My Book Notes: The First Time He Died (1935) by Ethel Lina White

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The Orion Publishing Group, Murder Room, 2015. Book Format: Kindle Edition. File Size: 923 KB. Print Length: 240 pages. ASIN: B00TONP5PY. eISBN: 978-1-4719-1704-2. First published in 1935 by Collins Crime Club.

Publisher Description: Charlie Baxter has never been a success. Yes, he’s popular with women, but he’s not exactly a party guy. A cheerful loser, that’s Charlie.
He has even made a hash of his ‘death’. For, having almost exhausted a legacy left to him by a rich aunt, he has planned to insure his life and then ‘die’. But he has failed to foresee the ramifications of his sinister scheme. And he has reckoned without people cleverer than him – the insurance company, for one.
Then there’s his wife, Vera, who is playing along for her own benefit …

My Take: After I finished reading the excellent short story by Ethel Lina White, “An Unlocked Window”, I decided to dig further into the work of this author, for I’m convinced she will soon become one of my favourite novelist. So far, and thanks to Kate Jackson, aka Armchair Sleuth, at Crosseximing Crime, I’ve added to my TBR list, the following titles: Fear Stalks the Village (1932); Some Must Watch (aka The Spiral Staircase, 1933); and The First Time He Died (1935). Since there’s no need to read them in order of publication, I chose to begin with The First Time He Died.

My first thought to describe this book will be to say that I found it extremely original. It isn’t exactly an “inverted mystery”, but it does share with them certain features. From the outset we know what will happen, and the same title warns us about it. To put it simply, the plot revolves around a plan to fraudulently cash the life insurance of one Charlie Baxter. This plan will be developed with the connivance of Charlie’s wife, Vera together with a family friend residing in their household. However, as time passes, the hope to collect the policy before running out of money fades out and, Charlie, under a new identity, will have to engineer a similar scam.

Let me add here Kate Jackson’s words in her excellent review:

Whilst a dark ending is foreshadowed you’re never sure what is on the cards, nor who will be holding the winning hand at the close of the novel and when I finally reached the end I found it to be a very powerful and dramatic finale and certainly not one you would predict from the opening chapters.

The First Time He Died has been reviewed, among others, at The Passing Tramp, and Crossexaminig Crime.

(Source: Facsimile Dust Jackets LLC. Collins Mystery (UK) (1935)

About the Author: Ethel Lina White (1876 – 1944) was born in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales the daughter of the builder and inventor William White and his second wife Charlotte Eliza, who both came from Clifton, near Bristol. She spent her childhood in Fairlea Grange, an innovative house built by her father which incorporated his own patented damp-proofing process, the interior of which later shaped elements of her novel Some Must Watch (1933). She started writing as a child, contributing essays and poems to children’s magazines. Later she began to write short stories, but it was some years before she embarked on books. After the end of World War I, she moved to London, where she worked in the Social Security Administration. She later gave up this activity in favour of writing. Her first three, published between 1927 and 1930, were mainstream novels. Her first crime novel, published in 1931, was Put Out the Light. and she went on to be one of the best-known crime writers of the 1930s and 1940s in Britain and the US. Her novel The Wheel Spins (1936) was made into the acclaimed film, The Lady Vanishes, by Alfred Hitchcock in 1938. Nevertheless, she faded into obscurity after her death, but in her days she was as well known as such writers like Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie. She died in London aged 68. Recent years, however, have seen a revival of interest in her oeuvre.

Suggested Books: Fear Stalks the Village (1932); Some Must Watch (APA The Spiral Staircase, 1933); Wax (1935); The First Time He Died (1935); The Wheel Spins (1936) (filmed in 1938 by Alfred Hitchcock as The Lady Vanishes; remade in 1979 and again for TV in 2013); The Elephant Never Forgets (1937; While She Sleeps (1940); She Faded into Air (1941) The Man Who Loved Lions (APA The Man Who Was Not There, 1943)

The Orion Publishing Group publicity page 

A Forgotten Woman Crime Novelist by Christine Poulson

Ethel Lina White at Golden Age of Detection Wiki

Ethel Lina White at ‘Do You Write Under Your Own Name?’

The First Time He Died, de Ethel Lina White

Descripción del editor: Charlie Baxter nunca ha tenido éxito. Sí, es popular entre las mujeres, pero no es precisamente el alma de la fiesta. Un perdedor alegre, ese es Charlie.
Incluso ha hecho una chapuza de su “muerte”. Porque, habiendo casi agotado un legado que le dejó una tía rica, ha planeado asegurar su vida y luego “morir”. Pero no ha podido prever las ramificaciones de su siniestro plan. Y ha contado con personas más inteligentes que él, la compañía de seguros, por ejemplo.
Luego está su mujer, Vera, que le hace el juego en su propio provecho …

Mi opinión: Después de terminar de leer el excelente cuento de Ethel Lina White, “An Unlocked Window”, decidí profundizar más en el trabajo de esta autora, porque estoy convencido de que pronto se convertirá en una de mis novelistas favoritas. Hasta ahora, y gracias a Kate Jackson, también conocida como Armchair Sleuth en Crosseximing Crime, he añadido a mi lista de libros por leer los siguientes títulos: Fear Stalks the Village (1932); Some Must Watch (APA The Spiral Staircase, 1933, traducida como La escalera de caracol); y The First Time He Died (1935). Como no es necesario leerlos por orden de publicación, elegí comenzar con The First Time He Died.

Mi primer pensamiento para describir este libro será decir que lo encontré extremadamente original. No es exactamente un “misterio invertido”, pero comparte con ellos ciertas características. Desde el principio sabemos lo que va a pasar, y el mismo título nos advierte de ello. En pocas palabras, la trama gira en torno a un plan para cobrar fraudulentamente el seguro de vida de un tal Charlie Baxter. Este plan se desarrollará con la connivencia de la mujer de Charlie, Vera, junto con un amigo de la familia que reside en su hogar. Sin embargo, a medida que pasa el tiempo, la esperanza de cobrar la póliza antes de quedarse sin dinero se desvanece y Charlie, bajo una nueva identidad, tendrá que diseñar una estafa similar.

Permítanme agregar aquí las palabras de Kate Jackson en su excelente reseña:

Aunque se presagia un final oscuro, nunca estás seguro de lo que está en juego, ni de quién tendrá la mano ganadora al final de la novela y cuando finalmente llegué a terminarla, descubrí que era un final muy poderoso y dramático y ciertamente, no era uno que se pudiera anticipar a partir de los capítulos iniciales.

Acerca del autor: Ethel Lina White (1876 – 1944) nació en Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Gales, hija del constructor e inventor William White y de su segunda esposa Charlotte Eliza, ambos de Clifton, cerca de Bristol. Pasó su infancia en Fairlea Grange, una casa innovadora construida por su padre que incorporó su propio proceso patentado de impermeabilización y cuyo interior, más tarde, dio forma a elementos de su novela Some Must Watch (1933). Comenzó a escribir cuando era niña, colabroando con ensayos y poemas en revistas infantiles. Más tarde comenzó a escribir relatos, pero pasaron algunos años antes de que se embarcara en libros. Después del final de la Primera Guerra Mundial, se mudó a Londres, donde trabajó en la Administración de la Seguridad Social. Posteriormente abandonó esta actividad a favor de la escritura. Sus tres primeras, publicadas entre 1927 y 1930, fueron novelas convencionales. Su primera novela policíaca, publicada en 1931, fue Put Out the Light y llegó a ser una de las escritoras de novelas policíacas más conocidas de las décadas de 1930 y 1940 en Gran Bretaña y Estados Unidos. Su novela The Wheel Spins (1936) se convirtió en la prestigiosa película, The Lady Vanishes, de Alfred Hitchcock en 1938. No obstante, cayó en el olvido después de su muerte, pero en su tiempo era tan conocida como escritoras de la talla de Dorothy L. Sayers y Agatha Christie. Murió en Londres a los 68 años. Sin embargo, en los últimos años se ha visto un resurgimiento del interés por su obra.

Libros recomendados: Fear Stalks the Village (1932); Some Must Watch (1933 APA The Spiral Staircase, traducida como La escalera de caracol); Wax (1935, traducida como El museo de la muerte y Pánico entre cera; The First Time He Died (1935);  The Wheel Spins (1936 APA The Lady Vanishes, traducida como La dama desaparece); The Elephant Never Forgets (1937); While She Sleeps (1940); She Faded into Air (1941); y The Man Who Loved Lions (1943, APA The Man Who Was Not There).

Ethel Lina White en Leer sin prisa

My Book Notes: “An Unlocked Window” (1934) s.s. by Ethel Lina White

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“An Unlocked Window” is a short story by Ethel Lina White included in Murder at the Manor: Country House Mysteries Edited and Introduced by Martin Edwards. British Library Crime Classics, 2016. Format: Kindle Edition. File Size: 696 KB. Print Length: 385 pages. ASIN: B018K97F50. ISBN: 9781464205736. First published in 1934

My Take: “An Unlocked Window” is a short story by Ethel Lina White originally published in April 1934 in The Novel Magazine illustrated by Vernon H. Smith. The story unfolds in an isolated house in the middle of the country side, where two nurses, Nurse Cherry and Nurse Silver, care for Professor Glendower Baker. Professor Baker is recovering himself  from gas poisoning and needs constant attention. In the house also live Mr and Mrs Iles, in charge of the domestic works. Cherry, the younger nurse, tries to get along with the oldest nurse, Silver, who has just recently incorporated to help her. However, Nurse Silver is very critical with everything she does. To make thing worse, Nurse Cherry has forgotten to close the last oxygen cylinder of their patient and they have been left without a spare one for the night. Thus, Mr Iles goes to fetch a new one and leaves the three women alone warning them to not forget to close firmly all doors and windows. It’s been reported there’s a murderer on the loose who has recently strangled three nurses in the zone. And the three women alone get ready to spend the night with all windows and doors locked.

“An Unlocked Window” is an excellent suspense story, wonderfully written. This has been the first story by Ethel Lina White I have read, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

This story served as the basis for the 49 minutes telefilm of the same title aired on 15 February 1965 as the 17th episode of the third season of the TV series The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, directed by Joseph M. Newman. James Bridges, who penned the teleplay, won an Edgar Award the next year for this adaption. It counted with the cinematographer Stanley Cortez, the music score of Bernard Herrmann and a fantastic cast including Dana Wynter, T.C. Jones,  Louise Latham and John Kerr. “An Unlocked Window” was remade in the pilot episode of season one of Alfred Hitchcock Presents released on 20 October 1985,  condensed to a half-hour running time, directed by Fred Walton and starring Annette O’Toole and Bruce Davison. This second version is well below the original.   

Curtis Evans at The Passing Tramp: ‘Personally, I prefer Ethel Lina White to the much lauded Francis Iles (Anthony Berkeley Cox) and would love to see more of her books back in print.  It surprises me that feminist mystery genre criticism, which has done so much for the cause of the Crime Queens, has done so little for Ethel Lina White.’

Mike Grost on Ethel Lina White: ‘Her short story gem “An Unlocked Window” shows some similarities with both Rinehart and her followers, such as nurse detectives, night scenes, lonely country houses, mysterious bad men on the prowl.’

About the Author: Ethel Lina White (1876 – 1944) was a British crime writer. Born in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales, White started writing as a child, contributing essays and poems to children’s papers. Later she began to write short stories, but it was some years before she wrote books. Her first three, published between 1927 and 1930, were mainstream novels. Her first crime novel, published in 1931, was Put Out the Light. She worked at the Ministry of Pensions and died in London.

Recommended Works by Kate Jackson: Fear Stalks the Village (1932); Some Must Watch (aka The Spiral Staircase, 1933); and The First Time He Died (1935). 

A Forgotten Woman Crime Novelist by Christine Poulson

“An Unlocked Window”, de Ethel Lina White

Mi opinión: “An Unlocked Window” es un relato breve de Ethel Lina White publicado originalmente en abril de 1934 en The Novel Magazine con ilustraciones de Vernon H. Smith. La historia se desarrolla en una casa aislada en medio del campo, donde dos enfermeras, la enfermera Cherry y la enfermera Silver, cuidan al profesor Glendower Baker. El profesor Baker se está recuperando de una intoxicación por gas y necesita atención constante. En la casa también viven el Sr. y la Sra. Iles, encargados de las labores domésticas. Cherry, la enfermera más joven, intenta llevarse bien con la enfermera de mayor edad, Silver, que se ha incorporado recientemente para ayudarla. Sin embargo, la enfermera Silver es muy crítica con todo lo que hace. Para empeorar las cosas, la enfermera Cherry se ha olvidado de cerrar el último cilindro de oxígeno de su paciente y se han quedado sin uno de repuesto para pasar la noche. Por ese motivo el señor Iles va a buscar uno nuevo y deja a las tres mujeres solas advirtiéndoles que no olviden cerrar firmemente todas las puertas y ventanas. Se ha informado que hay un asesino suelto que recientemente estranguló a tres enfermeras en la zona. Y las tres mujeres solas se preparan para pasar la noche con todas las ventanas y puertas cerradas.

“An Unlocked Window” es una excelente historia de suspense, maravillosamente escrita. Esta ha sido la primera historia de Ethel Lina White que he leído, y estoy seguro de que no será la última.

Esta historia sirvió de base para el telefilme de 49 minutos del mismo título que se emitió el 15 de febrero de 1965 como el episodio 17 de la tercera temporada de la serie de televisión The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, dirigida por Joseph M. Newman. James Bridges, quien escribió el guión para la televisión, ganó un premio Edgar al año siguiente por esta adaptación. Contó con el director de fotografía Stanley Cortez, la banda sonora de Bernard Herrmann y un elenco fantástico que incluía a Dana Wynter, T.C. Jones, Louise Latham y John Kerr. Una nueva versión “An Unlocked Window” apareció en el episodio piloto de la primera temporada de Alfred Hitchcock Presents emitido el 20 de octubre de 1985, condensado en una duración de media hora, dirigido por Fred Walton y protagonizado por Annette O’Toole y Bruce Davison. Esta segunda versión está muy por debajo de la original.

Curtis Evans en The Passing Tramp: “Personalmente, prefiero a Ethel Lina White al muy elogiado Francis Iles (Anthony Berkeley Cox) y me encantaría ver más de sus libros impresos. Me sorprende que la crítica feminista del género de misterio, que tanto ha hecho por la causa de las Reinas del Crimen, haya hecho tan poco por Ethel Lina White”.

Mike Grost sobre Ethel Lina White: “Su joya del cuento “An Unlocked Window” muestra algunas similitudes tanto con Rinehart como con sus seguidores, como enfermeras detectives, escenas nocturnas, casas de campo aisladas, misteriosos malechores al acecho”.

Acerca del autor: Ethel Lina White (1876 – 1944) fue una escritora británica de misterio. Nacida en Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Gales, White comenzó a escribir cuando era niña, contribuyendo con ensayos y poemas a periódicos infantiles. Más tarde comenzó a escribir cuentos, pero pasaron algunos años antes de que escribiera libros. Sus tres primeras obras, publicadas entre 1927 y 1930, fueron novelas convencionales. Su primera novela policíaca, publicada en 1931, fue Put Out the Light. Trabajó en el Ministerio de Pensiones y murió en Londres.

Obras recomendadas por Kate Jackson: Fear Stalks the Village (1932); Some Must Watch (aka The Spiral Staircase, traducida como La escalera de caracol, 1933); y The First Time He Died (1935). 

Ethel Lina White en Leer sin prisa

Ethel Lina White (1876 – 1944)

Ethel Lina White was born in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales, in 1876, the daughter of a successful builder, she was one of a family of twelve, raised by Welsh nursemaids. She worked in London for the Ministry of Pensions, but left the job ‘on the strength of a ten-pound offer for a short story’, and ‘scratched a living on short stuff for quite a time before my first novel was published’. Her favourite form of relaxation was watching films, which perhaps account for her knack of writing vivid and suspenseful scenes. Her first three works, published between 1927 and 1930, were mainstream novels. Her first crime novel, published in 1931, was Put Out the Light. Although she has now faded into obscurity, in her day she was as well known as writers like Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie. Her works have enjoyed a revival in recent years with a stage adaptation of The Lady Vanishes touring the UK in 2001 and the BBC broadcast of an abridged version on BBC Radio 4 as well as a TV adaptation by the BBC in 2013. Also, many of her works previously unavailable have recently been published for Amazon Kindle. She died in London in 1944 aged 68.

The first adaptation of White’s work was The Wheel Spins. Whilst The Lady Vanishes is primarily seen as one of the highlights of Alfred Hitchcock’s career, he almost didn’t make the film, as he did so to fulfil a studio contract. Following the success of The Lady Vanishes there was interest in making more movies from her books and in 1945 her novel Midnight House became The Unseen, directed by Lewis Allen. Shortly after that came an adaptation of Some Must Watch, one of White’s earlier novels. Again the name of the novel was changed and became The Spiral Staircase gaining a Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nomination for Ethel Barrymore. (Source: Martin Edwards and Wikipedia)

Bibliography: Put Out the Light (1931); Fear Stalks the Village (1932); Some Must Watch (1933; filmed in 1946 as The Spiral Staircase; remade under the same title in 1975, and again for TV in 2000); Wax (1935); The First Time He Died (1935); The Wheel Spins (1936) (filmed in 1938 by Alfred Hitchcock as The Lady Vanishes; remade in 1979 and again for TV in 2013); The Third Eye (1937); The Elephant Never Forgets (1937); Step in the Dark (1938); While She Sleeps (1940); She Faded into Air (1941); Midnight House (U.S. title Her Heart in Her Throat, 1942, filmed in 1945 as The Unseen); The Man Who Loved Lions (U.S. title The Man Who Was Not There, 1943); and They See in Darkness (1944). (In bold letters the books I’m looking forward to reading)

Curtis Evans at The Passing Tramp has said: ‘Personally, I prefer Ethel Lina White to the much lauded Francis Iles (Anthony Berkeley Cox) and would love to see more of her books back in print.  It surprises me that feminist mystery genre criticism, which has done so much for the cause of the Crime Queens, has done so little for Ethel Lina White.?’

Kate Jackson, who blogs at Cross-Examining Crime, has to date read 9 of them and has ranked them as follows here. I hope it will help you, as much as it will help me.

(Facsimile Dust Jacket, Fear Stalks the Village by Ethel Lina White, Ward, Lock and Co., Ltd. (UK), 1932)