- first published 1964
- this edition published by Wakefield Crime Classics 1993
- 120 pages
For I prefer beauty always a little soured. When it comes to me as a spoonful of syrup, I spit it out.
Gilbert Hand hasn't been the same since his wife died. He's moved to a dull but respectable hotel where silence seems to brood in the hall and stairway. In a secret drawer he discovers a long, thick hank of human hair, and his world narrows down to two people - himself and the murderer.
The Wakefield Crime Classics series revives forgotten or neglected gems of crime and mystery fiction by Australian authors. Many of the writers have established international reputations but are little known in Australia.
My Take
This plot didn't quite turn out the way I expected it to. It is a relatively short novel, but I can't see how the author could have made it much longer. In this Wakefield crime classics reprint there is an interesting epilogue in which the author discusses with the editors Gilbert Hand's hair fetish. The author raises points that I didn't see in my reading of the novel, so perhaps I really missed the point.
My rating: 3.9
I've also reviewed 4.5, BEAT NOT THE BONES
Other titles in Wakefield Crime Classics
| A Hank of Hair |
| Arms for Adonis |
| Beat Not the Bones |
| Common People |
| Ligny's Lake |
| Sinners Never Die |
| The Secret of the Garden |
| The Souvenir |
| The Whispering Wall |
| Vanishing Point |
Hmm... sounds an odd sort of book, Kerrie. But I shouldn't judge as I've not read it. Thanks for calling it to my attention.
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