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To Catch A Thief (1952)

by David Dodge(Favorite Author)

3.92 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0856178039 (ISBN13: 9780856178030)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

White Lion Publishers Ltd

review 1: When I saw an original 1952 paperback of one of my favorite Hitchcock films at a flea market for $1, I couldn't resist it. The titillating cover illustration shows a bikini and jewel clad blonde kneeling in the sand with her arms crossed behind her head - in the classic provocative pose to best display her bazooms. Obviously the cover was designed to attract a male reader. I was curious to see how closely the movie followed the book, and the answer is not very. Hitchcock's screenplay was written by John Michael Hayes and while the basic bones are the same, some elements of the plot are very different. The premise and most of the characters are there, though some of the roles are changed. The classic scene with Grace Kelly speeding along the curving mountain road of the... more French Riviera with an increasingly uncomfortable Cary Grant in the passenger seat? Not in the book. The chase for the real thief over the steep roof tiles in the dark? In the book. One of the major differences where the plot diverged involved the character of the real thief and another important character eliminated in the movie altogether. (No spoilers here in case you haven't seen the movie.) It made for an interesting read and reminded me how I like the old mystery/suspense/thriller that doesn't involve a serial killer or terrorist and a cop/detective/government agent. It was easy to visualize Cary Grant as John Robie and Grace Kelly as Francie Stevens, and I don't think the book would have been nearly as much fun without the movie playing a counterpoint in my mind.
review 2: David Dodge's novel is a fast-paced, entertaining page-turner that was subsequently turned into a memorable film by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Now, Jean Buchanan's dramatisation brings it to radio. American John Robie is living quietly in the South of France, trying to put his career as a notorious jewel thief behind him. However, when a series of huge jewel thefts begins on the Riviera, targeting rich Americans, the police immediately suspect he's returned to his old ways. To prove his innocence, and trap the real thief, Robie must resort to subterfuge. But his plans go awry when the daughter of one of the rich American tourists takes rather too close an interest in him - and his past. less

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