The White Priory Murders: A Mystery for Christmas: 107
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- Create Date：2023-01-12 08:51:40
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Carter Dickson
- ISBN：0712354220
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Summary
Time: Present
Place: London and the famous old house， White Priory， nearby。
Main Characters: MARCIA TAIT， glamorous film star who has broken her Hollywood contract to open in a London play， "The Private Life of Charles II"; the eccentric MAURICE BOHUN， author of the play， and master of White Priory; JOHN BOHUN， his brother， in love with Marcia Tait; EMERY （publicity） and RAINGER （production） who have rushed after Marcia Tait from Hollywood - trying to persuade her to return; mouthy old LORD CANIFEST， backer of the play， and his subdued daughter， LOUISE; the lovely niece of the Bohuns， KATHERINE BOHUN; young JAMES BENNETT， American， and nephew of SIR HENRY MERRIVALE - that obese， sleepy old bear whom CHIEF INSPECTOR MASTERS routed out of his lair in whitehall to solve that baffling mystery。
Place: London and the famous old house， White Priory， nearby。
Main Characters: MARCIA TAIT， glamorous film star who has broken her Hollywood contract to open in a London play， "The Private Life of Charles II"; the eccentric MAURICE BOHUN， author of the play， and master of White Priory; JOHN BOHUN， his brother， in love with Marcia Tait; EMERY （publicity） and RAINGER （production） who have rushed after Marcia Tait from Hollywood - trying to persuade her to return; mouthy old LORD CANIFEST， backer of the play， and his subdued daughter， LOUISE; the lovely niece of the Bohuns， KATHERINE BOHUN; young JAMES BENNETT， American， and nephew of SIR HENRY MERRIVALE - that obese， sleepy old bear whom CHIEF INSPECTOR MASTERS routed out of his lair in whitehall to solve that baffling mystery。
Reviews
Leah
，
Footprints in the snow…James Bennett has been invited to a house party in the White Priory， home to the Bohun brothers， John and Maurice。 The star guest is Marcia Tait， a glamorous actress who has just walked out of a Hollywood contract so she can act in a play written by Maurice Bohun。 The house is full of people connected to Marcia – fellow actors， people from the movie company， lovers actual and hopeful – and Marcia loves to be the centre of attention。 In fact， it’s a real mystery why it’s ta Footprints in the snow…James Bennett has been invited to a house party in the White Priory， home to the Bohun brothers， John and Maurice。 The star guest is Marcia Tait， a glamorous actress who has just walked out of a Hollywood contract so she can act in a play written by Maurice Bohun。 The house is full of people connected to Marcia – fellow actors， people from the movie company， lovers actual and hopeful – and Marcia loves to be the centre of attention。 In fact， it’s a real mystery why it’s taken so long for someone to murder her…I’ve had a mixed reaction to Carter Dickson aka John Dickson Carr， loving some of his early books and not getting on well at all with his more famous locked room mysteries。 This is one of the latter – in this case， the “locked room” is a pavilion in the ground of the White Priory where Marcia planned to spend the night alone （maybe）， and is found dead with only one set of foot-prints， of the man who found her， in the snow outside。 I must admit I’m weary of the one/no set of footprints in the snow trope beloved of locked roomsters， so my heart sank as we began to go through and discard all of the usual possibilities – secret tunnels， fresh snow falls， people dropping in from hot air balloons overhead （OK， I made that one up， but at least it would be different）。I’m afraid I found this dull， as I often do with locked rooms， and I didn’t like any of the characters including the detective， Sir Henry Merrivale， retired policeman。 All the intricacies of alibis and who could have got to the pavilion and how left me both confused and bored， and there’s lots of jerky dialogue that mainly consists of people being rude to each other。 I eventually abandoned it at 60% and flipped to the end to discover whodunit。 A week later， I’ve forgotten。I’m sure this would work fine for people who enjoy locked room mysteries or impossible crimes。 Unfortunately it just happens not to be my kind of thing。NB This book was provided for review by the publisher， the British Library。www。fictionfanblog。wordpress。com 。。。more
J。F。 Duncan
，
My annual Christmas stocking book - it's now a tradition。 Twisty turny plot which cleverly plays with the 'locked room' trope the author was famous for - and an ending which was a complete surprise。 As always， these books are enough to put you off ever staying in a country house at Christmas， but they are perfect accompanied by a box of chocolates， a mug of cocoa and Christmas slippers！ I will certainly be looking out for more Dickson Carr titles in the series and 2nd hand。 My annual Christmas stocking book - it's now a tradition。 Twisty turny plot which cleverly plays with the 'locked room' trope the author was famous for - and an ending which was a complete surprise。 As always， these books are enough to put you off ever staying in a country house at Christmas， but they are perfect accompanied by a box of chocolates， a mug of cocoa and Christmas slippers！ I will certainly be looking out for more Dickson Carr titles in the series and 2nd hand。 。。。more
Alice
，
An excellent murder mystery， written with humour and a proper education。
Bev
，
James Bennett pays a call on his uncle， Sir Henry Merrivale， and tells him about some puzzling events involving failed British actress turned Hollywood star， Marcia Tate。 Bennett is a very junior diplomat whose main job is to make visiting dignitaries happy。 And he met Miss Tate when he was showing Lord Canifest， his daughter， and others the sights。 Since that moment， Bennett has been caught up in the affairs of Canifest and Miss Tate。 Canifest plans to back a London play featuring the actress w James Bennett pays a call on his uncle， Sir Henry Merrivale， and tells him about some puzzling events involving failed British actress turned Hollywood star， Marcia Tate。 Bennett is a very junior diplomat whose main job is to make visiting dignitaries happy。 And he met Miss Tate when he was showing Lord Canifest， his daughter， and others the sights。 Since that moment， Bennett has been caught up in the affairs of Canifest and Miss Tate。 Canifest plans to back a London play featuring the actress who has ditched her Hollywood contract for a chance to show the London critics how wrong they were about her acting skills。 Marcia Tate makes for London with her producer Carl Rainger and publicity man Tim Emery following in her wake with hopes of talking her out of breaking contract and coming back to Hollywood。 They all （including Bennett） wind up at Marcia's hotel suite in time to partake of some poisoned chocolates meant for the actress。。。oddly enough， Marcia doesn't like sweets。 Now， as Bennett tells H。M。， they've all been invited to White Priory， an ancient estate owned by the Bohun brothers--Maurice author of the play and who thinks he's lord not only of the manor， but of all creation and John who is in love with Marcia。 When Marcia winds up dead in a classic "locked room" scenario--all alone in an ornamental temple on a small island in a small pond with one way in and unbroken frozen pond water all around and smooth， unblemished snow all around the pond， we have an impossible crime on our hands。 The only footprints belong to John Bohun who discovers the body and it's proved that he visited the building at the time he said he did。。。several hours after the murder had taken place。 The rest of the party， particularly Carl Rainger start pointing fingers at one another。 There are certainly plenty of motives to go round--including the ladies of the party， Katherine Bohun who may have let jealousy get to her and Louise Carew who may not have wanted the temperamental actress as a step-mama。 It's up to H。 M。 and Chief Inspector Masters to discover how the murderer got away from the building without leaving another set of footprints。This is cleverly done。 The solution is simple， but everything about the narrative and the way the mystery is investigated leads the reader to focus on the wrong questions and to ignore the possibility of the correct answer。 And I certainly didn't have my eye on the culprit。 Dickson/Carr thoroughly pulled the wool over my eyes in this one。 The setting is also enjoyable。 I'm always up for a murderous weekend at a snowy country place。 Maurice Bohun got on my nerves a bit and it was fun to watch H。 M。 take the wind out of his sails when he tried to play god one too many times。First posted on my blog My Reader's Block。 。。。more
Oliver Kitchen
，
Kept me guessing and didn't cheat to trick me either。 Every clue that the detective used to find the solution was presented in the narative， it was just a question of putting them together and not all of them seemed vital when first presented。 Kept me guessing and didn't cheat to trick me either。 Every clue that the detective used to find the solution was presented in the narative， it was just a question of putting them together and not all of them seemed vital when first presented。 。。。more
Ellen
，
Very enjoyable and I didn’t guess it！
Julie
，
3。5 stars。 This was quite ingeniously plotted and I only picked up on one of the clues， but nowhere near enough to put anything together。 A golden age whodunnit that I struggled to get into at first。 Not the book’s fault， I just took time to get used to the prose style。 Have now read two of these British Library Crime Classics and I struggled with each of them。 I feel I need to immerse myself in Agatha Christie again to get into the swing before I try another。
Madeleine
，
this is a locked room mystery， or rather a locked pavilion mystery， when famous film star Marcia Tait， who is visiting England at Christmas， is found battered to death in a strange little building in the grounds of the White Priory， which is owned by the unlikeable Maurice Bohun。 His brother John is Marcia's lover， and she was staying， supposedly secretly， at the house。 So if only a few people knew she was there， then it seems logical that the killer is one of the small company of people staying this is a locked room mystery， or rather a locked pavilion mystery， when famous film star Marcia Tait， who is visiting England at Christmas， is found battered to death in a strange little building in the grounds of the White Priory， which is owned by the unlikeable Maurice Bohun。 His brother John is Marcia's lover， and she was staying， supposedly secretly， at the house。 So if only a few people knew she was there， then it seems logical that the killer is one of the small company of people staying at the house。 Even more baffling is the fact that there is a set of footprints in the snow leading to the pavilion， but none leading away from it， so how was she murdered there， with the killer leaving no trace？ Enter local policeman， Masters， and， from London， amateur sleuth Sir Henry Merrivale， who is the uncle of another suspect， James Bennett， who's part of Marcia's entourage。 There are lots of red herrings， and several different suspects， plus of course another suspicious death， before we finally get the ingenius solution。 This reminded me very much of a Jonathan Creek episode， and was a fast-paced and enjoyable read， which wasn't affected too much by some of the dated language and attitudes of the time。 H M features in some of the author's other works too。 6。5/10 。。。more
Sarah G
，
Jolly golden-age closed-room mystery。 My first by John Dickson Carr but now I shall try others！
Mark Higginbottom
，
An interesting read and the plot definitely kept me gripped but oh my how confusing in places！My head was almost hurting。。。。。The different characters going round and round and round debating the same points over and over！I am glad I read it and especially during the Festive period too as this is set during Christmas but it really was a pain at times。The character of Sir Henry Merrivale is without doubt one of my least likeable characters from the golden age of crime fiction，I just can't take to An interesting read and the plot definitely kept me gripped but oh my how confusing in places！My head was almost hurting。。。。。The different characters going round and round and round debating the same points over and over！I am glad I read it and especially during the Festive period too as this is set during Christmas but it really was a pain at times。The character of Sir Henry Merrivale is without doubt one of my least likeable characters from the golden age of crime fiction，I just can't take to him at all unless this is one of his poorer cases？The reason I still gave the novel four stars is because it is definitely very well written and the actual plot/murder/s are clever which kept me interested until the last page 。Maybe I need to give it another go when I've had time to forget it's intricacies a little 。But I do definitely want to seek out some more Sir Henry Merrivale novels now to see if the others are an improvement。。。。 。。。more
Layla
，
I'd say 3。5 stars。 It's a fun locked room/impossible crime mystery and while not really Christmassy， the snow is a pivotal plot point， and they do mention it being almost Christmas。 I enjoyed the country house/party/snow setting and guessed some of the solution， but not all of it - so pretty satisfying。 The main character， Bennett， is fine， if a bit swoony over women at times。 I'd read more of this author and definitely want to pick up The Plague Court Murders。 I'd say 3。5 stars。 It's a fun locked room/impossible crime mystery and while not really Christmassy， the snow is a pivotal plot point， and they do mention it being almost Christmas。 I enjoyed the country house/party/snow setting and guessed some of the solution， but not all of it - so pretty satisfying。 The main character， Bennett， is fine， if a bit swoony over women at times。 I'd read more of this author and definitely want to pick up The Plague Court Murders。 。。。more
Bonsai
，
It's a pretty good entry in currently written 2920s mysteries。 A very wealthy family with no cares other than to occupy their time in this case devoting it to crime solving。 And a busy Christmas holiday with games and music in a time before available entertainment。 It's a pretty good entry in currently written 2920s mysteries。 A very wealthy family with no cares other than to occupy their time in this case devoting it to crime solving。 And a busy Christmas holiday with games and music in a time before available entertainment。 。。。more
Sue
，
Young American diplomat James Bennett is invited for a Christmas sojourn at the stately White Priory， the former hideaway of Charles II， after becoming acquainted with a group of eccentric characters on a transatlantic voyage。 However， something about the dynamic between them makes him unsettled。 He decides to consult his uncle， the famous sleuth Sir Henry Merrivale （familiarly known as HM）， for his opinion， and armed with his wisdom he sets off in the snow for what proves to be a very un-festiv Young American diplomat James Bennett is invited for a Christmas sojourn at the stately White Priory， the former hideaway of Charles II， after becoming acquainted with a group of eccentric characters on a transatlantic voyage。 However， something about the dynamic between them makes him unsettled。 He decides to consult his uncle， the famous sleuth Sir Henry Merrivale （familiarly known as HM）， for his opinion， and armed with his wisdom he sets off in the snow for what proves to be a very un-festive break。At the centre of the circle is charismatic and headstrong Hollywood actress Marcia Tait， in England to star in a new play， The Private Life of Charles II。 To establish some historic vibes， the oddball author of the play and master of White Priory， Maurice Bohun， has arranged a Christmas gathering。 This is encouraged by his brother John， who is in love with Marcia - although John is less happy about the inclusion of the backer of the play and rival for the hand of the fair maiden， the domineering Lord Canifest。 Throw in a famous male lead actor， Marcia's American producer， her stressed agent， Katherine the lovely niece of Maurice and John， Lord Canifest's brow-beaten daughter Louise， with a few loyal domestic servants， and you have the makings of a likely group of suspects for a murder。 So it is not really a surprise when someone is killed on the first night of the festive revels， or that the victim is the manipulative Marcia herself， whose body is found brutally battered in the secluded pavilion where King Charles II entertained his lovers。 Unfortunately for Chief Inspector Masters， who is given the unhappy task of finding the murderer after co-incidentally being in the neighbourhood to play Father Christmas， this is a 'locked room' murder like no other。 The pavilion is sited in the middle of a frozen lake， which can only be accessed via a causeway， and there is an undisturbed covering of snow surrounding it。 The clues simply do not add up， and as more violence unleashes itself on the party goers at White Priory， Masters is at a loss - until the genius of HM comes to his rescue。 The format of this mystery is rather unconventional， as you are introduced to the cast of characters through Bennett's consultation with HM， which forms your expectations about their personalities before you meet them - but do not be fooled， as there are surprises to come。 You are then tipped headlong into a knotty murder investigation， after Bennett arrives at White Priory in the early hours to discover Marcia Tait has been murdered - and it is clear from the start that the 'locked room' murder scene is going to be tricky to solve。 Most delicious of all， is the fact that the one character that sits at the middle of the web， Marcia Tate， is someone you only ever see through the testimony of others - most of whom confess to holding a grudge against her as the threads twist and twist again。This is very much a book that 'tells' rather than 'shows， and while it is devilishly devious and full of red herrings， it does lack the subtle story-weaving that marks my beloved Agatha Christie as the queen of the country house mystery。 However， if you enjoy mystery stories that are driven by clever dialogue then there is a lot here to entertain， and the creepy setting of a snowy White Priors is gloriously atmospheric。 I very much enjoyed how every theory about the murder crops up organically through conversation between the characters - both in private moments of disclosure， and through interviews with the adorably bumbling Chief Inspector Masters。 My own solution was dashed about half-way through， which left me completely at a loss for how this crime could be solved - until of course， the cantankerous HM enters into the fray， and clears everything up with his sharp insight。 The jury is out for me on HM's character， as he is quite difficult to warm to。 His ways are shockingly brusque and rude （Hercule Poirot would not get far calling his suspects "fat heads" to their faces）， but there is no doubt that he has an uncanny ability to get to the heart of the matter in double quick time， and the action certainly hots up a lot once he is on the scene。 My favourite characters were James Bennett and Katherine Bohun， who are the most likeable of the bunch， and there is a lovely romantic plotline between them that is much more Agatha Christie than the rest of the novel。 This is a good point to shower praise up the narrator John Telfer， because in a book this wordy and dialogue heavy it is no easy task to keep the complex plot flowing， but he does a remarkable job。 At no point does this get bogged down， and he carries each character along beautifully， which is vital when you need to concentrate on who says what。 This is a book that will appeal to the connoisseur of quirky Golden age crime。 It is not the most accessible of stories， but I found myself completely caught up in the twists and turns， and the intense attention it demands was ultimately well rewarded。 This is so much a 'play for voices' that there is no doubt in mind that listening to the audio format played a big part in this。 I highly recommend trusting yourself to the capable talents of John Telfer， and sitting back to enjoy a story-telling ride as the best way to tackle this novel。 Incidentally， there is a fascinating introduction to the story by Martin Edwards， which helpfully puts Carter Dickson's unusual detective in context before you begin， and I was delighted that this was included in the audio edition。 。。。more
Lynnie
，
Though set at Christmas， it's not very festive but it is definitely wintry。 I thoroughly enjoyed this country house mystery， a complex puzzle that had me hooked right from the beginning。 I hope the British Library republish more of the Henry Merrivale novels。 Though set at Christmas， it's not very festive but it is definitely wintry。 I thoroughly enjoyed this country house mystery， a complex puzzle that had me hooked right from the beginning。 I hope the British Library republish more of the Henry Merrivale novels。 。。。more
Jenny （knasentjej）
，
It's in my opinion very much like a Agatha Christie novel except that Sir Henry Merrivale is a bit more fun than Poirot whom I detest。 The murder mystery is a closed room one， sort of。 I had no clue who the murderer was and the theories thrown around by the characters all seemed plausible in some ways。Snow has a big significance in this story so it's very wintery if you like that。 It's in my opinion very much like a Agatha Christie novel except that Sir Henry Merrivale is a bit more fun than Poirot whom I detest。 The murder mystery is a closed room one， sort of。 I had no clue who the murderer was and the theories thrown around by the characters all seemed plausible in some ways。Snow has a big significance in this story so it's very wintery if you like that。 。。。more
Adam Carson
，
British library Crime’s Christmas book for 2022。 Firstly， it’s certainly snowy， but not particularly festive！ An actress gets murdered in a country house in a seemingly impossible crime。 Small closed circle and lots of twists and turns。 It’s very clever， and very well plotted but I’ve always found that the trouble with some of Dickson Carr’s books is that they’re more like solving a maths problem than reading a book。 I’m also not a big fan of Carr’s lead - Sit Henry Merrivale， or the realistic b British library Crime’s Christmas book for 2022。 Firstly， it’s certainly snowy， but not particularly festive！ An actress gets murdered in a country house in a seemingly impossible crime。 Small closed circle and lots of twists and turns。 It’s very clever， and very well plotted but I’ve always found that the trouble with some of Dickson Carr’s books is that they’re more like solving a maths problem than reading a book。 I’m also not a big fan of Carr’s lead - Sit Henry Merrivale， or the realistic but slightly irritating written vocal style。 3。5 stars for me。 。。。more
Suzie Grogan
，
Hmm - it’s 3。5 really as it is a neat puzzle that ties up at the end with a genuine sense that the reader could have worked it out if only they had paid as much attention as H。M the rather odd old recurring sleuth in this series。 But there was too much staging， especially at the beginning and characters were all a bit breathy and hysterical。 Not a Christmas book as sometimes marketed， but wintery certainly。
Zoe Radley
，
I am still not a huge fan of the writing or plots written by John Dickson Carr （I will not use his rather obvious other name） as I would recognise his style anywhere。 For me the plot is weak， the characters are feebly written and and the whole story is just a mess。 But if you do like this style of writing then I would recommend it。。 but for me it’s just a bit too headache inducing and altogether melodramatic with hardly any mystery。
Stephen Bacon
，
The White Priory Murders is a winter-set murder mystery by Carter Dickson （the pen name of John Dickson Carr）， first published in 1934。 It's a rather dialogue-heavy locked room mystery， involving the death of an American actress and the investigation organised by Inspector Masters and ably assisted by Sir Henry Merrivale。I find Dickson Carr's novels tend to focus too much on the plot， at the expense of characterisation， and this does nothing to challenge that view。 The setting is pretty atmosphe The White Priory Murders is a winter-set murder mystery by Carter Dickson （the pen name of John Dickson Carr）， first published in 1934。 It's a rather dialogue-heavy locked room mystery， involving the death of an American actress and the investigation organised by Inspector Masters and ably assisted by Sir Henry Merrivale。I find Dickson Carr's novels tend to focus too much on the plot， at the expense of characterisation， and this does nothing to challenge that view。 The setting is pretty atmospheric but the characters feel a little bland and underdeveloped。 It's a suitably entertaining way to pass a few hours at this time of year， but not a book I would ever care to return to， unlike other certain seasonal classics of the genre。 Not bad， but that's about the best I can say。 。。。more
Laurie K。
，
Marcia Tait is an actress with a temperamental nature。 Her very presence seems to unsettle the thoughts and emotions of those around her。 But who hates her enough to want her dead？ After walking off the set of her latest film and returning to England， she received a box of chocolates found to contain strychnine， but seemed quite unconcerned。 She’s too busy planning to take London by storm with a new play written by Maurice Bohun and produced by his brother John。 Even an attempt to push her down Marcia Tait is an actress with a temperamental nature。 Her very presence seems to unsettle the thoughts and emotions of those around her。 But who hates her enough to want her dead？ After walking off the set of her latest film and returning to England， she received a box of chocolates found to contain strychnine， but seemed quite unconcerned。 She’s too busy planning to take London by storm with a new play written by Maurice Bohun and produced by his brother John。 Even an attempt to push her down a set of stairs at the Maurice’s estate， the White Priory， only seems to amuse her。 That very night she insists on sleeping in the Queen’s Mirror， a pavilion set in the middle of a frozen lake， with only one footpath to reach it。 Sometime after Marcia retires for the night， a snowfall covers both lake and footpath。 The following morning， James Bennett， nephew of Sir Henry Merrivale， arrives to find an agitated John Bohun just exiting the pavilion。 He has just found Marcia lying dead inside。 Only Bohun’s footprints can be seen in the snow going towards the pavilion。 And according to the medical examiner， Marcia could only have died after the snow ceased falling。 An impossible crime with no solution you say？ Not for Sir Henry Merrivale， who arrives to reveal a well hidden， but simple， solution。This was an excellently constructed plot。 An impossible crime in which Dickson masterfully lays out the suspects and how each could have done it。 There are multiple solutions put forth by almost everyone involved， each one an attempt to accuse， cover-up， or mislead。 The clueing is stellar and the impossible portion of the story so simple， yet so elegant。 I had it figured out， well， kinda， because then I discounted my own solution as impossible because I couldn’t fit it into the timetable of events！ Regarding the identity of the murderer， there are a number of small details that Dickson puts right in your face at the very start that will lead you directly to them。 But， like many mystery aficionados I promptly forget， and then smacked myself and said “Oh yah， now I remember that”， when Sir Henry revealed them as part of the solution。 This was a bit of a longer read than I’m used to with Carr/Dickson， and the pacing in the middle wasn’t quite what it could have been （much of it was taken up with introducing the obligatory subplots）。 But once H。M。 appears things started moving along at pace。 It’s been a while since I’ve read any Carr/Dickson。 I left off with The Plague Court Murders， almost exactly 2 years ago。 But， I’m glad I jumped back in with The White Priory Murders。 It had the perfect mix of atmosphere， toxic personalities， red-herring and clueing。 It definitely did not disappoint and is well worth the read。 。。。more
Chema
，
Un buen ejemplo， casi perfecto de qué es una novela de detectives。 Pone las piezas sobre el tablero， desarrolla el tema central a investigar y comienza el juego de pistas y descartes para encontrar al asesino。 Lo malo， para mí， es que se centra demasiado en el procedimiento y poco o muy poco en los personajes o en la acción。 Una vez llega el detective se detiene el tiempo。
Mary
，
Reading these again！ Sir Henry is excruciatingly funny in some of his stuff。
Sakshi
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR SEVERAL JDC BOOKS: The White Priory Murders， She Died A Lady， 'Til Death Do Us Part， He Who Whispers， The Hollow Man， The Problem of the Green Capsule。 Also for the Mystery of the Yellow Room。Okay。 I'd read plenty of mixed reviews about this book going in， so I was braced for disappointment。 But it turned out to be pretty good - nothing stunning， perhaps because I have read too much GAD now to be surprised by anything - but an entertaining enough read。 There is plenty of MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR SEVERAL JDC BOOKS: The White Priory Murders， She Died A Lady， 'Til Death Do Us Part， He Who Whispers， The Hollow Man， The Problem of the Green Capsule。 Also for the Mystery of the Yellow Room。Okay。 I'd read plenty of mixed reviews about this book going in， so I was braced for disappointment。 But it turned out to be pretty good - nothing stunning， perhaps because I have read too much GAD now to be surprised by anything - but an entertaining enough read。 There is plenty of sleaze and drama， a nice impossibility （a pavilion surrounded by snow， unmarked save for the footprints of the person who discovered the body） and a satisfying resolution。 In one part of the book， H。M。 says that the most important thing in an impossible crime is to find the motive behind creating the impossibility。 It could be an attempt to make murder look like suicide， as had happened in She Died a Lady; it could be done to create a supernatural element， as in He Who Whispers - or it could be an "accident"。 However， I personally choose to distinguish between "accident" and "illusion"。 The former is when circumstances lead to the creation of an impossibility， when it wasn't really intended by the perpetrator。 This happens in Hollow Man - what Grimaud wanted was to give himself an alibi， and fool people into thinking he had a visitor。 But unfortunately， he was actually shot and died within the room， giving rise to the "impossibility" - where did the mysterious visitor go？ In such a case， we usually cannot resolve the impossibility until we clear up the "accident" which actually caused it - in Hollow Man， we couldn't have figured out there was no visitor without first understanding that Grimaud was shot outside the room， and hence wasn't shot by an intruder in the room。 Another example of this is The Green Capsule - the victim intended to create a befuddling situation for his audience， and set up a good many tricks for this - it just so happened that the person assisting him with it turned out to be a murderer。 Without first understanding the two-video trick， we cannot actually unravel the mystery。The latter is my favourite kind。 It's when we see a situation as "impossible" because of our preconceived notions， but really， there is nothing impossible about it at all。 "When you take away the impossible， whatever remains must be the truth。" The Mystery of the Yellow Room is the grandpapa of this type of "impossibility"。 Since there is no way the assailant could have got out of the room - there never was an assailant in there to begin with。 Since the intruder couldn't very well evaporate into thin air when four men are chasing him - one of them must have been hiding something， either a getaway （or more fun， he is the intruder himself！）。 The same thing happens here - there is one set of footprints leading to the pavilion。 So， only that one person did go！ I do admit that my review is biased because I automatically compared it to Yellow Room。 The resolution of the impossibility was fun， but not shocking - it didn't bring with it that forehead-slapping rush that Yellow Room did。 Also， the impossibility is not actually connected to the rest of the mystery。 It doesn't really tell us Marcia Tait was killed in the house， not the pavilion; it doesn't point to the culprit; it doesn't resolve any of the odd points， like the bloodied intruder running about in passages in the wee hours of the morning。Now onto my major gripe。 Not really a gripe per se， but I do find it very annoying that JDC has almost a template for the Who part of his crimes。 I have read so many of his books now that I know the killer within 20% of the book in most cases， and read the rest just for the how。 It's always a minor character， one who's introduced but never expanded upon - who flits in and out of the story， but never takes center stage。 Like JDC himself said in She Died a Lady， he is like a piece of furniture - we all see him， but since JDC doesn't give him much screentime or personality， we lose interest in him and dismiss him。 It's also no fun discovering such a person to be the killer at the end - we didn't knoe enough about him to go "ohhhhh I should have seen that！"。 In She Died a Lady， it was Tim， and although logically it could only have been him， it would have been much more fun if we actually saw a bit of Tim。 In He Who Whispers， it's a character who disappears for a good part of the book - just like in 'Til Death Do Us Part。 Here too， it's Emery， the least talked-about character， the one no one accuses or falls in love with or even suspects。 At this point， one of the servants would have been more interesting as suspects。 Atleast they were PRESENT for most of the book！ I guess it isn't really JDC's style - he writes Howdunnits， and the fun part is the mechanics of the crime， not the Who - but personally， I like it when the Who leaves me shocked， like a good Brand or Christie。 Overall， three stars， but now I don't think I'll be reading any Carrs for a long while。 I need some good ol' Christie-style denouement twists。。。 。。。more
Kate
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"DEAD AMONG THE STUART FINERY"Who the dickens would murder lovely Marcia Tait， Sir Henry Merivale's favorite cinema sex goddess？ An exceedingly rummy business， to be sure。 Marcia bludgeoned to death in the 'Queen's Mirror' pavilion， the 17th century trysting place of King Charles II and Lady Castlemaine。 'Lummy， what a plum！' -- with but one set of footprints in the newfallen snow leading to the pavilion and non leading away， Detective Inspector Humphrey Masters is baffled。 Not to worry， though。 "DEAD AMONG THE STUART FINERY"Who the dickens would murder lovely Marcia Tait， Sir Henry Merivale's favorite cinema sex goddess？ An exceedingly rummy business， to be sure。 Marcia bludgeoned to death in the 'Queen's Mirror' pavilion， the 17th century trysting place of King Charles II and Lady Castlemaine。 'Lummy， what a plum！' -- with but one set of footprints in the newfallen snow leading to the pavilion and non leading away， Detective Inspector Humphrey Masters is baffled。 Not to worry， though。 Sir Henry has the situation well in hand。 Or so it would appear。 Until another murder occurs， right beneath the portly sleuth's pudgy nose。"~~back coverI dislike these books where there are so many twists and turns to the plot， and the detective uncovers layer after layer of different people's involvement， only to arrive at a completely surprise ending。 Clever， but they make my brain tired。 。。。more
JDL
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 （No talk of the solution but I mention some plot developments in the second and third acts of the book that may be best left for the reader to discover when reading - you may need it to get through some of the other parts of the book。）It does disappoint me a bit to give my first 3-star rating to a Carr book。 Which isn't to say that this one isn't good at all or that it isn't worth your time to read。。。 simply that for an author like Carr with such awesome and adept skills at writing mysteries， th （No talk of the solution but I mention some plot developments in the second and third acts of the book that may be best left for the reader to discover when reading - you may need it to get through some of the other parts of the book。）It does disappoint me a bit to give my first 3-star rating to a Carr book。 Which isn't to say that this one isn't good at all or that it isn't worth your time to read。。。 simply that for an author like Carr with such awesome and adept skills at writing mysteries， this one felt a bit （but only a bit） hamfisted。Let's start out with the good。 We have a promising start where we are reintroduced to H。M。 through a meeting with his nephew， protagonist James Boynton Bennett， and slowly learn through flashback about the main players in the forthcoming novel and their personalities - the glamorous film star Marcia Tait， the brothers Bohun - Maurice is old and crotchety and John is anxious and blindsided， veteran actor Jervis Willard， Rainger and Emery - the duo behind Tait's success， Lord Canifest and his shy daughter Louise Carewe， and Katharine， niece of the Bohuns。 We learn of a botched poisoning attempt against Tait， and before we know it the impossible crime has happened。 Here we have one of Carr's most intriguing puzzles - Marcia Tait is found dead in a pavilion near Maurice's house the White Priory， but the house is surrounded by snow for yards and yards， the snow stopped only after Tait was killed， and the only footprints are from when John Bohun， and later Bennett with him， found the body。 Naturally suspicion quickly falls on John， with Rainger accusing him with a clever but ultimately flimsy false solution; at the same time， we learn of another attempt on Tait's life only hours before the deed was done as Bennett meets （and falls in love with） Katharine。 Over the next hundred or so pages we get some interesting developments - a genuine suicide attempt， more information， more characters slowly reintroduced， a second false solution and eventually a second murder。 It all blows up when H。M。 and Masters replicate the scene of the second attempted murder against Marcia Tait， we learn the truth behind the impossible situation which is blown the dust with one sentence from H。M。， and we slowly see the chain of deduction leading to the murderer's surprising identity。 So what is good about this one？ Well， for one the clueing。 Some things rely on small details that you will probably forget after thinking them unimportant but then slap your head for forgetting such， and everything is explained nicely。 The solution to whodunit isn't quite as mind-blowing as in Plague Court Murders， but it is still an unexpected one。 The no-footprints impossibility is simple but hidden very well。But then we have the not-so-great。 For one， just about every character here is unlikable。 Besides H。M。 and Masters， and Bennett who is neither unlikable nor especially likable， we don't really have any "good" people who are suspects。 One good thing about this is that this makes everyone equally likely to murder - there are no "saintly" suspects who you either disregard or see through the personality-based ruse of - even love-interest Katharine has her feet of clay。 For another thing， the pacing and atmosphere here just aren't quite up to what I expect from Carr。 It has been mentioned before that practically every chapter ends with someone saying that they have some uber-important info in italics， or revealing something outright which only manages to make things more confusing。 Then， if you're lucky， the next chapter will reveal what's on said person's mind。 There's one case where a bombshell is dropped which disavows something learnt just pages before - and then it isn't explained for another thirty pages。 Besides this， there are a lot more really slow parts than usual - obviously there will be slow parts， but from the actual murder to when H。M。 begins his "experiment"， there are only a few things helping us to go forward - the suicide attempt， the two false solutions， and maybe some new clues and deductions littered throughout。 H。M。 （not unusually） shows up only halfway through after his appearance at the very beginning， and things can really drag before then。 The lead-up to the solution and the solution itself， however， are much better than these aspects would make them out to be。Overall， while this is the weakest of Carr's books that I have read so far， it still has a lovely solution， and of course a weak Carr would still be a top-notch work for a lesser mystery author。 So if you read this， prepare for some boring parts that just might be worth it for you in the end。 。。。more
Tamzida
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The solution is so unthinkably simple that I have an extra star just for its simplicity
Alberto Avanzi
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Acerbo ma gustosoUn Carr ancora relativamente giovane， lontano dalle sue cose migliori （eppure Vedova rossa sarà solo di poco successivo） ma molto godibileUna giovane attrice viene trovata assassinata all’alba， in una dépendance di una residenza nobiliare di campagna （chiamata White Priory， quindi presumibilmente prima di diventare tale doveva essere una proprietà ecclesiastica incamerata in seguito alle riforme di Enrico VIII） dove avrebbe dovuto passare la notte。 Durante la notte è nevicato， m Acerbo ma gustosoUn Carr ancora relativamente giovane， lontano dalle sue cose migliori （eppure Vedova rossa sarà solo di poco successivo） ma molto godibileUna giovane attrice viene trovata assassinata all’alba， in una dépendance di una residenza nobiliare di campagna （chiamata White Priory， quindi presumibilmente prima di diventare tale doveva essere una proprietà ecclesiastica incamerata in seguito alle riforme di Enrico VIII） dove avrebbe dovuto passare la notte。 Durante la notte è nevicato， ma a partire dall’ora presunta della morte ha smesso La dépendance è circondata dalla neve intonsa， e le uniche impronte rilevate sono quelle dello scopritore， ma l’omicida non si trova più nella dépendance， eppure data l’ora del delitto avrebbe dovuto lasciare anche le sue impronteA poco a poco conosciamo i personaggi， e ci viene fornito materiale per sospettare dell’uno o dell’altro。 Un cane che abbaia e un maggiordomo con il mal di denti ci aiutano a ricostruire i movimenti della notte。 Ma solo H。M。 riesce a ricostruire la reale dinamica degli eventi， e al prezzo di un altro morto…Manca， rispetto a molti dei Carr meglio riusciti， il richiamo al mistero e al soprannaturale， ma resta sempre un romanzo di altissimo livello， caso mai paragonabile per molti aspetti alla Tabacchiera。 Tutto sommato abbastanza leale， anche se non sono riuscito a capire， nonostante gli indizi， né la come si sono svolti realmente i fatti né tantomeno l’identità dell’omicida。 。。。more
Lisa Kucharski
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While the time is around Christmas， is is barely noticeable， and would be completely missed if it were not mentioned by HM himself （Sir Henry Merrivale）。 The story begins with HM getting a visit from his nephew， one who he has never met before， and listens to a strange tale that he tells about events that are happening around as he is doing his job。 He ends up going to a old estate home， filled with all the odd people he’s spoken about， and arrives in time to be told there’s been a murder。 By ho While the time is around Christmas， is is barely noticeable， and would be completely missed if it were not mentioned by HM himself （Sir Henry Merrivale）。 The story begins with HM getting a visit from his nephew， one who he has never met before， and listens to a strange tale that he tells about events that are happening around as he is doing his job。 He ends up going to a old estate home， filled with all the odd people he’s spoken about， and arrives in time to be told there’s been a murder。 By hook and crook， HM is called in to help divine how the impossible happened， a sort of locked room mystery of sorts。 However this being one of - how did a killer arrive and leave without leaving footprints in the snow！ There are many events， and we hear several “ideas” of how it was done and by a few characters， though- there are various other events that also confuse the situation but nonetheless are part of the events of the evening。 While all the nutty characters are there running around HM is seeing what we see， and also asking many questions and making some sharp observations （played fair-we do all see them） and then asks himself to reconstruct the evening— and then later asks everyone to do this as well with him。 A nice story and one that has great characters， one I really wished was the killer wasn’t （drat） I knew he probably wasn’t but still one can hope。 But at the end， HM goes over more clearly some of the details with his nephew that really help you understand how to see through the fog of emotions that peak during these events。 。。。more
Rick Mills
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Synopsis: Actress Marcia Tate has up and walked off her Hollywood set to go to London， to star in a new play put on by brothers Maurice and John Bohun， and financed by Lord Canifest。 Her director， Carl Rainger， and publicity manager， Tim Emery， have followed her to convince her to return to Hollywood。All the principals are invited to White Priory， home of Maurice Bohun。 White Priory has a "King Charles Room" which has a "secret staircase" built into the exterior wall which leads down to an exter Synopsis: Actress Marcia Tate has up and walked off her Hollywood set to go to London， to star in a new play put on by brothers Maurice and John Bohun， and financed by Lord Canifest。 Her director， Carl Rainger， and publicity manager， Tim Emery， have followed her to convince her to return to Hollywood。All the principals are invited to White Priory， home of Maurice Bohun。 White Priory has a "King Charles Room" which has a "secret staircase" built into the exterior wall which leads down to an exterior door。 The estate also features a small cottage， "The Queen's Mirror"， surrounded by a shallow， ornamental lake （now frozen）。 Sir Henry Merrivale's nephew from the US， James Bennett， has been invited also。 He arrives just after a snowfall， to find John Bohun just exiting The Queen's Mirror， shouting that he has just found Marcia Tate dead inside。 There is only one set of footprints in the unbroken snow - John Bohun's from his entry to the cottage。 It is then determined the murder occurred after the snowfall， so where are the killer's footprints？There have been two previous attempts on Tate - first a box of poisoned chocolates had been sent to her， and then someone pushed her down the secret stairs of White Priory。Review:A nice locked-room puzzle where a woman in found dead in the cottage， yet the only footprints in the snow are those of John Bohun who discovered her！ H。M。 works on two possible explanations， but neither is just right。 Sometimes I find Carr/Dickson a bit hard to follow， when long conversations occur without much clue as to who is speaking; but this one was OK。 An enjoyable read， would be a good snowstorm read！ 。。。more
Gabriele Crescenzi
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