There have been many theories about who Jack the Ripper was...
There was The Royal Conspiracy Theory
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The Jack Was A Jill Theory
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The Crazy DThere have been many theories about who Jack the Ripper was...
There was The Royal Conspiracy Theory
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The Jack Was A Jill Theory
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The Crazy Doctor With A Big Mustache Theory
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Or the theory that Marie Belloc Lownde's novel is based on-
The Lodger Theory
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Belloc Lowndes is supposed to have gotten the idea for her story after overhearing a dinner conversation- where a guest was telling another- that his mother's butler and cook claimed to have once rented rooms to Jack the Ripper, and after reading THE LODGER- this fictional account seems to be a mix of Walter Sickert (a German Artist), G. Wentworth Bell Smith (a Canadian religious fanatic), and Francis Tumblety (an Irish/American- physician/quack). All visiting London during the Ripper murders...all lodgers...
Ellen and Robert Bunting have fallen on hard times. After spending years in "service"- they sunk their life savings on a house and furnishings. They had hoped to rent out rooms to make a nice living in their old age, but now are within weeks of losing everything.
One night a stranger comes to the Bunting home looking for lodgings. His name -"Mr. Sleuth", and Ellen in particular takes to him. He seems a bit eccentric, but he pays her in advance- takes two rooms and settles in for the long haul. The Buntings breathe a sigh of relief and start to relax into their new good fortune...but not for long...
The arrival of Mr Sleuth coincides with crimes happening in the area. The London newspapers have been covering the story of a group of murders. The victims- women. The killer- a man calling himself- "The Avenger". With a slow building horror, Ellen Bunting realizes that her upstairs lodger could be the mysterious killer, and eventually- her husband Robert Bunting is having that feeling too.
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The Lodger is a story of psychological suspense as two people are faced with the sickening possibility that they may be harboring a murderer. The pace is very slow. There is no gore, but what it is...is quietly terrifying- if as you are reading it- you put yourself in the Bunting's place and think about what it would be like living with a serial killer upstairs....more
When I was in my 20s- living in Toronto and traveling on the train to visit my parents 4 hours away- I always thought there was nothing worse than tryWhen I was in my 20s- living in Toronto and traveling on the train to visit my parents 4 hours away- I always thought there was nothing worse than trying to read my book while having some annoying fellow passenger try to start a conversation...but then I watched Alfred Hitchcock's STRANGERS ON A TRAIN and realized- Nope it could have been worse.
I usually have a hard time reading the book once I have watched the movie, but Patricia Highsmith's novel is very different than Hitchcock's adaptation of it. It is much darker and much more sinister...
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Guy Haines life is just about perfect- he is about to get his big break as an architect, and he is in love with and wants to marry Anne- his girlfriend of two years. There is just one small problem. His wife Miriam is making life difficult for him, so Guy is on his way to his hometown of Metcalf to meet with her, and get the divorce finalized.
While on the train Guy meets Charles Anthony Bruno- a shiftless young man who hates his rich father- Samuel Bruno...but loves spending Samuel's money. As the hours pass and the alcohol flows, the idle chatter between the two men takes a dark turn when Bruno turns the talk to murder. The perfect murder. His idea- I kill your wife, you kill my father...
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STRANGERS ON A TRAIN is a psychological thriller that stays with you. One that will make you think twice about striking up a conversation with a seemingly innocent stranger. Do yourself a favor and keep your nose in a book.
*Note -Not to be confused with Throw Momma from the Train.
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...sorry I just had to get that picture in....more
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