After being out of print for more than 20 years, FIVE ROUNDABOUTS TO HEAVEN gets a well-deserved reissue. This is considered one of John Bingham’s greatest works, and who am I to disagree? A former MI5 agent, Bingham is also a master of the crime novel.

The story is pretty straightforward: how a normal man like Philip Bartels can arrive at the idea of murdering his own wife. We are told the story from a close friend of Philip, a schoolboy chum of his named Peter Harding. If this plot seems simple, you are mistaken, since Bingham has crafted a true classic.

Not only are we given insight into all of Philip’s actions, but the whole reason behind his plot is so of a deranged mind: because he does not want to put his wife through the disgrace of a divorce. So he figures the best thing to do is to kill her off humanely. He figures it would be easiest by poison, since she consumes powder every night for her digestion.

But what sells the book is how thought-out Philip has it all planned, right down to him imagining if he were caught, how it would play out in court. If that’s all the book was about, it’d be fine, but Bingham adds in a love interest for Philip: the lovely Lorna, for whom Harding also falls. She’s a young vibrant girl who make Philip’s heart a-flutter, driving him even further into his plot of murder, since his marriage was one of convenience, and tries to convince Peter that is also a valid reason to kill her off.

Since the book is told through Philip’s narration, we might not be sure what else drove him to this moment. Halfway through the book, we’re also given a total surprise about one of the characters.

Also included in ROUNDABOUTS is a introduction by John le Carré, who states that Bingham was the real-life inspiration for le Carré’s well-known George Smiley character from TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY. Other works by Bingham are being reissued as well, so now I have to add another author to a never-ending list of works to look for.

For people who are craving a well-crafted story with a bit of maliciousness, pick this book up. As the cover reads, it’s “soon to be a major motion picture.” Can’t wait to see Pierce Brosnan and Chris Cooper as the two leads. –Bruce Grossman

Buy it at Amazon.