Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton
During the 1930s, Patrick Hamilton was well-liked all around the world. Alfred Hitchcock adapted one of his plays, Rope, into a movie, and another, Gaslight, saw enormous success on the stage before being adapted into a movie starring Ingrid Bergman.
Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton
Amazon.com
- Used Book in Good Condition
George Bone is adrift in the filthy bars of London at the start of World War II and desperately in love with Netta, a disdainful stage actress. Occasionally, George experiences blackouts during which he is horribly aware that he must kill Netta.
George Harvey Bone, the primary character, has these odd trance states. He is committed to a lady who is little better than a prostitute and is unworthy of him, like many of Patrick Hamilton’s characters. He becomes fixated on her and kills her as a result.
It’s a book that would be in my top five nearly any day you called me because of how well it was written and how tight it felt. Many mystery authors like Patrick Hamilton because of his peculiar claustrophobia, even though he may not have ever been as well-liked in the United States as he is in the UK. He can also be hilarious, though usually about unpleasant things.
It has a certain black humour to it because the main character is so helpless and is being taken advantage of by his buddies, especially by this woman. And you just know the outcome will be disastrous.
