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A review by devilstatedan
Thirty Hours with a Corpse and Other Tales of the Grand Guignol by S.T. Joshi, Maurice Level
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A set of brilliantly crafted mystery stories in almost flash-fiction format, originally written in French. Some of these stories are super short but somehow this amazing author still manage to set up, explain, and then twist around, all through the lens of the horrors of the mind.
All the stories are psychological thrillers, at least that's what we'd call them today. They are set in France in the early part of the 20th century. They explore characters of dubious intent and from across society, situations of confusion and terror, brushes with the supernatural, and downright nasty humans who want to take what is not theirs by any means possible.
Here is a massively underrated mystery writer and if you like Hitchcock, Christie, or Ngaio marsh, you love what Maurice Level has produced. It's a well put-together collection with a good introduction and the stories still hold currency in today's mystery writing scene imho!
All the stories are psychological thrillers, at least that's what we'd call them today. They are set in France in the early part of the 20th century. They explore characters of dubious intent and from across society, situations of confusion and terror, brushes with the supernatural, and downright nasty humans who want to take what is not theirs by any means possible.
Here is a massively underrated mystery writer and if you like Hitchcock, Christie, or Ngaio marsh, you love what Maurice Level has produced. It's a well put-together collection with a good introduction and the stories still hold currency in today's mystery writing scene imho!