Before the Fact (Crime classics)

Described on its first publication (1932) as 'one of the finest studies of murder ever written', and the inspiration for Hitchcock's classic film Suspicion, Before the Fact is a ground-breaking psychological drama of immense power. In Before the Fact the main character, wealthy but plain Lina McLaidlaw, marries feckless Johnny Aysgarth, against the advice of her father. Lina is certain she can change him for the better, until she is forced to acknowledge that he is a compulsive liar, a crook and a murderer. But still she loves him, while fearing she will inevitably become one of his victims. Written in the age of Agatha Christie's mysteries, this novel turns the storytelling on its head, introducing you to the murderer early on before going on to explore the psychology of the relationship between murderer and victim in enthralling detail.