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lizabethstucker · 2 years

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Book Review: Golden Age Locked Room Mysteries

Edited by Otto Penzler

An ARC from NetGalley due to be published 5 July 2022. Thanks to Penzler Publishers and distributor W. W. Norton for approval.

A “locked room” mystery is actually a crime that appears to have been impossible to commit based on location or surroundings. While a locked room itself is the most common, it can also be a physical location such as a snow-covered landscape with only the murder victim’s footprints in the snow. The Golden Age of detective fiction is usually considered to be the years between the two world wars. Penzler has selected fourteen short stories from some of the best authors of that period, ranging from those well-known to this day and others who have faded into obscurity, recognized only by die-hard mystery fans of the era. While a few publication dates fall past the period, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume they were still written within that time frame.

While the digital ARC I was provided had numerous format and spelling errors, I am confident that these will be addressed before the final product is released. Be prepared for out-of-date slang, different attitudes towards women, the poor, and the working class. Surprisingly enough, the racism common to the period appears to have been carefully eliminated (or possibly edited out).

The introductions are some of the best that I’ve seen in collections since Isaac Asimov passed away. I love the look at both the author and the story, its history, and whether there have been films and/or television series based on the stories (or series characters, if appropriate). This collection is definitely for the die-hard mystery fan who has either delved into this era or would like to. As with every collection, there are highs and lows. My favorite would have to be “The Light at Three O’Clock” by MacKinlay Kantor. Definitely a winner of a collection. 3.5 out of 5 stars overall.

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“Elsewhen” by Anthony Boucher. (Published in 1946) Amateur inventor Harrison Partridge accidentally discovers a time machine, immediately beginning to dream of fame and fortune as well as marrying the much younger Faith Preston. Unfortunately the time travel is only to the past and only for less than an hour earlier, making it essentially worthless to those who might be interested in the device. However, when Faith announces her engagement to a handsome young man of wealth and status, it sets Harrison onto a murderous path in which his time machine is an essential part. A locked room murder, a hapless suspect in the wrong place at the wrong time, and a desperate fiancee, all mixed with a time machine. Lots of unrealized potential in Boucher’s story. The mixture of mystery and science fiction might’ve been better served in a longer novella format which would’ve allowed more time to develop Fergus O’Breen, the series private detective brought in to solve the crime by Faith. Harrison was the best developed character, even generating pity and some sympathy. Not one of Boucher’s best, but also not bad. 3 out of 5.

“Whistler’s Murder” by Fredric Brown. (1946) Can also be found as “Mr. Smith Protects His Client”. Henry Smith of Phalanx Insurance Co. was called to discuss a lapsed life insurance policy. Upon arriving at the young man’s residence, Henry discovers his client’s uncle was murdered and his client is under arrest. However the Sheriff cannot understand how the murderer actually gained access to the house without being seen by two private guards who were posted on the roof. Almost cozy, with a soft-spoken protagonist whose demeanor invites others to speak freely with him. The solution was cute, if you can call discovering who the murderers are with that term. A fun read. 3.5 out of 5.

“The Third Bullet” by John Dickson Carr. (1937 in England as a novella; 1948 in the U.S. in an edited form) This is the shorter version. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Colonel Marquis is intrigued by Inspector Page’s latest case, the murder of Justice Mortlake. It happened in almost plain sight of Page and a fellow officer, yet Page has serious doubts as to the identity of the perpertrator. A bit convoluted and with so much detail about pretty much everything to the point of boredom. My experience with Carr in the past has always been the same, long drawn out scenes as if he was writing in the early 1800s, not 1900s. If this is the shorter version, I cannot imagine what the longer one contained! By the time I was about halfway through the story, I didn’t really care who was guilty or how it was done. I did manage to struggle through, but to be honest, if this wasn’t an ARC, I probably would’ve DNF’d it. 2 out of 5.

“Fingerprint Ghost” by Joseph Commings. (1947) Senator Brooks U. Banner is told of a mysterious murder by a fellow magician. When the police finally admitted they had no clues or leads, the family turned to a medium to get answers. The magician Larry Drollen challenges the medium as well as hoping he can draw the murderer out into the open. Banner is a lumbering caricature of an amateur detective, yet there is still a charm about him that would’ve had me wanting to delve into more stories in this series. Stage magic, freak show marriages, and misdirections galore all combine into a delightful mystery with a clever solution. CW: off-page suicide, fetuscide. 4 out of 5.

“The Calico Dog” by Mignon G. Eberhart. (1934) Mrs. Idabelle Lasher, widow of multi-millionaire Jeremiah Lasher, is in a quandary. Twenty years ago their four year old son Derek disappeared with his nursemaid. Now two men, Derek and Duane, have appeared, claiming that they are the missing heir. Young Susan Dare, a mystery writer, is asked to find out which man is telling the truth, if either. Her plan to reveal the truth may put in motion more than she anticipated. As much a thriller as a mystery, but definitely a fun read. Dare is a bit careless with her plotting, but she definitely has her heart in the right place. 4 out of 5.

“The Exact Opposite” by Erle Stanley Gardner. (1941) Lester Leigh has been both a private investigator and a thief in the manner of Robin Hood, stealing from the crooked rich and giving the proceeds to charity, minus a 20% “recovery” fee. His valet, called Scuttle by Leith, is actually a spy who reports to police sergeant Arthur Ackley, a man obsessed with putting Leith in jail. Well aware of this, Leith plants misinformation with the undercover operator to be shared with a frustrated Ackley. Scuttle brings the murder of adventurer George Navin and the theft of a sacred ruby to his attention. Leith claims he has promised himself to stop working out any more academic crime solutions, but is tempted by this one. Huh. I’m not certain what to say about this story. The use of a thief as the hero is a trope that I’ve always loved, whether television series such as “It Takes a Thief”, “Garrison’s Gorillas”, “Leverage”, and “The Saint” (as well as the books) or films in the same vein. A twisty plan to get results that aren’t explained at the start is also more than acceptable. Despite all that, I just found it hard to lose myself in the story. The characters are fascinating as to be expected from the writer of the Perry Mason book series. Basically I found this to be too much setup for such a short story. The ending, however, was a delight. 3 out of 5.

“The Light at Three O’Clock” by MacKinlay Kantor. (1930) Switchboard operator Eddie Shultz is ready to quit when the buzzer and light for Room 22 keeps activating and there is no answer other than gurgling or rough breaths. The room is supposed to be unoccupied after the only resident was murdered the night before, or so the police believe to have happened. The body, based on the flimsy evidence, was taken away by the ones behind the attack. Now this was a ride! Part suspense, beginning with an undercurrent of horror, leading into the locked room mystery itself. I absolutely loved this story, from start to finish. 5 out of 5.

“The Episode of the Nail and the Requiem” by C. Daly King. (1935) While accompanying an apartment manager to the penthouse over a report of music played over and over again, Trevis Tarrant recognized the song as a requiem mass. With no answer to banging on the door or calls to the room telephone, Tarrant climbs up to peer through the skylight. There he observes the body of a naked young woman, a knife protruding from under her left breast. A relatively tightly constructed mystery from an author who truly deserves more attention. This is more a “howdunnit” rather than a “who-” or “why-”. 3.5 out of 5.

“The Riddle of the Yellow Canary” by Stuart Palmer. (1934) Schoolteacher and amateur sleuth Hildegard Withers is invited by NYPD Inspector Oliver Piper to the site of a suspected suicide as a way of showing how the police differentiate between a murder and a suicide. Everything seems to point to suicide, but something about it bothers Withers and she begins to investigate further. Quite possibly one of Palmer’s most known characters, Hildegarde is not the usual female protagonist. Smart, yes, but definitely not beautiful or even handsome in looks, the kind of older spinster who is a background character most of the time. She’s loud, tall, opinionated, and forceful when she needs to be. As to this inverted detective story (where the reader already knows who did the crime and how – think the television series “Columbo”), a rarity in mystery fiction, the author has done a bang-up job from start to finish. 3.5 out of 5.

“The House of Haunts” by Ellery Queen. (1935) Can also be found as “The Lamp of God”. Ellery Queen is a man who believes in science and logic, a confirmed agnostic whose faith is in facts not fancy. When a lawyer friend calls for help, Queen agrees to go despite not knowing what is going on, but hearing a level of disturbance in his friend’s voice that concerns him. He is told to act as if he knows what is going on, not to ask any questions, leaving Queen to use what little information his friend can relay as well as what he can observe. There are strong gothic vibes within this mystery tale. The length is extreme for a short story, taking close to 20% of the collection. An extremely sloooooow read with a very convoluted plot and solution. I can see it appealing to many readers, but sadly I am not one of them. 3 out of 5.

“Off the Face of the Earth” by Clayton Rawson. (1949) The Great Merlini is fascinated by the information relayed to him by NYPD Inspector Gavigan regarding the Helen Hope disappearance. A man who claims to be from the dark cloud of Antares predicted her disappearance down to the date and time it would happen. Now he’s predicting the same for the Judge overseeing his arraignment. When that prediction comes true as well, in plain sight of two police officers, Merlini is determined to discover exactly how it was accomplished. I did enjoy this one! Mixing magic and mystery is something I truly enjoy when done right. And Rawson, an illusionist himself, definitely knows how to set-up the trick as well as sell it to his audience. I’m very pleased with the story and the characters within. 4 out of 5.

“His Heart Could Break” by Craig Rice. (1943) Shyster lawyer John J. Malone is furious when, while visiting his client on Death Row, the young man is found hanging in his cell. The man lives just long enough to utter “it wouldn’t break” to Malone before he dies. There was no reason for suicide considering Malone had finagled a new trial for him. Believing that his fees will go unpaid, Malone decides his only chance is to find the motive behind the hanging as well as how the rope was delivered and by who. It’s funny, as much as I enjoy stories with thieves and con-artists as the “heroes”, I strongly dislike those with crooked cops and lawyers. Here Malone doesn’t spare a moment to mourn his client’s cruel death, only the possible loss of his money. The prison-based song weaving through the story was an unusual touch, but well done. As was the solution to the mystery. 3.5 out of 5.

“Murder Among Magicians” by Manley Wade Wellman. (1939) Five musicians, four men and one woman, are invited to master magician and escape artist Securtaris’ isolated island. When a practical joke turns fatal, Homicide detective Grinstead must make his way there through the impending storm to determine what happened. So melodramatic, but in a good way. There is also a touch of blossoming romance, multiple secrets that spill out during the investigation and informal reading of the will, and a surprisingly satisfying conclusion. Almost Christie-like in the telling. 3.5 out of 5.

“Murder at the Automat” by Cornell Woolrich. (1937) Police detective Nelson and his partner Sarecky are called to an automat for the death of a man while eating. When the ambulance intern recognizes suspicious powder both on the man’s mouth and in the bologna sandwich, Nelson realizes it is murder. There were three other men, all strangers, eating at the same table, but one of them slipped away before the police could lock the place down. Nelson’s partner and captain are both convinced this is the killer. Nelson believes the man is innocent, but cannot say anything until he can find the real murderer. WARNING: contains police brutality (or as we call it nowadays, enhanced interrogation) and severe violation of a suspect’s rights. Nelson is a good cop, more interested in arresting the right man for the crime than grabbing whoever is to hand. An intriguing mystery with well-drawn out characters, good and bad. [For those too young to know or remember, automats were like cafeterias in many ways. Only the food would be put behind glass compartment doors. You would put your coin(s) in, usually a nickel or dime during that period, the door would unlock, and you would pull out your food. All self-serve. I was lucky enough to go to one of the last automats in New York City when I was young and, while the food wasn’t the best, it wasn’t bad for the price.] 4 out of 5.

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