The Blunderer

By: Patricia Highsmith

Narrated by: Robert Fass

Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

For two years, Walter Stackhouse has been a faithful and supportive husband to his wife, Clara. But she is distant and neurotic, and Walter finds himself harboring gruesome fantasies about her demise. When Clara's dead body turns up at the bottom of a cliff in a manner uncannily resembling the recent death of a woman who was murdered by her husband, Walter finds himself under intense scrutiny. He commits several blunders that claim his career and his reputation, cost him his friends, and eventually threaten his life.

The Blunderer examines the dark obsessions that lie beneath the surface of seemingly ordinary people. With unerring psychological insight, Patricia Highsmith portrays characters who cross the precarious line separating fantasy from reality.

©2015 Patricia Highsmith (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Remiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's tales

This narrator seemed to drone. I finally gave up. Zzzzzzzzzz. The storyline was potentially interesting. The narration was not.

Crime...? No crime...? And Punishment

Damn, but the woman could write. A quintessential psychological thriller by a master-craftswoman. Dark!

Enjoyable listening experience

Another entertaining listen, full of suspense and mystery. Why commit murder when there are other ways for a man to escape a woman’s badgering behaviour. Everything is unnecessary but murder takes place all the same.

Dark, darker, darkest

A suburban version of Kafka’s TRIAL with a touch of Highsmith’s own STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. Grim & brilliant.

Timeless

Even though set in the 1950’s, it still feels like present day - minus cellphones and such technology. Very well written save for the ending which seemed all crammed into a single page.

Clever but a bit overwrought.

Walter, a man fed up with his contemptuous but needy wife, decides to kill her, but is thwarted when he can’t find her. She ends up dead anyway, and Walter does a masterful job of casting suspicion on himself. Hounded by two adversaries and his own demons his life spirals out of control. Overall a good listen, although there were bits that went on a bit too long and grated.

I enjoyed this book

I found this book quite interesting. I enjoy the narrator. It is old-fashioned because of the time it was written.
I think it’s worth the listen.

Oh wow

This book was so bad , I quit reading it 3 different times. When every character in the book is either a horrible person or an idiot , you really don’t care what happens to them. But it was so stupid, it was funny. I kept laughing til the end ! Just for that it gets 3 stars lol XD . Performance was excellent btw

Not her best

I really like Patricia Highsmith's novels but I was disappointed by this one. I would advise to pick another one you haven't read/ listened to over this one. It's not terrible but the storyline in my opinion isn't really believable and it kind of drags on without resolve.

Disappointing

Not even close to the depth and layering of Ripley - I would pass in favor something by Kepnes