Informazioni generali

Data di nascita: 1907-12-22
Data di morte: 1976-03-09
Luogo di sepoltura: Riverside Cemetery, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
Sesso: female
Nazionalità: USA
Luogo di nascita: Glastonbury, Connecticut, USA
Luogo di morte: Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA
Luogo di residenza: Plainville, Connecticut, USA
Farmington, Connecticut, USA
Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA
Attività lavorative: mystery novelist
detective novelist
psychological novelist
Breve biografia: Doris Miles Disney was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut. She worked in public relations and the insurance business. In 1936, she married George J. Disney, with whom she had a daughter. Her debut novel, A Compound for Death, was published in 1943. Mrs. Disney became a prolific and versatile mystery novelist, publishing 47 books in her career, many of which were bestsellers. She was famous for never repeating herself and for her well-rounded characters and plots. Several of her books were adapted into feature films or television movies, including Fugitive Lady in 1950 (from Dark Road), Stella in 1950 (from Family Skeleton), and Straw Man (1951). She created three distinct sleuths: U.S. postal inspector David Madden;
county detective Jim O'Neill; and insurance claim investigator Jefferson DiMarco, the best known. Her daughter Elizabeth Disney Laing also became a writer.

Utenti

Recensioni

Should Auld Acquaintances di Doris Miles Disney

This was actually pretty good. The story had a brisk consistent pace throughout even though not much actually happens. There's a couple of letters written back and forth, some phone calls, visits with lawyers and real-estate agents, with the murder being in the background. The two lead characters were well-wrought and the late wife always hovered in the background like a ghost. This story reminded me heavily of a story that would have been adapted for that old t.v. show Thriller (1960-1962) in its first dozen episodes or so - suburban noir is the term I think.
The book is not heavy on atmosphere but was great at making me want to read to find out where it was going to go ultimately even though it is a mystery/thriller so the ending is kind of a given. There is not much else to say about it even spoilers are a little moot, the plot is a typical husband murders rich wife for her money kind of thing. The real draw is the method and manner of the murder as well as the uncertain fate of the lead heroine, Grace Munson. There's also a brief twist near the end (as you do) and a gory corpse.
I would recommend this book, the story is well-paced and the characters are discernable from one another including the sister-in-law and her put-upon-husband. However, as the characters go, the police detective was a bit bland and more akin to the other background players but necessary to the denouement. The text has no fat whatsoever, everything seems like it's headed right for that cliff at the end.… (altro)

Segnalato

Ranjr | 1 altra recensione | Jul 13, 2023 |

Should Auld Acquaintance di Doris Miles Disney

A fortyish widow reads a magazine article about women seeking companionship who read the obituaries and contact recent widowers, pretending to be a friend of the man's deceased wife. They hope, by this tactic, to strike up an acquaintance with the widower that may possibly lead to a relationship. Grace Munson tries this on a widower in her town with dire consequences.

This book was set in 1960, just before the Women's Lib movement really got underway. This ridiculous ruse might have seemed more plausible then than it does now. A portrait of American suburban life in the Eisenhower years. An amusing, sinister & very dated mystery.… (altro)

Segnalato

booksandscones | 1 altra recensione | Dec 28, 2015 |

Three's A Crowd di Doris Miles Disney

Two quarrelsome sisters, one an alcoholic, the other married to a philandering man. It's no surprise when there is a murder in the small town of Rockwell, Virginia.

Not a "whodunnit" but a "will they get away with it", which is a trademark of this writer's style. The reader is told at the time who the murderer is and what they did afterward to cover it up. A quick, enjoyable read about an inevitable tragedy in a troubled family.

Segnalato

booksandscones | Dec 26, 2015 |

Who Rides a Tiger di Doris Miles Disney

"Who rides a tiger dare not dismount."

An embittered old woman dies, leaving not a penny to anyone in her family whom she accuses of ruining her life. Her grand-niece, Susan, takes fourteen volumes of Aunt Harriet's diary from the house, curious to read Harriet's story in her own words. What Susan finds is a lifestory more terrible than she could have imagined.

I love books like this that go back decades and tell what happened to people over years of their lives. Harriet is a Victorian lady, so most of the action takes place in the 1880s, with the rest in the 1940s when Susan discovers the truth of her great-aunt's life. (The book was published in 1946.) Great read!… (altro)

Segnalato

booksandscones | Aug 29, 2015 |

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