The Judas Window

Sir Henry Merrivale #7

by Carter Dickson

Avory Hume is found stabbed to death with an arrow - in a study with bolted steel shutters and a heavy door locked from the inside. In the same room James Caplon Answell lies unconscious, his clothes disordered as though from a struggle, his fingerprints on the damning arrow.

Here is the unique Carter Dickson "impossible situation" - yet the great, explosive Sir Henry Merrivale gets down to serious sleuthing and at last startles the crowd in the Old Bailey with a reconstruction of the crime along logical, convincing lines.

H.M. in his most exciting case - an original, unconventional mystery, with a rich story background and a thrilling trial scene.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Detective, Locked Room, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Classics

191 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1938

About the author

Carter Dickson is a pen name of writer John Dickson Carr.

Reviews

[Santosh Bhat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superior example of a locked room murder mystery that John Dickson Carr is famous for, The Judas Window was entertaining from the start to finish. James Answell is found in a locked room standing over the dead body of his fiancee's father, who had been stabbed in the heart with an arrow. Answell claims he had been drugged and someone else had murdered the man when he was unconscious. But the door had been bolted from the inside, the windows barred and no hidden entrances of any kind were found. Noted lawyer and irascible codger, Henry Merrivale accepts the case for the accused and the entire case hinges on his ability to present an alternative compelling theory for the murder.
Merrivale suspects that the murderer made use of a "Judas Window" to commit the crime.
The author keeps us guessing till almost the very end about the nature of this so-called Judas Window, but when he does reveal it, we realise that it was always hidden in plan sight. Taking the form of a courtroom procedural, the novel keeps on bringing on twists at regular intervals to keep things interesting and motoring along nicely.
Most of the author's other works are not rated very highly on Goodreads, but this novel has ensured that I will return to his work soon enough.

[Sergio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non ho mai fatto mistero della mia predilezione per John Dickson Carr [1906-1977], a mio personale parere il miglior scrittore di gialli e in particolare di quei delitti, da lui spesso raccontati, che avvengono in una camera chiusa senza apparenti possibilità che il delitto venga spiegato in maniera logicamente inoppugnabile rispetto alle più ovvie spiegazioni.

Anche questo “L’Occhio di Giuda” da lui scritto nel 1938 con lo pseudonimo Carter Dickson, ha tutte le carte in regola per fare “impazzire” il lettore che tenti disperatamente di spiegarsi come l’unico personaggio presente in una stanza ermeticamente chiusa, oltre alla vittima, non sia l’assassino.

Eppure una spiegazione inappuntabile c’è ma per conoscerla lo scrittore terrà il lettore “sulle spine” fino all’ultima pagina. Un giallo perfetto!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic closed room mystery. Sir Henry Merrivale in all his cantankerous glory defends wealthy Jimmy Answell in a courtroom drama. Jimmy was found in a locked room with his fiancee’s father who had an arrow in his heart. The windows were shuttered and the door bolted from the inside.

The prosecution seems to have an open and shut case. Over a few days in shades of Perry Mason the case for the prosecution is torn to feathers by Merrivale. The Judas window is revealed, feathers are used to defend the accused, blackmail rears its ugly head and the jury is entertained.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The Judas Window is revealed as the door knob of the closed room. How the whisky and crossbow were made to disappear is explained. The murderer is his secretary Amelia Jordan who once loved him but it was unrequited. She heard how he was going to change his will depriving her of the £5000 bequeathed to her. The 17 minutes gap between Dyer the butler coming back allowed her to remove the evidence but she didn’t realize the suspect was not the blackmailer but fiancee of Mary. A bit of a complicated explanation but does make sense.

[Gigi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know I'm in the minority here, but I don't think The Judas Window is one of Carter Dickson / aka John Dickson Carr's best books. I'm a big fan of the locked-room mystery genre, and agree that John Dickson Carr's The Three Coffins is a locked-room mystery masterpiece, but The Judas Window? I just don't get it. Reading reviews I know it's me, but for those of you who might be like me: Carr is at his best when he writes supernatural-seeming plot devices into his books and stories, something that's lacking in The Judas Window. High marks for a complex puzzle that fits together, but this isn't making it into my John Dickson Carr Top 10.

[Calum Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

A:

I read this book in one day...

Predominantly a courtroom drama, but what a courtroom drama! Full of twists and turns, and Merrivale is a real personality in this one (Carr has him revel in his role as a defence attorney and it makes for scintillating reading). I think I'm coming around to locked room mysteries.

[Nancy Butts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 8 in the Sir Henry Merrivale series, and this is superb. I am rediscovering John Dickson Carr, writing here as Carter Dickson, and this locked room mystery is rated one of the best ever: and I have to agree. Sir Henry is a barrister, and except for the prologue and epilogue, this book takes place mainly in the courtroom of the Old Bailey. Carr’s prose style is highly streamlined and direct, but he still manages to create atmosphere and do a fine job of building portraits of his characters. The only exceptions to this are the narrator, whose name is apparently Ken, his wife Evelyn, and Merrivale’s secretary with the James Bond-like name of Lollypop! These three characters are almost complete ciphers, but Merrivale himself and the principal figures in the murder mystery are vividly-drawm despite Carr’s economy of language.

The solution to the locked room murder is ingenious; I did not figure it out. This is an excellent read, and although the prolonged epilogue where Merrivale finally spells everything out for us goes on a bit long, I highly recommend this book. I’m off to find other Carr mysteries.

[Dora · Rating 4 out of 5]

η τελική αγόρευση του συνηγόρου ήταν κουραστική απο τις πολλές επαναλήψεις των γεγονότων σε σχεση με τις κινήσεις όλων των ηρώων κατα τη στιγμή του φόνου. αλλα ηταν απολαυστικό ως εκεινο το σημειο, γιατι εδινε τοσο παραστατικά το δωμάτιο του φονου κ του δικαστηριου σα να ήμουν παρούσα

[Alonzo Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

The locked room has been the inspiration of many an arid and tedious mystery. It is nice to find one as audacious in its storytelling, morality, and fair play plotting as this one. I love me some Perry Mason, but this courtroom drama is more fun, and the devastation of the prosecution’s case more satisfying than anything Perry ever accomplished.

As a cherry on top, while the method of murder is as insane as usual in this sort of thing, the motives of the various parties, including the killer, are unusually well handled. And the characters are lively and fun. John Dickson Carr thought of the detective story as a game, and this is an illustration of how satisfying that approach can be.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clever and original.

[Didem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yazıldığı zaman göz önüne alındığında fena bir hikaye değil.

[Vishy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great locked room mystery! Sir Henry Merrivale is so cool!

[James Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review -- https://jamesscottbyrnside.com/2021/0...

[Kostas Kanellopoulos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Λατρεύω τα αστυνομικά κλειδωμένου δωμάτιο και υποτίθεται πως ο Dickson είναι ο μάστορας. Χάσιμο χρόνου

[Romulus · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

This is the most readable of the Carr/Dickson novels to have come my way so far, tho that’s not saying much.

The first chapter — concerning the drugging of the young man who visits his would-be father-in-law — was intriguing enough to make me want to read on. However, the narrative — mainly taking the form of a murder trial, set almost exclusively in a court room — soon becomes all too tediously bogged down in technical detail (concerning a crossbow, a blue feather, a whiskey decanter, an ink pad, etc etc). Accounts of what happened and what might have happened become over-lappingly repetitious. As for the eponymous Judas window, sinister and striking in the title, it is disappointingly revealed as the gaping square in the study door after the door knob is unscrewed.

It might have helped if the characters were in any way interesting and memorable, but they are not. The denouement itself is under-whelming. When the least-likely killer’s identity was eventually revealed, via a confession, it took me a couple of moments to remember who exactly that person was. Even the larger-than-life Sir Henry Merrivale, one of Carr’s two serial sleuths, is little more than a conglomerate of annoying mannerisms.

I have no doubt that the novel —like the rest of Carr’s claustrophobic locked-room conundrums — would be of particular interest to readers of a nerdish/geeky disposition.

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a courtroom drama about a locked room mystery. The solution of how the murder was done is clever enough, but the identity of the culprit felt kind of boring. The pace of the book was slow. This may be because of the courtroom setup, where everything is happening in retrospect. There were one or two sections that were mildly amusing (see my Kindle highlights).
I'm hoping to try another John Dickson Carr sometime that's a little more zippy.

[Tansy Hepton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic locked room mystery crossed with a courtroom drama. Cleverly plotted and revealed. Mastare at work.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Σε κάποιο άρθρο διάβασα πως το συγκεκριμένο είναι ένα από τα κλασικά αστυνομικά μυθιστορήματα, ένα από τα πιο γνωστά έργα του Carter Dickson, με πλοκή που θα σε κρατήσει σε αγωνία μέχρι την τελευταία σελίδα. Διαπραγματεύεται ένα έγκλημα σε ένα κλειδωμένο από μέσα δωμάτιο και την λύση του. Όλοι μιλούσαν με βρετανική προφορά στο κεφάλι μου και φορούσαν τουΐντ κουστούμια :P

Έξυπνη υπόθεση, ακόμα πιο έξυπνη λύση. Λίιιιιγο βαρετούλη!

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far the most enjoyable John Dickson Carr/Carter Dickson I have read!

[Justine Shenton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clever court room drama

[Rebecca Van Der Veer · Rating 2 out of 5]

quite fun, just not my jam

[Keith Boynton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever and enjoyable - the locked-room mystery qua courtroom drama - but a bit too linear and repetitive to rank among Carr's best work.

[Alberto Avanzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

“La sera di sabato 4 gennaio un giovanotto che intendeva sposarsi andò a in una casa di Grosvenore Street per conoscere il suo futuro suocero”. Un Carr che inizia in modo molto semplice e familiare (molti di noi, me compreso, hanno vissuto quest’esperienza) a differenza di altri romanzi dove aleggia la presenza del soprannaturale.
Il nostro protagonista, Answell, viene fatto accomodare dall’anziano, Hume, nel suo studio, i due scambiano qualche battuta (fra cui alcune osservazioni su frecce da arciere disposte come trofeo a ornare la stanza) e si accingono a bere del liquore. Answell dopo aver bevuto alcune sorsate di liquore offertegli da Hume inizia a sentirsi male e perde i sensi. Al risveglio, dopo soli venti minuti, si trova chiuso all’interno della stanza, in compagnia di Hume ormai cadavere (ucciso da una delle frecce accennate prima), e con porte e finestre chiuse dall’interno. Una variante sul tipo del delitto impossibile, una camera chiusa nella quale insieme al morto è rinchiuso anche una terza persona, accusata del crimine risultando la camera chiusa dall’interno e senza aperture apparenti. Qui infatti a differenza della classica camera chiusa, sotto gli occhi di tutti c’è una ovvia, ancorché sbagliata, soluzione: Answell ha ucciso Hume, tutto sembra dimostrarlo, tranne la mancanza di qualsiasi movente sia per il tentato avvelenamento da un lato sia per l’omicidio dall’altro. I due uomini sono entrambi facoltosi, per cui il matrimonio non appare un matrimonio “per soldi” per nessuna delle parti, e non risultano altri motivi di attrito fra i due che non si erano mai incontrati prima. Per fortuna, il protagonista è difeso nientemeno che da H.M. che torna in tribunale per difenderlo e dimostrarne l’innocenza.
La “Judas window” del titolo, tradotta come “Occhio di Giuda” (parola che non avevo mai sentito, non saprei se desueta o semplicemente inventata dal traduttore) è semplicemente lo spioncino, come quello usato in carcere per osservare i detenuti in cella. Durante la sua appassionata difesa più volte H.M. nomina questo particolare, con meraviglia del lettore dato che le porte e le finestre non presentano nessuna apertura del genere. Ma alla fine ovviamente H.M. avrà ragione e riuscirà a ricostruire lo svolgimento dei fatti.
La soluzione è sorprendente, originale (almeno per me) e al tempo stesso verosimile (nei limiti ovviamente delle “regole del gioco” di questo genere). La lealtà dell’autore in questo romanzo è massima, gli indizi sono presentati al lettore in maniera chiara e coerente, e la soluzione è alla portata del lettore, anche se in questo caso Carr mi ha giocato e mi ha portato su una pista inverosimile con un’osservazione innocua che ho male interpretato.
A ogni modo il romanzo è all’altezza dei grandissimi. Il tema dell’uomo comune coinvolto in un crimine e accusato dello stesso mi ricorda alcuni romanzi che ho amato molto, come La rossa mano destra che abbiamo commentato qualche settimana fa, oppure il visitatore che non c’era, o ancora L’uomo con la mia faccia, anche se qui ben presto Answell cede la scena a H.M. La narrazione è degna del miglior Carr, i personaggi nella giusta quantità, né troppi né troppo pochi, e ben delineati, il gioco dei sospetti e delle piste ben realizzato. La soluzione come detto prima molto brillante, e al tempo stesso accessibile al lettore, A caldo, appena terminato, mi viene da definirlo “il giallo perfetto”, anche se poi ripensandoci ci sono almeno un’altra mezza dozzina di titoli, di cui almeno un paio di Carr, che periterebbero lo stesso appellativo. A ogni modo uno dei più bei gialli di sempre.

[M-n · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating I never saw it coming it had me fooled right up until the end. You have to read this book in a very short time continuously or else you will loose track of whats been happening.

[Bookish Bluestocking · Rating 4 out of 5]

Μου αρέσουν πολύ αυτά τα μυθιστορήματα που έχουν γραφεί πριν από τον ΒΠΠ και παρουσιάζουν μια κοινωνία εντελώς διαφορετική από αυτό που βιώνουμε σήμερα. Μερικές φορές είναι καλύτερη, σε πολλά είναι χειρότερη, αλλά γενικά έχει μια αθωότητα και μια αφέλεια που βρίσκω γοητευτικές. Ο συγκεκριμένος συγγραφέας πάντοτε με ικανοποιεί τόσο σε επίπεδο πλοκής όσο και χαρακτήρων που στη σημερινή εποχή θα χαρακτηρίζονταν σαν καρικατούρες, όμως απεικονίζουν την ευγένεια και το πνεύμα της εποχής που σήμερα έχει εκλείψει.
Η υπόθεση είναι κλασσική σχετικά με φόνο σε κλειστό δωμάτιο, η εξέλιξη της υπόθεσης μέσα από τη συζήτηση της υπόθεσης στο δικαστήριο με παράλληλη διήγηση των υπολοίπων βοηθητικών ηρώων είναι καταιγιστική και η λύση τραβηγμένη μεν, ικανοποιητική δε.
Διάβασα το βιβλίο σε μετάφραση του Νεοκλή Γαλανόπουλου, δικηγόρου και είναι εξαιρετική. Έχει χρησιμοποιήσει την κατάλληλη έκφραση για κάθε παράγοντα και έχει μεταφράσει το κείμενο όπως θα ακουγόταν αν το βιβλίο είχε γραφεί στα ελληνικά και είναι απόλαυση να το διαβάζεις. Όντας δε νομικός, έχει χρησιμοποιήσει τη νομική ορολογία και φρασεολογία σε ότι έχει να κάνει με διαδικασία δικαστηρίου και το κείμενο είναι αρτιότατο από πλευράς μετάφρασης.

[Andy Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read almost all of John Dickson Carr’s Gideon Fell novels and half of his Sir Henry Merrivale novels, along with many of his non-series books. And, in my opinion, “The Judas Window” is quite simply the best book I’ve encountered thus far. Not only are the deductions fair, but the solution is actually quite reasonable. (I love John Dickson Carr, but his solutions do sometimes border on the fantastical and more often than not strain credulity.)

What’s more is the unusual format of this book… unlike any of Carr’s other locked-room mysteries or whodunnits, this one takes the shape of a courtroom drama with plenty of surprises, explosive testimony, testy cross-examinations, and unforeseen twists. (Think “Witness for the Prosecution.”) This is something new, different, and used to great effect by Carr— the gradual introduction of evidence as prosecution and defense build their cases not only builds suspense, but serves to heighten the tension and create a sense of drama that the more traditional Golden Age “drawing room revelations” rarely achieve.

A totally unreserved 5 Stars.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

... I'm not too sure about that doorknob/string business.

[Marles Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is renowned as one of the most classic locked room mysteries, and I can truly understand why. The Judas Window was a stroke of genius. It was a locked-room mystery transposed into a courtroom trial. The judas window itself, a tiny aperture revealed when a doorknob is removed, was a fabulous metaphor for this story: every sealed space can hide overlooked possibilities and answers
The novel opened with a most ingenious chapter called ‘What Might Have Happened’. Jimmy Answell, an good natured young man visited his prospective father-in-law, Avery Hume. After a sip of whiskey, Answell blacked out, and minutes later woke to Hume stabbed with one of his own wall-mounted arrows. The study was bolted from the inside, the windows barred, with no possible intruder. The whiskey glass was missing, no drug in Answell’s system, and only his fingerprints were on the weapon. It all pointed to him as the killer.
Instead of a conventional investigation, the drama unfolded within a courtroom drama at the Old Bailey, with the gloriously outrageous Sir Henry Merrivale as Answell’s defence counsel. Merrivale masterfully dismantled the prosecution’s case through wit and bravado. His razor-sharp logic was on point, and his addressing of jurors and other colleagues as ‘fatheads’ was hilarious, all while uncovering vital clues like the inkpad and the arrow feather with precision.
The solution to this crime was simple and elegant. It perfectly suited the narrative. And even after the locked room is explained and is it accepted, and Answell is acquitted without any charge, there is another drama! The unmasking of the real killer! I know I keep saying this however this as the most perfect locked room crime dramas I have read. There’s no investigation, and there wasn’t a need for one. This is an old school courtroom drama that investigated the crime and uncovered all the clues, one by one. It was compelling, emotive and perplexing all at once, and I loved it !

[Jiří Pavlovský · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carter Dickson alias John Dickson Carr. A další záhada zamčeného pokoje. Tentokrát jenom jedna, což je lehké zklamání, obvykle autor někde uprostřed přihodí ještě jednu tajuplnou vraždu. Ale co knížka ztrácí na vraždách, získává na tempu. K vraždě dojde skoro okamžitě, ještě během první kapitoly, a zbytek románu se odehrává převážně v soudní síni, kde je H.M. (čili detektiv carterdicksonovské série) tentokrát v roli obhájce. Proč obhajuje člověka, jehož vina je jasná? Máme dokonale uzamčenou místnost, uvnitř jsou jen dva lidé a jeden z těch lidí je probodnutý šípem, čili je celkem jasné, že ten, co není zabitý, je vrahem. I když on sám tvrdí, že byl během zločinu omámený, když se napil z láhve whisky… která je ovšem uzavřená a skleničky netknuté.

Carrovky jsou dost často čistě logické cvičení, kde není důležité nic kromě problémů a jeho řešení. Tady, jak se to osekalo na soudní proces, už to vyloženě stojí na předkládání argumentů a důkazů. Samozřejmě, H.M. zná pravdu hned od začátku (jako u většiny případů) a jen postupně odhaluje další části skládačky. Včetně toho, že skoro od počátku říká, jak došlo k vraždě a že byla provedená pomocí „Jidášova okna“, čili špehýrky. Ovšem nikdy v místnosti žádná taková věc není, žádné okénko, kterým by se mohlo sledovat, co se děje uvnitř. Tak co tím bylo myšleno?

Ve výsledku to není zase tak převratný rébus, ale pěkný je. Navíc si autor nenechává všechna odhalení na závěrečnou řeč, ale postupně se provrtává do středu záhady. Což je asi i dobře, protože k vytvoření nevysvětlitelné záhady používá různé metody, a kdyby se všechno vybalilo najednou, působilo by to hodně nepřirozeně. Takhle vám dá vždycky šanci si zvyknout – a pak přijde další krok.

Judas Window je považované za jednu z nejlepších Carrových detektivek. Mě tady trochu chyběl okamžik překvapení a úžasu, kdy se celý problém najednou otočí a člověku všechno dojde, ale musím uznat, že nápad i zpracování jsou tady téměř bezchybné.

[JDL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Undoubtedly the best of Carr's puzzles that I've read so far, although I have read only three. Although the plotting and atmosphere of He Who Whispers still makes it top dog in my book, The Judas Window has a locked-room mystery which offers the author's imagination and mystery-writing skills at its best. Presented almost entirely as a single murder trial, with a prologue showing the crime from the defendant's point of view, a couple of interludes in-between court sessions, and an epilogue which serves as the full solution. These court scenes are made great by the character of Sir Henry Merrivale, boisterous and eccentric, the keen observations made by our narrator Ken Blake, and the twists and turns we get with nearly every testimonial. At the center of it - a man has been stabbed with an arrow in a room with only three entrances - a door bolted shut, and two windows locked with steel shutters over them. If James Caplon Answell isn't guilty due to being unconscious at the murder's time, as both he himself and Sir Henry argue, then who killed Avory Hume, and how? The only major clue Merrivale gives before his big reveal is a phrase - "the Judas window". I was not able to guess what the Judas window was in relation to the locked room, since it is hidden so well. Once the means were shown, the murderer's identity and motive fell into place in one of the cleanest solutions I've read in a while. Although the achievement of the locked-room is slightly technical - which was the same problem I had with Ellery Queen's The Chinese Orange Mystery - it is much less complicated than in the Queen, much more believable, and it fits in nicely to a surprising culprit's modus operandi. Overall a very worthy read and a great starting point to get into the Carter Dickson / Sir Henry Merrivale mysteries or just Dickson Carr in general.

[Filipa Batista · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A Flecha Assassina - Carter Dickson (1938) 🇺🇸

☁️ SINOPSE
Jim Aswell, um jovem que vai ao encontro do seu futuro sogro, vê-se interligado com a morte do mesmo! Isto porque, tudo indica que Jim é o assassino: ele e o sogro eram os únicos presentes no escritório; escritório estava fechado; 1 apenas vivo, 1 morto!
Henry Merrivale, detetive amador, acredita na inocência (mesmo que impossível) de Jim, mas como?!

☁️ OPINIÃO
Primeiro livro que li do famoso John Dickson Carr e que livro tão fora do normal!

Este é um livro policial com o enredo de mistério de sala fechada, em que o próprio acontecimento fulcral, acontece dentro de um local hermeticamente fechada!

Podem imaginar o quão instigante é ler um livro com uma premissa tão inverosímil como está?! 👀 Pois, a adrenalina e a curiosidade estiveram ao rubro do início ao fim deste livro!! Portanto, só vão descobrir mesmo no último capítulo do livro quem afinal é o verdadeiro assassino! 🔍

A escrita é muito simples e fácil de entender, a divisão pelos capítulos também é igualmente bem doseada!

Gostei, particularmente, de todas as testemunhas levadas ao tribunal e toda a argumentação da acusação também foi bem conseguida, fazendo duvidarmos e praticamente tudo e todos!

Recomendo este livro para quem está numa onda de mistérios de difícil e/ou impossível resolução 👍

Um muito obrigada à @livrosdobrasil pela cedência desta obra magnífica 🤎

☁️PONTOS FORTES
- detetive amador e advogado
- ambiente: tribunal
- mistério: sala fechada

☁️ PONTOS FRACOS
- narrativa com pouca dinâmica: centrada apenas no tribunal

☁️ TEMÁTICAS
- traição
- erotismo

☁️CLASSIFICAÇÃO
4 ⭐️