The Case of the Seven of Calvary

by Anthony Boucher

When a Swiss professor is found dead on a California university campus only a few feet away from the home of a student he was visiting, Dr Ashwin, a professor of Sanskrit, and Martin Lamb, a graduate student, join forces to find the killer.

The dead man was struck by a blunt instrument but the weapon cannot be found. The only clue is a scrap of paper on which has been drawn an obscure symbol known as the Seven of Cavalry.

Genres: Mystery, Classics, Crime

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1937

About the author

William Anthony Parker White, better known by his pen name Anthony Boucher, was an American author, critic, and editor who wrote several classic mystery novels, short stories, science fiction, and radio dramas. Between 1942 and 1947, he acted as reviewer of mostly mystery fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle. In addition to "Anthony Boucher", White also employed the pseudonym "H. H. Holmes", which was the pseudonym of a late-19th-century American serial killer; Boucher would also write light verse and sign it " Herman W. Mudgett" (the murderer's real name).
In a 1981 poll of 17 detective story writers and reviewers, his novel Nine Times Nine was voted as the ninth best locked room mystery of all time.

Reviews

[Fonch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ladies and gentlemen as today I find myself facing a day of tedium, and boredom in which I do not feel like doing anything. The first thing I must do is apologize because in my last review the links that refer to the books did not come out, which I cited in my reviews, so I apologize I trust that this time there will be no problems.
As I was saying I was reading "Mockingbird" by Walter Tevis https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... and, although I do not think, that it is a bad novel is not entertaining me enough, to continue reading it. I was also thinking about whether to start reading William Goldman's "Magic" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... (by the way, I still owe a review of "Princess Bride" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... , and the other book I had planned to read was "The Case of the Blind Barber" by John Dickson Carr https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... that I have included in my reading plans, because of how much I liked the detective novel, which I intend to review.
First of all, I have read this book online in Mario books, being the second book I read to him. After "The Dracula Tapes" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7.... Regarding "El siete de Calvario" this book I have reviewed on my Instagram account, being the longest review I have written on that social network in which I do not share photos of myself (because I am an antidote to lust), but of my readings. I'll try to say the same things, but here I'll talk about more things, which I couldn't comment on in my Instagram review. After all, Goodreads is more important to me than Instagram. In addition, this book deserves to be extended a little more, and I published a review in conditions.
The first thing, I must say is that because of my great passion collecting, and reading the best Catholic writers in the world, and this made me interested in Anthony Boucher https://www.goodreads.com/author/show.... The first thing I must say is that despite his importance it seems, that this author has been relegated to oblivion, even in his own country (according to the few people who follow him, and who like this author), and it should not be so, because this author has a lot of importance for being one of the gurus, editor, and patron of the greatest science fiction writers. I didn't get to write those reviews, but without their sponsorship it wouldn't have been possible to write gems like Ward Moore's "Bring me the Jubilee" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... (a book I considered one of the best of the year), and James Blish's "A Case of Conscience," https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... that despite its bad theology I found a very entertaining, and interesting, story that explained the possibility that would happen if the Devil had been able to create a world, and what would happen if free will did not exist (it would be exactly the opposite of what Anthony Burgess proposes https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ). But not only did he favor the writing of emblematic works of science fiction, but Boucher himself wrote his own works excelling in both science fiction and detective literature, standing out as a sherlockian, being one of the great theorists and scholars of the character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... . I wish Anthony Boucher had been able to meet G.K. Chesterton, or one of the Inklings https://www.goodreads.com/author/show.... With this brief introduction of the figure of Anthony Boucher you will realize that he is a figure that deserves greater recognition, and follow-up. If in America his figure has been reduced in Spain, it is that nothing is known about him. So it is a miracle, that he was able to find a book of his translated into Spanish. In this case by the publisher Emece (which I do not know, if it is Argentine. I hope I'm not wrong, if I do I apologize.) Frankly, when I started reading it I didn't know what I was going to find, and frankly it's been an enormously pleasant surprise.
This novel he reviewed is a detective novel, which takes place on a university campus. In fact, Boucher appears to have been a professor at Berkeley. So it would be a crime novel on a University Campus.
This novel is written with a purpose, which would have applauded G.K. Chesterton himself, hence I would have liked it very much, if both had met. What Boucher seeks in this story is to vindicate the figure of the Detective's assistant. In fact, this case is referred by the Watson of this story the former student Martin Lamb to the author to Boucher, who in this case is the recipient of this story. There are some delicious digressions from the author about the theory of the crime novel (I didn't say this in my Instagram review). The first, which could be considered the prologue in which Boucher, and the narrator, and co-star Lamb meet to eat crabs, and some spirits. They tell us about the discredit, and the apparent extinction of the figure of Watson. He tells us about the marginal role he has in The Dupin novels of Edgar Allan Poe https://www.goodreads.com/series/8042.... Also of the marginal role that the detective's assistant has in the novels of Dorothy Leigh Sayers, Anthony Berkeley, or S.S. Van Dine (I disagree with Boucher here. At first Sir Peter Wimsey's Watson was his future brother-in-law Charles Parker, and Berkeley has a great Watson in the figure of Alec Grierson, and then Chief Moresby, although rather the latter would be a Lestrade), and we should not forget figures like Flambeau (first criminal, and then Watson), or Hastings with Hercule Poirot. Unfortunately, I do not know the creator of Judge Pell, whom Boucher appoints. If I know Thorndyke, he is the character created by Austin R. Freeman. https://www.goodreads.com/series/4277... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/series/8531... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/series/6593... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/series/5113... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/series/5560... https://www.goodreads.com/series/5649... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... So Boucher dissertates at first, and then Lamb refers to his participation, and that of his Professor of Sanskrit in Ver keley John Answin in the two murders and not of them that of Hugh Schaedel who is a Swiss representative of the League of Nations.
The first thing I should comment on this story is how magnificently well written it is in such a way that one does not get bored reading it. He has some very nice characters like Martin Lamb, and John Answin, and he has a lot of sense of humor, which makes it a delicacy for any type of reader. This novel is more in line with the problem case, or the Golden Age detective tale of the detective novel rather than the Hard Boiled. Had he not been an American, surely Boucher could have been a member of the Detection Club (American John Dickson Carr was the exception). Not only are the two amateur investigators nice, but also the secondary ones around them, including the dumbest characters like Boritin (the white Russian anti-communist aristocrat, although it is true that Boucher although he does not like this character does not fall into the moral ruin of Dashiell Hammet who in a story of his comes to accuse a group of white Russians of forming a criminal gang https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ), and Canada's Worthing. In fact a very good thing about this novel is that there is a melting pot of races with different ethnic backgrounds, and several multiracial relationships. Boucher is not like little sister Raymond Chandler https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8... with that Hispanic villain he had. Even in some Catholic writers (I hope few) the figure of the Hispanic is frowned upon. I think for example of Henry Morton Robinson and his "Cardinal" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... . It is curious, there is a positive view of the Irishman, who seems to be the aristocracy of American Catholicism alongside the Poles, and the Germans. Italians have some edges, and Hispanics (I included myself because I am Spanish), and if I lived in the United States of America we are not so well treated in fiction. That's why I praised how well Anthony Boucher has treated his Hispanics in this novel. That is a very important point in its favor. The treatment given to Lupe, and Mona Morales, who will be the couple with whom the protagonist will fall in love. One thing must be taken into account, and that is that this novel was written in 1937 so it is very meritorious what Boucher has done.
Perhaps the only unpleasant characters are Cynthia Wood, a very sullen and interested woman. We see that he only attends Mass, because his father is a convert, and he is Catholic only out of interest. From the beginning he is a character that we dislike capable of flirting with Lamb confusing him with another character, it is also very cruel the way to treat his alleged partner Alex Bruce (along with Lennox / Lennon, Kurt Ross (nephew of the first victim) and Leshin will be the usual suspects of this novel), it is also very cruel the derogatory comments he directs towards the wife of Professor Leshin (Tania) who mocks out of jealousy, and he comes to call her a Suaba peasant (because they filled their chests with straw to disguise that they have more breast than they actually have). It is very interesting that course of history of the Slavic countries that Leshin teaches, in fact it is a subject that I am passionate about the defenestration of Prague, and the beginning of the 30 years war. Answin is somewhat very exotic is a Sanskrit teacher, but as his only student Lamb is Catholic. In fact, religion is going to be very important in this novel. Not only because it is professed by the protagonists, but because of the screen, or distraction in this case a Swiss Gnostic society called the Vignards. However, Boucher heeds G.K. Chesterton, and does not make the mistake of making it a secret society that commits the crimes. In fact, he turns to a great-granddaughter of Tennysson https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... to have Answin explain the motives of the crime. I can't explain the structure of the crime, because it would annoy the novel, but I can say that Boucher unlike Agatha Christie plays fair with the reader, and doesn't cheat, and Ashwin doesn't do something to us like Sergeant Cuff, or Roger Sheringham to be wrong of guilt, but Boucher writes a novel so brilliant, that it makes you doubt, and everything gets complicated. During the novel more writers are quoted as Ogden Nash https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and in crime novel Ashwin talks about his favorite authors Arthur Conan Doyle, Earl der Bigger https://www.goodreads.com/series/4975... Stuart Palmer https://www.goodreads.com/series/6335... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and the great John Dickson Carr, who has one of my favorite detectives Gideon Fell, although he is also the creator of Henri Bencolin, and Sir Henry Merrivale, but my favorite is Gideon Fell.
There is one thing, which I really liked, apart from Anthony Boucher's Hispanophilia, his love for the Spanish Golden Age. In fact, it represents a work of fiction inspired by the myth of Don Juan. However Lennox is wrong the precedent of Don Juan would not be The mocker of Seville by Tirso de Molina https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... but the work of Juan de la Cueva The infamous https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5..., but Boucher could not know. The work is a fictional work of a certain Fonseca (it is something that Borges usually does) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... called Don Juan redivivo, but as in English there is no such word as Don Juan returns. In fact, the second murder is one of the most beautiful ever written. I will have a hard time finding a murder as beautiful, artistic, and theatrical as the one Boucher describes. The idea comes to G.K. Chesterton when in the Wandering Stars Flambeau narcotizes the policeman, and juggles him, and acrobatics in the air disguised as Harlequin. All in all, I like the way Boucher does it better. In addition, another rule follows, the one who survives the aggression is the policeman. But I already say there are three suspects, and I as Miss Oliver was doubting all https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... Anyway it made me doubt. That, as I have already said Boucher played fair, and told us clearly who was going to be the murderer, and who had no chance of being so. In the middle of the novel there is an interlude between Lamb and Boucher.
However, this novel has two small flaws that made me not put the five, although I may put it on later. 1º He is wrong with the antidote of strychnine, which are barbiturates, and Boucher says it is theine. It is a pity that he did not count on the author of "Poisons in police literature" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... and "Dorogodependencies in crime and literature" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... otherwise he would have been left with a perfect novel, and the second failure. If you have read "Lord Edgware ten" you will see that the motive for the crime is the same. My friend Professor Manuel Alfonseca https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., and I were talking, and he told me that what he did not like is that Christie considered that the key was to have given him the divorce, and that he called the Duke a fanatic for not wanting to marry a divorcee. I guess I have to agree with him. Here the problem is the same, but no matter how bad the person you have married as a Catholic, it does not seem good to me to advise divorce with separation, nullity, or Pauline privilege. I don't know if Boucher was Catholic when he wrote this novel, but in my opinion here he did badly. That an Anglican does it is understandable, but not that it is a Catholic who advises it. In addition, it is most likely that this marriage was not religious, and it is normal that it was not recognized by the Catholic Church. It is also very ugly that I called the girl's father a fanatic for opposing the divorce. In my opinion I should have opted for the annulment, although surely I would have known, and I would have mounted a scandal.
However, it seems to me a very nice work, with two very attractive characters, especially Answin (a character of which both Lamb and Professor Griswold leave us some brushstrokes such as that he was a chess and billiards champion, and who feels a special affection for a six-year-old girl whom he treats as if he were his godfather, or tutor), so I put 4.5, and I do not rule out despite these two defects put five stars. I will miss these characters very much, and I hope this is not my last Boucher. As Joseph Pearce https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... of Robert Hugh Benson said in his article The Unsung Genius it is time for Boucher to start a new resurgence.

[Susan Oleksiw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthony Boucher is perhaps best remembered for the annual conference named in his honor, in recognition of his many years as an editor and reviewer of crime fiction. After Bouchercon, however, comes this novel, which is itself remembered for the unusual detective. In the sub genre of academic crime stories, Boucher chose as his detective a professor of Sanskrit, Dr. Ashwin, who is modeled after a real Sanskrit scholar at UC Berkeley, Dr. Arthur W. Ryder. (This is one of the first things first-year Sanskrit students used to learn.) Dr. Ashwin has a few peculiarities of his own, which bring Lewis Carroll to mind, but the plot is nevertheless judiciously sprinkled with references to Sanskrit and Sanskrit texts (the name of one poet is misspelled, Bravabhuti for Bhavabhuti) as Dr. Ashwin and his Watson, a student named Martin Lamb, discuss everything with liberal doses of spirits and cigarettes.

The crime is apparently a simple one. A visiting Swiss scholar is murdered late one evening and a symbol scrawled on a piece of paper is left near his body. No one can begin to guess why this unassuming and gentle proponent of world peace would be the object of a murderous hatred, but one student explains the figure of seven on three steps (the sign of the seven of Calvary) as the sign of a secret society. The first murder is followed by a second, which makes even less sense than the first.

First published in 1937, this novel is in the style of the traditional cerebral British novel of detection, with clues liberally laid out carefully in the text so that readers can figure out the murder as easily as the brilliant Dr. Ashwin. In chapter 10, Dr. Ashwin even goes so far as to list (with page references) the eight key facts in his thinking. He sends Martin Lamb, his Watson, off to seek corroborating evidence, but he has essentially reached his conclusions. All is explained in a penultimate chapter. In a final chapter, called a postlude, Martin explains what happened to the other characters in later years, a very satisfactory drawing together of extraneous details.

Highly recommended for those who enjoy traditional crime fiction, academic crime stories, and literary and intellectual allusions and references.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very English-style thirties American mystery, with an erudite detective and multilingual Watson, set in Berkeley, of all places. Enjoyable (and surprisingly human) international characters, more realistic-than-usual academic setting, and a love story that isn't distractingly horrible. Is "pleasant" damning with faint praise? Pleasant isn't easy.

[Kerril · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 ⭐. A classic case of whodunit that was rather pleasant to read.

[Williwaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book illustrates why I'm not too keen on mystery books. They are only interesting as long as the mystery remains unsolved. I always find the solutions boring.

I read this one in a collection of Boucher novels that is part of the "Black Box Thriller" series, which I've been collecting. Other authors in the series include Jim Thompson, David Goodis, Fredric Brown, W.R. Burnett, and Horace McCoy, to name a few.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story. An awful lot of smoking and drinking, but after all the book was written in 1937.

[Chris Browning · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating example of the danger of a fan of crime fiction writing a crime novel. It’s a little too knowing, a little too full of asides and undue cleverness to really work. Firstly this is evident in the bridging story of Boucher discussing with the book’s ostensible Watson figure the story itself, and then this happens all over again with his Watson and his Holmes figure. There’s an awful lot of quite knowing winking at an audience who knows their crime fiction here, and the most egregious to me is the titular cult. Boucher makes it very convincing, as it is meant to be within the novel itself, but he also keeps overplaying his hand by having Ashwin mention at least twice that the Seven of Calvary is all a little too much like the cults in the early Sherlock Holmes stories. Yes, it is very much like that but by mentioning it you immediately make your reader suspicious of it rather than making them think “what does this remind me of? Ah! The Sign of Four!” which is what he should be doing. Similarly the desire to play the “game” and play it “fairly” becomes a bit insufferable when the detectives keep calling attention to playing the game fairly. Certainly even though I’m usually quite poor at working out who did murders in crime fiction, I picked up on the two whoppers of a clue because Boucher couldn’t quite hide them well enough. For someone who clearly admired John Dickson Carr as much as he did, he also does not - at this stage at any rate - know how to adopt Carr’s peerless ability to hide clues in plain sight. Hopefully he’ll get better with future crime novels

[Mbuye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony Boucher is better known as a sci-fi writer, with his dazzling plots and an imagination that soars away into pure speculation. But as a writer of crime fiction, that imagination serves him quite as well.

In the Seven of Calvary, he has given us a perfectly logical crime, complete with clues marked ‘Clues’ and red herrings clearly marked, ‘Herrings, Red.’ the bodies, and murder weapon each have wooden arrows marked ‘Body’ and ‘Weapon’ over them. Finally, we are given a complete list of bodies, weapons, red herrings and clues with maps and diagrams, as well as the page numbers you can go back to and check to see if the author was playing fair. And if after all this, you can't identify the killer, Boucher wraps it up neatly for you.

This is one of the best whodunits - the plot is impeccable, the characters (American, Latin, European and Canadian) a mixed lot, and therefore enormous fun, the detective a very unusual one, with an equally unlikely Watson, and the setting, an American University (and not one of the baffling Oxbridge quads and courts), with the author's sardonic and trademark sense of humour throughout.

(The Ashvins, in Hindu mythology, were divine twin horsemen, sons of a goddess of the clouds and of Surya the Sun god. They were represented as riders and were the deities who presided over medicine, health, dawn, the sciences, and animals.)

[Karmakosmik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un giallo molto classico questo de "Il Caso del Sette del Calvario", dove una fantomatica setta semina il panico in un campus universitario della California con una serie di misteriosi delitti, ma anche molto divertente. L'azione avviene sotto la narrazione in prima persona di Martin Lamb, borsista di origine tedesca, che tramite l'aiuto del prof. Ashwin riuscirà a ricomporre il complicato nesso esistente tra i vari omicidi. La storia, senza fare alcuno spoiler, man mano che si svolge tende a perdere un pochino di fascino, e non è complicato inquadrare più o meno direttamente la risoluzione del caso, ma mi è comunque molto piaciuta l'atmosfera universitaria che si respira, tra feste alcoliche, amori giovanili e persino una rappresentazione teatrale dal finale tragico. Un altro bel giallo letto tra le file dei Bassotti.

[Fabio Pucci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Giallo ironico e robusto che, in anticipo sia sulla Christie che su Patrick Quentin, gioca la carta dell'ambientazione universitaria, con misteriosi intrallazzi tra gli studenti forse legati alla tipica storia di delitti, in questo caso forse legati a una presunta corrente eretica nata in Svizzera. Non sempre fluidissimo nella narrazione ma nel complesso ben congegnato, pieno di citazioni alte e basse che mostrano una grande passione verso i modelli di riferimento. Impeccabile nella sua incatenazione di dettagli e piste vere e false, magari non particolarmente incisivo a livello di atmosfere, ma chiuso da un finale verosimile e ben congegnato, piuttosto ardito nel mettere in discussione i parametri del giallo tanto cari a Van Dine.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't terrible, and had a clever solution to an unusual murder plot. But it went on and on about obscure literature, the amorous pursuits of various characters and had an inserted interlude device from the author talking to the main character. Can't recommend this.

[Golden Age of Detective Fiction · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 stars.

Read my review here:

https://goldenageofdetectivefiction.c...

[K · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong. I do appreciate a mystery novel that gives the reader a chance to actually solve the crime. When you're able to do so in the first chapter, however, that doesn't really make for a satisfactory story. Plus, I was offended when I read one of the characters musing about writing a story of his own:

"Some day he should write a mystery novel in which the entire mystery should consist of such a question of paternity. Better yet, a mysterious rape. There could be a wonderful scene in which the crime was reconstructed, with the detective, as in conventional, performing the actions of the criminal."

So, how was the rape scene?
Oh, just fantastic! Brilliant really.

Anyone who describes a rape scene, even a fictional one, as 'wonderful' needs to have their head examined with a tire iron.

This book was written in 1937, and it was quaint to see 'the World War' mentioned, but disturbing to read how casually two of the female characters had had abortions. It was done quietly, but the men in the story were made aware of it & didn't seem to be shocked at all, nor did it change how they perceived these women. This surprised me. Am I to assume that women were already held in such low opinion that having an abortion wasn't a big deal? There were no moral/emotional struggles when making such a decision? In a story written today, something like this would be viewed as scandalous. I guess it makes sense though, since the main character finds out that his love interest had been raped at a party and he doesn't really DO anything about it. Apparently getting raped was the equivalent of someone being a little too forward...it happens, but no one's running to the police about it.

Wouldn't recommend it & won't be looking into anything else by this author.

Boiled down story:
Alex is secretly married to Cynthia, who actually loves Paul. Paul wants Cynthia's money & has been sleeping with another married woman. Paul & Cynthia conspire to kill Alex but accidentally kill a foreign ambassador because he's in the wrong place at the wrong time & resembles Alex. Alex figures this out & poisons Paul. Cynthia then attempts to shoot Alex. Everyone left alive figures Alex was justified in killing Paul, they don't have much evidence anyway, so they don't tell the police.

[Michael Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the English version "The case of The Seven of Calvary"
Pretty average fare.

[Mark Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very Ellery Queen like, which is as to be expected from someone who ghosted EQ radio show scripts. A very fine first mystery novel. Brainy and exotic.

[Martina Sartor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nel più puro stile del mystery classico, sfida al lettore compresa.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: Dr. Ashwin is a professor of Sanskrit; he investigates when a Swiss scholar is murdered.