Warrant for X V660

I first read "Warrant for X" 45 years ago and have read many hundreds of mysteries since. This is still one of the best "classic" British "who- dunnits" ever. It was the movie "39 Steps to Baker Street," I believe, starring Van Johnson -- but the book beats the movie by a mile. Pure enjoyment and hard to put down. The author is more famous for "The List of Adrian Messenger," but this is a better story, in my opinion, and it grabs you from the very beginning and doesn't let go.

In Philip MacDonald's world, the butler just may have done it. I was watching a movie "23 Paces to Baker Street" (1956), about a blind man (Van Johnson) overhearing a kidnap and murder plot. The credits said based on a story by Philip MacDonald. The story turns out to be Warrant for X. With a few differences, the story was going paralleling the film then I recognized the name of Anthony Gethryn. It turns out that this book is part of a series that includes Colonel Gethryn. I have even seen another movie with him in it that was totally different from 23 paces but matched the book to a tee. "The List of Adrian Messenger" (1963) where George C. Scott plays Anthony Gethryn. Naturally the book s more complex than the movie. And just incase you come in the middle of the series as I did; there is sufficient references to earlier novels to keep you from getting lost. The mystery will keep you and the edge of your seat and just as you think they have a handle on "the who, what and why," they are off and running again.