Murder didn't mean much to Raven. It was just
a new job. You had to be careful. You had to use
your brains. It was not a question of hatred.
He had only seen the minister once : he had been
pointed out to Raven as he walked down the new housing
estate between the little lit Christmas
trees--an old rather grubby man without any friends,
who was said to love humanity.
-Graham Greene, This Gun for Hire
Raven is a hired killer with a harelip. His profession and his
deformity combine to give him a passion for privacy. But when he's
hired to kill a socialist minister who's active in the peace movement and
ends up also shooting an elderly woman from his household staff too, he's
suddenly one of the most sought after men in England. And when the
man who hired him, Mr. Cholmondeley, pays him off in counterfeit notes,
he becomes an easy man to track. In addition, his strong sense of
professional ethics lead him to try and find Cholmondeley and whoever's
behind him, rather than simply hiding out.
Through a circuitous set of circumstances, Raven is helped in his search
by a young woman, Anne, whose boyfriend just happens to be the lead detective
on his case. She recognizes how dangerous Raven is, but feels sorry
for him and, with Europe sliding into war, thinks she can use him to strike
back at the shadowy forces who wanted the peace loving minister dead.
Though it lacks the universal moral tension of some of Greene's better
work, this is an entertaining noir thriller. The plot depends on
a few too many fortuitous twists, but if you take it in the spirit of say
The 39 Steps or a Hitchcock movie, the implausabilities aren't unbearable.
Perhaps the most interesting reading of the book is as a forecast of the
central ethical dilemma of WWII. Think of Raven as the USSR and of
Anne as the Allies. She accepts Raven out of sympathy for his physical
and spiritual deformities and assumes that he, despite his amorality, can
be twisted to serve her own noble purposes. In the end, a lot of
folks die as a result of her naiveté.
(Reviewed:18-Oct-00)
Grade: (B-)
Websites:
See also:
Graham Greene (
6 books reviewed)
Crime
Graham Greene Links:
-(Henry)
Graham Greene (1904-1991)(kirjasto)
-ENCYCLOPAEDIA
BRITANNICA: your search: "Graham Greene"
-ESSAY:
'The Third Man' as a Story and a Film (GRAHAM GREENE, NY Times, March
19, 1950)
-Graham
Greene: THE CHESTERTONS (NY Review of Books, Jul 21, 1983)
-Graham
Greene: THE FBI AND PEARL HARBOR (NY Review of Books, Aug
12, 1982)
-Graham
Greene: YOU'RE WELCOME (NY Review of Books, Nov 8, 1979)
-Graham
Greene: INFORMATION WANTED (NY Review of Books, Sep 27, 1979)
-Graham
Greene: The Great Spectacular (NY Review of Books,
Jan 26, 1978)
-Graham
Greene: The Country with Five Frontiers (NY Review of Books,
Feb 17, 1977 )
-Graham
Greene Birthplace Trust, Home Page GGBT
-Anne
Sherry Graham Greene Page
-Graham
Greene (Biography, His Works, Other Web Resources)
-Graham
Greene
-Greeneland:
The World of Graham Greene
-(Henry)
Graham Greene (short bio, John D. Hamilton)
-OBIT:
Graham Greene, 86, Dies; Novelist of the Soul
-Featured
Author: Graham Greene With News and Reviews From the Archives of The
New York Times (NY Times Book Review)
-CATHERINE
WALSTON/GRAHAM GREENE PAPERS (Georgetown.edu)
-ESSAY:
Graham Greene's Vietnam (Tom Curry, Literary Traveler)
-ESSAY:
The (Mis)Guided Dream of Graham Greene (Robert Royal, First Things)
-ESSAY:
Why Greene fades on film (Quentin Curtis, UK Telegraph)
-ESSAY:
ëHe knew himself as no one else didí Novelist Shirley Hazzard talks
about her times with Greene on Capri (Desmond OíGrady, UK Telegraph)
-ESSAY:
An Edwardian on the Concorde: Graham Greene as I Knew Him (Paul
Theroux, NY Times Book Review)
-EXCERPTS:
from May we Borrow Your Husband?
-REVIEW:
The
Lives of Graham Greene (David Lodge, NY Review of Books)
-J.M.
Cameron: On Graham Greene (NY Review of Books)
-Book
club discussion questions: End of the Affair (Warren Pages)
-REVIEW:
of The End of the Affair Mr. Greene's Intense Art (GEORGE
MAYBERRY, NY Times, October 28, 1951)
-REVIEW:
of Heart of the Matter (July 11, 1948, WILLIAM DU BOIS, NY Times
Book Review)
-REVIEW:
of The Quiet American (March 11, 1956, ROBERT GORHAM DAVIS, NY Times
Book Review)
-REVIEW: of The Quiet American by Graham Greene (C. P. Farley, Powell's)
-REVIEW:
John Bayley: God's Greene, NY Review of Books
The Captain
and the Enemy by Graham Greene
Graham
Greene by Neil McEwan
A Reader's
Guide to Graham Greene by Paul O'Prey
-Michael
Shelden: GREENE & ANTI-SEMITISM (NY Review of Books, Sep 21, 1995)
-Richard
West: Graham Greene and 'The Quiet American' (NY Review of Books, May
16, 1991)
-J.M.
Cameron: On Graham Greene (NY Review of Books, May 30, 1991)
-REVIEW:
John Bayley: God's Greene (NY Review of Books)
The Captain and the Enemy
by Graham Greene
Graham Greene by Neil McEwan
A Reader's Guide to Graham
Greene by Paul O'Prey
-REVIEW:
Joan Didion: Discovery (NY Review of Books)
Finding the Center: Two
Narratives by V.S. Naipaul
Getting to Know the General:
The Story of an Involvement by Graham Greene
-REVIEW:
Jonathan Raban: Innocents Abroad (NY Review of Books)
J'Accuse: The Dark Side
of Nice by Graham Greene
Monsignor Quixote by Graham
Greene
-REVIEW:
Robert Towers: Cautionary Tale (NY Review of Books)
Doctor Fischer of Geneva
or the Bomb Party by Graham Greene
-REVIEW:
Conor Cruise O'Brien: Greene's Castle (NY Review of Books)
The Human Factor by Graham
Greene
-REVIEW:
V.S. Pritchett: Rogue Poet (NY Review of Books)
Lord Rochester's Monkey
by Graham Greene
-REVIEW:
Conor Cruise O'Brien: A Funny Sort of God (NY Review of
Books)
The Honorary Consul by Graham
Greene
Collected Stories by Graham
Greene
-REVIEW:
Karl Miller: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (NY Review of
Books)
Midnight Oil by V.S. Pritchett
A Sort of Life by Graham
Greene
-RESPONSE:
Graham Greene: GREENE'S MEANING (NY Review of Books)
-REVIEW:
Denis Donoghue: The Uncompleted Dossier (NY Review of Books)
Travels with My Aunt by
Graham Greene
Blind Love, and Other Stories
by V.S. Pritchett
-REVIEW:
V.S. Pritchett: A Polished Dissenter (NY Review of Books)
Collected Essays including
The Lost Childhood by Graham Greene
-REVIEW:
Sybille Bedford: Tragic Comedians (NY Review of Books)
The Comedians by Graham
Greene
-REVIEW:
David Lodge: The Lives of Graham Greene (NY Review of Books)
Graham Greene: The Man Within
by Michael Shelden
Graham Greene: The Enemy
Within by Michael Shelden
The Life of Graham Greene
Volume II, 1939-1955 by Norman Sherry
Graham Greene: Three Lives
by Anthony Mockler
Graham Greene: Friend and
Brother by Leopoldo Duran and translated by Euan Cameron
The Graham Greene Film Reader:
Reviews, Essays, Interviews & Film Stories
-REVIEW:
of Green on Capri by Shirley Hazzard (DORIS BETTS, NANDO)
-REVIEW: of The Life of Graham Greene; Volume III: 1955-1991
by Norman Sherr (FRANKLIN FREEMAN, Touchstone)
Book-related and General Links:
-(Henry)
Graham Greene (1904-1991)(kirjasto)
-ENCYCLOPAEDIA
BRITANNICA: your search: "Graham Greene"
-ESSAY:
'The Third Man' as a Story and a Film (GRAHAM GREENE, NY Times, March
19, 1950)
-Graham
Greene: THE CHESTERTONS (NY Review of Books, Jul 21, 1983)
-Graham
Greene: THE FBI AND PEARL HARBOR (NY Review of Books, Aug
12, 1982)
-Graham
Greene: YOU'RE WELCOME (NY Review of Books, Nov 8, 1979)
-Graham
Greene: INFORMATION WANTED (NY Review of Books, Sep 27, 1979)
-Graham
Greene: The Great Spectacular (NY Review of Books,
Jan 26, 1978)
-Graham
Greene: The Country with Five Frontiers (NY Review of Books,
Feb 17, 1977 )
-Graham
Greene Birthplace Trust, Home Page GGBT
-Anne
Sherry Graham Greene Page
-Graham
Greene (Biography, His Works, Other Web Resources)
-Graham
Greene
-Greeneland:
The World of Graham Greene
-(Henry)
Graham Greene (short bio, John D. Hamilton)
-OBIT:
Graham Greene, 86, Dies; Novelist of the Soul
-Featured
Author: Graham Greene With News and Reviews From the Archives of The
New York Times (NY Times Book Review)
-CATHERINE
WALSTON/GRAHAM GREENE PAPERS (Georgetown.edu)
-ESSAY:
Graham Greene's Vietnam (Tom Curry, Literary Traveler)
-ESSAY:
The (Mis)Guided Dream of Graham Greene (Robert Royal, First Things)
-ESSAY:
Why Greene fades on film (Quentin Curtis, UK Telegraph)
-ESSAY:
ëHe knew himself as no one else didí Novelist Shirley Hazzard talks
about her times with Greene on Capri (Desmond OíGrady, UK Telegraph)
-ESSAY:
An Edwardian on the Concorde: Graham Greene as I Knew Him (Paul
Theroux, NY Times Book Review)
-EXCERPTS:
from May we Borrow Your Husband?
-REVIEW:
The
Lives of Graham Greene (David Lodge, NY Review of Books)
-J.M.
Cameron: On Graham Greene (NY Review of Books)
-Book
club discussion questions: End of the Affair (Warren Pages)
-REVIEW:
of The End of the Affair Mr. Greene's Intense Art (GEORGE
MAYBERRY, NY Times, October 28, 1951)
-REVIEW:
of Heart of the Matter (July 11, 1948, WILLIAM DU BOIS, NY Times
Book Review)
-REVIEW:
of The Quiet American (March 11, 1956, ROBERT GORHAM DAVIS, NY Times
Book Review)
-REVIEW:
John Bayley: God's Greene, NY Review of Books
The Captain
and the Enemy by Graham Greene
Graham
Greene by Neil McEwan
A Reader's
Guide to Graham Greene by Paul O'Prey
-Michael
Shelden: GREENE & ANTI-SEMITISM (NY Review of Books, Sep 21, 1995)
-Richard
West: Graham Greene and 'The Quiet American' (NY Review of Books, May
16, 1991)
-J.M.
Cameron: On Graham Greene (NY Review of Books, May 30, 1991)
-REVIEW:
John Bayley: God's Greene (NY Review of Books)
The Captain and the Enemy
by Graham Greene
Graham Greene by Neil McEwan
A Reader's Guide to Graham
Greene by Paul O'Prey
-REVIEW:
Joan Didion: Discovery (NY Review of Books)
Finding the Center: Two
Narratives by V.S. Naipaul
Getting to Know the General:
The Story of an Involvement by Graham Greene
-REVIEW:
Jonathan Raban: Innocents Abroad (NY Review of Books)
J'Accuse: The Dark Side
of Nice by Graham Greene
Monsignor Quixote by Graham
Greene
-REVIEW:
Robert Towers: Cautionary Tale (NY Review of Books)
Doctor Fischer of Geneva
or the Bomb Party by Graham Greene
-REVIEW:
Conor Cruise O'Brien: Greene's Castle (NY Review of Books)
The Human Factor by Graham
Greene
-REVIEW:
V.S. Pritchett: Rogue Poet (NY Review of Books)
Lord Rochester's Monkey
by Graham Greene
-REVIEW:
Conor Cruise O'Brien: A Funny Sort of God (NY Review of
Books)
The Honorary Consul by Graham
Greene
Collected Stories by Graham
Greene
-REVIEW:
Karl Miller: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (NY Review of
Books)
Midnight Oil by V.S. Pritchett
A Sort of Life by Graham
Greene
-RESPONSE:
Graham Greene: GREENE'S MEANING (NY Review of Books)
-REVIEW:
Denis Donoghue: The Uncompleted Dossier (NY Review of Books)
Travels with My Aunt by
Graham Greene
Blind Love, and Other Stories
by V.S. Pritchett
-REVIEW:
V.S. Pritchett: A Polished Dissenter (NY Review of Books)
Collected Essays including
The Lost Childhood by Graham Greene
-REVIEW:
Sybille Bedford: Tragic Comedians (NY Review of Books)
The Comedians by Graham
Greene
-REVIEW:
David Lodge: The Lives of Graham Greene (NY Review of Books)
Graham Greene: The Man Within
by Michael Shelden
Graham Greene: The Enemy
Within by Michael Shelden
The Life of Graham Greene
Volume II, 1939-1955 by Norman Sherry
Graham Greene: Three Lives
by Anthony Mockler
Graham Greene: Friend and
Brother by Leopoldo Duran and translated by Euan Cameron
The Graham Greene Film Reader:
Reviews, Essays, Interviews & Film Stories
-REVIEW:
of Green on Capri by Shirley Hazzard (DORIS BETTS, NANDO)
FILM:
-INFO
: This Gun for Hire (1942)
-BUY
IT : This Gun for Hire (VHS)(Amazon.com)
-REVIEW
: of This Gun for Hire (Martin Hunt, Edinburgh University Film Society)
