The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds

by Neil Gaiman

This is a story called "The Case of Four and Twenty Blackbirds". It was first published in 1984, in KNAVE and was my third published short story. It was reprinted in 1993 ANGELS AND VISITATIONS (although I didn't put it into Smoke and Mirrors) and it's been collected in anthologies a few times since then. --NG

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Mystery, Fiction, Humor, Fairy Tales, Noir

16 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Horner is a private eye investigating the death of Humpty Dumpty. Yes, a nursery rhyme crime mystery but cleverly done, it made me smile.

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading Gaiman has become my literary equivalent to eating chocolate.

[Bobbi Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing special here but fun enough.

[Harini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read it for a class and must say it was enjoyable enough. A fun mix of nursery rhymes and noir.

[Kandice · Rating 3 out of 5]

For anyone who has read Buckingham and Willingham's Fables, this was that, but in narrative form. I was a bit irritated with the tone for the first few paragraph's and then I realized what he was doing.

This was the perfect little mix of noir and fairy. Not something I would have thought of, but pretty funny just the same.

[Meera · Rating 3 out of 5]

A silly story..:D !

[Sophie L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super enjoyed this short story

[Anne (w/ an E) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a BAD story, though it was a little strange.

[Didarul Islam · Rating 3 out of 5]

ছোট গল্প হিসেবে এভারেজ, টানটান উত্তেজনাহীন। অবশ্য এই প্রেক্ষাপটে সাসপেন্স আনা আর ঢাকায় তুষাড়পাত ঘটানো একই ব্যাপার বৈকি!👀

[Chi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this short story a few years ago, and then and even now, I loved the clever play on nursery rhymes being reworked as a noir detective story.

[Ana Rebelo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A segunda short story escrita por Neil Gaiman que leio. Começa a notar um estilo único, com personagens surpreendentes e com características bem destacadas e até exageradas. Esta história fala de três crimes e do homem que tenta solucioná-los, contada de uma forma pouco macabra, tornando-se até cómica.

[Ken B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange hard-boiled / noir short story that mixes nursery rhyme characters into a blackmail murder mystery.

3 STARS

[Grace Eleanor]

This was a fantastically entertaining short read!

[Curlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my pick for 2021 PopSugar Reading Challenge prompt #42: The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR. When I was getting ready for the said challenge last year, I first picked The Queen's Army by Marissa Meyer.

The conversations in the story sound rhythmic, it has some nursery rhymes--particularly Humpty Dumpty. There are some puns that I probably overlooked.
Downside: It's little bit predictable. Why do villains have to tell the protagonist not to mess up with something dirty? Is it really that obvious?

[Storm · Rating 2 out of 5]

A noir style gumshoe detective is hired to investigate the death of Humpty Dumpty. He should have known his client would be trouble, that's how it always starts!


I love noir and this story had all the tropes but it wasn't very good if I'm being honest. Later found out this was only the third story Gaiman ever sold, and he has definitely improved since.

[Shane Swart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is only the second time I have ever read anything by Neil Gaiman. After this short story, I must admit that I find myself in a rabbit hole from which I don't want to escape.

There is nothing that I can say about this story, except for you to read it for yourself and experience it for what it is.

[CJ Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously one of his first works. The conceit is clever--mash fairy tales with noir--but it comes across as a Xanth pastiche, where the author tries to cram as many puns and genre references as the story can fit. I enjoyed it, and as a short story it keeps from becoming monotonous and irritating.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can Private Detective piece together the 'accident' that befell Humpty Dumpty? Neil Gaiman puts together the classic nursery rhymes into a classic "who done it" in the style of a PI Noir. A fun short story, currently available on Neil's website for free.

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story about a private gumshoe, Jack Horner, who is hired by the sister of Humpty Dumpty. The fall from the wall was not an accident. This is the detective to deal with all of the fairy tale characters.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and fun read. It started off weird but once I got the twist, it was pretty good. And I know that it was a short story, but it felt a little rushed. But it was also his third short story written and it does show. I would still recommend for people to read.

[Christoph Weber · Rating 1 out of 5]

What was that?

[Christina Rothfusz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reads like a little fairy tale, with a very dark twist.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and entertaining. Will be using for world book day under our detective theme

[Ayush · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the King's man and all the king's horses
Couldn't put Humpty together again.

Well played Neil Gaiman.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genius - I read the whole thing with a voice like the narrator in 'Sin City'

[Isis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting little tale. I enjoyed how it tied so many children’s stories together for a delightful murder mystery romp.

[David Gardtman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Corny noir one-liners: Check
Sizzling hot egg-shaped dames: Check

Honestly, what else do you really need?

[Riya Bhatia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The perfect mix of whimsy and death!

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting story to read.

[Rhonda Yung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever and enjoyable...I always enjoy Gaiman's short stories.