Man die zijn eigen erfgenaam was, De

Inhoud

Twee Engelse onderwijzeressen vinden, op vakantie in Frankrijk, het verminkte lijk van een man. Hij is vermoord. De oorzaak van deze gruwelijke misdaad moet in het verleden gezocht worden, tijdens een feestje waar een kaartlegster een opmerkelijke voorspelling deed.
Een verbluffend knap geconstrueerde misdaadroman.

Bespreking

A decent crime novel

In the summer of 1960 two English teachers, on Holidays in France, find the mutilated corpse of a man. He was brutally murdered. The motive of this gruesome crime can be found in the past: a party where a fortune-teller predicts a quite remarkable future. Paula and Rex, who were present at that party, do not realise the truth behind the things that were said by that silly old woman. There adventure starts that day, but they have no clue where it will bring them.
The Ballad of the Running Man (1961) is a straightforward, well-written crime novel. Smith sometimes has a little bit too much attention for the psyche of the protagonist and that kills the rhythm of the narrative at certain points. Nevertheless the swindle the two main characters get into is fascinating enough to hold the attention of the reader. This novel has been made into a movie in 1963 with the title The Running Man, not to be confused with the Stephen King story.