Publisher: CinemaSerf December 31, 2024
Rhetorical question but how is it possible to murder a fortune teller? Surely she should have anticipated the crime and had the constabulary ready and waiting? Well apparently not as "Madame Astra" (Jean Kent) is found slain. It falls to policeman "Lodge" (Duncan Macrae) to try and piece together just what might have happened to her. Now it was a fairly tight knit community and this woman wasn't universally liked. She didn't exactly get on with her sister, nor with her intended (Dirk Bogarde) of whom it has to be said is probably a bit of a rake. Meantime, she seems to have taken advantage of local shopkeeper "Pollard" (Charles Victor) as well as seafaring man "Michael" (John McCallum) and all under the nosey gaze of her housekeeper "Mrs. Finch" (Hermione Baddeley). Many of their alibis overlap and it's interesting for the copper to learn a few different permutations of the lead up to events and the one thing that is certain: she was a bit of a manipulatrix who was perfectly prepared to use her wiles to her own advantage. It's nice to see Macrae given a part a little more substantial than his usual professional Scotsman and I did quite enjoy the efforts from Baddeley and the multi-faceted Kent as the mystery gradually comes together. It's one of those whodunits where you feel half way through that the killer probably merited a medal rather than the noose, but that's always assuming they get caught!