The Accused

by Harold R. Daniels

The classic courtroom drama by Harold R. Daniels.

Genres: Mystery

158 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Daniels graduated from college in Milford, Connecticut, and became a specialist in the metal industry. From 1958 to 1972, he was editor of the magazine Metalworking. In the 1950s, he published numerous short stories, and in 1956 he published his first novel, In His Blood, nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award.

Little known in France, Harold Robert Daniels, however, writes Claude Mesplède and Jean-Jacques Schleret "remarkable works for the quality of the realistic plot and description of the small towns of the United States". His fourth novel, The Snatch, published in 1958, is described by John D. MacDonald as "one of the modern classics of crime and punishment. His sixth and last novel, published in 1966, House On Greenapple Road, is appreciated by Claude Mesplède as "undoubtedly his most complete book" and adapted for television in 1970. One of his new Death does not wait (Road Hog) is adapted twice in each of the two series Alfred Hitchcock presents.

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This noirish, taut, and fast-paced courtroom drama (Dell, 1958) was a pleasant surprise to me. I knew nothing about the author. I see he won an Edgar in 1955, and wrote a number of crime novels. The Accused concerns a lonely college instructor named Alvin Morlock who meets, courts, and marries a tramp named Louise Palaggi. Their loveless, destructive marriage is a wreck from the get-go. Louise is addicted to sex, gambling, and drinking while Alvin teaches at the college. I'm unsure just why Louise couldn't also get a job and stay out of trouble, but their ill will escalates until Louise suffers a fatal tumble. Alvin is arrested and put on trial. The author structures the narrative to insert trial testimony between telling Alvin and Louise's sad, tragic story. I liked the character development of Alvin and Louise, and the 1950s blue collar setting is nicely done. The ending felt a bit rushed, but it makes sense. Definitely a product of its time, The Accused is a solid crime novel read.

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alvin Morlock is a lonely professor at a fourth rate college. He lets himself be conned into going to Providence to get some girls, and while there happens to meet Louise, a rather desperate schemer; a woman in the fast lane who, realizing she's aging, wants a husband.

Louise, after several evenings of this, was bored with Morlock's company in spite of her fondness for him. On New Year's Eve she sent him away early, letting him guess that she was sick. (He was shyly pleased with the delicate intimacy of the hinted revelation and the close relationship the very revelation itself implied.) He left feeling quite gallant. When he was safely gone, she changed her dress and called a cab. Far enough from Federal Hill she allowed herself to be picked up in a cafe and thereafter surrendered herself to drinking and to her companion with complete abandon. It was the last time, she promised herself. Afterward she would be faithful to Morlock. After they were married. It did not occur to her that he might not ask.

Three months into the marriage Alvin discovers she's running up debts and not paying the bills. Morlock is humiliated and unsure what to do. In his despair he returns to Arby's Rock where he had found comfort as a child with a slightly younger friend whom he had defended at school against some bullies. What happened to her haunts him and the trial resulting in the inevitable outcome.

Daniels alternates between a description of events and testimony in Morlock's trial for first degree murder. It's skillfully done and while hardly literature, the book definitely holds your interest and keeps the pages turning to learn what might actually have happened and what will happen.

Daniels wrote a series of crime novels in the fifties that were well regarded. Except for some anachronisms (fifteen dollars was a lot of money) this one holds up well. We get a nice sense of the characters feelings and the gulf between the trial and reality - if that exists and the demons that haunted them.

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recensione originale: https://sonnenbarke.wordpress.com/202...

Un giorno, girellando in ManyBooks, mi sono imbattuta in questo giallo e mi sono incuriosita abbastanza da scaricarlo.

Alvin Morlock, un placido insegnante (non professore) di un'università per nulla prestigiosa in una cittadina del Massachusetts, è accusato di aver ucciso la moglie Louise. Il libro alterna la narrazione degli eventi alle testimonianze di processo, ed è proprio con queste che inizia il romanzo. Sebbene l'accusa dichiari fin dall'inizio che la vita privata di Louise non ha importanza ai fini del processo e che non è Louise ad essere sotto processo ma Alvin, tuttavia nel corso del libro (e del processo) la donna viene giudicata, eccome.

Alvin Morlock è un uomo insignificante e un pochino insulso, che si accontenta di insegnare in un'università di provincia, senza alcuna ambizione. Un giorno decide di passare le vacanze natalizie insieme al collega Dodson: i due vanno nella vicina Providence, nel Rhode Island, in cerca di donne. È qui che Alvin conosce Louise, un'italoamericana di circa 35 anni. Non si sa come, dopo due settimane i due si sposano.

Louise ha trascorso tutta la sua vita adulta e la tarda adolescenza con un'unica aspirazione: trovare quanti più partner sessuali possibili. E ci è riuscita perfettamente, essendo una bellissima ragazza. Poi però il passare del tempo ha iniziato a farsi sentire, impietoso, tanto che sempre più spesso passavano addirittura tre o quattro giorni (!!) senza che Louise riusce a combinare un appuntamento con qualcuno. Così Louise decide di sposarsi e la scelta cade su Alvin Morlock. Perché invece lui decida di sposarla non mi è tanto chiaro. Forse perché non è capace di dire di no, probabilmente è troppo faticoso per lui sprecare energia nel contrastare il destino, o qualcosa del genere. Sta di fatto che, ovviamente, il matrimonio è un totale fallimento. Louise pensava che un professore guadagnasse di più, spende e spande e Morlock si trova pieno di debiti. Inoltre la donna si ubriaca al bar di fianco a casa e lo tradisce senza problemi. Morlock si lascia fare praticamente di tutto. Alla fine però Louise muore e la giuria dovrà decidere se si è trattato di un incidente o di omicidio volontario, magari premeditato.

Certo, il ritratto che l'autore fa di Louise non è per niente lusinghiero e la donna risulta un personaggio insopportabile; tuttavia Morlock non è da meno. Se qualcuno mi fa compassione, non è certo Morlock. Avrebbe avuto la possibilità di non sposare Louise e la sua vita sarebbe proseguita placida e insignificante come prima, ma si è messo in questa situazione, che non poteva essere altro che fallimentare, e necessariamente ne paga le conseguenze. Inoltre, il comportamento di una persona non può certo essere una giustificazione per un omicidio, e nemmeno un'attenuante. In realtà l'atteggiamento passivo di Morlock ha una causa che verrà rivelata verso la fine del libro, ma non solo questo non mi ha fatto provare la minima pena per lui, al contrario me lo ha fatto disprezzare ancora di più.

Insomma, per me, un romanzo senza infamia e senza lode.

Harold R. Daniels era abbastanza noto in vita come autore di libri pulp, poi è caduto nel dimenticatoio. Addirittura nel 1956 è stato finalista agli Edgard Awards (il premio assegnato ogni anno dall'associazione Mystery Writers of America per libri dei generi giallo, thriller e horror) con il romanzo In His Blood. A quanto ne so, l'unico suo libro tradotto in italiano è House on Greenapple Road, pubblicato nei Gialli Mondadori nel 1968 con il titolo Il rovescio della medaglia. Alcune informazioni in italiano su questo autore sono reperibili qui, oppure qui c'è un articolo in inglese.

[AC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well-written, carefully plotted, semi-legal “thriller” — though it left me a bit flat, tbh. I preferred Daniels’ first book, despite its lack of proficiency.

[Stacy-Deanne Stacy-Deanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book up until the end. I was prepared to give it five stars but the ending was very disappointing to me. Here we had this super compelling mystery and the ending didn't justify the means. The author did a fabulous job building up the plot, engaging us with the characters and grabbing you to make you stay until the end. I didn't want to put the book down once I got started! But the ending was sad. I expected much more with such an exciting read.

This book is a classic so I will try not to be too overly critical but there were some writing issues that would never be allowed in a book published today. The author used too many adverbs and some that seemed like he made them up. He told and hardly showed anything which sometimes slowed down the scenes. He glossed over things that should have been more in-depth which did affect the pacing at times. I understand this is a fast-paced story but you should still take time to develop key characters. Most times he'd mention a name, tell us about the person but add no character development whatsoever. With the exception of Murlock and Lolly, the other characters were stereotyped cutouts that I've seen many times before. He also head hopped many times but he made it work even though at times it would be confusing.

I loved how the book was written like some old black and white courtroom drama. The courtroom would display the trial while the author told the book in a mixture of flashbacks and present day. Sometimes it got tricky because the author would switch back and forth in time without warning but once you caught on you understood why.

I very much enjoyed this book and it would've been one of my favorite mysteries if the ending had been better. I definitely recommend it though for mystery/suspense lovers.

[Ehirgelt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and plotted. Unlike some other reviewers I found the ending consistent and surprising.

[توبة لي · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louise is a drunkard, mistrustful, vengeful, inconsiderate pathological liar with self-destructive behavior that ultimately and inevitably ruined both her life and that of her unfortunate husband.

This story is a perfect example of how lies and false appearances can lead a man to be falsely accused.

The author has a very interesting and original (at least it seemed so to me because I've never read a mystery like this so far) way of writing a mystery, where we get to see the court proceedings take place, and we get a glimpse at what really and actually happened behind closed doors, while at the same time watching the drama slowly unfold as Louise spins her web of lies to create a narrative of the battered abused wife and how everyone around her reacted to it. It makes you question people's judgment and realize how gullible they can be, easily fooled and tricked by good looks.

She slowly and carelessly ran Alvin into considerable debt with everyone and everywhere, constantly shaming him, embarrassing him, and cheating on him, but shamelessly blaming him and everyone else for her mistakes and conduct rather than assuming responsibility and apologizing. She is so volatile, angry, hateful, abusive, and promiscuous, this woman is the embodiment of a nightmare, I'd say she got what she deserved. Unfortunately, women like her exist in real life, homewreckers in every sense of the word.

I genuinely felt so sad for Alvin, especially when we were given his backstory with Marianna and everything that he went through in his past. His character is realistic and believable.

The ending was very sweet but painful as well. He did not deserve it all, poor guy, and his somewhat misplaced guilt tugged at my heartstrings.

It's an easy book to read, and i like the fact that we were not only and solely focused on Alvin's side of the story, but we also saw it from the pov of other characters, including side characters such as the lawyers (that bit was funny to read, given the change of atmosphere and the switch in their behavior towards one another when out of the courtroom) and Cory.

Definitely one of the best books I've read this year. Easy 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.

[Larry Piper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic pulp but still rather fun. It appears to be out of copyright, so one can find ebook versions on the internet should one do a spot of Googling.

So, we have Alvin Morlock, a second rate professor at a second rate college in central Massachusetts (the fictional Ludlow College). It seems Morlock went off to Providence, RI with a teaching buddy for a spot of "fun" (i.e. drinking and womanizing) over Christmas/New Year's break. Alvin takes up with a young woman named Louise. Realizing that she's no longer a tasty, young thing, Louise is looking for more security than a series of good times on the weekends. So, she contrives to get Alvin to marry her. The marriage doesn't go well, in part because Louise is a profligate spender. Eventually, Louise dies in some manner, and the investigators think Alvin murdered her to get rid of his slatternly spouse.

The book switches between transcripts of court proceedings and narratives of what actually was happening in the lives of the characters. It was a sort of interesting way to tell the story. It's clearly not fancy literature, but merely pulp to while away a few hours. Is serves the whiling away purpose admirably.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daniels is a terrific writer who
effortlessly captures the thoughts and feelings of the characters. In
this book, which is told alternately in expository fashion and through a
trial transcript, the reader comes to understand how the accused, a
good decent man could have come to the point of killing his wife. She
was a girl he met on a night out on the town, not knowing that she
was a tramp that ran from bar to bedroom to gambling house. This
was a marriage from hell as only Daniels could tell it. Highly
recommended

[John Marr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quality mid century crime from a writer that (based on this novel) deserves much more love from the reprinters. Focused on a marital mismatch between a low-rent college instructor and low living non-working working class first generation woman that does not end well, the novel provides excellent look at the mating mores and dive bar life of the time. The ending may have been hokey, but it was still a great ride.

[Zhwan Dara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the way Daniels captured the feelings of His characters , Alvin morlocks character kinda reminded me of Albert Camus's the stranger , the book is not the type of thriller you would find in Agatha christies books but it's gonna take you on a jurney into the 3 monthes of Alvin morlocks horrible marriege, make you angry at times at Louises selfish behaviour and the ending was kinda good though but it was sad

[Tee · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a word this tale was heavy. Alvin Morlock could never catch a break. His entire life was a succession of difficulty and failure - of trying to make something of himself but never quite getting there. One cannot help but pity him. Overall a depressing drama that speaks volumes about how we really perceive so little about each other’s lives.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Accused is a courtroom story that, at times, reminded me of Anatomy of a Murder. The story is told through a series of testimonies and flash-backs that paint a portrait of a doomed man.

[Parnil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting Plot. Well-narrated story. Strong characters. Good for some looking for a short and simple court room drama / crime thriller.

[Gisele Paquette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a page turner. Suspenseful and well written.

[Nefeli · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay but nothing crazy.

Now she was trying alcohol and other men, and she would have to find out for herself what a miserable support they were.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small College teacher Alvin Morlock is on trial for the death of his wife, the charge first degree murder.

The story alternates between trial testimony and the back story of what was just revealed at the trial.

We learn how he fist met his wife Louise, a party girl who set out to land the college man, the early days of the marriage that quickly fell apart, the build-up of tensions, the embarrassment landed on Morlock, the death, and the reasons Morlock wasn't interested in mounting a defense.

An unusual novel structure and a quite good read. I need to look for more work by Mr. Daniels.

[Peter Shilkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it, actually, I loved it. I enjoyed the interweaving of the prosecutor establishing his case while the full scope of the story is also given.

One thing that initially bothered me was the lack of a presentation of the defenses case. The ending of the book makes it clear.

It's am enjoyable and quick read.

[Ken Childress · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very quick and easy read. Good story with a surprise ending.

[Naveen · Rating 3 out of 5]

well presented,characters well defined,never got annoyed at literature..fast paced,solid story.Felt sad at the end though :(

[Manashwi Karki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hate the ending, quite like the courtroom drama, the plot doesn't really justify the sub title of the book. The perfect example of guilty conscience gone overboard. Well written, fast paced.

[Jazeem Jaffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book is good, Not very thrilling.
It was just an another book , WOW factor was missing

[Devendra Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would have made an amazing Nicholas Ray movie.