“I hate life. I hate anything that hangs by a thread.” A low-budget British B mystery that turned out so polished that the studio marketed it as a main feature, John Gilling’s The Voice of Merrill (US: Murder Will Out) is brought to life by an exceptional cast and a brilliant script that makes the most of its setting in English literary circles. When a publisher’s secretary is murdered, suspicion falls on three men: snobbish, ailing author Jonathan Roach (James Robertson Justice) who had met with the victim on the day of her death; ambitious, not-yet-established author Hugh (Edward Underdown) who had been dating her; and publishing executive Parker (Henry Kendall) who was being blackmailed by the victim for his involvement in embezzlement. Valerie Hobson brings star power as Jonathan’s wife Alycia who has just commenced an affair with the young Hugh and has a plan for advancing his career which involves a partnership with her caustic, obnoxious husband (“You’re human,” says Jonathan to Hugh. “It’s your only asset”). British thrillers often come with more clever dialogue and stage craftsmanship than thrills, and The Voice of Merrill isn’t necessarily an exception here, but its story unfolds in an unusually compelling manner, and the plot twists are extremely well-done with additional deaths to come. Perhaps the highlight is Justice’s performance as the disrespectful, dying husband whose words are as sharp as knives, especially when directed at his wife (when Alycia asks him what the victim was like, he responds, “I rated her intelligence even lower than I do yours”).