LoveReading Says
A Maxim Jakubowski selected title.
A fascinating reissue program providing us with the rediscovery of an archetypal English sleuth created by Durbridge in 1938 and since made famous by a classic television series in the late 1960s and on radio. Temple is a suave crime novelist and detective solving cases with wit and elegance alongside Fleet Street journalist and sidekick Steve Trent and, later, his wife. Golden Age crime performed with gusto and much consumption of tobacco and alcohol. Highly entertaining escapism and easy reads for those who prefer their crime cosy and relatively bloodless and civilised. This particular novel is set on a cruise aboard a luxurious transatlantic liner and dates back to 1988 but 13 earlier volumes in the series have also been made available, including 'East of Algiers', 'The Kelby Affair', 'The Harkdale Robbery' and 'The Geneva Mystery'. For readers who are nostalgic for the magic of yesterday's crimes. ~ Maxim Jakubowski
Maxim Jakubowski
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Paul Temple and the Madison Case Synopsis
Paul and Steve plan to relax and take in some fresh sea air on board a luxurious trans-Atlantic liner ...that is until they meet the elusive Sam Portland. After the innocent introduction, grave danger lies ahead for the couple. As events unfold, a concoction of murder, blackmail and terror ensues. Life on board the ship requires cruise control as Temple attempts to get to the bottom of the secret behind Sam's lost years ...And just who is Madison?
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Francis Durbridge Press Reviews
'Francis Durbridge, made [Paul and Steve's] adventures utterly enchanting within that shivering threadbare postwar reality.'- The Telegraph
'A classy period piece, all clipped accents, glamour and a smoking and drinking count to rival Mad Men. Great fun and surprisingly gripping.' -The Guardian
About Francis Durbridge
Francis Henry Durbridge was born 25th November 1912 in Hull, England. He was educated at Bradford Grammar School, where he was encouraged to write by his English teacher. He continued to do so while studying English at Birmingham University. After graduating in 1933, he worked for a short time as a stockbroker's clerk before selling a radio play, Promotion, to the BBC at the age of 21. In 1938, Durbridge created the character Paul Temple, a crime novelist and detective. With Steve Trent, a Fleet Street journalist and later his wife, Temple solved numerous crimes in the glamorous world of the leisured middle classes, first on radio, then in films and, from 1969 to 1971, in a television series. In addition to the Paul Temple series, Durbridge wrote other mysteries for radio and television, many of which were also produced for German and Italian television and radio. Durbridge also forged a successful career as a writer for the stage with seven plays, the last of which, Sweet Revenge, was written in 1991. He also wrote 43 novels, many of which were adapted from his scripts, sometimes with the help of others. Durbridge married Norah Lawley in 1940, they had two sons. He died at his home in Barnes, aged 85 on 11th April 1998.
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