A Shock to the System: Simon Brett

This is a very different book by Simon Brett. Most of his books are humorous, lighter mysteries; I have read several books featuring Charles Paris, the actor. A Shock to the System is part dark comedy, and part thriller. Graham Marshall is an HR professional, a seemingly ordinary man, who kills a man in a fit of pique. He does not even know the man he kills; he leaves work after learning that he has not gotten the promotion he expected. He is accosted by a bum begging for money; in a rage, he hits the man with his umbrella and pushes him off a bridge. Initially he is remorseful and fears retribution; when it does not come, he begins to see murder as a solution to his many problems.

Initially, I had empathy with Graham. He has been moving steadily up the corporate ladder for years, his finances are becoming precarious, and his wife is pushing him to get a promotion so that they will have more money. Gradually Graham reveals his sordid, uncaring side; he cares little about how his behavior affects anyone. This is not a whodunnit, or even a howdunnit, as we watch as the crimes take place. The mystery here is whether he will be caught.

I expected the book to be more humorous. I did see the film adaptation when it came out in 1990 but I did not remember how dark the story was. This is black comedy, but I found it to be more black, less comedy.

The story was absorbing, well-written and a quick read; my interest never flagged. But it was not a comfortable read. With the story coming from Graham's point of view, it is hard not to feel the horror of the change in his behavior. Other characters in the book are also interesting and have depth, although few of them are very likable.

A new Blu-ray edition of A Shock to the System was recently released and that was my motivation to find a copy of this book and read it now. There are differences but I did not remember how the story played out in the film. It is set in New York, not the UK; Graham has a wife and a mother-in-law but no children.

Michael Caine is Graham, Swoozie Kurtz is his wife, and Elizabeth McGovern is a young woman who works in Graham's department and is attracted to him. Peter Riegert is the younger man who gets the promotion that Graham expected. Other than Caine, my favorite character in the film is Will Patton, who plays a police detective very much like Columbo.

I found the film lighter than the book but it was still pretty dark. A review in Entertainment Weekly from 1990 described this film as an "exhilarating corporate satire" that is "juicy fun." That would not be my assessment of the film, but it is very entertaining and well worth watching.

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Publisher: Macmillan London, 1984
Length:    255 pages
Format:    Hardback 
Setting:    London
Genre:     Thriller
Source:    I purchased this book.