Puzzle Doctor

Nine – And Death Makes Ten (1940) by Carter Dickson – a re-read

1940, the early days of the war. There are safer ways of crossing the Atlantic, but for those who must make a quick crossing, for whatever reason, the most direct way is on board the M.V. Edwardic, a ship of the White Planet Line. But this is hardly a cruise – the ship is loaded with ammunitions, and, apart from the crew, there are only nine passengers aboard.

Soon, however, the passenger list is cut down to eight, as Mrs Zia Bey is found with her throat cut in her cabin. Fortunately the killer left two bloody thumbprints at the scene of the crime – it’s only a matter of time before a match is found. The ship is searched from top to bottom and everyone on board offers their fingerprints… and no match is found. Fingerprints cannot be faked – so whose prints are they?

Book Club time, and we went for a classic this month. I’ve already reviewed it once upon a time, but Carter Dickson aka John Dickson Carr is an author who I can always re-read. Why? Because on top form, he’s one of the top two classic crime writers, and this is him on top form.

It was especially a breath of fresh air, because I’ve been trying to read another modern novel set in the Golden Age. I’m not going to review it – it was yet another book that felt as if the author had read a couple of Agatha Christie novels (or worse, just watched a couple of the Suchet Poirots) and decided that they could do an impression of it. I keep doing this as there are authors who can do it very well – Tom Mead, Dolores Gordon-Smith, J S Savage – and then there are plenty of authors who haven’t got a clue. There’s a great line early on where the horror of the victim having their throat cut without dwelling on any detail – as ever, this is not a “cosy” mystery.

This is the sort of book such authors such read. The plot is laden with clues, hints and misdirections and a plot that is complex (while still being easy to follow) and almost every character has something to do to move the plot forward or to overcomplicate it. There’s a charismatic sleuth – the larger-than-life Sir Henry Merrivale, on fine form here – and a character that takes the focus of the plot, the journalist Max Matthews. Merrivale here is in one of his less extreme modes here, which is understandable given the location of the plot.

The unique setting – a floating powder-keg travelling across an Ocean patrolled by enemy ships and submarines – is based on a real journey that Carr himself made in 1939, and it is used to its full extent to create an atmospheric thriller with an ending that I doubt anyone will see coming. The impossibility may be slight – the impossible fingerprints – but it’s there for a very good plot reason, not just “to make things more complicated”.

All in all, I think this is a Carr title that is often overlooked in “Best of” lists, along with others like The Seat Of The Scornful or even The Sleeping Sphinx as the impossibility in the story is almost non-existent – the “how” of the fingerprints does require some knowledge of how fingerprints work, although I suppose technically you could work it out – maybe. Because Carr was the king of the impossible crime, those books that don’t feature one (or feature one that’s not a major part of the plot) get overlooked and that misses the fact that Carr was also the king of hiding the killer, better (sometimes) even than Christie. I’d forgotten how much I loved this book, so fingers crossed Book Club agree with me.

Now before I go, a bit of fun. It’s well past time that I got round to filling in the gaps on my blog of unreviewed Carr titles. So which of the following should I review next?

Bencolin

  • The Four False Weapons

Gideon Fell

  • The Blind Barber
  • Death-Watch
  • The Arabian Nights Murder
  • Below Suspicion
  • The House At Satan’s Elbow
  • Panic In Box C
  • Dark Of The Moon

Sir Henry Merrivale

  • Behind The Crimson Blind
  • The Cavalier’s Cup

Non-Series

  • Poison In Jest
  • The Devil In Velvet
  • The Demoniacs
  • Most Secret
  • Papa La-Bas
  • Deadly Hall
  • The Hungry Goblin

True Crime

  • The Murder Of Sir Edmund Godfrey

So some of those I’ve read pre-blog, some I’ve never read at all. So which should I look at next? Over to you…

22 comments

  2. Please review The Arabian Nights. It was my first Carr, when I was teenager. I know it’s not considered one of his best, but it sent me down this long winding mysterious road. A good introduction?

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  4. You’re right – this is an excellent one from Carr, who seamlessly manages to weave an atmospheric setting, intricate plot and well-drawn characters together.

    If you’re seeking recommendations for future reviews, I advocate for Death-Watch please. Not every one in the GAD blogosphere likes this one, but I do. It would be interesting to see your review for it.

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    • I’m genuinely curious if the authors of the lesser works are actually trying for a proper emulation or whether they are aware that they are just paying lip service to the genre. But not sure how to ask without being rude…

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      • To be honest, I think they’re probably doing it because it appears to be popular at the moment – just like there is a sudden resurgence of cosy crime.

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      • Unfortunately it gives the impression that the original is like that. Saw a post the other day by someone v excited about a Christmas present – it’ll be the first time they’ve read a Poirot novel. The book was the latest Hannah… the thought of reading the original titles didn’t seem to occur to them. 😦

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  7. This sounds to me like a re-name of the much loved Blind Barber, which is a favourite read.
    I bloody well hate re-names where the other title/s are not mentioned !!

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  8. Arbian Nights. I’ve read and re-read this number of times and always find something new to enjoy. The three part/viewpoint structure works very well in explaining parts of what’s happening, while leaving you misdirected.

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  9. This is the Carr I’m saving as a treat, since I’ve already read many of the best ones!
    I too vote for The Arabian Nights mystery. Don’t want to overhype it though! I think it benefitted from me not having any particular expectations when I read it.

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