''Reputation for a Song'' is a 1952

crime novel Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a profession ...

by the British writer

Edward Grierson Edward Grierson (9 March 1914 – 24 May 1975) was a Northumberland barrister and a writer of crime novels. His debut crime novel is the outstanding '' Reputation for a Song'', a classic inverted detective story. Grierson also wrote five novels, s ...

. It is an

inverted detective story An inverted detective story, occasionally known as a "howcatchem", is a murder mystery fiction structure in which the commission of the crime is shown or described at the beginning, usually including the identity of the perpetrator. The story then ...

, breaking with many of the traditions of the established

Golden Age of Detective Fiction The Golden Age of Detective Fiction was an era of classic murder mystery novels of similar patterns and styles, predominantly in the 1920s and 1930s. While the Golden Age proper is usually taken to refer to works from that period, this type of f ...

. A young man is placed on trial accused of murdering his father. Its conclusion rests on interpretations of the

presumption of innocence The presumption of innocence is a legal principle that every person Accused (law), accused of any crime is considered innocent until proven guilt (law), guilty. Under the presumption of innocence, the legal burden of proof is thus on the Prosecut ...

Film adaptation

In 1970 it was adapted into the film ''

My Lover, My Son ''My Lover, My Son'' (also known as ''Hush-a-bye Murder'') is a 1970 American-British co-production drama film directed by John Newland and starring Romy Schneider, Donald Houston and Dennis Waterman. It tells the story of a mother clinging to he ...

'' directed by

John Newland John Newland (November 23, 1917 – January 10, 2000) was an American film director, actor, television producer, and screenwriter. Early life and career Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Newland began his career in vaudeville while still in his teens. ...

and starring

Romy Schneider Rosemarie Magdalena Albach (23 September 1938 – 29 May 1982), known professionally as Romy Schneider (), was a German and French actress. She is regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses of all time and became a cult figure due to ...

Dennis Waterman Dennis Waterman (24 February 1948 – 8 May 2022) was an English actor and singer. He was best known for his tough-guy leading roles in television series including ''The Sweeney'', ''Minder (TV series), Minder'' and ''New Tricks'', singing the ...

and

Patricia Brake Patricia Ann Kennedy (25 June 1942 – 28 May 2022), better known by her stage name Patricia Brake, was an English actress. She was best known for her role as Ingrid Fletcher, eldest daughter of Norman Stanley Fletcher, in the BBC sitcom ''P ...

.Enser p.139

References

Bibliography

* Enser, A.G.S. ''Filmed Books and Plays: A List of Books and Plays from which Films Have Been Made, 1928-1974, Volume 1''. Simon & Schuster, 1975. * Hilfer, Tony. ''The Crime Novel: A Deviant Genre''. University of Texas Press, 2014. * Reilly, John M. ''Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers''. Springer, 2015. * White, Terry. ''Justice Denoted: The Legal Thriller in American, British, and Continental Courtroom Literature''. Praeger, 2003. 1952 British novels Novels by Edward Grierson British crime novels British detective novels Chatto & Windus books Novels set in England British novels adapted into films {{1950s-crime-novel-stub