MAN & WIFE-Film Noir/Thriller Genre by Andrew Klavan

Andrew Klavan is a writer of physiological thrillers & screenplays.  He has received numerous writing awards; twice receiving the Edgar Award.  MAN & WIFE reads more like a dated screenplay for a film noire movie.  It's also part psychological thriller.  Unfortunately, it is week on both fronts.  It is a poor imitation of Billy Wilder's DOUBLE INDEMNITY.  The 1st line of the novel reads "Maybe if I had lover her less there would have been no murder."  Knowing from the start someone get's killed, Cal, the narrator, confides "So I guess this is a confession of sorts."  Cal, is a psychiatrist happily married to Marie with 3 beautiful children.  So blissfully happy, Cal admits "I would have seen her far more clearly, If I had only loved her less."  Cal gets roped into helping keeping a troubled juvenile, Peter Blue from prison.  Peter is placed in a psychiatric hospital for troubled teens under Cal's shelter.  This infuriates the local "sheriff" Hell bent on seeing this mystical delinquent behind bars. When the dead body of a nefarious stranger is uncovered, Peter is accused of the murder.  Cal knows Peter is not responsible but covering for the actual killer poses a quandary.  Cal discovered "how hard it was to destroy evidence of a murder.  Nothing just goes away."  Nothing worked for me.  But, it's probable  MAN & WIFE is turned into a screenplay for a movie which I won't see.