Who Killed Milton Krest?
Silhouette Man
The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
No, film-only fans, the answer is not Franz Sanchez. 
I'm referring of course to the murder of Milton Krest in Ian Fleming's short story 'The Hildebrand Rarity' (1960). We the readers know that the murder suspect is either the deceased's wife Liz Krest or Fidele Barbey. Bond has difficulty in working out whodunit and so does the reader. There is probably no definitive answer to this question but it is a fascinating one to pose anyway.
To my mind there is a stronger prima facie case against Liz Krest as her husband was strangled first with 'The Corrector' stingray tail that he had illegally fashioned into a whip. This seems like a symbolic revenge, before the fish was stuffed into his mouth.
It's an open-ended story of course and one could make a case for both Liz Krest and Fidele Barbey being the culprit. With perhaps 'Octopussy' aside, it represents Ian Fleming's only real foray into the realm of crime/whodunit fiction, of which the spy story is an offshoot of course.
Those are my views, but I'd be very interested to know what others think about who is culpable for the homicide of Milton Krest. It's likely that there is no right or wrong answer, but I could be wrong of course.
-{
I'm referring of course to the murder of Milton Krest in Ian Fleming's short story 'The Hildebrand Rarity' (1960). We the readers know that the murder suspect is either the deceased's wife Liz Krest or Fidele Barbey. Bond has difficulty in working out whodunit and so does the reader. There is probably no definitive answer to this question but it is a fascinating one to pose anyway.
To my mind there is a stronger prima facie case against Liz Krest as her husband was strangled first with 'The Corrector' stingray tail that he had illegally fashioned into a whip. This seems like a symbolic revenge, before the fish was stuffed into his mouth.
It's an open-ended story of course and one could make a case for both Liz Krest and Fidele Barbey being the culprit. With perhaps 'Octopussy' aside, it represents Ian Fleming's only real foray into the realm of crime/whodunit fiction, of which the spy story is an offshoot of course.
Those are my views, but I'd be very interested to know what others think about who is culpable for the homicide of Milton Krest. It's likely that there is no right or wrong answer, but I could be wrong of course.
-{ "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
Comments
suspicions about Her.
Yes, Bond is definitely reluctant to go with her on the ship to Mombasa, despite the obvious attractions of her beauty [are there shades of Andrea Anders wanting rid of Scaramanga in the 1974 TMWTGG film there?]. He thinks especially of the nasty way in which Milton Krest dies.
Nyla is a brunette, whereas Liz is a blonde so it's unlikely Liz could have concocted such a modus operandi
Regardless, the dirt bag died and they all live happily ever after. -{