

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  2. I too loved this book. Here you will find some information that I hope will be helpful.
    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/philip-macdonald/

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    1. Thanks for the link, Gram. I forgot to check fantastic fiction - shame on me. This is such a terrific book, so much better than some of the other so-called 'classics' out there.

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  3. Yvette,

    Sounds interesting. I shall check out the film also.

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    1. Definitely, Fred. I'd say read the book first, if you can. When you see the film, you'll see why I loved George C. Scott in it. Even if his English accent isn't much of one.

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  4. i've read some P.M., but not this one - to be remedied toot sweet... have to say i totally agree with your stated plot preferences; which attitude makes most modern writing unpleasant for me...

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    1. I hope you find a copy, Mudpuddle. It is definitely worth the trouble to check around. My plot preferences are kind of old fashioned, but then, so am I. :) Glad we agree.

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  5. Excellent review. A fascinating book, and a fascinating writer. Although the quality of some of his books was mixed, at his best he was brilliant.

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    1. Thanks, Martin. Yes, 'fascinating' is the key word. And I agree, not all of MacDonald's books are top notch, but when they are, they are, indeed, brilliant.

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  6. I read this ages ago and really enjoyed it. I've read a few of Macdonald's other Gethryn mysteries and enjoyed all except The Rasp, which I know is supposed to be a classic but I thought it A) dragged and B) was completely preposterous. But Warrant for X is definitely a classic.

    Have you read any of Michael Gilbert's Inspector Hazelrigg stories? They remind me a great deal of the best Gethryn books.

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    1. I, too, disliked THE RASP - intensely. But I think that was MacDonald's first detective yarn and so I excuse him. :) I haven't read any of Michael Gilbert's books, Graham, but I'll definitely take a look. Thanks for the tip.

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    2. hated Rasp also; didn't read anything by him for quite a while after that...

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    3. Here's another vote for Michael Gilbert. Just recently stumbled across him, did some research and found he's very highly regarded in the UK. I had never heard of him.
      Have now read 2, both very different, both very good, and right up your alley I should think.
      Never picked up a PM (always assumed he was an American hard-boiled '50s type) -- but will renedy that asap.

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    4. Philip MacDonald - hard-boiled? Never! I'm glad you realized the error of your ways, Tinpot. :) And now after all this enthusiasm for Michael Gilbert, I'm going to make doubly sure to check out his books.

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  7. http://yvettecandraw.blogspot.com/2015/11/friday-forgotten-or-overlooked-book_27.html

    (I typed 'warrant' into the search box at the top of the page and it's the first thing that came up. It's a Thanksgiving miracle!)

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    1. HA! Well, it's possible that Google only wants ME not to be able to search my own blog. Who the heck knows? I'm glad you were able to search and get an answer. Thanks for letting me know, Jee Jay.

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  8. This book has long been on my wishlist, Yvette. Wish I could get to it quickly.

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    1. Well, this is one instance where the results will be worth the wait. :)

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  9. Sold! How could I not, under the hypnotic spell of your review? I saw the movie as a kid. I think it was one of the first 3-D movies in our hick town. (Or maybe we drove to one of the modern cinemas in Madison) Anyway, I enjoyed the shenanigans in the movie but had forgotten the plawt--and still cannot connect it to the movie (of which all I can remember is everyone removing their rubber masks--I think the theater even offered a prize of some sort for guessing the villain during a brief intermission near the end). Didn't realize it was based on a novel, altho I should have. Had not heard of Philip MacDonald, but now, of course, I'm on the hunt!

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    1. Ha! Good, I'm glad for your sake - it's SUCH a fabulous book, Mathew. (Hypnotic? I'll have to make sure I use my powers wisely.)

      3-D? I don't remember that. But really, you MUST read the book. If you stumble across MacDonald's WARRANT FOR X, buy that one as well. (Take it on faith.) I'm in the process now of trying to get my hands on all his books. I wish he'd written more. :)

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  10. Great review! Haven't read the book in many years, but remember enjoying it immensely. I'm a big fan of the movie, too, though I admit it doesn't need the disguise gimmick employed for Mitchum, Sinatra, et al.

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    1. Thanks, Rick. Yeah, that disguise gimmicky thing would have ruined the movie for me forever if not for George C. Scott, Jacques Roux and Colin Brook. Herbert Marshall wasn't bad either. Actually, I finally broke down and bought the dvd. I watch everything up until Kirk Douglas shows up near the end. Then I press the stop button. For me, that is the true end of the film. I simply cannot tolerate him in this.

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  11. First encountered PM when I read Murder is Mad probably 50 years ago! Have read and/or bought most of his books, and totally agree with the comments above, especially re the film. As to Michael Gilbert, he is one of my top 3 British mystery writers who knew all about plot, pace and people...a MUST read! This is a geat blog btw, I just love the Golden Age, and at the age of 65 have just discovered Colonel Gore ( 99p on Kindle!)

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    1. Thanks so much, Wyseman. Kind words always appreciated. Colonel Gore? Never heard of him. I'll have to check around - thanks for the tip.

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  12. I remember seeing the film (I was not impressed!), but you've persuaded me that I should find a copy of the book. Thanks for your great posting/review. Now, if I can only find the book somewhere. All the best from fellow book-blogger at http://beyond221bbakerstreetredux.blogspot.com/
    v/r
    Tim

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