- Keigo Hagashino 東野 圭吾, “The Devotion of Suspect X: A Novel (容疑者Xの献身, Yogisha X no Kenshin)”, 20
05 was a “crime novel”; and, the topic of an earlier blog post.
Here I present: Robert Bloch, “Psycho”, 1959 which was a “crime-suspense” fiction.
The book consists of seventeen (17) chapters; and, the first sentence of each chapter is shown BELOW.
Chapter #. Chapter First Sentence.
1. “Norman Bates heard the noise and a shock went through him: it sounded as though somebody was tapping on the windowpane.”
2. “The rain had been falling steadily for several minutes before Mary noticed it and switched on the windshield wiper: at the same time she put on the headlights.”
3. “LOOKING FOR A ROOM? Mary made up her mind very quickly, once she saw the fat, bespectacled face and heard the soft, hesitant voice.”
4. “The minute Norman got inside the office he started to tremble: it was a reaction, of course.”
5. “Norman locked the door behind him and went up to the house: his clothes were a mess, blood on them, of course and water.
6. “Promptly at six o’clock on the following Friday evening, a miracle happened: Ottorino Respighi came into the back room of Fairvale’s only hardware store to play his BRAZILIAN IMPRESSIONS: Ottorino Respighi had been dead for many years.”
7. “The gray Stetson was on the table now, and the gray jacket was draped over the back of one of Sam’s chairs.”
8. “Tomorrow became today, Saturday, and for Sam it was a time of waiting: he phoned Lila from the store around ten, and she was already up and eating breakfast.”
9. “Saturday afternoon, Norman shaved; he shaved once a week, and always on Saturday: Norman didn’t like to shave because of the mirror.”
10. “Norman smiled at the elderly man and said, HERE’S YOUR KEY: that’ll be ten dollars for the two of you, please.”
11. “Sam and Lila sat in the back the room of the store, waiting for Argogast to arrive: but all they heard were the sounds of Saturday night.
12. “Sam and Lila had dinner over at the hotel: it was not an enjoyable meal for either of them.”
13. “Norman knew they were coming, even before he saw them driving in: he didn’t know who they’d be, or what they’d look like, or even how many of them would come.”
14. “For a moment Sam hoped that the sudden thunder would muffle the sound of the car starting in the driveway.”
15. “Lila went up the steps, reaching the porch just before the rain came: the house was old, its frame siding gray and ugly here in the half-light of the coming storm.”
16. “It took almost a week to reclaim the cars and the bodies from the swamp: the county highway crew had to come in with a dredger and hoist.
17. “The real end came quietly: it came in the small, barred room where the voices had muttered and mingled for so long a time.”
END. “She didn’t swat it, and she hoped they were watching, because that proved what sort of person she really was: why – she wouldn’t even harm a fly.”
Here I presented: Robert Bloch, “Psycho”, 1959 which was a “crime-suspense” fiction.
CHARACTERS
Norman Bates, protagonist (middle-age bachelor), motel operator.
Mrs. Bates, mother of Norman Bates
Mary Crane, murder victim, antagonist, motel client.
Sam Loomis, boyfriend of Mary Crane
Lila Crane, sister of Mary Crane
Milton Arbogast, private investigator
Joe Considine, lover of Mrs. Bates
SUMMARY.
Norman Bates is the protagonist, middle-age bachelor; and, Norman is the caretaker of the “Bates Motel” in Fairvale town. Mrs. Bates is cared for by her son Norman; since, Mrs. Bates is senile elderly at the “Bates Motel”, but had a lover John Considine that caused her nervous breakdown.
Mary Crane is the antagonist, a client who checked into “Bates Hotel”; and, Mary is killed with a butcher knife while showering.
Sam Loomis was the boyfriend of Mary Crane; and, Mary was on the run after stealing $40,000 dollars to give to boyfriend Sam.
Milton Arbogast is a private investigator, hired by Lila Crane (the sister of Mary Crane); and, Arbogast tries to solve this murder mystery of who killed Mary Crane.
Robert Bloch, “Psycho”, 1959 was adapted to film in 1960 by director Alfred Hitchcock. Alfred Hitchcock has been referred to as the “Master of Suspense”; and, Robert Bloch & Daphne du Maurier are author’s of Hitchcock film-adaptations.
