''The Man Who Didn't Fly'' is a
detective novel
Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as specu ...
by the Scottish author
Margot Bennett. It was published originally in 1955. It was shortlisted for the
Gold Dagger
The CWA Gold Dagger is an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association of the United Kingdom since 1960 for the best crime novel of the year.
From 1955 to 1959, the organization named their top honor as the Crossed Red Herring Award. ...
award for crime-writing that year.
Premise
A private plane crashes, killing the pilot and all of its passengers. Yet, whilst investigating, the police discover that four passengers should have been on the plane but only three boarded. Which of the four men who had booked on the flight didn't fly, and what has happened to him?
TV Adaptation
Kraft Theatre
''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947, on NBC, airing at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Impe ...
adapted the novel as an hour-long TV episode in 1958.
The episode (whose principal cast included a young
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
) aired at 9pm on Wednesday 16 July. The screenplay was written by Bennett herself.
Availability
The novel was reissued in 2020 ().
References
External links
Adaptation at IMDb
1955 British novels
British detective novels
British thriller novels
Novels by Margot Bennett
Novels set in Wales
Novels set in London
Novels set in Ireland
Eyre & Spottiswoode books
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