Plot summary The Blue Afternoon

los angeles, 1936

kay fischer architect has been defrauded ex-partner, eric meyersen. such, trying start architectural practice again on own. still keeps in contact philip, ex-husband , unsuccessful hollywood script writer, whom got divorced after death of baby son had hole in heart. kay learns old man has been enquiring , confronted dr salvador carriscant tells her father. thinking him crank, asks mother, annaliese leys, more questions real father, hugh paget, englishman, missionary , teacher died in fire in german new guinea in 1903.

carriscant tells daughter wants find man called paton bobby in connection murder happened in distant past. through contact of philip s, track him down @ ranch south of sante fe. take journey visit him , kay astounded reaction of both men when re-united carriscant tells little discussed. however, show old photograph taken @ aishlie tennis cup, , says needs find woman in – wife of embassy official - living in lisbon, portugal , states go him try locate her. kay, in meantime, distracted sale of house has finished building; hers has sell keep company afloat. shows mrs luard turner around , sale completed. takes mother carriscant s boarding house, telling believes him private detective hired meynard, , mother states has never seen him before although kay can tell lying apparent lack of interest in is. visits new site planning develop foreman, larry rugola, , on way drop in on 2265 micheltorreno, find being knocked down eric meyersen, tells kay going build similar house there different architect.

feeling down in dumps, kay decides take father s offer of trip lisbon - vital him not have finances pay trip. however, in return father has tell family , next part of book life in manila in philippines. carriscant son of archibald carriscant, scotsman , railway engineer, married juliana, daughter of local mestizo landowner. after studying medicine @ glasgow university, during time archibald died, son salvador returned manila set practice in 1897.

manila, 1902

dr salvador carriscant becomes celebrated surgeon in philippines, working @ san jeronimo hospital in manila. however, in strong rivalry hospital s director, dr cruz, totally against new surgical methods of listerism introduced salvador, preferring work in salvador s eyes antediluvian sawbones cum sinister circus performer . salvador s work made easier because of highly trained filipino anethetist, pantaleon quiroga, assists him in every operation @ san jeronimo. quiroga aeroplane enthusiast; has built , housed 1 in newly built nipa barn , shows 1 day carriscant. surgeon paid surprise visit paton bobby, chief of constabulary , asked accompany him examine dead body of young american marine called ephraim ward. corpse taken them hospital mortuary , put on ice. in meantime, salvador returns home wife, annaliese, whom has fallen out of love , not slept whole year. next day, discovers peninsularo dr isidro cruz has removed body , , bobby visit dr s house near small village of flores recover. tells them has owing lack of room in hospital morgue , both men disgusted unhygienic conditions of spaniard s domestic operating theatre.

carriscant decides take whore in 1 of brothels in gardenia street in sampaloc district. however, meets drunk american military doctor, wieland, in ice-cream parlor , has tell lie visiting cook’s mother hernia. tries leave trapped in backyard of whorehouse. eventually, scrambles on wall , on way home in hours of morning killed stray arrow. remonstrates american woman doing target practice , finds bowled on looks. asks bobby might be, saying wife met @ church function, , policeman thinks headmistress of gerlinger school. carriscant goes school , told nuns walking @ luneta islanders parade in evening. spots , finds opportunity speak rebuffs him, stating name not rudolfa presumes – 1 of men calls delphine and, seeing there might trouble, carriscant obliged leave.

paton bobby comes see carriscant body has been found – time soldier called corporal maximilian braun, , carriscant meets young american colonel called sieverance. salvador examines body , notes heart has been removed. visit governor taft’s office in malacanan palace update him on situation , carriscant gives him negative opinion dr wieland’s abilities. carriscant hauled before cruz , wieland dressing down , fight ensues between 3 men enmity has spilled over. doctor summoned note jepson sieverance’s house , here re-encounters delphine, colonel’s wife suffering acute appendicitis. cruz , wieland appear examine carriscant persuades ignore misinformed medical opinions , taken san jeronimo performs operation on her, thrilled able see , touch naked body whilst under anaesthetic.

delphine sieverance makes slow sure recovery , salvador visits @ house patient. appears glad see him , gives him novel read in order may return @ later date. sieverance’s regiment called away fight insurgents , salvador visits calle lagarda once more – putting book in library trips , falls , falls delphine , recognise attraction each other. 1 day @ hospital, visited mrs sieverance complaining of pain in abdomen. undressed salvador in private on examination couch , make love each other.

a third body discovered, of poor female slum dweller 4 months pregnant. scalpel found body , bobby asks carriscant if 1 missing hospital. carriscant inventory check , discovers there is. informs bobby , tells him believes planted next body cruz , wieland implicate him in murder. bobby dismisses fanciful tells him believes murderer cruz family came batangas in southern luzon rebellion fiercest. @ hospital summoned cruz’s side of hospital , cruz shows him man exposed beating heart has 6 sutures in it, believing great scientific experiment until carriscant informs him performed 7 years earlier in germany. carriscant , wife attend official reception given governor taft , wife , here meets delphine once again , arrange meeting. meet , tries make love again concerned servants , pushes him away. however, delphine comes carriscant’s surgery once more , make love again, , tells him life , marriage sieverance whom feels apathy. leaving, interrupted pantaleon , carriscant reveals love. panteleon understands situation , lends couple ‘nipa’ barn in afternoons assignments. 1 day, doctor receives note delphine asking meet on luneta , reveals him pregnant. later encounters sieverance , learns return usa, dashes round see delphine , forced set fire shed in friend’s garden interrupt bridge party attending , tells has plan resolve situation.

annaliese remorseful on coldness towards husband , effects reconciliation sleeping him again. in meantime, carriscant goes see nicanor axel, has smuggled in engine pantaleon’s plane avoid duty, , arranges 2 passengers leave on boat. interrupted in consulting rooms pantaleon tells him amberway-richault flying prize taking place in paris on 30 may 1903 , must complete flight first. carriscant refuses passenger, stating terrified pantaleon totally obsessive , threatens reveal affair. test flight of drs pantaleon quiroga, accompanied dr salvador carriscant, takes place ‘nipa’ barn attended sizeable crowd. machines launches air , flies on mark , higher expected before crashing san roque creek – salvador severely winded , pantaleon dead. now, in grief, doctor puts plan effect. 1 evening visited sieverance , delphine, whom has given cordite make appear ill. takes operating theatre , gives colonel glass of rum laced chloral. puts woman ice chest make dead white , covers himself , theatre blood, before telling sieverance wife has died , showing him body. shows him dead body of five-month-old foetus , sieverance breaks down. after taking colonel home, returns delphine , warms before sending in carriage axel’s boat. however, readying himself leave – pretending going mother’s house 2 weeks – arrested paton bobby , constables murder of sieverance, body has been found 2 bullet holes in head.

lisbon, 1936 ending consists of carriscant , kay arriving in lisbon , reader have read story find out if search mystery woman successful , why carriscant looking her.