Symons, Julian. THE PLAYERS AND THE GAME. (1972). ****. Symons writes psychological crime novels with heavy sprinklings of police procedural. He is one of the few English writers elected a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America. His company there includes Graham Greene, Daphne du Maurier and Eric Ambler – heady company indeed. This novel involves the coupling of a certifiably insane man and a woman who, in their fantasy lives believe that they are Dracula and Bonnie Parker. When together they acted out their fantasies that ultimately led to the deaths of three women under the most cruel circumstances. In their daily lives, however, they were indistinguishable from most normal people. The police are baffled by the killings and are led to several wrong conclusions about who the killer really is for a long time. Clues point to an obvious suspect early on, but don’t be fooled – hard evidence turns up at the end to allow them to catch the real killers. As always, Symons writes his stories in a very literate manner and manages to keep the plot moving forward inevitably towards the end. You will learn that the killer – one of them – is ultimately motivated by the teachings of Nietsche, and will find lots of quotes – quoted out of context – from that philosopher that he (the killer) uses to justify his actions. Highly recommended.
