Paul Temple And The Geneva Mystery

By: Francis Durbridge

Narrated by: Full Cast, Marjorie Westbury, Peter Coke

For thirty years the fictional crime novelist and detective Paul Temple, together with his Fleet Street journalist wife Steve, solved case after case in one of BBC Radio's most popular series. They inhabited a sophisticated world of chilled cocktails and fast cars, a world where Sir Graham Forbes, of Scotland Yard, usually needed Paul's help with his latest tricky case. Paul is contracted by one Maurice Lonsdale, whose brother-in-law was apparently killed in a car accident whilst abroad. His widowed sister Margaret is increasingly convinced that her husband is still alive - and she wants Paul Temple to investigate! Paul and Steve find that their own lives are soon in danger as they become embroiled in a deception stretching from London to Switzerland.©2002 BBC Worldwide Ltd; (P)2002 BBC Worldwide Ltd

Critic reviews

This radio dramatisation is a wonderful evocation of a Britain which is long gone

Wow wasn't expecting this!

I don't know what I was expecting when I downloaded this book but it was very good and easy to follow and the murder Mistry was excellent.
I wish it was a little bit longer because it was only three hours compared to my usual 10 our books.

Complex group of characters

Durbridge write a good mystery story but the number of characters and their various machinations are difficult to keep track of as the plot unfolds. The two lead characters, Paul and Stevie Temple husband and wife are well-developed personalities (sexist roles by today's standards) and well-spoken in their dialogue.

Not the best Paul Temple

There are 10 Paul Temple radio serials extant that starred Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury (the 11th serial they made is missing, believed lost.) Westbury had also played Steve to Kim Peacock's Temple for several years - none of those recordings seem to exist.

This is the only serial that was 6 episodes long instead of 8, and thank goodness, because it's really not that good. It's atypical in other ways - Westbury must have had laryngitis throughout the recording because her voice is definitely hoarse. A few actors have scenes where either Paul or Steve aren't present - that wasn't normally done. In addition, the mystery just isn't that compelling.

But then, we don't listen to Paul Temple for the mysteries. They are invariably extremely complicated, with the same old puzzle pieces mixed and matched. We listen because of the chemistry between Coke and Westbury, the fun of the other actors - in particular those who essay - and fail - American accents, and of course for Simon Lack, who played in 10 of the 11 serials, as either the villain, a red herring, and on one occasion, the obligatory police officer.

In this serial, he plays film director Vince Langham.

If you're new to the Paul Temple series, this is not the one to start out with. (Might I suggest Paul Temple and the Alex Affair. Quintessential Paul Temple.) However, if you already like Paul Temple, you'll want to have this one in your collection.