This was one of the [b:Eight Perfect Murders|52225186|Eight Perfect Murders (Malcolm Kershaw, #1)|Peter Swanson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562582942l/52225186._SX50_SY75_.jpg|71665754] that I had not read at the time I read Swenson's book, and so when it came up as a group read I was eager to join in. So glad I did!

If I had a list of favorite Golden Age mysteries this would definitely be on it. The writing is very clever and polished, and seems to be from a later period - maybe the 40's or 50's. Much of the behavior would be scandalous by the standards of St. Mary Mead, although the insights into human nature are on a par with Christie's.

The protagonist, Bickleigh, is reprehensible, but so many of the other characters are so loathsome that we can almost sympathize with his desire to strike back. Almost - and not in quite the same way. As the book unfolds, so does Bickleigh's character. Is he unraveling, or is his true self just becoming more intense?

The courtroom scenes near the end, presented as is the entire book, from Bickleigh's perspective, are especially entertaining. Actually, the whole book is entertaining; I found myself grinning through most of it.

All in all, a solid 5 stars in the Golden Age category. Not a sub-genre where I spend a lot of time these days, but this one is definitely a winner. ( )

4/26/22

Dr. Edmund (Teddy) Bickleigh is the local GP in the comfortably middle-class hamlet of Wyvern’s Cross; well-liked, he thinks his frequent advances on various women of the region all represent true love, until he meets newcomer Madeleine Cranmere and realizes what true love really is. Unfortunately the good doctor is married - to a harridan of a wife named Julia - but in almost no time, he conceives of a means to rid himself of her once and for all…. “Malice Aforethought” is considered one of the first psychological mysteries in the field, in part because we know from the very first page that Dr. Bickleigh is intending to murder his wife; the story is really about how he goes about it, and what happens next. My feminist sensibilities would be somewhat outraged by the point-of-view musings of Bickleigh about women in general, were it not for the fact that he is such a *little* man, in all meanings of the word; as such, I found him quite funny, if contemptuous and rather despicable overall. Published in 1931, the story remains quite believable, grounded as it is in human nature, although some particulars are dated. And I never saw the ending coming at all; always a pleasure in this type of novel! Recommended, keeping in mind that it is of its time. ( )

The best part about Malice Aforethought is it does not feel dated. It is hard to believe that this book came out in 1931. If I were to sum this book up in a few sentences it would be, unpleasant people doing unpleasant things, all of them receive some comeuppance for their unpleasant deeds, some suffer more than others. In some ways, it reminded me of Jim Thompson's The Killer Inside Me. A complex inner monologue making up the bulk of the narrative where a murderer thinks about and carries out his crimes, crimes which do pay even if temporarily, and then slowly losing control as the net closes around him. The last few chapters felt protracted. I felt rather bored with the murderer gaining confidence and getting excited and then becoming deflated, only to become confident again. That is the problem with gaining insight into the minds of a single character, I guess. It gets monotonous after a while. A good but disquieting read. ( )

This is an excellent example of the Golden Age mystery, although it’s more of a suspense novel than a whodunnit. We know from the first page that Dr. Bickleigh plans to murder his wife; it only remains to see how he will accomplish this and whether he gets away with it. This is an era of tennis parties, well-mannered / viciously gossiping ladies, elegant gardens and social distinctions that matter (Dr. Bickleigh’s wife never lets him forget how she has lowered herself to marry a doctor).

Bickleigh comes across in glimmers as sympathetic—neither he nor Julia seem particularly happy in the marriage—but as the book progresses any traces of this sympathy disappear. He fancies himself a bit of a womanizer, and his pursuit of other women, “even” for non-sexual affairs, reads as incredibly creepy in the age of #MeToo. The cunning he displays in executing his plans is horrifying and compelling at the same time. The ending is brilliant.

Highly recommended for fans of the Golden Age or classic crime novels. ( )