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Thursday November 30, 2017
Books in November
- Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton
The story flips between 1979, and "now" (1989). A copy of a missing (lewd) tape made by a bunch of teenagers turns up with a ransom demand. The parents of one of the kids - now all grown up and just out of prison (don't ask) - call Kinsey Millhone for help - and she is drawn into their family drama.
The usual exciting mix of mystery, drama and danger.
The 39 Steps
A man is murdered in Richard Hannay's London flat, and he goes on the run (dressed as a milkman...) pursued by the police - and a gang of German spies. Hannay must solve the mystery of the steps if he's to save the British naval fleet from certain destruction...
I have seen a number of dramatised versions of this story and they all seem to follow the line of the 1959 film - presumably because it has a nicely rounded plot with a good dose of romantic interest. I was amused that this version was exactly that plot - almost to the degree that, as far as my memory goes, they could have been using an abbreviated version of the same script.
The John Buchan original book from 1915 is a different matter - no female interest and full of jingoism and anti German sentiment - very much of its time of course. The book is also very clearly episodic, having been written as a serial for a magazine - and this is retained even in the much later productions with the hero having a number of unrelated "adventures" while eluding his pursuers. Apparently it was voted one of Britain's "best loved books" but I do wonder how many people have actually read the original text (and I admit it is at least 40 years since I did so).
This dramatisation from 2001 stars David Robb as Hannay, Tom Baker as Bullivant, Struan Rodger as Hawk, Tracy Wiles as Charlotte, Phillip Joseph as Johnners, Thomas Arnold as Jopley, Gordon Reid as Chairman, and Stuart McQuarrie as Sir Harry.
Posted by Christina at 11:41 PM. Category: Books of the Month
