William Marble is a bank clerk. He is short of money. A chance visit from a well-off distant relative provides him with an opportunity to solve his financial woes. The relative is buried in the garden, but Mr Marble’s guilt leads him to start drinking and gazing into the garden to make sure no one discovers his secret.
Some insider information on the imminent rise of a foreign currency allows Mr Marble to become a relatively wealthy man. He can send his son and daughter to the best schools, buy fancy furniture, and his wife can buy the finest clothes. But the nagging fear of discovery eats away at Mr Marble and infects his relationship with this family. He starts an affair with a married woman who ends up blackmailing him. His son discovers the affair and is so upset he rides his motorbike into a wall. His wife discovers his secret. His daughter becomes so ashamed of her parents, she leaves home.
I didn’t like the central character at all. William Marble has no redeeming qualities, but credit to the writer for making him so consistently objectionable in every way.
Congratulations to Penguin for including this book in their new Crime and Espionage Modern Classics series. If I hadn’t read this book, I would have only associated CS Forester with Horatio Hornblower and The African Queen. Now, I can see why some critics regard Forester as the unsung godfather of English noir.
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