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Paul Temple #5
Send For Paul Temple Again!
When the dead body of well-known actress Norma Rice is discovered in a railway carriage, it turns out that her demise is part of a series of killings dubbed the Rex murders. Faced with escalating media frenzy, Scotland Yard is forced to send for Paul Temple - again!
Audio Cassette
First published January 1, 1948
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36 people want to read
About the author
Francis Durbridge
337 books34 followersFrancis Henry Durbridge was an English playwright and author born in Hull. In 1938, he created the character Paul Temple for the BBC radio serial Send for Paul Temple.
A crime novelist and detective, the gentlemanly Temple solved numerous crimes with the help of Steve Trent, a Fleet Street journalist who later became his wife. The character proved enormously popular and appeared in 16 radio serials and later spawned a 64-part big-budget television series (1969-71) and radio productions, as well as a number of comic strips, four feature films and various foreign radio productions.
Francis Durbridge also had a successful career as a writer for the stage and screen. His most successful play, Suddenly at Home, ran in London’s West End for over a year.
A crime novelist and detective, the gentlemanly Temple solved numerous crimes with the help of Steve Trent, a Fleet Street journalist who later became his wife. The character proved enormously popular and appeared in 16 radio serials and later spawned a 64-part big-budget television series (1969-71) and radio productions, as well as a number of comic strips, four feature films and various foreign radio productions.
Francis Durbridge also had a successful career as a writer for the stage and screen. His most successful play, Suddenly at Home, ran in London’s West End for over a year.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 6, 2021
I loved the Paul Temple wireless series when I was a boy. It was always exciting on a Sunday tea-time when it was about to come on. Vivian Ellis' Coronation Scot music was its introduction and it still makes the hair stand on the back of my neck hearing it these days. Once that had finished there was a resumé of what had preceded the current episode and away we went. It always ended on a cliff-hanger and left listeners, particularly this young one, wondering what would happen the following week.
So you can imagine my excitement when I came across three volumes of Collins Crime Club paperback reprints of Paul Temple novels; I just had to purchase them. This is the first of them that I have read and I was not disappointed as the excitement throughout reminded me very much of the cliff-hangers dished up on the wireless. Temple and his wife Steve, I always thought it odd that was her name as I associated it with a boy's name only when I was young, were always up to their necks in danger but always managed, somehow, to get out of it.
Actress Norma Rice's body discovered in the compartment of a train with the letters REX scrawled alongside her body starts the action off in this dramatic thriller in which Paul Temple and Steve face danger at every turn.
Who is Rex and what are his/her motives? That is what Temple sets out to discover after being invited in by Sir Graham Forbes of New Scotland Yard. The death toll rises and Temple's investigations lead him to many likely suspects but none of them stand out as the number one culprit. The more he investigates, the more murky the waters get and the more danger he finds himself involved in.
There is a question of blackmail, a mysterious woman seems to be following some of the main protagonists about and a well-meaning doctor plays a significant and mysterious part in the action, with the aid of a lady that he has employed in his surgery. Any number of the characters could well be Rex and responsible for the murders.
After much hard-work, and a couple of near death experiences Temple brings the suspects and the law all together in a dramatic showdown in the vein of an Agatha Christie/Hercule Poirot denouement. At the end of it all Temple is prompted to comment to Steve, 'Did you see what the London Graphic said this morning? ... They described me as England's foremost detective.' And based on this exciting adventure he most certainly is in the top rank.
So you can imagine my excitement when I came across three volumes of Collins Crime Club paperback reprints of Paul Temple novels; I just had to purchase them. This is the first of them that I have read and I was not disappointed as the excitement throughout reminded me very much of the cliff-hangers dished up on the wireless. Temple and his wife Steve, I always thought it odd that was her name as I associated it with a boy's name only when I was young, were always up to their necks in danger but always managed, somehow, to get out of it.
Actress Norma Rice's body discovered in the compartment of a train with the letters REX scrawled alongside her body starts the action off in this dramatic thriller in which Paul Temple and Steve face danger at every turn.
Who is Rex and what are his/her motives? That is what Temple sets out to discover after being invited in by Sir Graham Forbes of New Scotland Yard. The death toll rises and Temple's investigations lead him to many likely suspects but none of them stand out as the number one culprit. The more he investigates, the more murky the waters get and the more danger he finds himself involved in.
There is a question of blackmail, a mysterious woman seems to be following some of the main protagonists about and a well-meaning doctor plays a significant and mysterious part in the action, with the aid of a lady that he has employed in his surgery. Any number of the characters could well be Rex and responsible for the murders.
After much hard-work, and a couple of near death experiences Temple brings the suspects and the law all together in a dramatic showdown in the vein of an Agatha Christie/Hercule Poirot denouement. At the end of it all Temple is prompted to comment to Steve, 'Did you see what the London Graphic said this morning? ... They described me as England's foremost detective.' And based on this exciting adventure he most certainly is in the top rank.
May 21, 2023
Het boek begint met een scéne, de ontdekking van een moord in een trein, die wel uit een boek van Agatha Christie lijkt te komen. Maar al snel blijkt dat de sfeer wel de genoeglijkheid van de boeken van mevrouw Christie heeft, verder zijn de boeken van Fancis Durbridge toch echt wel anders en bezetten zij een eigen niche bij de groten van de detectives.
Paul Vlaanderen, bijgestaan door zijn vrouw Ina, speelt de hoofdrol aan de kant van de goeien, de geheimzinnige moordernaar gekend als Rex is de schurk waar ze achteraan zitten. Scotland Yard helpt waar mogelijk maar zit met de handen in het haar.
Lang is de situatie nogal verwarrend doordat er steeds maar moorden opduiken met telkens weer andere verdachten. Privé gaat het de Vlaanderens voor de wind doordat de boeken die Paul Vlaanderen schrijft goed verkopen. Ze kunnen zich dan ook een huisbediende veroorloven. Dat wordt Ricky, een Siamees die Vlaanderen voor raadsels stelt.
Zoals vanouds worden er heel wat hotels, restaurants en nachtclubs bezocht. Er kan geen moment voorbij gaan of er moet gerookt worden, sigaretten, sigaren, pijp, dat maakt niet uit.
Er wordt ook flink gedronken (al is dat lang niet zo overdadig als in de amerikaanse hard-boiled detectives), want zoals Vlaanderen zelf zegt, hij houdt niet van water.
Opgesloten zitten in een kelder die langzaam vol water loopt was in de tijd dat dit boek werd geschreven iets dat in geen enkele detective mocht ontbreken.
Het leest vooral gezellig doordat iedereen, ook de schurken, zich als gentlemen gedraagt. De vrouwen zijn ouderwets charmant en laten het denken over aan de mannen. Die gedragen zich beschermend. Niet van deze tijd misschien maar het komt verfrissend en vertrouwd over.
Uiteraard waren er nog geen moderne multimedia, de radio was naast de krant de bron van informatie. Moeilijker te vatten is dat een jonge vrouw als Ina gaat zitten breien en daar door haar man ook toe aangezet wordt. De ontknoping is dan misschien iets minder onverwacht dan wordt aangekondigd, het blijft wel spannend om te ontdekken wie achter Rex schuilgaat.
Er wordt discreet gezwegen over de manier waarop Rex aan zijn chantagemateriaal geraakte of zelfs over welk materiaal dat gaat bij degenen waarvan bekend is dat ze gechanteerd werden.
Spanning, aktie, veel lijken en een vleugje humor.
Paul Vlaanderen, bijgestaan door zijn vrouw Ina, speelt de hoofdrol aan de kant van de goeien, de geheimzinnige moordernaar gekend als Rex is de schurk waar ze achteraan zitten. Scotland Yard helpt waar mogelijk maar zit met de handen in het haar.
Lang is de situatie nogal verwarrend doordat er steeds maar moorden opduiken met telkens weer andere verdachten. Privé gaat het de Vlaanderens voor de wind doordat de boeken die Paul Vlaanderen schrijft goed verkopen. Ze kunnen zich dan ook een huisbediende veroorloven. Dat wordt Ricky, een Siamees die Vlaanderen voor raadsels stelt.
Zoals vanouds worden er heel wat hotels, restaurants en nachtclubs bezocht. Er kan geen moment voorbij gaan of er moet gerookt worden, sigaretten, sigaren, pijp, dat maakt niet uit.
Er wordt ook flink gedronken (al is dat lang niet zo overdadig als in de amerikaanse hard-boiled detectives), want zoals Vlaanderen zelf zegt, hij houdt niet van water.
Opgesloten zitten in een kelder die langzaam vol water loopt was in de tijd dat dit boek werd geschreven iets dat in geen enkele detective mocht ontbreken.
Het leest vooral gezellig doordat iedereen, ook de schurken, zich als gentlemen gedraagt. De vrouwen zijn ouderwets charmant en laten het denken over aan de mannen. Die gedragen zich beschermend. Niet van deze tijd misschien maar het komt verfrissend en vertrouwd over.
Uiteraard waren er nog geen moderne multimedia, de radio was naast de krant de bron van informatie. Moeilijker te vatten is dat een jonge vrouw als Ina gaat zitten breien en daar door haar man ook toe aangezet wordt. De ontknoping is dan misschien iets minder onverwacht dan wordt aangekondigd, het blijft wel spannend om te ontdekken wie achter Rex schuilgaat.
Er wordt discreet gezwegen over de manier waarop Rex aan zijn chantagemateriaal geraakte of zelfs over welk materiaal dat gaat bij degenen waarvan bekend is dat ze gechanteerd werden.
Spanning, aktie, veel lijken en een vleugje humor.
August 1, 2021
I do enjoy the Paul Temple cases on the radio and this is the second book I’ve read. One of my favourite eras is the 1920s and 30s BUT I am so glad I’m not living in those times! I don’t think I could live with the casual condescension that women have to put up with. Steve admittedly oscillates between being bright and extremely dense but still, if Paul was my husband I would have murdered him several times in this one book alone!! The radio plays, even though we’re made nearer the time the book was published, are considerably less patronising to both women and the servants, particularly the ‘little Siamese’ Ricky who struck me as very capable and forbearing.
Readers that are particularly annoyed by these things should avoid the books. It is fairly mild but still, thank goodness times are changing…
Readers that are particularly annoyed by these things should avoid the books. It is fairly mild but still, thank goodness times are changing…
February 7, 2018
not sure how to rate this novel really tbh.
i enjoyed it more than the first Paul Temple novel, primarily because i couldn't remember the story despite having heard the radio serial and seen the film version a number of years ago.
the story had the requisite number of characters to act as suspicious red herrings for the reader, temple and sir graham forbes to suspect. Paul Temple's contact book lost another couple of entries due to the actions of the villain in this one, makes you wonder why any one agrees to help a friend who is also an amateur detective!
the final denouement which was engineered around another cocktail party at the Temple's flat seemed to happen very suddenly and the revelation of the identity of Rex (the blackmailer/murderer) appeared to be based on very little concrete evidence supplied in the novel it self.
so overall I think Durbridge was excellent at writing radio serials and although the novels are entertaining they lose something in the translation. But still worth a read if you cannot get the radio serials themselves.
I had also forgotten that in the novels a new offspring was on the horizon for the Temples, and cannot remember how this familial change was included in the future novels so will definitely be reading some more of this series if I come across them.
i enjoyed it more than the first Paul Temple novel, primarily because i couldn't remember the story despite having heard the radio serial and seen the film version a number of years ago.
the story had the requisite number of characters to act as suspicious red herrings for the reader, temple and sir graham forbes to suspect. Paul Temple's contact book lost another couple of entries due to the actions of the villain in this one, makes you wonder why any one agrees to help a friend who is also an amateur detective!
the final denouement which was engineered around another cocktail party at the Temple's flat seemed to happen very suddenly and the revelation of the identity of Rex (the blackmailer/murderer) appeared to be based on very little concrete evidence supplied in the novel it self.
so overall I think Durbridge was excellent at writing radio serials and although the novels are entertaining they lose something in the translation. But still worth a read if you cannot get the radio serials themselves.
I had also forgotten that in the novels a new offspring was on the horizon for the Temples, and cannot remember how this familial change was included in the future novels so will definitely be reading some more of this series if I come across them.
June 9, 2020
A good, rollicking adventure
Paul Temple is a character of his time. No swearing (except "by Timothy!), or sex, and lots of cocktails! Time has not been kind to the Paul Temple books but they offer the reader a glimpse of a more innocent time, yes some of the views and stereotypes in the series do not fit with today, and I am certainly not defending them. But there is a charm in this cosy world where right always defeats the dastardly criminal mastermind.
A good entertaining series of books.
Paul Temple is a character of his time. No swearing (except "by Timothy!), or sex, and lots of cocktails! Time has not been kind to the Paul Temple books but they offer the reader a glimpse of a more innocent time, yes some of the views and stereotypes in the series do not fit with today, and I am certainly not defending them. But there is a charm in this cosy world where right always defeats the dastardly criminal mastermind.
A good entertaining series of books.
June 20, 2017
A very enjoyable book. Believable characters and a storyline that keeps you guessing right to the end.
Read
November 15, 2019I haven’t read - J isn’t worried as read before
June 5, 2024
What ho!
Posh folk solve crimes.
The problem being its glaringly obvious whodunnit.
Posh folk solve crimes.
The problem being its glaringly obvious whodunnit.
October 1, 2016
Bit of a weaker plot - the links were a little far-fetched between the victims and often jumped back and forth between characters so you actually started to lose track of who was whom and who they had been in the past....
Also the ending is extremely confusing as Steve's knitting is supposed to be hinting at the fact she's pregnant, yet they never have children. Perhaps it was an afterthought to provide a light ending, or he intended to carry that forward and then changed his mind in future books? Either way, it doesn't quite fit.
Also the ending is extremely confusing as Steve's knitting is supposed to be hinting at the fact she's pregnant, yet they never have children. Perhaps it was an afterthought to provide a light ending, or he intended to carry that forward and then changed his mind in future books? Either way, it doesn't quite fit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2011
Glad I read this as an audio book whilst doing other things so that it wasn't a complete waste of my time. Maybe I missed things whilst listening but it was a bit light on explanations as to 1) what were people being blackmailed about anyway and 2) Why did Rex bother killing some of the people they did? Left me a bit baffled.The narrator (CD version) used a bit of a squeaky voice for women which annoyed me.
April 27, 2024
The writing & plotting may not be up to the same standard as say Ms Christie & Co but the series of Paul Temple stories are enjoyable nonetheless.
The stories run along at a fast pace & there are always plenty of suspects to choose from which generally keeps the reader guessing to the last.
In this book Temple is faced with a case of a blackmailer calling himself ‘Rex’ who is happy to murder victims who don’t pay up & use other victims to gain intelligence as well as money.
The stories run along at a fast pace & there are always plenty of suspects to choose from which generally keeps the reader guessing to the last.
In this book Temple is faced with a case of a blackmailer calling himself ‘Rex’ who is happy to murder victims who don’t pay up & use other victims to gain intelligence as well as money.
April 15, 2015
Charming period mystery!
Read
August 19, 2016good mystery. it kept you guessing till the end.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews