Review of Calling Paul Temple

The Paul Temple thrillers were always tricky, as if the writer concentrated all his efforts and going at any lengths in obfuscating the plot behind the plots, strewing red herrings all around and scattering strange murders all over the place. To make the stew more sizzling there is a hypnotic trance session as well and a very atmospheric sightseeing of Canterbury at night along the murky waterways to hidden entrances to old medieval monasteries - only ghosts are missing in this virtuoso display of intrigues, all about death, while some clarity is missing. You never get a clear statement of the motives behind the murders, there is blackmail indeed and a lot of clues, especially by the victims just before they are shot, leaving messages unfinished, with only the murderer's name missing. You have to be a fan of Francis Durbridge to like and enjoy this kind of thing, but whoever gets to know him, will be a fan of his. His thrillers are always intelligent and sophisticated, there is a fresh touch of elegance and high class wit in everything he wrote, and his intelligence is far more refined than any of the others - in some ways, he is second only to Sherlock Holmes. Some will be confused by the jam of intrigues here, but it would be satisfaction enough if you just could enjoy the atmosphere.