Boek

Klopsignaal, Het

Auteur	Helen Hull
Eerste Uitgave	1960
Uitgave	1983
Uitgeverij	Balans
Vorm	roman
Taal	Nederlands
Bladzijden	184 bladzijden
Gelezen	2003-07-27
Score	4/10

Inhoud

Professor Macameny heeft de kuren van zijn lastige echtgenote altijd zonder enkele klacht verdragen. Maar dat wordt anders als er een aantrekkelijke, jonge gescheiden vrouw aan de universiteit komt werken. Langzaam begint de professor er steeds meer van overtuigd te raken dat zijn vrouw van de aardbodem verdwijnen moet. Maar hoe?

Bespreking

Weak attempt to write a psychological crime novel

Professor Macameny endured the whimsies of his constantly moaning wife without complaining. His wife was not feeling like herself when she couldn't show that she suffered from a strange, unknown disease, which most often had only infested her mind. Macamery just played along with her imagined diseases until one day a young, divorced woman starts working at the university. Slowly the professor realises that his wife is better off dead than alive, certainly when she tries to get rid of this young rival. The only question on the mind of the professor is: how to murderer my wife?
Do not expect a classic detective story. A Tapping on the Wall is more a psychological crime novel, that a whodunit. That is to say such was probably the intention, because it clearly missed its point. After thirteen times reading that the professor doubts his own actions, you can only shout: kill her and get on with the show. But no! Helen Hull (1888-1971) keeps delaying any type of action and when you close the book you still wonder what the point was to this story.
Amazingly enough this novel earned Helen the Dodd-Mead award ($3,000) for the best mystery or suspense novel written by a professor.