The Blunderer
 First edition (US) | |
| Author | Patricia Highsmith |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Suspense / Psychological Thriller |
| Publisher | Coward-McCann (US, 1954); W. W. Norton & Company (US, 2001) |
Publication date | 1954 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 288 pp |
| ISBN | 978-0-393-32244-6 |
| OCLC | 48053872 |
| 813/.54 21 | |
| LC Class | PS3558.I366 B58 2001 |
| Preceded by | The Price of Salt |
| Followed by | The Talented Mr. Ripley |
The Blunderer is a psychological thriller by Patricia Highsmith, first published in 1954 by Coward-McCann. It is Highsmith's third novel. It was brought back into print in the US in 2001 by W. W. Norton & Company.[1]
Synopsis
For years, mild mannered lawyer Walter Stackhouse has suffered as a result of his neurotic, unstable wife Clara, whose constant alienation of all his friends, coupled with her penchant for overly dramatic gestures, has slowly driven him to hate her. After he becomes infatuated with the sweet and sensuous music teacher Ellie Briess, Clara jealously attempts suicide via an overdose, forcing him into her arms once again. However, he eventually stands his ground and demands a divorce. When Clara subsequently turns up dead, having fallen off a cliff during a bus trip to see her dying mother, Walter finds himself blundering around in the dark as the official investigation ensues. He admits that he stalked her bus in his car, whilst daydreaming about the possibility of killing her at the first stop, just as Melchior J. Kimmel, a 40-year-old bookshop manager, murdered his own domineering partner Helen, an unsolved crime that Walter had read of in the paper and grown fascinated by.
Both men soon encounter the formidable, possibly psychotic Lieutenant Lawrence Corby, a police officer with savage ambition who is convinced of their guilt and believes that they are somehow in cahoots with one another. He soon begins encroaching on his suspects' lives, sowing the seeds of doubt into the minds of those they care for and even ferociously assaulting Kimmel.
Film Adaptations
- The Blunderer was filmed as Enough Rope by Claude Autant-Lara in 1963.[2]
- Director Andy Goddard is scheduled to direct a film adaptation of The Blunderer to be produced by Killer Films and Sierra Pictures and starring Patrick Wilson, Jessica Biel, Imogen Poots, and Toby Jones.[3]
References
External links
- The Blunderer (book details) - ChooseYourHighsmith.com
| ||||||||||