Customer Reviews

Laura (The best mysteries of all time)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Written by Vera Caspery in 1943, this mystery romance is sometimes overshadowed by the magnificent film it spawned starring Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney. Otto Preminger's masterpiece is one of the finest mysteries in the history of motion pictures. But that should not detract from its original source. Quite simply, this is one of the greatest novels ever written in the genre. Caspery used an unusal narrative structure to create an atmospheric and involving mystery which has stood the test of time.

The story revolves around Detective Mark McPherson's investigation into the murder of Laura Hunt. McPherson has somewhat of a celebrity status within the department due to some front page cases he has been involved with. But he is unprepared for the high society circles Laura moved in, and Caspery lets us see through his eyes the affectations of the rich. It is a world where people begin their insults with endearing terms like darling, then proceed to use words the roughest seaman wouldn't use to tear you apart.

Laura's benefactor and sometimes companion, Waldo Lydecker, is the poster boy for such behavior. He uses his well known newspaper column to destroy all Laura's would be suitors. Only the man she was set to marry, Shelby Carpenter, was able to withstand the glare of Lydecker's poison pen scrutiny. But on the weekend before she was to be married, a knock on the door late at night, followed by a shotgun blast, cuts her life short.

Waldo Lydecker begins the narration, then McPherson picks up where he left off. It is during McPherson's narration we get to see events as they really are, and we understands his actions. Caspery creates a real atmosphere to scenes between Lydecker and McPherson. You can almost feel the breeze in the popular open air restaurant where they dine and hear the young woman going from table to table singing Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. And you can sense McPherson's frustration with the pretty boy, Shelby Carpenter. Above all this, however, we fully understand how McPherson has fallen in love with a dead girl, because we have also.

Laura was different than these people, inspiring loyalty in her working-class maid Bessie. She shares a favorite book with McPherson and loves baseball. McPherson begins to wonder how a smart girl like Laura managed to surround herself with empty people, their arrogant morals and gutter ethics only surpassed by their lack of character. But Caspery is smart enough to let us see into a woman's heart as well.

On a rainy night in Laura's 5th Avenue walk up, while McPherson sits underneath her painting looking through her diary, something startling and unforseen occurs. It is one of the greatest twists in mystery history.

What Caspery does at this junction is turn an already great mystery romance novel into a mezmerizing mystery romance novel. We simply can't put it down at this point. It is a fantastic read and stands with a handful of others in the genre as one of the best ever written. It is timeless, as fresh today as it was in 1943. This is one book in the genre not to be missed.

A now-classic film noir was made from this novel - and it's one case where the book and the film are both wonderful, each in a separate way. The novel tells the story of the murder/mistaken identity/love story from the first-person viewpoint of each of three main characters - not exactly the same story, like "Rashomon," but picking up the thread where the previous narrator's re-telling of events left off. This is a terrific character study, well-crafted, beautifully written, that will send you back to the film for even more enjoyment.

I had been on a quest to find this book for 6 years when I found it at my faithful second hand store about 2 years ago. My husband heard the scream I don't remember doing and rushed to my aid. He says (I don't rememeber) I was standing there, clutching the book with a bewildered, enraptured look on my face. He smiled and quietly paid for the book that I was practically knawing on to get through it.
Its not like the movie, which in my oppinion is good. It doesn't diminish the quality of the movie, nor does it take away from its own merrits of suspence and excitement. I loved it. Vera Caspery made the characters more defined, the image of Laura became clearer as did those of Shelby, Mark, and Waldo.
Thanks Honey.

A novel of obsession, Laura is both a successful mystery and intricate character study. Written in 1942, this book gives a very strong portrait of a beautiful and intelligent career woman surrounded by men with varying motivations toward her. The murder takes place on a hot sticky New York summer day. Laura is the victim and as the investigation proceeds we learn why many men have fallen in love with her, including the lead detective, Mark McPherson. As McPherson grapples with the unseemly idea of falling in love with a corpse during an investigation, he virtually moves in to her apartment at night to study her journals and fantasize about her through her portrait on the wall. This is one of the more unusual mysteries I have ever read and I highly recommend it. The famous movie is very faithful to the book and well worth seeing also.

Okay this is embarrassing: I'm a big classic movie buff, and a lover of women's lit circa 1940, and I had never read "Laura". Or known that the film was based on a book. Or that the book was written by a woman. Or that it's spectacular.

Taking a cue from Wilkie Collins "The Woman in White", "Laura" uses the still-unusual multiple-perspective structure, telling a wild murder-mystery story in the voices of alternating characters. Now, if you have never seen "Laura" and somehow do not know the famous story, stop reading this review. Don't read any reviews, don't learn a thing more about it, just buy a copy and dig in. I can't imagine what a pleasure this book would be if you came to it unprepared. What a literary experience! Come back and we'll talk about it later.

Just the people who already know the plot left? Good. "Laura" is still very much worth reading if you've seen the film, and even manages to be suspenseful. Laura herself is a bit more fleshed out; less sultry siren and more coltish young girl. Mark is one of my all-time favorite novel detectives; part everyman, part smart-cookie, all hottie. The dialogue crackles, the characters live and breathe, and the pace is lightning.

While I'm grateful to the Feminist Press for reissuing "Laura" I can't warm to their introduction, which tries to pass off this and other books in the "Women Who Write Pulp" series as more hard-boiled than they really are, and the afterword by A. B. Emrys struck me as kinda stupid. Skip them both if you like and get to Vera Caspary's masterpiece, really one of the greatest detective novels ever written. And let's spread her name around a bit, she deserves it.

GRADE: A

A great mystery that really keeps you guessing. I recommend this to anyone that like a good mystery mixed with romance.
I'd give it more stars if I could. It is very well written.

I watched the film on the French TV on a sunday evening and bought the book on the following day. It's really a tremendous plot, a good old detective novel. You'll identify yourself with the girl or the detective. Read it, or you'll miss something. As great as the best Ellery Queen, William Irish or Mary Roberts Rinehart.

Nothing's changed really. Oh, the scene perhaps, the clothing worn, and the vernacular. However, the crime is still murder even though this one occurred during the 1940's. I found myself watching the movie and decided to read the book before I viewed the ending. I was surprised by the actors chosen to play the parts (They were not as I imagined.) and also how closely the plot was followed in the movie version. There were a few editing errors but the story of "Laura" by Vera Caspary is written well and it kept my interest throughout. It's a real mystery too. And now I'm "dying" to watch the ending; I can't wait to see who done it.

To put it simply, "Laura" is a murder mystery with one of the best and most surprising plot twists ever. I don't want to go into any more detail about the plot, as it might spoil it for you. The 1944 movie, "Laura", is one of my favourite movies of all time, and this book, upon which it was based, is every bit as good as the movie. According to the essay on the author, Vera Caspary, which can be found at the back of this edition of "Laura", Caspary was a great fan of the works of Wilkie Collins, and "Laura" is written in the same first person, multi-narrator style as "The Woman in White". This is an incredibly difficult writing style to pull off, many authors who attempt to use it end up with all of their narrators sounding identical, but like Collins, Caspary manages to pull it off successfully. As well as being a great mystery novel, "Laura" is also an interesting book from a historical perspective. Written back in the early 1940's, "Laura" tells the story of a career woman and through her female protagonists, Caspary identifies the challenges that were faced by such women in those times. From the point of view of the 21st Century, this information is fascinating.

I have just finished reading "Laura" for the second time in my life. The first time I read it, I read a library copy and loved it so much that, for the first time in my life, I was tempted not to return the book. I cannot think of a higher recommendation for a book than that.

My Mother bought a used copy of this book last year and she loved it. I read it after she did and I thought it to be a very good piece of a literary work. I also have the movie, which is a favorite of mine and will probably need to be replaced some time soon.