''A Fragment of Fear'' is a 1965 thriller novel by the British writer

John Bingham John Armor Bingham (January 21, 1815 – March 19, 1900) was an American politician who served as a Republican representative from Ohio and as the United States ambassador to Japan. In his time as a congressman, Bingham served as both assist ...

Synopsis

James Compton, an English journalist and crime writer, is vacationing at a hotel in Italy, recovering from the after effects of a car accident. His fiancé Juliet, who he is planning to marry in the very near future, is on a brief work trip to America. Lucy Dawson, a fellow English guest with whom he is slightly acquainted, is found murdered in the ruins of Pompeii. The Italian police appear to be making little progress in their investigation. Compton is intrigued by the case and visits her grave in the protestant cemetery in Napoli where he finds a single wreath from what appears to be a group or organisation with which Dawson was involved, calling itself the Stepping Stones. Planning to write an article about the case he enters Dawson’s hotel room and in a book about Pompeii finds a map indicating that Dawson had a prearranged meeting at the location where she was found murdered. After a slightly jarring conversation with the hotel manager where he appears to be warned off further investigation, Compton returns to England and continues his enquires. A number of unsettling incidents occur but he refuses to stop his investigations and quickly becomes embroiled in a world of blackmail and espionage leading him to doubt his own sanity.

Adaptation

In 1970 it was turned into the film ''

Fragment of Fear ''Fragment of Fear'' is a 1970 British thriller film directed by Richard C. Sarafian and starring David Hemmings, Gayle Hunnicutt, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Roland Culver, Flora Robson and Arthur Lowe. It was adapted from the 1965 novel '' A Fragme ...

'' starring

David Hemmings David Edward Leslie Hemmings (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English actor and director. He is best remembered for his roles in British films and television programmes of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the 1966 mystery film ' ...

, Flora Robson and

Arthur Lowe Arthur Lowe (22 September 1915 – 15 April 1982) was an English actor. His acting career spanned 36 years, including starring roles in numerous theatre and television productions. He played Captain Mainwaring in the British sitcom ''Dad' ...

.Goble p.41 The adaptation involved significant changes from the original story, but retains its overall plot.

References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999. 1965 British novels British thriller novels British novels adapted into films Novels by John Bingham Novels set in London Novels set in Italy Victor Gollancz Ltd books {{1960s-thriller-novel-stub