A Suspension of Mercy is a psychological thriller

Psychological thriller

Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...

 novel by Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith was an American novelist and short-story writer most widely known for her psychological thrillers, which led to more than two dozen film adaptations. Her first novel, Strangers on a Train, has been adapted for stage and screen numerous times, notably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951...

. It was published in the US under the title The Story-Teller.

Synopsis

Television scriptwriter Sidney Bartleby, who specialises in murder mysteries, daydreams about killing his wife, Alicia, as a way of drawing inspiration for his stories. However, when she unexpectedly takes a long holiday away from him, he begins wondering whether he could ever put his plan into action.

Reception

Highsmith has an uncanny feeling for the rhythms of terror. - The Times Literary Supplement

The Times Literary Supplement

The Times Literary Supplement is a weekly literary review published in London by News International, a subsidiary of News Corporation.-History:...

Highsmith revels in eliciting the unsettling psychological forces that lurk beneath the surface of everyday contemporary life. - Powell's Books

Powell's Books

Powell's Books is a chain of bookstores in Oregon's Portland metropolitan area. Powell's headquarters, dubbed Powell's City of Books, claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. Powell's City of Books is located in the Pearl District on the edge of downtown and...