Mr. Bowling Buys a Newspaper (Black Heath Classic Crime)

This is a fascinating and compelling study of a serial killer set mainly in wartime London. It is compulsively readable, dryly and wryly humorous and horrifying at the same time.The writer catapults the reader into the mind of William Bowling, who, having smothered his wife and profited from it both financially and emotionally, embarks upon a murderous career whilst enjoying a life of leisure and fun.He considers blackmail and homosexuality to be worse than murder.Donald Henderson also wrote as D H Landels and produced 17 novels. Martin Edwards has blogged about him and also written about him in his ” Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books” Ch.17. There is a short list of books on the gadetection site. He died in 1947. Apparently he had worked in a stockbrokers, and had done some acting, before joining the BBC.This fine psychological study, which has overtones of Highsmith's works, is currently available at a bargain price.Highly recommended.

This wartime mystery is an extremely unusual read. Mr Bowling is bored of the war, bored of life and he was extremely bored of his wife, before he took the opportunity of killing her during an Air Raid. Having benefited from his wife’s death, he seems unable to stop killing people (men only, he has decided that killing women is not really acceptable). Those that annoy, or infuriate, him, find themselves in sudden danger, while the opportunity to kill them seemingly happens without much difficulty. The title of the book concerns Mr Bowling’s procuring newspapers, searching the pages desperately looking for his exploits to appear in print and expecting arrest at any moment, but finding that he seems to be getting away with murder…Unlike many of the Golden Age mysteries of this period, this is a much darker crime novel, with a compelling anti-hero. There is much about Mr Bowling’s background, at school and in his marriage, which suggests motives for his later actions. However, the real joy of this book is the dry, dark humour and the constant infuriation of the main character. Mr Bowling’s sudden realisation that he is going to kill someone, and his almost desperate desire to be caught, contrasts with the bizarre happenings, which mean that he seems destined never to be suspected. However, of course, there is a twist to the tale and, suddenly, Mr Bowling is not nearly so keen to be caught as he was previously.This is a deliciously dark read. Mr Bowling is endlessly questioning his life and musing on how dreary everything is. He rushes from one place to another, always restless and frantic, while you cannot help but sympathise at his annoyance with the characters he comes across. The bore who wants to endlessly discuss the war on the stairs of his boarding house, the young woman who won’t take no for an answer, the acquaintance who insists he come to stay for a weekend in the country. Mr Bowling both wants to be left alone and yet to join in with the gaiety of London life and, like others, not to be alone.Author Donald Henderson had no real success until the sensation of, "Mr Bowling Buys a Newspaper" brought him success and led to the re-issue of “A Voice Like Velvet,” also set in wartime London. This novel reminded me a little of Patrick Hamilton and it saddened me that the author died in 1947, only leaving such a small body of successful work, when he was, obviously, so talented. I look forward to reading his second novel and am so pleased these books have been re-issued after such a long time out of print. Hopefully, some more of his, lesser known work, might yet appear, if "Mr Bowling," regains the success it deserves to be.

I tried hard, very hard, to like this book and read it very slowly. The whole idea fascinated me. Its titular hero (or should I say Anti-hero?), a failed pianist and composer, kills merely, after the first one at least, just to find out if his crimes appear in the newspapers. Sadly, for him, they don't, and despite leaving clues, suspicion never falls on him and he never gets caught, continuing his killing spree in wartime London, and in one case, outside London. The book started well but I gradually realised I was not really enjoying it and it took me far longer than usual to finish it. Quite frankly I began to care less and less as to whether or not he would get caught. Still it's an interesting idea, very entertaining read with an 'open' ending and well written. I would, however, buy and read more novels by this author if I spotted them. Maybe if I read it again I might enjoy it more - hence the 3 stars.There is one curious things in the book which someone may well clarify:On page 1 we read that "Mr Bowling sat at the piano until it grew darker, not playing, but with Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto in Db Minor opened before him." - He'd have a problem - Tchaikovsky didn't write a 'Piano Concerto in Db minor'. Tchaikovsky's popular First Piano Concerto is in Bb minor (which is probably what the author intended. Was it never proof read?) the 2nd in G major & the 3rd in Eb major. The only Piano Concerto in know of in Db (major) is that by Aram Khachaturian written in 1937 and first performed in London in 1940.

An intriguing story, unusual for the era. It also gives nice points on social history. The story is not at all blood thirsty which might put off a lot of younger readers, but it has its suspense, is amusing and certainly stirs emotions.

A nice mystery thriller, well worth keeping to read again.

So many good reviews have already been written here on this book that i hesitated to add another, but want to pay this tribute to the author. What i expected was a cosy mystery, but this book with its dark humour and despairing sense of the randomness of life is anything but that. Was glad to know it was well received at the time, though later forgotten. This is a book you can't forget in a hurry.

William Bowling is a madman who is very adept at murder and totally inept at getting arrested for it. This conundrum and his life-long quest to find the “Angel” woman of his dreams comprise the storyline for this 1943 novel by Donald Henderson set in WW II London.Suffering from “soul starvation” and lamenting a failed musical career Mr. Bowling feels trapped in a loveless marriage and a series of dead end jobs. Oddball as a youth, he has long exhibited a propensity for seemingly spontaneous violence. Appearing harmless to those around him, he normally sports a bluff hail-fellow-well-met persona that belies the internal chaos that he usually suppresses with a series of rationalizations and harmless pub crawling. His two remaining and competing ambitions are to be apprehended for his crimes (although he eschews the idea that he is a “criminal”) and to find his personal dream myth woman whom he refers to as Angel. He commits a series of murders and fully expects (and in moments of despair) fervently hopes to be apprehended for. The police remain unaware of him after the early murders and Mr. Bowling scores yet another failure in life. He eagerly searches for news of his crimes in the morning after newspapers only to be continually frustrated by their ignorance of his deeds. Crisis comes at last however, when he at last finds his Angel and now has something to live for. Apprehension is now his most dire threat.This is rare mystery in that it resists the usual classification exercise. Henderson characterizations are Dickensian with many of the minor characters quite memorable. Mr. Bowling is clearly deluded, but Henderson is very skillful at drawing him as an Everyman who, except for his unfortunate predilection for homicide, has a very common story that evokes considerable identification, if not total sympathy. The scenes of violence and finally, Mr. Bowling’s union with his angel border on the surreal. A dark humor pervades the narrative throughout and the story’s resolution is a natural outcome consistent with Henderson’s vision of the character and his situation.I found this book a total treat and my first read in a long time that I look forward to reading again.

Dieses ist ein Buch, das zu seiner Zeit sehr erfolgreich war, vielleicht auch deshalb, weil es von Raymond Chandler sehr gelobt worden war, der es als ein Lieblingsbuch bezeichnet hätte. Das hätte mir eine Warnung sein können, denn auch wenn es sehr lange her ist, dass ich Chandler zuletzt gelesen habe, ist doch die Erinnerung geblieben, dass die Bücher immer sehr gut waren, aber doch großes Unbehagen bis hin zu Gänsehäuten hinterließen.Mr. Bowling ist ein armseliger Zeitgenosse, der sich auch als solchen empfindet. Er möchte gerne aus dem Leben scheiden, indem er als Mörder verurteilt und hingerichtet wird.Als wir Mr. Bowling kennenlernen, hat er sich gerade eine Zeitung gekauft, die er studiert. Wir erfahren, dass er sich fast nie Zeitungen kauft; Ausnahmen macht er nur, wenn er wissen möchte, ob der von ihm begangene Mord entdeckt ist und die Ermittlungen bereits zu ihm hinführen.Da er insoweit recht erfolglos ist, verfolgen wir seinen Weg noch recht lange und sehen die geschilderten Ereignisse auch nur aus seiner Sicht.Aber dann passiert etwas, was Mr. Bowlings Lebensplanung -wenn man es denn so nennen will- gänzlich über den Haufen wirft und gleichzeitig kommt die Polizei immer näher. Wie das ausgeht, kann hier nicht verraten werden.Ein durchaus spannendes Buch mit dem denkbar schwärzten Humor, eingeleitet von einem excellenten Vorwort von Martin Edwards.

An unpleasant book. This account of London during WW2 is not one of plucky resolve, keeping calm and carrying on but a tale of tawdry amoral cynical despair. Mr Bowling as a member of the “impoverished gentry” is an interesting study, but his random murders of people who annoy him or who have something he needs are appalling.His sudden finding of true love switches him from seeking death by judicial execution to wanting to survive but that Miss Mason would provide him with an alibi after he confesses to her seems entirely unlikely.Donald Henderson documents the seedy lives of quiet English desperation - he was writing at the time of the war and his descriptions ring true but he has a depressing view of humanity in general and his protagonist in particular.I did not enjoy this

I bought this so-called mystery out of curiosity. It wasn't what I expected. A seeminglymild-mannered gentleman who likes to kill others ( his wife and three basic strangers)for some kind of exilaration, expects to be caught but never is. The writing keeps yourinterest with memorable characters and lots of cynicism about marriage and life itself; but it's very darksubject matter.