Paul Temple and the Sullivan Mystery by Francis Durbridge

Constantine, Colonel Marquand, Harold Darwin, and Quinn are just a few who may be after something. This makes all the intrigue even more puzzling - but no less dangerous, as bodies seem to pile up on each leg of the journey until it becomes difficult to keep track of all the players. And of course there’s a luxurious flying boat the Temples travel aboard at one point.īecause Paul has had Sir Graham check out the glasses through British Intelligence, he knows there is nothing special about them at all. Because these were the romantic days of travel, there are several legs to the journey, including a stop in Sicily, exotic cafés and swanky nightclubs, the Nile River, the Villa Negara and Hotel Karamet. Then someone tries to do away with Paul and Steve while they go for a sail at one of the exotic stops on their way to Cairo. First the woman claiming to be Joyce Harwood is found murdered after a room mix-up, a peppermint the only clue to the killer’s identity. It begins to appear as though several groups may be working independently of one another to get the glasses. Oh, boy! What is with the peepers? Everyone seems to want them, with some offering great sums of money, others offering something much more dangerous. Since the Temples are headed to that side of the world, why not? A rather innocuous favor - to deliver a pair of spectacles to her cousin, Richard Sullivan, who has left them behind. Joyce Harwood interrupts the packing and banter between the couple when she asks Paul a favor. Again, it’s a Patrick Rayner production, and it sparkles from the outset as Paul and Steve are preparing for an exciting trip to Cairo, Egypt. As I mentioned in my review of Paul Temple and Steve, think of Paul Temple and his Fleet Street journalist wife as television’s Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, moved across the pond and back in time a few decades, and you’ll have a bead on the ambiance already.Ĭrawford Logan and Gerda Stevenson once again portray the sophisticated couple prone to attract danger in this incredibly enjoyable production of the original show as it was broadcast on the BBC.

For mystery lovers, a better world it is. It’s a world of a different era, one of cocktails and sports cars, sophisticated parties mingling with intrigue and danger. The plot to The Sullivan Mystery is wildly implausible, but can’t mar your enjoyment of Paul and Steve heading to an exotic location, with mystery and danger hot on their heels.

It is also one of the most fun shows in the series, and this wonderful BBC-4 recreation is splendid in every way! The Sullivan Mystery from 1947 was the first to feature Vivian Ellis’ famous Coronation Scot as the main theme to Paul Temple on radio (.

Paul Temple and the Sullivan Mystery by Francis Durbridge