“We never get accustomed to being less important to other people than they are to us …”
Rollo Martins shows up in Vienna at the request of his friend, only to find out it’s the day of his friend’s funeral. The Third Man is set in post-WWII Vienna where the city is divided into four sections. Martins has no place to stay, no valid currency and not a friend in sight. He begins talking to people who saw his friend die and finds some differing testimonies, which makes him wonder if the car accident was actually a murder.
I read The Third Man because I recently came across an article highly praising Graham Greene. His writing seemed to be considered classic, so I went to see what ebooks were available at the library to check out through Overdrive. The Third Man was the only one available, so I checked it out. I also was interested in reading this book because it’s also a movie. I thought it would be interesting to read the book and then watch the movie.
As Martins looks into Harry Limes’ death, he meets a detective who was investigating Limes for being part of a racket selling watered-down medicine. At first Martins can’t believe his friend would be part of such a scheme, but, in the end, the truth is even more surprising.
I enjoyed reading this story. It was a fairly quick and easy read. I learned that the story was actually written as a movie plot first and then turned into a book. It is a mystery, but the overall theme is justice. I think people who like older mysteries, such as Agatha Christie, would like this book. I will post an update after I watch the movie and let you know how it is.
Do you like mysteries? Who is your favorite mystery author? Comment below!
