Laura
by Vera Caspary A review by Warren
Bull
The movie that Otto Preminger
directed in 1944, based on the novel Laura
is a classic. The premise is
unique. A hard-boiled detective
investigating the murder of beautiful independent woman falls in love with the
victim. The only problem is — she
is dead.
Mark McPherson is a tough and
intelligent detective with experience in unraveling rackets and financial
shenanigans. He is assigned to investigate
the murder of Laura Hunt by a supervisor who despises him. The supervisor wants to deny McPherson
the pleasure of attending a baseball game he had been looking forward to
attending. Neither man could
predict the twists and turns that follow that act of petty spite.
When McPherson interviews important
people in Laura’s life, he becomes fascinated by and then enamored of the dead
woman.
If you don’t know the rest of the
plot, I won’t spoil it by telling you any more. If you haven’t read the novel or seen the movie, you are in
for a real treat.
I can say that the author deals
fairly with readers. Her
characterizations are subtle and telling.
I was fully engaged and my interest never waned. I finished the book in one day. Once again, I find there’s a lot to be
gained by reading the classic novels.
