Malice Aforethought (1931) is a crime novel written by Anthony Berkeley Cox, using the pen name Francis Iles. It is an early and prominent example of the "inverted detective story", claimed to have been invented by R. Austin Freeman some years earlier. The murderer's identity is revealed in the first line of the novel, which gives the reader insight into the workings of his mind as his plans progress. It also contains elements of black comedy, and of serious treatment of underlying tensions in a superficially respectable community. It is loosely based on the real-life case of Herbert Armstrong, with elements of Doctor Crippen.
The opening sentence has been described as "immortal": "It was not until several weeks after he had decided to murder his wife that Doctor Bickleigh took any active steps in the matter."[1]
Edmund Bickleigh, a physician with a modest rural practice, is in a loveless marriage with the domineering childless Julia. He consoles himself with young unmarried women, in particular the accommodating Ivy. Into his village arrives Madeleine, a rich young woman, who succumbs to his attentions but warns she will not marry him if he divorces. Reasoning that she will however marry him if he is a widower, he cruelly starts to poison Julia. To relieve her increasing pain he gives her increasing doses of morphine, until she dies miserably.
Madeleine then rejects him, to marry a wealthy young man, while the rejected Ivy also marries a well-off lawyer. Rumours start spreading that Julia's death was not accidental, fuelled by the antagonism towards Edmund of Madeleine's husband and Ivy's husband, who both bitterly resent that he was the seducer of their wives. Attempting to stop the gossip, Edmund poisons both men and Madeleine as well, though only Madeleine's husband dies. Not unaware of the rumours and the suspicious deaths, the police investigate and Edmund is put on trial. Acquitted of murdering his unfortunate wife, a second trial convicts him for the death of Madeleine's husband and he is executed.
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January 07, 2023
malice, aforethought, other, uses, disambiguation, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers,. For other uses see Malice Aforethought disambiguation This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Malice Aforethought news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Malice Aforethought 1931 is a crime novel written by Anthony Berkeley Cox using the pen name Francis Iles It is an early and prominent example of the inverted detective story claimed to have been invented by R Austin Freeman some years earlier The murderer s identity is revealed in the first line of the novel which gives the reader insight into the workings of his mind as his plans progress It also contains elements of black comedy and of serious treatment of underlying tensions in a superficially respectable community It is loosely based on the real life case of Herbert Armstrong with elements of Doctor Crippen Malice AforethoughtFirst editionAuthorAnthony Berkeley writing as Francis IlesCountryEnglandLanguageEnglishGenreCrime novelPublisherGollanczPublication date1931Media typePrint Hardcover and Paperback Followed byBefore the Fact Plot summary EditThe opening sentence has been described as immortal It was not until several weeks after he had decided to murder his wife that Doctor Bickleigh took any active steps in the matter 1 Edmund Bickleigh a physician with a modest rural practice is in a loveless marriage with the domineering childless Julia He consoles himself with young unmarried women in particular the accommodating Ivy Into his village arrives Madeleine a rich young woman who succumbs to his attentions but warns she will not marry him if he divorces Reasoning that she will however marry him if he is a widower he cruelly starts to poison Julia To relieve her increasing pain he gives her increasing doses of morphine until she dies miserably Madeleine then rejects him to marry a wealthy young man while the rejected Ivy also marries a well off lawyer Rumours start spreading that Julia s death was not accidental fuelled by the antagonism towards Edmund of Madeleine s husband and Ivy s husband who both bitterly resent that he was the seducer of their wives Attempting to stop the gossip Edmund poisons both men and Madeleine as well though only Madeleine s husband dies Not unaware of the rumours and the suspicious deaths the police investigate and Edmund is put on trial Acquitted of murdering his unfortunate wife a second trial convicts him for the death of Madeleine s husband and he is executed Adaptations EditThe novel has been adapted for television twice The first was a BBC serial in 1979 A second adaptation Malice Aforethought starring Ben Miller as Dr Bickleigh Megan Dodds as Madeleine and Barbara Flynn as Julia was produced by Granada Television and broadcast on ITV in 2005 2 It too has been shown on Mystery in 2005 3 References Edit Violet Powell The Life of a Provincial Lady p101 Malice Aforethought 2005 BFI Malice Aforethought 2005 David Blair Synopsis Characteristics Moods Themes and Related AllMovie via www allmovie com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Malice Aforethought amp oldid 1088242269, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
