John Dickson Carr is regarded by many as the master of the “locked room mystery,” or a mystery in which a seemingly impossible crime is committed (often times involving a locked room or some other completely inaccessible space), and the protagonist must use brilliant powers of deduction to root out the perpetrator. The puzzle is always paramount, which makes the genre one that only a handful of storytellers can excel at because of the logic and attention to detail necessary to pull it off successfully. Carr wrote no less than seventy novels and assorted short fiction and was honored as a Grand Master of the Mystery Writer’s of America in 1963. One of the more interesting facts about his personal life (to me, anyway) is that he passed away from lung cancer in the same small-ish town where I currently live. Yeah, it’s kind of morbid, but on the other hand it’s also kind of cool. Anyway, I digress.
Scandal at High Chimneys is one of Carr's later and lesser known novels. And while it may not be on par with The Hollow Man or The Burning Court, that doesn't mean it's a bad book. I mean, come on. He’s is a Mystery Writer's of America Grand Master for a reason. Just about everything he writes is good. It’s just that some are better than others. As far as High Chimneys is concerned, the plot goes a little something like this:
Clive Strickland, a novelist in Victorian England, is approached by his foppish friend Victor Damon to broker a marriage between one of his sisters and a particularly loathsome nobleman. Victor intimates that there are some strange happenings going on at the family home, the "High Chimneys" of the novel's title, but he refuses to speak about them. Having been a long-standing family friend and being concerned for the wellbeing of the family (especially one of the daughters, hint-hint), Clive reluctantly agrees. During the train ride to High Chimneys he runs into, of all people, Mr. Matthew Damon (Victor's father) and his second wife, Georgette--the very people he was on his way to see.
After the usual pleasantries, he learns about some of the strange goings-on at High Chimneys. One of the servants' daughters recently encountered a strange man in checkered pants on the stairs late at night who promptly ran off and disappeared as if a ghost. Mr. Damon also hints at something far more worrying, but he withholds that information until he and Clive have the opportunity to convene in his study. He tells Clive that one of his daughters is actually the child of a murderess named Harriet Pyke whom he had prosecuted as a young barrister. He originally adopted the child because he felt he had been responsible for hanging an innocent woman and wanted to in some way make the matter right. But just a few months prior to the events of the story, he learned that the woman had in fact confessed her guilt before she died, that she’d committed the murders after all. He hired a private investigator, a Mr. Whitcher formerly of the Metropolitan Police, to perform further investigations. But before he can say which of his children is the changeling, low and behold in comes the ghost-man in the checkered pants, who shoots Mr. Damon between the eyes, locks the door behind him, and prances off into the ether like the faerie of yore.
In comes Mr. Damon's doctor friend, who insinuates that Victor might have been the one to kill Mr. Damon. In answer to the charges, Victor complicates matters by running off to London to find the detective Mr. Whitcher to help unravel the mystery. Various happenings converge upon Victor to thicken the plot. A lot of red-herrings are dropped, competing theories on the murder put forth, and another family member winds up dead. Then Victor elopes to London with one of the Damon daughters, which doesn’t help his case at all. Eventually the murderer is discovered and apprehended and the puzzle explained. All is right with the world, and everyone lived happily ever after… except for the murderer, who gets to swing by the neck until dead. But Carr doesn’t tell us about that part.
Anywho, High Chimneys is a great example of a classic "Golden Age" mystery, and while it isn't the best I've ever seen, it's certainly an entertaining read. Carr's depictions of Victorian morals and the city of London are vivid and accurate, and he does a wonderful job laying out the clues to keep the reader enthralled in the mystery. I figured out the culprit halfway through the book, but only because it was the most un-obvious culprit and therefore the most likely to be the killer (as is often the case in novels of this vein). My only complaint? The exposition was almost farcical in that the detective regurgitated verbatim details and innuendo from a conversation that occurred between two other characters when he was miles away. Admittedly, the main character related to him the specifics of the conversation later on, but at no time did he tell him precisely what was said, nor would he be able to do so even if he wanted to. Conversations are never retold exactly the same way as they were first told--the "whisper game" is proof enough of that--so I found it a little far fetched that Whitcher could piece together the mystery partly on the minute details of a conversation he never participated in.
With all that being said, however, it didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book. It just... tempered the ending somewhat. But don't let that dissuade you from reading the book, or anything else by John Dickson Carr, for that matter. Scandal at High Chimneys is a wonderful Golden Age detective novel that will appeal to readers of the genre both new and old. Masterpiece? Not at all. But a fun read? You betcha.
2015-7-25 xiaozhengm
ReplyDeletetrue religion
abercrombie outlet
michael kors handbags
coach outlet online
oakley sunglasses
kate spade handbags
true religion outlet
nike blazer
hollister clothing
ray ban glasses
coach outlet
ralph lauren
michael kors outlet
tory burch outlet online
cheap ray ban sunglasses
kate spade uk
longchamp pas cher
gucci outlet online
soccer jerseys wholesale
cheap oakley sunglasses
pandora charms
oakley sunglasses wholesale
michael kors
rolex watches
coach outlet store online
fitflops outlet
sac longchamp
michael kors outlet
burberry outlet
michael kors outlet online
michael kors handbags
ed hardy
louboutin pas cher
true religion jeans
chaussure louboutin
coach outlet online
gucci uk
burberry sale
pandora jewelry
coach factory outlet
crx123
ReplyDeleteis true religion jeans outlet that nike air max it polo ralph uses longchamp outlet all tiffany and co of chanel outlet its vans time, air jordan 2015 treasure adidas and thomas sabo uk talent jordans for sale (blessings coach factory from tommy hilfiger canada God) knockoff handbags more abercrombie and fitch faithfully asics and ray ban sunglasses effectively. michael kors It nike free would louis vuitton seem north face outlet that lululemon it louis vuitton is calvin klein underwear true nike that salomon if ray ban we true religion outlet seek coach handbags factory first ray ban the nike air max Kingdom nike roshe run of louis vuitton outlet God, prada outlet all new balance else lululemon australia will longchamp handbags be vans added air jordan shoes (and omega pressed mcm bags down, pandora bracelet shaken harrods london together pandora and swarovski uk then prada shoes found designer bags air huarache new balance northface
coach outlet
ReplyDeletelongchamp handbags
babyliss flat iron
michael kors wallet sale
ugg outlet online
san antonio spurs
moncler outlet store
new york giants
nike mercurial
nike air max uk
prada outlet online
rolex watches,rolex watches,swiss watches,watches for men,watches for women,omega watches,replica watches,rolex watches for sale,rolex replica,rolex watch,cartier watches,rolex submariner,fake rolex,rolex replica watches,replica rolex
oakley sunglasses wholesale
ugg clearance
michael kors outlet
mbt shoes outlet
thomas sabo outlet
michael kors outlet
ysl outlet
woolrich outlet store
1112minko
jordan shoes
ReplyDeletefitflops shoes
kate spade outlet
new balance shoes
cheap jordans
coach outlet online
coach outlet online
vans outlet store
stephen curry basketball shoes
air jordan shoes
polo ralph lauren
abercrombie & fitch
true religion outlet
nmd adidas
fitflops
adidas superstars
michael kors outlet stores
coach factory outlet online
instyler max
coach purses on sale
ralph lauren
jordan pas cher
valentino bags
fitflops sale clearance
valentino
michael kors outlet
coach outlet store
yeezy boost 350 white
armani outlet
cheap ray bans
rolex submariner
coach outlet online
versace sunglasses wholesale
gucci borse
oakley sunglasses outlet
micahel kors
coach outlet online
fitflops
ghd hair dryer
ferragamo outlet
chenzhen20160428
salomon shoesextra
ReplyDeletegucci sito ufficialeon
tiffany and co outletis
michael kors handbagsup
nike roshehow
saics running shoesjust
michael kors handbags onlineon
michael kors outletyour
michael kors handbagsout!While
fitflops sale clearancewas
michael kors handbags
ReplyDeletemichael kors outlet
michael kors handbags wholesale
los angeles clippers jerseys
tiffany and co outlet
yeezy boost 350
mont blanc pens
detroit lions jerseys
converse shoes
michael kors handbags
cheap oakley sunglasses
ReplyDeletemont blanc pens outlet
michael kors handbags
michael kors handbags
tiffany and co
michael kors handbags outlet
jordan shoes
cleveland cavaliers jersey
vikings jerseys
nike huarache
Payday advances are a transient loan, when it is required the most...usually between paydays! Payday credits are an awesome method to get some money to hold you over to your next paycheck.Payday Loans
ReplyDeleteThis article is interesting and useful. Thank you for sharing. And let me share an article about health that God willing will be very useful. Thank you :)
ReplyDeletePengobatan Sakit Pinggang secara Cepat & Efektif
Penyebab Sering Nyeri Ulu Hati
Solusi untuk Menanggulangi Osteoporosis
Obat Penyakit Crohn