I've only read two of Highsmith's so far, and this one was fine, in that it was another elegantly written, sharply observed mystery/thriller sort of thing that delicately brushed against serious literary topics. I found the novel's central character, Robert Forrester, compelling but I found the book's setting -- the postwar United States at the advent of the suburb and the automobile -- somewhat less so. Still, if you liked "Mad Men", there might be something here for you to enjoy, at least stylistically: just about everybody in "The Cry of the Owl" smokes cigarettes and drinks coffee and alcohol almost continuously and we do take a couple of trips into Manhattan. Beyond the whodunit aspects of the plot, Highsmith seems keen to point out the sometimes incomprehensible censoriousness of American small towns -- there are some things, apparently, that your neighbors will forgive and other things that they certainly will not, and there seems to be very little indeed that they don't know about you. The novel's also interested in death, both as a real absence and as a dark foreboding that lurks at the back of some character's unconscious, another thing, I suppose, that postwar Americans were just beginning to discover. It didn't exactly shock or astound me, but this is a good one if you're between really heavy reads. Certainly recommendable if you like the author, the period, or the genre. ( )

Heart palpitations come with this book. It makes a slow start, but by midway you are feeling the desperation and injustice as though it is happening to you. A very unexpected ending that is typical of Highsmith. ( )

Ne uccide più la lingua che la spada, ovvero quando i buoni diventano i cattivi e i cattivi diventano buoni. Il protagonista è un lavoratore solitario, una persona tranquilla che trova ristoro nelle sue piccole manie. Purtroppo è circondato da persone cattive e instabili, che riescono a compromettere la sua amicizia con la giovane Jenny, fino al tragico finale. vicini di casa impiccioni e inclini al giudizio fanno da contorno a questo thriller. Morale: vietato giudocare dalle apparenze!
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I suppose I’d better say why I gave this such a poor mark. There was almost nobody in this entire book who was not suffering from severe mental health problems. It became ridiculous. I don’t just mean the four main protagonists, I mean the neighbours, the landlady, the friends, the townspeople. The only ones anywhere near sane were the doctor and Jenny’s parents. It started off just being annoying , then became laughable. Shame, I like Highsmith and had high hopes for this one. ( )