We, the Accused

I have loved this book for well over twenty years and am tired of waiting to do it justice, so here I go, knowing that I won't. I'm baffled that a previous reviewer places it in 1940; it was first published in 1935, and it is not science fiction! The author's opening "Note on the Places and Times of This Tale" tells us it takes place while gold coins were in circulation (hence before 1914), and we're told that a character's dress commemorates his late sovereign Edward (who died in 1910), so it actually takes place within a narrow window of years, and certainly an alert reader can tell through many other details that this England is pre-World War I. There are no radios, no means of getting the news other than by the papers as Paul and Myra flee across England...but I digress. Ernest Raymond's finest novel is written with precision of thought and expression, and with unfailing insight into the human psyche. He sets out to write a story of how anyone--even an ordinary, decent, and kind human being--might, in the "right" circumstances, commit a premeditated murder. He then causes the reader to feel that the murder was inevitable, that in the same circumstances he cannot be sure that he would not have done the same, and, that being so, how can the reader support the putting of the murderer to death, even though he is certain of his guilt? (The novel indeed is credited with helping to bring about the abolition of the death penalty in Britain.) The prose is as nearly flawless as any I have ever read, and if it seems old-fashioned to some who pick it up now, it's because they've been reading inferior writers. Raymond could be overwrought and over-sentimental in other books, but he isn't here. He's also relentlessly even-handed, baring his protagonist's faults and vanities, exposing every character's motives for what they are, regardless of which side they're on; and finally making even the prison guards and the warden all compassionate folk, so that the horror of the rope itself is the one that must command our attention; no mere "reforms" will do. And yet it's not a polemic. This is a story, not a political argument, and it reads like the great tragedy that it is. A wonderful book to read and re-read; a wonderful book for those who'd like to learn writing from a master.

This book is superbly crafted. I have to confess that in my opinion the English are better at using the English language than us Americans. Most of my favorite writers of fiction are English as are most of my favorite works of fiction. And this book is a prime examlpe of someone who can make words stand up, sit down, and turn cartwheels! This book is so well-written, it is simply a joy to read. And it is a book that stays with you. There are two kinds of really good books. The kind of book that is referred to as a page-turner, that one devours in a single gulp. The prime exapmle of that is books by Agatha Christie, a true Mistress Of Words. Then there is the other kind of really good book, the kind of book that you go deeply into and where the characters become real to you. This book falls into that category. Even though the story is commonplace, it's the atmosphere and the incredibly deep exploration of the villian/hero's Soul that makes this book so wonderful. You actually find yourself wanting him to get away with it. This book is very evocotive in it's descriptions of the places. You will feel as if you have been on the run with the lover's and will be quite upset when they get caught. So, get this book, and on a winter's weekend, curl up with a cup of tea, a warm blanket and ENJOY! Years ago, sometime in the 1980's, a simply wonderful version of this novel was made for PBS. As a matter of fact, seeing the PBS production was why I read the book. And in true BBC style, the screen version was as good as the book and entirely faithful to it. Oh, how I wish they would release it on DVD!

I really enjoyed this mystery. It explores its protagonists meaningfully, they aren't 2Dish as is usual in books in the popular genres (mystery, sci fi), and is also entertaining.

In the closing pages of "WE the Accused", dawn approaches over Tercanbury prison. The peaceful setting is rudely disturbed by the crash of the gallows trapdoor and the crack of the hangman's rope. Thus ends the life of a murderer who, as the author states, was an ordinary man who lost his way and floundered.The book relates how an ordinary man yielded to temptation despite his conscience. It is set in England, in the 1930s or 1940s and tells how this man, a schoolteacher, is trapped in an unloving and unsatisfactory marriage and how he manages to fall for the attractions of a younger woman. Nothing unusual in this background to the plot, but the author very convincingly describes how the "hero" or "villain" gradually becomes drawn deeper and deeper into trouble, sometimes through his own stupidity (or greed/ shortsightedness); partly through the feeling he would never be caught, and partly because of outside circumstances.To summarize: he murders his wife, gets caught, is tried and is hanged. His girlfriend almost shares his fate as an accomplice.The story is based on one or more true-life cases just as Silence of the Lambs was based on a composite of several real life cases. It is interesting, compelling and convincing because it deals with an ordinary person, with ordinary problems and also because today the book is to some extent a "period piece"I would recommend it to anybody intetrested in crime fiction. Readers of Messrs Ed McBain and Wambaugh would almost certainly enjoy it. Actually, it is surprising to me why this book has sunk into obcurity and out of print as it is well worth reading.Philip Murton Johannesburg