検索キーワード： "Ethel Lina White" 犯罪ドキュメンタリー

Questa signora del giallo, Ethel Lina White, che scrive thriller psicologici apparentemente tranquilli, fa crescere la storia a piccoli passi, portando il lettore attraverso colpi di scena successivi al culmine della suspence, e alla rivelazione dei punti oscuri, di cui peraltro ella stessa aveva fornito gli indizi. Il romanzo fu pubblicato nel 1935, e riscoperto dopo un lungo oblio nel 2015, proprio per i suoi toni noir appetibili ai lettori moderni.

A novelist ambles down the lanes of a cosy country village, replete with Tudor houses and quaint cottages. In her writer's mind she pictures the sordid truth beyond the veneer, a seemingly laughable proposition - until the coming of the letters. Anonymous letters from a poisoned pen, sowing discord and defaming everybody from the Rector to the 'queen of the village' Miss Decima Asprey. Naturally, where there is venom in the air and dark secrets are threatening to come to light, the shadow of death is not far behind.

Travelling home from a European holiday, Iris Carr ends up alone at the station after a quarrel with her friends. Struck by a mysterious assailant and waking up just in time to board the train which will take her on her journey to London, things seem to be looking up after a chance meeting with the affable Miss Froy. But when Iris passes out and reawakens, Miss Froy is nowhere to be found. The other passengers deny any knowledge of her existence and as the train speeds across Europe, Iris spirals deeper and deeper into a strange conspiracy.

"The Lady Vanishes" erschien 1936 zunächst unter dem Titel "The Wheel Spins". Eine schöne Analogie, denn die Geschichte spielt nicht nur überwiegend in einem fahrenden Zug - auch die Protagonistin scheint ein bisschen durchgedreht zu sein: Iris, eine frivole junge Engländerin im Italienurlaub, erleidet am Rückreisetag am Bahnhof des glühend heißen Ferienorts einen Schwächeanfall. In letzter Minute landet sie in einem ebenfalls völlig überhitzen Abteil zwischen einer italienischen Familie, einer düsteren Baroness und Miss Froy, einer geschwätzigen Gouvernante, die sich um die immer noch schwache Iris kümmert, ihr aber bald auf die Nerven geht.