Boek
Bij gebrek aan bewijs
| Auteur | Henry Cecil |
| Eerste Uitgave | 1954 |
| Uitgave | 1983 |
| Uitgeverij | Balans |
| Vorm | roman |
| Taal | Nederlands |
| Bladzijden | 189 bladzijden |
| Gelezen | 2004-05-22 |
| Score | 7/10 |
Inhoud
De Engelse schrijver Henry Cecil is beroemd geworden om zijn rechtszaaldetectives, die niet alleen spannend zijn, maar vaak ook humoristisch. In 'Bij gebrek aan bewijs' staat een man terecht wegens de moord op een jong meisje. Hij wordt vrijgesproken, hoewel veel mensen geloven dat hij schuldig was - niet alleen aan deze moord, maar aan nog een hele serie andere.
Bespreking
A bit too naïve to be true
On December 12th at about six o'clock in the evening Ellen Wimslow leaves here house to do some shopping. She never returns. When her body is found, all evidence points to one single man: Gilbert Essex. To great astonishment of the public he is found not guilty due to the fact that all the evidence acquired was circumstantial. Nobody is surprised when a few days later another woman is killed. But that woman was his last victim, because not long after Gilbert Essex gets murdered himself. This time the murderer of a murderer stands trial. Nobody is sure if he deserves to be hanged or to receive a medal?
Henry Cecil likes to play with the morale of the reader by creating some situation that provokes a lot of discussion. This is certainly the case in According to the Evidence (1954) in which he investigates if some murders can be seen as permissible. No matter what the opinion of the reader may be, it is still enjoyable to watch the author play with the juristic system and try to push it as far as possible. The humorous style of Henry Cecil makes it all quite digestible, although at times it tends to exhibit a naivety that kills off the authenticity of the story.