C.S. Forester is the author of classics such as The African Queen and the Horatio Hornblower adventure series. Payment Deferred was his second novel, written in 1926. My edition was printed in 1951 with this vintage pulp-style cover that caught my eye, but actually doesn't have much to do with the story!
Mr. Marble is swimming in debt. He lives with his mousy wife Annie and their two children in a squalid rented flat on the outskirts of London they can barely afford to stay in. Enter a long unknown relative from distant Australia, with no ties in the world and an inheritance in his luggage. He goes one rainy night to see his relatives on 53 Malcolm Road, has a drink, and never returns. No mention is made of him to the family after this, but why is Mr. Marble always staring at the little garden in back?
Suddenly the family is awash in money, all debts are repaid and they can afford finer groceries and clothes. The Marbles even splurge on all new Empire furnishings, and private schools for the kids.
Though well to do now, Mr. Marble stays at his position at the bank. He even goes in with bookie to invest their joint money in some insider trading, becoming even more wealthy. All while staying at squalid 53 Malcolm Road. He can never leave the garden or the house unattended, lest someone decide to do some landscaping.
And why would he want to leave after meeting enchanting Marguerite Collins, his French neighbour and sudden acquaintance. It gets lonely when the family is away on holiday, and she is so eager to spend time with him.
Far from being a racy crime novel, Payment Deferred shows Marble's rising paranoia, the crumbling of his family, and eventual crush in the hand of fate. It was a little jarring at first to see the cover of my edition, printed in 1951, as I thought it took place then. I kept checking myself, as he worried about a 5 pound debt, and the total of his household debt was just 30 pounds. It wasn't until I looked up the history of the book that I saw it was written in 1926, at which time the locales and descriptions would make sense.
Though not quite the same, it reminded me of The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. You already know what crimes have been committed, you are just watching Mr. Marble get slowly wrapped up in his destruction. The final twist at the end of his machinations was dark, deflating and satisfying.
Not the best "crime" novel, but it was always entertaining and well written, with some unique twists.
1926 / Paperback / 180 pages
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