“A novel by Marie Belloc Lowndes”

With a name like that, Marie Belloc Lowndes could only be related to Hilaire Belloc and, indeed, she was his sister. She died, age 79 in 1947. She was a prolific author in her own right and of her many 400-odd books, “The Lodger” had real success. It was turned into a film in 1927, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. A radio adaptation was made of it and they even turned it into an opera.
Finding this very old book in my bookcase, I decided to give it a try if only to see how storytelling has moved on in the last 100 years.
Basically, the theme of the book is a variation on the Jack the Ripper Novels which were enjoying so much success at the time. A serial killer known as “the avenger” is terrorising London by killing ladies of the night when a new lodger arrives at Mr and Mrs Bounting’s house in Bloomsbury. The Bountings have been going through a bad financial patch. The both left domestic service to open a small lodging house but so far have not been at all successful in attracting lodgers. So, when Mr Sleuth arrives at their door, without luggage or references, but who is prepared to pay a month’s rent in advance, they are so grateful to have escaped being turned out onto the street, they are happy to accept Mr Sleuth despite his obvious shortcomings. Their new lodger looks strange and has some very weird habits. He never goes out in the daylight but instead stays in his room reciting passages from the bible about fallen women but he likes to go out and walk the streets when the nights are dark and foggy. Nevertheless, Mrs Bounting, who despite all sorts of clues, thinks only the best of Mr Sleuth and while she harbours significant misgivings about the man, for the sake of her economic security, she is prepared to forgive all his very weird idiosyncrasies. Incidentally, the Bountings have an attractive, daughter, Daisy, who is shortly to be married to Joe, a policeman who provides much additional inside information about “the Avenger”.
Having set the scene, the author does a great job milking it for all it is worth. There’s definitely a feeling of “he’s behind you!” to the story but Ms Lowndes does an excellent job of building up the tension. No wonder it was turned into a film!
It’s a book most will enjoy and, surprisingly, it is still in print.

Bernard Gallivan
June 2018