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Maiden Murders
Contents:
Room number twenty-three / Hugh Pentecost
The fifty carat jinx / Lawrence G. Blochman
Bezique of death / Veronica Parker Johns
The little house at Croix-Rousse / Georges Simenon
The riddle of the dangling pearl / Stuart Palmer
Shoes for breakfast / Lawrence Treat
Find the woman / Kenneth Millar
Marksman / William Campbell Gault
Victim no. 5 / Harry Stephen Keeler
The man in the velvet hat / Jerome and Harold Prince
The adventure of the black narcissus / August Derleth
And on the third day / David Alexander
Too many brides / Ruth Wilson
The fourth degree / Jerome Barry
The second sight of Dr. Sam: Johnson / Lillian de la Torre
Old calamity tries a bluff / Joseph Fulling Fishman
A great whirring of wings / Day Keene
Threnody / Anthony Boucher
The adventure of the one-penny black / Ellery Queen
The specialty of the house / Stanley Ellin
- GenresMysteryShort Stories
302 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1952
About the author
John Dickson Carr
384 books546 followersAKA Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson and Roger Fairbairn.
John Dickson Carr was an American author best known for his mystery fiction, whose work also reached audiences through radio, film, and television. He wrote extensively for radio, particularly for the American anthology series Suspense and its British counterpart Appointment with Fear, introduced by Valentine Dyall. Carr also contributed numerous dramas to the BBC, writing both mystery stories and propaganda scripts during World War II. His radio career included Cabin B-13, a half-hour mystery play first broadcast in 1943. The story was later expanded into a CBS radio series that ran during 1948 and 1949, with Carr writing all 23 scripts. Some episodes drew on his earlier work, while others reworked devices associated with G. K. Chesterton. Cabin B-13 also became the basis for the screenplay of Dangerous Crossing, a 1953 film directed by Joseph M. Newman and starring Michael Rennie and Jeanne Crain. During the late 1940s, Carr hosted Murder by Experts, a Mutual radio series originating from WOR in New York City. The program featured guest mystery writers, whose work Carr introduced to listeners. Several of his stories and novels were adapted for the cinema. The Man with a Cloak appeared in 1951, followed by Dangerous Crossing in 1953. The Emperor's Snuffbox was adapted as That Woman Opposite in 1957, while The Burning Court was loosely adapted as the French film La Chambre Ardente in 1962. Carr's fiction also provided material for television, especially anthology programs that did not depend on recurring characters. His detective Colonel March was adapted for the television series Colonel March of Scotland Yard, which began in 1954 and starred Boris Karloff as Colonel March. The series ran for 26 episodes in the United States and premiered in Britain the following year. These adaptations brought Carr's distinctive mystery writing to audiences who may not have encountered his novels, while demonstrating the versatility of his plots in different media. His radio scripts, screen work, and television adaptations form an important part of his career as a mystery writer, extending his reputation beyond the printed page. They also show how his carefully constructed mysteries, often centered on unusual crimes and puzzling circumstances, could be reshaped for performance without losing their central appeal. His work for broadcasting was particularly substantial, linking his literary career with the popular entertainment industries of both Britain and the United States. His output in these media complemented rather than replaced his novels.
John Dickson Carr was an American author best known for his mystery fiction, whose work also reached audiences through radio, film, and television. He wrote extensively for radio, particularly for the American anthology series Suspense and its British counterpart Appointment with Fear, introduced by Valentine Dyall. Carr also contributed numerous dramas to the BBC, writing both mystery stories and propaganda scripts during World War II. His radio career included Cabin B-13, a half-hour mystery play first broadcast in 1943. The story was later expanded into a CBS radio series that ran during 1948 and 1949, with Carr writing all 23 scripts. Some episodes drew on his earlier work, while others reworked devices associated with G. K. Chesterton. Cabin B-13 also became the basis for the screenplay of Dangerous Crossing, a 1953 film directed by Joseph M. Newman and starring Michael Rennie and Jeanne Crain. During the late 1940s, Carr hosted Murder by Experts, a Mutual radio series originating from WOR in New York City. The program featured guest mystery writers, whose work Carr introduced to listeners. Several of his stories and novels were adapted for the cinema. The Man with a Cloak appeared in 1951, followed by Dangerous Crossing in 1953. The Emperor's Snuffbox was adapted as That Woman Opposite in 1957, while The Burning Court was loosely adapted as the French film La Chambre Ardente in 1962. Carr's fiction also provided material for television, especially anthology programs that did not depend on recurring characters. His detective Colonel March was adapted for the television series Colonel March of Scotland Yard, which began in 1954 and starred Boris Karloff as Colonel March. The series ran for 26 episodes in the United States and premiered in Britain the following year. These adaptations brought Carr's distinctive mystery writing to audiences who may not have encountered his novels, while demonstrating the versatility of his plots in different media. His radio scripts, screen work, and television adaptations form an important part of his career as a mystery writer, extending his reputation beyond the printed page. They also show how his carefully constructed mysteries, often centered on unusual crimes and puzzling circumstances, could be reshaped for performance without losing their central appeal. His work for broadcasting was particularly substantial, linking his literary career with the popular entertainment industries of both Britain and the United States. His output in these media complemented rather than replaced his novels.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 16, 2019
Uneven collection which is fair enough given the premise: author's first published story.
Perhaps the most interesting component of the collection is each author's introduction to his/her story: a recollection of the circumstances involving the publication of the story. These are often more entertaining than the stories.
My favorite is Ruth Wilson’s “Too Many Brides” with her introduction also excellent.
Some of the stories are debuts for series characters: Stuart Palmer’s “The Riddle of the Dangling Pearl” featuring the feisty Hildegarde Withers; Lillian De La Torre’s “The Second Sight of Dr. Sam Johnson”, featuring the famous 18th century lexicographer and the faithful Boswell and Ellery Queen’s “The Adventure of the One-Penny Black” featuring, of course, Ellery Queen.
One of the stronger stories is Kenneth Millar’s “Find the Woman” featuring a Santa Barbara PI Joe Rogers, clearly a prototype for Lew Archer. Archer himself was to debut in a 1948 novella “The Bearded Lady” (two years after “Find the Woman”) in The American Magazine. Curiously, Archer was to appear in stories published by Millar under his own name, as by John Ross MacDonald and as by Ross MacDonald. Ellery Queen Magazine was to publish some of the Archer stories (as by Ross MacDonald) twenty years after they appeared in Manhunt Magazine (as by John Ross MacDonald) and change the name of the stories.
Most folks flee when they see the name Harry Stephen Keeler, but I found his story “Victim #5” free of plotting weirdness and verbal gymnastics and one of the stronger entries in this collection.
Stanley Ellin’s “Specialty of the House” may be of interest to those who have seen the Alfred Hitchcock Presents 1959 episode of the same name. As might be expected, the two are different, Ellin’s short story ending being much more subtle and suggestive than the TV episode, but for me both story and TV show worked very well.
Perhaps the most interesting component of the collection is each author's introduction to his/her story: a recollection of the circumstances involving the publication of the story. These are often more entertaining than the stories.
My favorite is Ruth Wilson’s “Too Many Brides” with her introduction also excellent.
Some of the stories are debuts for series characters: Stuart Palmer’s “The Riddle of the Dangling Pearl” featuring the feisty Hildegarde Withers; Lillian De La Torre’s “The Second Sight of Dr. Sam Johnson”, featuring the famous 18th century lexicographer and the faithful Boswell and Ellery Queen’s “The Adventure of the One-Penny Black” featuring, of course, Ellery Queen.
One of the stronger stories is Kenneth Millar’s “Find the Woman” featuring a Santa Barbara PI Joe Rogers, clearly a prototype for Lew Archer. Archer himself was to debut in a 1948 novella “The Bearded Lady” (two years after “Find the Woman”) in The American Magazine. Curiously, Archer was to appear in stories published by Millar under his own name, as by John Ross MacDonald and as by Ross MacDonald. Ellery Queen Magazine was to publish some of the Archer stories (as by Ross MacDonald) twenty years after they appeared in Manhunt Magazine (as by John Ross MacDonald) and change the name of the stories.
Most folks flee when they see the name Harry Stephen Keeler, but I found his story “Victim #5” free of plotting weirdness and verbal gymnastics and one of the stronger entries in this collection.
Stanley Ellin’s “Specialty of the House” may be of interest to those who have seen the Alfred Hitchcock Presents 1959 episode of the same name. As might be expected, the two are different, Ellin’s short story ending being much more subtle and suggestive than the TV episode, but for me both story and TV show worked very well.
June 25, 2024
Definitely a mixed bag, and some of them didn't age well. There's some casual racism that was probably acceptable back when the book came out but is definitely not right at all.
June 9, 2026
Maiden Murders is about what you'd expect from a murder mystery anthology of this period — and perhaps a little less, given that these are each author's first published works. Some mysteries scratched the itch, delivering the satisfying twists and red herrings the genre promises. Others left me questioning whether they belonged in the mystery category at all. There's a certain novelty in reading the debuts of authors who would go on to define the genre, and that alone made it worth my time. I wouldn’t recommend this unless someone is intrigued by early entries in the murder mystery genre.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews