Strangers on a Train

 Strangers on a Train

Author: Patricia Highsmith

Publisher: W.W. Norton and Co. 

Year: 2021

Does everyone have the capacity for murder hidden somewhere inside them? 

Patricia Highsmith’s dark classic Strangers on a Train is the story of a chance meeting that leads to murder. Guy Haines, an up and coming architect, is on his way to Texas to meet his estranged wife & talk about finally divorcing. Guy would then be free to marry his girlfriend Anne. On the train trip, Guy meets Charles Anthony Bruno a rich, spoiled, and drunk young man. During a night of heavy drinking, Bruno tells Guy about how much he hates his father and proposes his idea for a perfect murder. Bruno will kill Guy’s wife so she can’t ruin his career. In return, Guy will kill Bruno’s father. Perfect crimes because there’s no connection to each victim. Guy dismisses Bruno’s proposal as the ramblings of a drunken deranged mind. Soon after that meeting, Guy’s wife is murdered & Guy knows Bruno did it. Guy feels guilty. He starts to sabotage his own career and his relationship with Anne. Bruno can’t leave Guy alone & pressures him to hold up his part of the deal. What can drive a seemingly good man to commit murder? 

There’s a lot going on in this book - alcoholism, depression, greed, guilt, Bruno’s relationship with his mother, blackmail, Bruno’s obsession with Guy. Originally published in 1950, this psychological thriller still holds up today. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read this for the group read & movie watch party over on Instagram. Will be interesting to see how the book compares to Alfred Hitchcock’s movie version. 

Do you like to read the book before watching the movie version? 

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