Perchè uccidere Patience?

Sir Henry Merrivale #15

by Carter Dickson, Antonietta Maria Francavilla (translator)

Antichi teatri percorsi da fremiti e scricchiolii, sale illuminate da bagliori lividi, una Londra immersa nel buio, uno zoo popolato da animali inquietanti. E un delitto che appare perfetto: un cadavere in una camera chiusa, anzi addirittura sigillata, in modo che dall'interno non possa uscire neanche uno spiffero. I personaggi sono esemplari dell'inventiva di John Dickson Carr (che qui si firma Carter Dickson): due illusionisti, uno strano mondo di "amici degli animali" e, naturalmente, lui, il Vecchio, sir Henry Merrivale, deciso a dimostrare che le sue "grandi" cellule grigie sono in grado di esprimere analisi e raziocinio.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Detective, Adult, Fiction

207 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1944

About the author

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

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

A week off work,the rain is pouring and the Merrivale marathon continues.
Really enjoyed this one.Though not one of Carr's more complex plots,with a smaller than
usual set of suspects this is well worth a read.Plenty of clues abound,though i guessed the wrong suspect.
A nice locked room scenario,some likeable characters and even one of those infernal automatons again,this is classic Carr.
Highly recommended.
If you don't mind snakes,that is!

[Johnny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am still looking for John Dickson Carr’s (writing as Carter Dickson) The Department of Queer Complaints. No, it is not like CSII: Sex Crimes Unit; it is a special investigative department focused on unusual crimes. While looking, I found this volume, He Wouldn’t Kill Patience. I thought it was the first of Carr’s (writing as Dickson) Sir Henry Merrivale series, but it was only the earliest one in my local library. Merrivale is a clever detective who likes to play his hunches close to his vest, rather a Sherlock Holmes-type later in time. He even has his own “Lestrade” in a police detective named Matthews.

Previously, I indicated in a review of another of Carr’s works (this time written under Carr’s name) that a friend has told me that Carr was the master of sealed room mysteries (or was it the “dean” or “king” of that style of mystery?). He Wouldn’t Kill Patience is a classic sealed room mystery. The story takes place during World War II and considers the problem of the curator of a zoological garden in London during the Blitz. The pride of this smaller zoo was the reptile house, home to exotic and often quite venomous serpents. One concern was that a bomb or the concussion from a nearby bomb would break the glass of one of the cases and allow the dangerous snakes loose in London. So, the plan was to shut down the zoo and ship the larger animals to zoos in the countryside while destroying the dangerous reptiles.

This is where the reader comes in on the action (after a brief encounter with a feuding couple inside the reptile house itself). The curator has spent a good portion of his fortune in a project to build his own zoo. He couldn’t simply buy the specimens in his own zoo because of the nature of so many being donated. So, he had commissioned an expedition to accumulate his own collection. Said collection is awaiting word that, despite the fact that the war effort demanded every port ’s facilities, the vessel containing these animals had permission to dock. Despite this good news, it appears that the old man has sealed his office, turned on the gas, and killed himself. But the death of a little green snake named “Patience” leads the curator’s daughter to insist that her father wouldn’t have killed himself in such as way as to kill patience (Hence, the book’s title). So, how was the mystery accomplished?

Sir Henry believes that the offspring of two famous Edwardian Era magicians might be able to assist him in solving the crime. There is even a reference to an act produced by one of their distinguished ancestors, a semi-historical reference to a card-playing automaton similar to “The Turk” (a chess-playing automaton) on p. 83. The Whist automaton was called “Psychos” and used a clockwork mechanism. Since the trick to “Fatima,” the trick-taking automaton in the novel could be a spoiler, I’ll quit typing about it right now.

Suffice it to say that He Wouldn’t Kill Patience is intriguing on a number of levels. Personally, I was certain of the murderer long before figuring out how the sealed room murder could be solved. Let’s just say that I was close with no cigar on that one. Considering the effect of a lighted match upon gas, I suppose it was a good thing I had no cigar (chuckle). Even without the cigar, this novel was delightful.

[March · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoroughly bonkers concoction, mixing a zoo, poisonous snakes, a shipload of exotic animals, rival magician clans, an automaton, and German bombers over London. The impossible problem (murder in a room sealed from the inside by tape) and its solution scarcely represent this author at his best. It evidently resulted from a challenge by the rival locked-room mystery writer Clayton Rawson (cf. Rawson's story "From Another World") and you get the feeling Carr wasn't putting his all into this particular conundrum. The book is saddled by a truly moronically handled Hatfields-and-McCoys romance between two irritating characters--the man especially, whose tendency to violent overreactions is presumably supposed to be endearing or something. On my second read, it seemed to me the novel really should have wrapped up after Chapter Fourteen: the magician subplot tiresomely pads out the remaining third of the novel, and there is at least one too many cases of H.M. roaring "Just a minute!" to prevent a revelation that would have blown the case wide open--a trick Carr/Dickson often overindulged. And the climax in the reptilehouse cannot be described as anything other than ludicrous. Notwithstanding all its faults it can certainly be enjoyed as high camp. Try to track down the Dell mapback edition if you can.

[Calum Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

B+:

A little frantic (I can't believe that this all supposedly takes place in one day), but thoroughly enjoyable, complete with a winning star-crossed lovers romance (concerning feuding families of magicians, no less) and a hilarious sequence in which H.M is left holding a poisonous snake. I also did not see that solution coming.

[Gabriele Crescenzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si sa, Carr è il grande maestro della camera chiusa, lo scrittore che ne sa una più del diavolo sui trucchi, messinscene e meccanismi che rendono possibile tale prodigio. E di certo non si tira indietro da una sfida succulenta lanciatagli dal famoso mago Clayton Rawson, anch'egli autore di 4 romanzi e diversi racconti gialli imperniati su delitti impossibili: creare un delitto in una stanza completamente sigillata, con tutte le fessure bloccate da carta da pacchi lì incollate.
Da questa sfida nasce "Perché uccidere patience?", che vede un direttore di uno zoo, Ned Benton, morto asfissiato in una camera in cui sia la porta che le finestre sono state chiuse dall'interno e bloccate da strisce di carta incollate su tutte le fessure.
In apparenza sembra un suicidio, non essendoci alcun modo né per un colpevole di essere uscito, né di essersi nascosto nella camera (rischio di morire asfissiato anch'egli).
Ma naturalmente tutto è il contrario di come sembra ed il Vecchio, qui indemoniato come al solito, dovrà districarsi tra strani eventi, una coppia rivale di illusionisti e persino un serpente (Patience del titolo) per scovare un assassino diabolico.
Questo è uno dei Carr che più mi è piaciuto, non solo per l'atmosfera, ma soprattutto per la splendida camera chiusa: credo infatti sia una delle più semplici eppure ingegnose che abbia ideato. Poi il processo logico che porta H.M. alla scoperta del colpevole è brillante.
Dunque non posso che dargli 5 stelle.

[Isabel Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorei ler este policial, que inclui uma pitada de romance "enemies-to-lovers" e está repleto de humor.
O Diretor do Jardim Zoológico Royal Albert aparece morto, devido a envenenamento por gás, no seu gabinete, que foi hermeticamente calafetado pelo lado de dentro com papel gomado. No entanto, a hipótese de que se trata de um suicídio é descartada, já que o gás também provocou a morte de Patience - a sua adorada serpente de estimação - e porque este crime é seguido de tentativas de homicídio de uma jovem ilusionista que sabia demais.
A ação decorre em Londres, em setembro de 1940 e alude à Blitz, a campanha de bombardeamentos estratégicos realizada pela aviação alemã contra o Reino Unido, durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, sendo que este posicionamento temporal se revela importante para a resolução do mistério.
A narrativa tem um ritmo rápido e o suspense prende a atenção do leitor até ao desfecho, que não considerei previsível, apesar de, nos últimos capítulos, já ter as minhas suspeitas sobre como o crime tinha ocorrido e ter reduzido o meu leque de suspeitos a apenas duas pessoas.

[Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent again from the master of locked room mysteries . Set in September 1940 , at the begining of the London raids ,this is a very atmospheric mystery where the clues are hidden in almost everything .The way the clues are placed and mystery solved at the end is masterful. Almost everything is hidden in plain sight and there is no unfair play here .. you can solve it if you are paying attention but its not that easy .
The book is also full of humor .While some of it may feel a bit overcooked, it still provides entertainment .In fact the book starts with two chapters which is only humor but once the mystery begins there is no let up .This is a tightly plotted mystery with great pacing, atmosphere, suspense, misdirection, and impeccable clue distribution .I read the last 80% in a single sitting and had to stay awake till 1:30 at night!
For me this is in the same class as Judas Window & She died a Lady ... 5 star material .

[Dolceluna ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uno zoo contenente speci rare, il direttore dello zoo ritrovato morto nel suo ufficio (ovviamente chiuso dall'interno) e, sullo sfondo, la Seconda Guerra Mondiale (con tanto di bombe e allarmi), in un'amalgama di atmosfere che, in realtà, Carr non sfrutta come avrebbe potuto. Un intreccio godibile e ben costruito, una camera chiusa a dire il vero più facile di ciò che si potesse immaginare e un Henry Merrivale più ironico e goliardico che mai, capace di regalare al lettore anche brevi spassosi passi comici. Un Carr in stato di grazia, per i miei gusti inferiore a "Delitti da mille e una notte" o a "L'arte di uccidere" ma superiore a tanti altri, come "La corte delle streghe", "La casa" o "Sfida per Bencolin". Del resto, quando s'impegna, il Maestro è il Maestro.

[Martina Sartor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un'ottima camera chiusa dove la soluzione è semplice e non così macchinosa come in altri romanzi di Carr. Una bella scoperta chi è la Patience del titolo :-)
La 1^ parte del Dossier su Carr è un valore aggiunto di quest'edizione.

[Karen Rettig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was published in 1944 and is part of a series, but the language and attitudes seem a lot earlier. I have read books from the nineteenth century that felt more modern. The plot of the mystery was clever and engaging, but I probably won’t read others by this author.

[Jameson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pair of star-crossed young magicians get caught up in a locked-room murder mystery set in a London zoo during The Blitz. This is a pretty fun Merrivale and it features one of the most annoying See You Next Tuesdays I’ve ever had the pleasure to love to hate. Very satisfying.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This locked room suspense mystery will make your skin crawl almost literally in places--there are snakes involved, after all! Even more, this author is without equal at viscerally jolting the reader-- and there is one scene in the book that I can never forget!!

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up on the clue that indicated who did it, but the question of how kept me mystified (and reading). Also, the setting in the days leading up to the Blitz was both important to the plot and very interesting on its own.

[Ian Durham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great HM mystery. This one also did a great job of capturing a bit of life at the beginning of the blitz. It was subtle but almost a little poignant without being overwrought. And the mystery itself was classic Dickson/Carr.

[Umer Abbas · Rating 4 out of 5]

not the absolute clayton rawson did a better job of the bet of a taped sealed room.Still the inventiveness of the solution is to be commended.

[Juan Carlos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una excelente obra de deducción a cargo del inigualable H.M. Como de costumbre la solución es impecable, quizás le falte un plano del lugar para ser más precisa.

[Gabriele Crescenzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una delle camere chiuse più belle di Carr. Soluzione sorprendentemente semplice ma ingegnosa, stile narrativo scorrevole, dose di umorismo di H.M. che non guasta mai. Un piccolo capolavoro.

[Nina Miteva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Комбинирано ревю на "Чумавият двор" и "Убийство в зоопарка" в Wanderbook

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Não sei se foi por as expectativas estarem tão baixas, mas a verdade é que a leitura deste livro até não foi má.

A história é a mais interessante de todos os "vampiros" lidos aqui no blogue. Apesar de ser um policial da "golden age", não parece ser tão longínqua a história como os outros que li (a história decorre na década de quarenta do século XX, em Londres).

A prestidigitação como tema central, favoreceu em muito a história, e temos personagens interessantes, e um mistério realmente difícil e bem elaborado para resolver. Pena é que o desfecho deixe muito a desejar, mas enfim. É um razoável policial da época dourada dos policiais, e que hoje em dia, se consegue ainda ler com interesse, e chegar ao fim num instantinho.

Aconselho a quem gosta de policiais antigos.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you really hate snakes, you may find some of the descriptions in here a bit graphic. If you really love snakes, you may be disappointed by what happens in the reptile house of the Royal Albert zoo. But it's wartime, and the fate of the zoo is being debated as the blitz approaches. It's enough to make the head of the zoo commit suicide. But his daughter, and his old friend Sir Henry Merrivale, don't think it is suicide, even though nobody had a motive to kill the old man, and he was found in a room not only locked but sealed with strips of paper.

[Bruna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Altro enigma della camera chiusa, con soluzione tecnicamente impeccabile, ma non tra le mie favorite. Il romanzo ha dalla sua il pregio di un'ambientazione particolare, siamo infatti in uno zoo londinese proprio quando stanno per iniziare i bombardamenti della II Guerra Mondiale. Sir Henry Merrivale non è il mio investigatore preferito, tra le varie "macchiette" escogitate da Carter Dickson / John Dickson Carr, ma qui risulta più divertente dal solito.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best Carr I've read in a while. The characters are stock and not very developed, but then characterization never was Carr's strong suit. The setting is genius and atmosphere is very well done, and the solution to the locked and sealed room is brilliant. A fun impossible crime mystery, as long as you are not scared of snakes.

[James Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a wonderful book. I think Mr. Carr had a great deal of fun writing Sir Henry Merrivale books. Sir Henry might be a cartoon character but he is a very clever one. With a canister vacuum I pulled a towel sealing a door. I enjoyed this book. I recommend it. This book should be on kindle.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book jacket compares this author to Agatha Christie. She's much better, but this author was fun, nonetheless.

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Li-o há vários anos e, tal como acontece com todos os livros exclusivamente policiais que leio, já não me lembro de nada da história. Mas sei que não fiquei desagradada na altura.

[Irfan Nurhadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilariously funny.. xD