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Dr. Gideon Fell #3
The Eight of Swords
Dr. Fell, detective extraordinary, is back again, more amusing and omniscient than ever. In The Eight of Swords he is faced with the sort of problem in which his acute and devious mind delights.
When a gay spirit took to playing strange pranks in the haunted bedroom at the Grange and the Bishop was seen sliding down the banisters, Scotland Yard was more amused than disturbed. But when Depping, the harmless old scholar and connoisseur of wines and foods, was found murdered in his study, they sent Dr. Fell down to investigate. As soon as Dr. Fell saw the card representing the eight of swords, the partially eaten dinner on the tray, and the button-hook which had been used to blow the fuses, he knew the murderer. But there was a great deal to be explained before he could prove it, and his solution will remain a classic example of deductive reasoning combined with thrilling plot. The book is also filled with a subtle type of humor that makes it something different in the way of detective novels.
When a gay spirit took to playing strange pranks in the haunted bedroom at the Grange and the Bishop was seen sliding down the banisters, Scotland Yard was more amused than disturbed. But when Depping, the harmless old scholar and connoisseur of wines and foods, was found murdered in his study, they sent Dr. Fell down to investigate. As soon as Dr. Fell saw the card representing the eight of swords, the partially eaten dinner on the tray, and the button-hook which had been used to blow the fuses, he knew the murderer. But there was a great deal to be explained before he could prove it, and his solution will remain a classic example of deductive reasoning combined with thrilling plot. The book is also filled with a subtle type of humor that makes it something different in the way of detective novels.
220 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1934
38 people are currently reading
431 people want to read
About the author
John Dickson Carr
423 books488 followersAKA Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson and Roger Fairbairn.
John Dickson Carr was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, in 1906. It Walks by Night, his first published detective novel, featuring the Frenchman Henri Bencolin, was published in 1930. Apart from Dr Fell, whose first appearance was in Hag's Nook in 1933, Carr's other series detectives (published under the nom de plume of Carter Dickson) were the barrister Sir Henry Merrivale, who debuted in The Plague Court Murders (1934).
John Dickson Carr was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, in 1906. It Walks by Night, his first published detective novel, featuring the Frenchman Henri Bencolin, was published in 1930. Apart from Dr Fell, whose first appearance was in Hag's Nook in 1933, Carr's other series detectives (published under the nom de plume of Carter Dickson) were the barrister Sir Henry Merrivale, who debuted in The Plague Court Murders (1934).
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July 25, 2025
Death by the Tarot
Review of the Penzler Publishers American Mystery Classics eBook (July 17, 2019) of the Harper and Brothers hardcover original (1934).
The Eight of Swords is the third of Carr's Dr. Gideon Fell mysteries. An American ex-pat named Depping is found dead in his English country home, shot with his own gun with the Minor Arcana Tarot card The Eight of Swords in his hand, standing for "condemning justice." Who was the mysterious visitor that Depping had late at night? Why were two shots fired from the gun, but only one bullet found on site? Who ate Depping's dinner but didn't touch his favourite soup? What was burned in the fireplace? How and why did the lights in the house go out at a key moment? Those and many other questions come to light before the case is solved.
The Tarot card "The Eight of Swords". Image sourced from Wikipedia.
I thought there was too little of Dr. Gideon Fell in this book. He disappears off the page for extended periods of time and other self-taught "detectives" propose various solutions to the crime. The interlopers are an Anglican bishop and a detective story writer who seek to match wits with Dr. Fell. Then there are 2 romantic subplots introduced as well in order to further muddy the waters. It is all explained by Dr. Fell in the end of course, and you realize the clues were there, but became lost in the confusion. This was yet another impossible to solve mystery, a 10 out of 10 on the Berengaria Ease of Solving© scale.
The front cover of the original 1934 Harper and Brothers hardcover. Image sourced from Goodreads.
Footnote
Sexton Blake (1893-) was a popular Victorian Era fictional detective, who is perhaps not so well known these days. He was created by author Harry Blyth (1852-1898) and after his death there was a regular continuation with several other writers.
Trivia and Links
This book is in the Public Domain and there are various online sources where it is available to read such as at archive.org
John Dickson Carr (1906-1977) is one of the 99 authors listed in The Book of Forgotten Authors (2017) by Christopher Fowler. He is No. 20 in the alphabetical listing which you can see towards the bottom of my review here.
This edition of The Eight of Swords is part of the Otto Penzler American Mystery Classics series (2018-ongoing). There is a related Goodreads Listopia here with 57 books listed as of late May 2024. There are currently 72 titles listed at the Mysterious Press online bookshop. The official website for the series at Penzler Publishers seems to show only the most recent and upcoming titles.
John Dickson Carr took the inspiration for Dr. Gideon Fell's appearance from that of author G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), writer of the Father Brown mysteries and other works.
Photograph of G.K. Chesterton. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
The source of the name Dr. Fell is apparently from the apocryphal epigram:
Review of the Penzler Publishers American Mystery Classics eBook (July 17, 2019) of the Harper and Brothers hardcover original (1934).
Dr. Fell was not at all disconcerted. “It would seem that for the moment I am in disgrace,” he wheezed affably. “H’mf. No matter. Sexton Blake* will yet be triumphant.
The Eight of Swords is the third of Carr's Dr. Gideon Fell mysteries. An American ex-pat named Depping is found dead in his English country home, shot with his own gun with the Minor Arcana Tarot card The Eight of Swords in his hand, standing for "condemning justice." Who was the mysterious visitor that Depping had late at night? Why were two shots fired from the gun, but only one bullet found on site? Who ate Depping's dinner but didn't touch his favourite soup? What was burned in the fireplace? How and why did the lights in the house go out at a key moment? Those and many other questions come to light before the case is solved.
The Tarot card "The Eight of Swords". Image sourced from Wikipedia.
I thought there was too little of Dr. Gideon Fell in this book. He disappears off the page for extended periods of time and other self-taught "detectives" propose various solutions to the crime. The interlopers are an Anglican bishop and a detective story writer who seek to match wits with Dr. Fell. Then there are 2 romantic subplots introduced as well in order to further muddy the waters. It is all explained by Dr. Fell in the end of course, and you realize the clues were there, but became lost in the confusion. This was yet another impossible to solve mystery, a 10 out of 10 on the Berengaria Ease of Solving© scale.
The front cover of the original 1934 Harper and Brothers hardcover. Image sourced from Goodreads.
Footnote
Sexton Blake (1893-) was a popular Victorian Era fictional detective, who is perhaps not so well known these days. He was created by author Harry Blyth (1852-1898) and after his death there was a regular continuation with several other writers.
Trivia and Links
This book is in the Public Domain and there are various online sources where it is available to read such as at archive.org
John Dickson Carr (1906-1977) is one of the 99 authors listed in The Book of Forgotten Authors (2017) by Christopher Fowler. He is No. 20 in the alphabetical listing which you can see towards the bottom of my review here.
This edition of The Eight of Swords is part of the Otto Penzler American Mystery Classics series (2018-ongoing). There is a related Goodreads Listopia here with 57 books listed as of late May 2024. There are currently 72 titles listed at the Mysterious Press online bookshop. The official website for the series at Penzler Publishers seems to show only the most recent and upcoming titles.
John Dickson Carr took the inspiration for Dr. Gideon Fell's appearance from that of author G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), writer of the Father Brown mysteries and other works.
Photograph of G.K. Chesterton. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
The source of the name Dr. Fell is apparently from the apocryphal epigram:
I do not like thee, Doctor Fell,
The reason why – I cannot tell;
But this I know, and know full well,
I do not like thee, Doctor Fell.
May 23, 2025
Un altro irresistibile giallo a firma JDC che riesce a mescolare con l'abilità che gli é propria: fantasmi, omicidi apparentemente senza colpevoli e una vena umoristica che prova a stemperare l'alta tensione narrativa. E su tutto la indimenticabile magniloquenza e la precisione dottorale di un Gideon Fell in forma smagliante!
April 2, 2009
#3 in the Gideon Fell series finds our hero investigating a few rather bizarre occurrences in the English countryside. These happenings include a poltergeist who throws red ink at a visiting vicar, a bishop who fancies himself as a criminologist out on the roof in the middle of the night, and above all else, a murder. The dead man is one Septimus Debbing, who is found clutching a tarot card, the Eight of Swords. Fell has rivals in his investigation: the above-mentioned bishop, the bishop's son who went away to America to study criminology but spent his time with women instead, and a hack mystery novelist who views himself as an investigator in his own right. Each one has his own theory as to what happened and most of the time Fell is kind of off on the sidelines.
As a mystery, it was pretty decent, but you have to wade through a lot of silliness and many farcical scenes to get there. I don't know if a lot of people will have patience enough to deal with this, but if you continue to read, it's a pretty decent murder solution and I was surprised at the final resolution. There are a number of suspects, a number of clues, enough to keep the reader involved.
I'd not recommend this to readers of cozy mysteries -- it's a bit too involved, but if you enjoy these older, Golden-Age mystery classics, you'll be in your element. The silliness of it all tends to bug me -- I like a more serious mystery novel -- but it is worth reading if you are interested in this author's work.
Overall...not bad, not great, but an interesting mystery with a good solution.
As a mystery, it was pretty decent, but you have to wade through a lot of silliness and many farcical scenes to get there. I don't know if a lot of people will have patience enough to deal with this, but if you continue to read, it's a pretty decent murder solution and I was surprised at the final resolution. There are a number of suspects, a number of clues, enough to keep the reader involved.
I'd not recommend this to readers of cozy mysteries -- it's a bit too involved, but if you enjoy these older, Golden-Age mystery classics, you'll be in your element. The silliness of it all tends to bug me -- I like a more serious mystery novel -- but it is worth reading if you are interested in this author's work.
Overall...not bad, not great, but an interesting mystery with a good solution.
March 5, 2018
While Gideon Fell is not my favorite among Carr's detectives (that would be Sir Henry Merrivale), he appears to advantage in this tricky murder case. Septimus Depping, the man who rents a house from publisher Colonel Standish (and also has invested in Standish's firm) is found murdered under peculiar circumstances. Everyone wants the murderer to be an outsider, and there's even a sinister one at hand--what can be better? The ending is so memorable that I had no doubts as to whodunit, but the other side of that coin is that the spooky parts, which Carr writes well, are no longer too spooky when you know what's coming.
May 13, 2020
Too many details, too many unexplained events.Fell continues to be more a set of quirks than a person. His young, temporary Watsons do not really add to these books other than the odd romantic interest. The initial goofiness has some Wodehouse-ian charm I did enjoy though.
January 4, 2023
Mid-20th Century North American Crime/Mystery
Carr can be very good but sometimes his novels are one-trick ponies.*
Hook/Pace - 2: Characters are introduced, then completely disappear. There is a good twist/red herring within a few pages, but still the opening pages/chapters feel not only confusing but simply there to increase the word count.
Cast - 2: Gideon Fell is here, but the Bishop of Mappleham and his son (freshly 'educated' in America a just returning to England) unexpectedly take over the investigation. Father/Son interesting, but the cast is just too big and sometimes pointless.
Atmosphere - 3: Standard England/Scotland Yard/Country House.
Crime - 4: Five or so people are murdered in a sort of locked room/impossible crime motive.
Investigation/Resolution - 4: I was misled, I was wrong all along, yet Dr. Fell practically gives it all away early.
Summary - 3 stars: *This one is more than just a one-trick-up-his-sleeve Carr. But the opening chapters feel too detached, as if overwritten for word count. And there is no need for a cast of 24+. "Swords" needed an editor, but still the last half of the book is very good.
Carr can be very good but sometimes his novels are one-trick ponies.*
Hook/Pace - 2: Characters are introduced, then completely disappear. There is a good twist/red herring within a few pages, but still the opening pages/chapters feel not only confusing but simply there to increase the word count.
Cast - 2: Gideon Fell is here, but the Bishop of Mappleham and his son (freshly 'educated' in America a just returning to England) unexpectedly take over the investigation. Father/Son interesting, but the cast is just too big and sometimes pointless.
Atmosphere - 3: Standard England/Scotland Yard/Country House.
Crime - 4: Five or so people are murdered in a sort of locked room/impossible crime motive.
Investigation/Resolution - 4: I was misled, I was wrong all along, yet Dr. Fell practically gives it all away early.
Summary - 3 stars: *This one is more than just a one-trick-up-his-sleeve Carr. But the opening chapters feel too detached, as if overwritten for word count. And there is no need for a cast of 24+. "Swords" needed an editor, but still the last half of the book is very good.
August 26, 2025
I enjoyed this one. I'm not sure if it was a great mystery, but it moved along and has plenty of interesting characters. When a murder happens in a small hamlet in the victim's study, Fell is sent in as representative of Scotland Yard. Mainly to shut up a bothersome Bishop who had powerful connections and considered himself an expert in criminology. There is also a murder mystery writer next door, which gives you plenty of amateur detectives giving out theories.
Recommended if you are into the first half 20th century mystery novels. It fits with most from the era. The many red herrings are fun to read through and keep you thinking.
Recommended if you are into the first half 20th century mystery novels. It fits with most from the era. The many red herrings are fun to read through and keep you thinking.
October 1, 2022
Carr je expertem na záhady zamčených pokojů a číst jeho knížky je často jako sledovat kouzelnické vystoupení. Čtete to s očekáváním, jaký trik provede. Navíc to celé prošpikované trochou gotické makabričnosti a velkou porcí anglického humoru.
Je samozřejmě pravdou, že už je to hodně staré a triky neohromí tak, jak v době svého vzniku… navíc je to ještě z dob, kdy světu vládli amatérští detektivové a policie byla jen od toho, aby je požádala o pomoc, či jim během vyšetřování podržela kabát. Tady je těch amatérských vyšetřovatelů snad pět… ovšem hlavní je samozřejmě doktor Gideon Fell.
Ostatně, z tohohle kontrastu mezi prací policie a geniálních detektivů si dělá legraci sám autor, ústy jedné z postav, které se pokoušela o studium kriminologie.
„Místo aby vám tam prozradili nějaké šťavnaté triky, jak chytat zabijáky se sekerou, cpou vám do hlavy, že něco je čtyři celé dva a jedna polovina plus x větší než jedenáct nula nula čárka dva, s ypsilonem a hieroglyfy. Bylo to horší než chemie.“
Zábavnost Carra spočívá i v tom, že s řešením nečeká na konec, ale že ho postupně odkrývá… což má tady ale ten problém, že to nejzajímavější je odhaleno v polovině knihy a zbytek už je jen o tom, kdo to udělal, což nikdy není tak zajímavé. Navíc tady autor dost přeskakuje mezi postavami (kterých je tu vážně spousta) a i styly. Začíná to čistě komediálně (taková ta klasická anglická konverzačka, kde všichni ustavičně pijou), aby pak dorazilo i nějaké drama a napětí. Ale už to tak nefunguje… a už vůbec ne emoce. Spousta zajímavých motivů je tam jenom naznačeno a jde spíš do vytracena. Plus postavy jsou si všeobecně hodně podobné a samotná záhada není tak zajímavá. Pořád je to čtivé, ale z toho, co jsem od Carra četl, spíš slabší.
Je samozřejmě pravdou, že už je to hodně staré a triky neohromí tak, jak v době svého vzniku… navíc je to ještě z dob, kdy světu vládli amatérští detektivové a policie byla jen od toho, aby je požádala o pomoc, či jim během vyšetřování podržela kabát. Tady je těch amatérských vyšetřovatelů snad pět… ovšem hlavní je samozřejmě doktor Gideon Fell.
Ostatně, z tohohle kontrastu mezi prací policie a geniálních detektivů si dělá legraci sám autor, ústy jedné z postav, které se pokoušela o studium kriminologie.
„Místo aby vám tam prozradili nějaké šťavnaté triky, jak chytat zabijáky se sekerou, cpou vám do hlavy, že něco je čtyři celé dva a jedna polovina plus x větší než jedenáct nula nula čárka dva, s ypsilonem a hieroglyfy. Bylo to horší než chemie.“
Zábavnost Carra spočívá i v tom, že s řešením nečeká na konec, ale že ho postupně odkrývá… což má tady ale ten problém, že to nejzajímavější je odhaleno v polovině knihy a zbytek už je jen o tom, kdo to udělal, což nikdy není tak zajímavé. Navíc tady autor dost přeskakuje mezi postavami (kterých je tu vážně spousta) a i styly. Začíná to čistě komediálně (taková ta klasická anglická konverzačka, kde všichni ustavičně pijou), aby pak dorazilo i nějaké drama a napětí. Ale už to tak nefunguje… a už vůbec ne emoce. Spousta zajímavých motivů je tam jenom naznačeno a jde spíš do vytracena. Plus postavy jsou si všeobecně hodně podobné a samotná záhada není tak zajímavá. Pořád je to čtivé, ale z toho, co jsem od Carra četl, spíš slabší.
March 20, 2020
Unread shelf project 2020: book 12.
This was a golden age mystery by a contemporary of Agatha Christie. However, I can see why (at least if this is a fairly generalized example of his work) Carr is not as well-known and well-loved as Christie. There were far too many characters in this book to easily keep straight (at least for me), and there were a lot of farcical scenes that made me struggle a bit.
This is definitely not a cozy mystery but I will be real, I didn’t guess the whodunit and it was quite a clever one. The mystery was decent but I did get swamped with all of the characters and the speed at which they were introduced. It felt a bit like I needed to do a genogram to keep all of them and their family members and other relations straight! This was the biggest thing that detracted from my enjoyment.
However, I liked the character of Fell; I have a few other books by Carr on my shelf, so I’ll probably meet Fell another time, during another murder investigation. This was not so difficult a book to make me refuse to read others by Carr.
This was a golden age mystery by a contemporary of Agatha Christie. However, I can see why (at least if this is a fairly generalized example of his work) Carr is not as well-known and well-loved as Christie. There were far too many characters in this book to easily keep straight (at least for me), and there were a lot of farcical scenes that made me struggle a bit.
This is definitely not a cozy mystery but I will be real, I didn’t guess the whodunit and it was quite a clever one. The mystery was decent but I did get swamped with all of the characters and the speed at which they were introduced. It felt a bit like I needed to do a genogram to keep all of them and their family members and other relations straight! This was the biggest thing that detracted from my enjoyment.
However, I liked the character of Fell; I have a few other books by Carr on my shelf, so I’ll probably meet Fell another time, during another murder investigation. This was not so difficult a book to make me refuse to read others by Carr.
February 20, 2025
Once again, hesitant to say anything against the great master, but dang, he lost me early on and I never caught up. Couldn't keep the characters straight, and come to find out, that's not entirely my fault as some went by different names and the daughter and the woman aboard, and the wife, well... all the same person. And the tarot card as a clue that didn't really hold up...
I don't know. Maybe I'm getting soft in the head, but this one seemed rushed and zany like written to a deadline and not written so a reader might follow along. I should know better. Next time, I will have a pad of paper and jot down notes and comments along the way.
For all of that, some gemmy sentences and observations along the way. This is a setback and not going to put me off Carr. May take a break before the next one.
I don't know. Maybe I'm getting soft in the head, but this one seemed rushed and zany like written to a deadline and not written so a reader might follow along. I should know better. Next time, I will have a pad of paper and jot down notes and comments along the way.
For all of that, some gemmy sentences and observations along the way. This is a setback and not going to put me off Carr. May take a break before the next one.
February 16, 2017
This was probably the worst Carr I've read thus far.Convoluted and complex even by Carr's standards it also had too many similar characters that made it difficult at times to keep up with who was who and who was where!
This of course is the point of mystery novels but the end result just isn't worth the effort.Its only because I'm attempting to read all of Carr's output that I ploughed on,any other author id probably have ditched it before half way.
This of course is the point of mystery novels but the end result just isn't worth the effort.Its only because I'm attempting to read all of Carr's output that I ploughed on,any other author id probably have ditched it before half way.
May 5, 2023
3/5⭐
October 13, 2021
The third in the series, and I did like it, but there were a lot of characters to remember. I did like the plot, which showed a lot of imagination, however I found the solution left a lot to be desired. Also the last chapter was way too long, explaining everything. Another thing that grates a lot for me, is the way the English characters talk. The older generation are forever making noises if the form of her-umps.
February 14, 2022
This was an enjoyable Carr, just not quite up to his standards. Mind you, this would be a really strong title in most other GAD authors' bibliographies. I enjoyed the "crime that doesn't make sense" aspect of this one, the same way I had in Emperor's Snuff-Box or Punch & Judy Murders. The first 100 or so pages of this book has a lot of detection and by the midway point we seem to have the whole solution besides who killed Mr. Depping and a couple of smaller points. We have some further developments which keep the interest going, and then about 40 pages of useless spy-capering before the murderer becomes active again and is quickly apprehended. The plotting of this book could definitely have been more solid, much like in The White Priory Murders. However, the characters were still enjoyable. I loved the Bishop of Mappleham, the amateur detective whose strange actions start the plot. Henry Morgan serves as Carr's window into the book, telling us his qualms with the "realist" school of detective fiction, a.k.a. the proto-police-procedurals. It seems that not everyone is fond of the solution as a whole, but I had no problem with it. It surprised me, and I think that it plays fair with the reader. For reasons I cannot say for fear of spoilers, I would have despised this solution a couple of years ago. I think that I've either matured or become complacent. An unlikely, yet worthy inclusion in the American Mystery Classics collection.
April 4, 2022
Gosh, I wish I could like these books, because I think there's approximately 50 million of them and Carr based his amateur detective on my literary hero G.K. Chesterton, for crying out loud!
This story was just a mess. And the characters were not interesting. The crime was both lame and convoluted to such an extent that not only did I not care whodunit from the start, I did not completely understand why whodunit dunit (i.e., the manner in which it was dun and even the murky motive behind the doing) at the end. So flipping unsatisfying. Why oh why cannot more people write like Agatha Christie? She never would have brought American gangsters into a proper English country manor murder. Ugh.
This is the third Carr I have read, and it may be the last.
This story was just a mess. And the characters were not interesting. The crime was both lame and convoluted to such an extent that not only did I not care whodunit from the start, I did not completely understand why whodunit dunit (i.e., the manner in which it was dun and even the murky motive behind the doing) at the end. So flipping unsatisfying. Why oh why cannot more people write like Agatha Christie? She never would have brought American gangsters into a proper English country manor murder. Ugh.
This is the third Carr I have read, and it may be the last.
May 19, 2020
Though not one of his better novels, The Eight of Swords has humor, mystery, atmosphere, a crazy assortment of characters, with a very surprising murderer. The story at times goes awry, on tangents and babbles unnecessarily. The clues given to the reader here are very few, and there are no impossible crimes or locked room affairs to be found. The magic here lies in the bizarre tableau of the murder scene itself. The author purposely constructed this as a "probable" case to criticize his own critics. Unfortunately it comes across as a meta on mystery novels, with too many would-be detectives and alcohol. "Oh well. Never Mind. Let's have a drink."
July 14, 2022
John Dickson Carr is perhaps the most well-known writer of locked room mysteries from the Golden Age. Locked room mysteries involve a certain degree of suspended disbelief--the nature of the crime entails something that is seemingly impossible. But because the essence of the genre is more intellectual (how exactly did they jerry-rig that contraption to go off just when it needed to?), these generally aren't highly action-packed stories. The Eight of Swords is no different in this regard, at least in the beginning. But there is good character development, a bit of hijicks, and even a sniper shootout at the end. A solid mystery.
July 15, 2012
I'm a huge fan of John Dickson Carr, but I've found his books to be hit or miss -- many amazing books, and a few that miss the mark entirely. This book was one of the few I've read that of his that I didn't enjoy very much. A few of the twists and turns in this puzzle of a mystery were interesting, but it came off as overly convoluted rather than clever. I'd recommend sticking to other John Dickson Carr books.
July 22, 2022
I found this book, my first ever Gideon Fell, to be a bit tedious. I had trouble keeping the characters straight. I also don’t think the title was well explained or even a major clue. What of his should I read for a better experience?
June 16, 2025
Not the best Carr novel I've read, but still amusing and interesting. A touch darker than others, and the ending--while it held the usual twist--felt a little like a cop-out.
December 6, 2018
The meta commentary on the perfunctoriness of the ending in the final chapter was more grating than all of Dr. Fell's hrrumphs put together. Not JDC at his best.
January 27, 2019
Full review at classicmystery.blog
September 29, 2023
"My God, what's going on in this nice placid corner of the universe?"
Murder, lads. Murder!
The third Dr. Gideon Fell mystery (1934) from the oddly underrated John Dickson Carr is a good one (3.5 stars, rounded down to distinguish it from truly top-notch Carr), though like the young men just mentioned, who wander around in the dark pursuing (halfheartedly) the architect of some late-novel bloodshed, it kind of gropes its way unsteadily just before the finish.
In The Eight of Swords, a tarot card is left clutched in the hand of a murder victim who dies in disguise while executing some misdirection in an English country estate. On the scene, sooner or later, are a bishop who has inexplicably slid down a banister and his son; an American with gangland ties; a possible poltergeist; and a host of other characters whose comings and goings muddy the waters for police (and us; we don't get to know them very well) but not for Fell, who says pretty early on that he knows who the murderer is.
Carr's strengths — fascinating, sharply drawn central mysteries; atmosphere; and crackling investigative give-and-take — are well in evidence in the first half of the book, though proceedings hit a bit of a slog late in the second half after Fell leaves center stage and lets the amateur sleuths have their day. Carr's scene-by-scene flow is nearly always inferior to the overall setup, and that's the case here. But no harm done; Fell returns for a strong wrap-up. Interestingly, Fell reproaches himself severely for a tragic error in judgment in The Eight of Swords, declaring, "This is my last case. I'll never play the omniscient damned fool again." Not true, fortunately, and another 20 novels featuring the corpulent amateur sleuth followed.
Along the way, there are a few interesting historical touches for modern readers as the book briefly addresses American Prohibition (which ended two months before the novel was published; several characters seem quite happy to be in England and drinking) and mentions — already — Hitler's rise, comparing a character's mustache to Der Führer's. Meanwhile, a book that flashes a comic tone in much of the first half but a deadly serious tone in the second returns to some fun banter in the case's conclusion as Fell and others discuss the fact that they're in a mystery novel; earlier, Carr had already given us a nudge about the form by making one of the characters a mystery writer.
The Eight of Swords is not absolutely top-flight Carr, but it's certainly not barrel-scrapings, either, more evidence that his relative obscurity these days compared with Agatha Christie and the like remains baffling, and that the ongoing American Mystery Classics series that's already picked a handful of Carr titles is doing a great service to mystery readers.
Murder, lads. Murder!
The third Dr. Gideon Fell mystery (1934) from the oddly underrated John Dickson Carr is a good one (3.5 stars, rounded down to distinguish it from truly top-notch Carr), though like the young men just mentioned, who wander around in the dark pursuing (halfheartedly) the architect of some late-novel bloodshed, it kind of gropes its way unsteadily just before the finish.
In The Eight of Swords, a tarot card is left clutched in the hand of a murder victim who dies in disguise while executing some misdirection in an English country estate. On the scene, sooner or later, are a bishop who has inexplicably slid down a banister and his son; an American with gangland ties; a possible poltergeist; and a host of other characters whose comings and goings muddy the waters for police (and us; we don't get to know them very well) but not for Fell, who says pretty early on that he knows who the murderer is.
Carr's strengths — fascinating, sharply drawn central mysteries; atmosphere; and crackling investigative give-and-take — are well in evidence in the first half of the book, though proceedings hit a bit of a slog late in the second half after Fell leaves center stage and lets the amateur sleuths have their day. Carr's scene-by-scene flow is nearly always inferior to the overall setup, and that's the case here. But no harm done; Fell returns for a strong wrap-up. Interestingly, Fell reproaches himself severely for a tragic error in judgment in The Eight of Swords, declaring, "This is my last case. I'll never play the omniscient damned fool again." Not true, fortunately, and another 20 novels featuring the corpulent amateur sleuth followed.
Along the way, there are a few interesting historical touches for modern readers as the book briefly addresses American Prohibition (which ended two months before the novel was published; several characters seem quite happy to be in England and drinking) and mentions — already — Hitler's rise, comparing a character's mustache to Der Führer's. Meanwhile, a book that flashes a comic tone in much of the first half but a deadly serious tone in the second returns to some fun banter in the case's conclusion as Fell and others discuss the fact that they're in a mystery novel; earlier, Carr had already given us a nudge about the form by making one of the characters a mystery writer.
The Eight of Swords is not absolutely top-flight Carr, but it's certainly not barrel-scrapings, either, more evidence that his relative obscurity these days compared with Agatha Christie and the like remains baffling, and that the ongoing American Mystery Classics series that's already picked a handful of Carr titles is doing a great service to mystery readers.
July 30, 2021
Полковник Стэндиш, владелец поместья в провинции, приезжает в Лондон, чтобы пожаловаться инспектору Хэдли на своего гостя, епископа. Епископ ведет себя неадекватно — он устроил в доме Стэндиша охоту на полтергейста. Сам епископ тоже оказывается в Лондоне — встречает вернувшегося из Америки сына Хью. Хэдли встречает этих гостей в компании своего старого друга, доктора Гидеона Фелла. И в это же время приходит сообщение из поместья Стэндиша — ночью неизвестным был застрелен его сосед, совладелец издательства и ученый Септимус Деппинг. Пёстрая компания едет из Лондона к Стэндишу, чтобы расследовать это убийство.
Неровный роман, который затерялся в обширной библиографии Джона Карра. Что касается именно что детективной истории — «Восемь крошечных мечей» хорош. Есть загадочное убийство. Есть кучка фактов и множество персонажей накидывает множество версий происходящего. Читателю предлагается из множества предлагаемых развилок выбрать правильные и прошагать сюжет в нужном направлении. Карр честен с читателями — все факты без утайки сообщаются прямым текстом, никто в последний момент не вытаскивает новых подробностей. Догадаться о личности преступника можно. Если же не догадались, то в конце романа Фелл расскажет о нем прямым текстом.
Еще раз, как детектив — этот роман более чем неплох. Не слишком удалась Карру подача материала. В начале книги — шутейные заигрывания (свихнувшийся епископ). Затем детектив. Интермедия в середине — похождения Хью и шутки на тему написания книг и умасливания критиков (устами Генри Моргана — писателя, который тоже живет недалеко от Стэндиша). Затем снова детектив. Потом 2 главы, в которых Хью следит за подозреваемым — их нужность вообще ничем не обусловлена. Детективный финал и очередная порция шутеек на тему написания книг.
Обилие вставных «монологов», в которых Карр размышляет на разные темы — имеющие мало отношения к детективному сюжету. То ли автор «набивал» нужное количество страниц, то ли ему в тот момент нестерпимо хотелось высказаться именно по этим вопросам.
Засим, вот — роману была остро необходима «прическа». Редактура, которая выровняла бы непонятности сюжета и сгладила бы «американские горки» эмоциональных перепадов подачи в романе. Детектив в романе хорош и через много десятилетий, но вот огрехи молодого тогда еще писателя Карра чересчур уж бросаются в глаза.
6/10
Оригинал отзыва - https://cahier.ru/carr-eight-swords-1...
Неровный роман, который затерялся в обширной библиографии Джона Карра. Что касается именно что детективной истории — «Восемь крошечных мечей» хорош. Есть загадочное убийство. Есть кучка фактов и множество персонажей накидывает множество версий происходящего. Читателю предлагается из множества предлагаемых развилок выбрать правильные и прошагать сюжет в нужном направлении. Карр честен с читателями — все факты без утайки сообщаются прямым текстом, никто в последний момент не вытаскивает новых подробностей. Догадаться о личности преступника можно. Если же не догадались, то в конце романа Фелл расскажет о нем прямым текстом.
Еще раз, как детектив — этот роман более чем неплох. Не слишком удалась Карру подача материала. В начале книги — шутейные заигрывания (свихнувшийся епископ). Затем детектив. Интермедия в середине — похождения Хью и шутки на тему написания книг и умасливания критиков (устами Генри Моргана — писателя, который тоже живет недалеко от Стэндиша). Затем снова детектив. Потом 2 главы, в которых Хью следит за подозреваемым — их нужность вообще ничем не обусловлена. Детективный финал и очередная порция шутеек на тему написания книг.
Обилие вставных «монологов», в которых Карр размышляет на разные темы — имеющие мало отношения к детективному сюжету. То ли автор «набивал» нужное количество страниц, то ли ему в тот момент нестерпимо хотелось высказаться именно по этим вопросам.
Засим, вот — роману была остро необходима «прическа». Редактура, которая выровняла бы непонятности сюжета и сгладила бы «американские горки» эмоциональных перепадов подачи в романе. Детектив в романе хорош и через много десятилетий, но вот огрехи молодого тогда еще писателя Карра чересчур уж бросаются в глаза.
6/10
Оригинал отзыва - https://cahier.ru/carr-eight-swords-1...
January 16, 2022
The quiet normalcy of the country estate known as The Grange has recently been disturbed with reports even reaching Scotland Yard of odd encounters and a bishop off his rocker. Within a twenty-four hour period, the bishop was seen sliding down the banister like a child, a poltergeist attacked one of the houseguests with an inkbottle, and Mr. Depping – the estate’s tenant over in the Guest House – has been found with a bullet in his head. This is a case full of tangled, contradictory accounts and a good number of people attempting to play detective. Some are found to be more qualified than others. One of these detectives is the well-known Dr. Gideon Fell, a lexicographer by trade whose appreciation for improbable crimes matches his interest in the beer-drinking habits of the English people throughout history. An absolute delightful and chaotic cozy mystery!
John Dickson Carr’s The Eight of Swords was my introduction to the American mystery author, and the experience leaves me wanting more. I loved Carr’s cast of characters, emphasis on characters; the humor infused in the narrative and the various characters’ mannerisms were such good fun! I think it gave me an interesting view into Carr himself, his personality and his life philosophies, especially since there was an emphasis on the fact that in America at the time Prohibition was still actively in place, and all of the characters seemed grateful they were in England.
I appreciated the attention to details like character and setting description as both of these departments are typically lacking in Golden Age detection fiction titles. Above all, though, I must admit that I am a sucker for any book that participates in metafiction, as if the characters themselves are self-aware that they exist within a detective story. It helps that one of the “detectives” is a mystery writer named Henry Morgan, and his comments on what makes a mystery probable or not are just brilliant. A solid, wildly entertaining mystery! And my first of 2022!!
John Dickson Carr’s The Eight of Swords was my introduction to the American mystery author, and the experience leaves me wanting more. I loved Carr’s cast of characters, emphasis on characters; the humor infused in the narrative and the various characters’ mannerisms were such good fun! I think it gave me an interesting view into Carr himself, his personality and his life philosophies, especially since there was an emphasis on the fact that in America at the time Prohibition was still actively in place, and all of the characters seemed grateful they were in England.
I appreciated the attention to details like character and setting description as both of these departments are typically lacking in Golden Age detection fiction titles. Above all, though, I must admit that I am a sucker for any book that participates in metafiction, as if the characters themselves are self-aware that they exist within a detective story. It helps that one of the “detectives” is a mystery writer named Henry Morgan, and his comments on what makes a mystery probable or not are just brilliant. A solid, wildly entertaining mystery! And my first of 2022!!
May 11, 2025
I swear I’ve read this one before, but can’t find any proof I did… so I decided to read on. And I was mostly right in remembering the end so I think I have read this before.
Knowing this. I would say that the story fumbled about. There were a bunch of people, all who had some part, but we ended up following a young man who had gone to the state and returned nome to England. He was supposed to be studying crime, but was bored by it and really didn’t do well. He returns right into the situation that - well turns into a murder. And, while we are seeing through his eyes. You find out some things, but it’s not necessarily done well. It is always best when Fell is in the room. In this story, the person we followed ultimately had no real conversations with him and that link made the story less dynamic.
This is the third book with Fell, and I would say I enjoyed the first one better, and certainly others as well. But from time to time, when Fell is not involved fully in a story, they don’t always have the same dynamic and tick. If you are a Carr fan, you will read this most certainly as some of the characters are based on Carr himself, and reflect some of his own feelings at the time.
Synopsis- A young man who was sent to the states to learn about catching criminals and clues, returns to England. His father (who is a Bishop) is a huge crime enthusiast and believes his son if very capable. They are staying with a man they know, but strange events have been happening. And Scotland Yard is brought, but then- so is Fell.
A murder has occurred and they all arrive on the scene of the death. From there it is presumed by Fell, that the murder was committed by someone in the area.
The teasing apart of various clues can get a bit muddy as everyone seems to have a different view point and approach. However, Fell ends up finally directing the situation more and the murderer is revealed. There’s a lot more action than my synopsis presents- I don’t do spoilers.
Knowing this. I would say that the story fumbled about. There were a bunch of people, all who had some part, but we ended up following a young man who had gone to the state and returned nome to England. He was supposed to be studying crime, but was bored by it and really didn’t do well. He returns right into the situation that - well turns into a murder. And, while we are seeing through his eyes. You find out some things, but it’s not necessarily done well. It is always best when Fell is in the room. In this story, the person we followed ultimately had no real conversations with him and that link made the story less dynamic.
This is the third book with Fell, and I would say I enjoyed the first one better, and certainly others as well. But from time to time, when Fell is not involved fully in a story, they don’t always have the same dynamic and tick. If you are a Carr fan, you will read this most certainly as some of the characters are based on Carr himself, and reflect some of his own feelings at the time.
Synopsis- A young man who was sent to the states to learn about catching criminals and clues, returns to England. His father (who is a Bishop) is a huge crime enthusiast and believes his son if very capable. They are staying with a man they know, but strange events have been happening. And Scotland Yard is brought, but then- so is Fell.
A murder has occurred and they all arrive on the scene of the death. From there it is presumed by Fell, that the murder was committed by someone in the area.
The teasing apart of various clues can get a bit muddy as everyone seems to have a different view point and approach. However, Fell ends up finally directing the situation more and the murderer is revealed. There’s a lot more action than my synopsis presents- I don’t do spoilers.
December 2, 2025
A man is shot with his own gun in a country house in Gloucestershire, a mysterious Eight of Swords card clutched in his hand.
And who should arrive in time to investigate? Dr. Gideon Fell, who has just returned from a trip to the United States.
And what he has to contend with is a gaggle of personalities, including the Bishop of Mappleham who dabbles in criminology; the bishop's son, Hugh Donovan; and Col. Standish, owner of the Grange and the guest house used by the murdered Septimus Depping. There are others sprinkled liberally throughout the book.
Oh, and then there is the supposed poltergeist ...
I usually thoroughly enjoy the books by John Dickson Carr, but this was had so many competing personalities, a budding romance introduced in the middle and a tantrum by the Colonel's wife during her one and only appearance, that the whole story was hard to keep straight.
I had the feeling that this rather short story (220 pages in my copy) was being padded out and not in a good way. There is just a lot of material that has no bearing on the mystery, and although I'm not a purist, no real detection, no real clues — a violation of one of the 10 commandments of detective fiction, "no accident must help the detective, nor must he ever have an UNACCOUNTABLE INTUITION which proves to be right."
Frankly, if this had been my first experience of John Dickson Carr's writing, it would also be the only one I would have read. Sigh.
And who should arrive in time to investigate? Dr. Gideon Fell, who has just returned from a trip to the United States.
And what he has to contend with is a gaggle of personalities, including the Bishop of Mappleham who dabbles in criminology; the bishop's son, Hugh Donovan; and Col. Standish, owner of the Grange and the guest house used by the murdered Septimus Depping. There are others sprinkled liberally throughout the book.
Oh, and then there is the supposed poltergeist ...
I usually thoroughly enjoy the books by John Dickson Carr, but this was had so many competing personalities, a budding romance introduced in the middle and a tantrum by the Colonel's wife during her one and only appearance, that the whole story was hard to keep straight.
I had the feeling that this rather short story (220 pages in my copy) was being padded out and not in a good way. There is just a lot of material that has no bearing on the mystery, and although I'm not a purist, no real detection, no real clues — a violation of one of the 10 commandments of detective fiction, "no accident must help the detective, nor must he ever have an UNACCOUNTABLE INTUITION which proves to be right."
Frankly, if this had been my first experience of John Dickson Carr's writing, it would also be the only one I would have read. Sigh.
June 10, 2024
Я поняла -мне не очень симпатичен доктор Гидеон Фелл не как персонаж, а как единица детективного сюжета. Он, как того и требует закон жанра, один все понимает и знает убийцу с самого начала, потому что заметил "одну маленькую деталь", но появившись после преступления, он исчезает из сюжета почти до развязки. Он сидит в кабинете, почти ни с кем не говорит, только слушает, а все делают за него другие люди. Скажем, тот же Анри Бенколин, или даже Пуаро, - они постоянно присутствуют в сюжете. Они не бегают за уликами, не ищут пепел от сигарет и вообще крайне степенны, но они постоянно здесь. Они задают вопросы, делают выводы, тем самым демонстрируя течение истории и позволяя читателю делать собственные открытия, - чаще всего неверные, но тем приятнее ошибаться и снова предполагать! Словом, игры тут нет. Есть история убийства, история человека, который вел двойную жизнь и поплатился за это странным и жутким способом. Здесь даже нет первоначального подозреваемого - все покрыто мраком от и до, зато доморощенных ищеек тут каждый второй. Все начинают помогать доктору Феллу и полиции, порой даже ценой собственной безопасности. Все бегают, что-то предполагают, что-то выясняют, - а потом появляется доктор Фелл "в белом плаще", и всем все рассказывает. По мне так чуточку скучновато.
July 13, 2023
I liked this but I think it's definitely weaker than the previous one, The Mad Hatter Mystery. The best part is the dynamic with Fell and the bishop, which is fun to see it play out. But I think there are too many characters here, and most of them don't do anything. I was constantly losing track of people and then they'd show back up and I'd forgotten who that was. The mystery reveal was good and interesting, but I never like . Still I enjoyed reading it and I like Carr's sense of humor. It's a solid entry in the series, even if it's not his best.
November 5, 2023
Carr writes very inventive murder mysteries, but I find that some are too elaborate for me to follow what's going on. This was one of them.
Similarly, he writes very vivid, colorful characters, but sometimes they appear to be over-the-top characters spouting off colorful lines for its own sake rather than driving the story forward. This felt like one of those times.
But hey, at least everyone's raging drunk all the time!
* If, when Dante met Beatrice that famous time on the what's-its-name bridge, Beatrice had smiled at him and whispered, "Look here, I could do with a slug of Chianti," then the poor sap would have tried to find out her address and telephone number, instead of merely going home and grousing about it in an epic.
* "You might as well say that the Guiness advertisements plastered over the hoardings are a clue to the theory that somebody is trying to sell stout."
Similarly, he writes very vivid, colorful characters, but sometimes they appear to be over-the-top characters spouting off colorful lines for its own sake rather than driving the story forward. This felt like one of those times.
But hey, at least everyone's raging drunk all the time!
* If, when Dante met Beatrice that famous time on the what's-its-name bridge, Beatrice had smiled at him and whispered, "Look here, I could do with a slug of Chianti," then the poor sap would have tried to find out her address and telephone number, instead of merely going home and grousing about it in an epic.
* "You might as well say that the Guiness advertisements plastered over the hoardings are a clue to the theory that somebody is trying to sell stout."
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