Wanted to watch the movie, read the book first - first for both. Liked the book more than the film - but liked them both.

Our story within a story starts with the author in the 1970s finding a curious artifact in a graveyard, along with some interesting folks who would turn up earlier in the timeline. The history is good and connecting those dots helped drive the narrative. I love the foreshadowing of Starling on the first few pages. We know the ending from the beginning, so the suspense comes from the how. The sympathetic characters also carry the reader, along with a bit of humor. Apparently the author enjoyed the character of Liam Devlin enough to return to him a decade later, and this story enough to write a sort-of sequel.

The film version starred Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland among others. It did not start with the prequel, so the film audience could think the plan might work. Many of the intricacies of character are lost in the film, along with a few subplots. Bobby Shafto becomes a bumbling Pitts played by Larry Hagman, almost entirely comical. This was John Sturges' last film, and Caine has stated it wasn't edited effectively. Jenny Agutter is excellent as the strong female character Molly Prior.