What do you think?
Rate this book
Dr. Twist #10
L'image trouble
Qu'est-ce qui fascine John Braid dans cette photo ancienne qui fait la couverture d'un roman par ailleurs banal? Il aimerait le savoir. Il a ressenti à la voir une émotion violente, mais indéfinissable. Peur? Nostalgie? Culpabilité? La photo l'obsède tellement qu'il en parle à Andréa, la jeune femme qu'il vient d'épouser. Que faire pour se libérer de l'emprise du cliché? Suivre le conseil d'Andréa et tenter l'hypnose? Et que vient faire dans ce problème personnel celui que la presse a surnommé « le meurtrier aux bains d'acide », et que traquent sans relâche mais pour fleure en pure perte l'inspecteur Archibald Hurst et son inséparable complice le Dr Twist?
- GenresMystery
247 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 15, 1995
2 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Paul Halter
78 books57 followersPaul Halter is a writer of crime fiction known for his locked room mysteries. Halter pursued technical studies in his youth before joining the French Marines in the hope of seeing the world. Disappointed with the lack of travel, he left the military and, for a while, sold life insurance while augmenting his income playing the guitar in the local dance orchestra. He gave up life insurance for a job in the state-owned telecommunications company, where he works in what is presently known as France Télécom. Halter has been compared with the late John Dickson Carr, generally considered the 20th century master of the locked room genre. Throughout his nearly thirty novels his genre has been almost entirely impossible crimes, and as a critic has said "Although strongly influenced by Carr and Christie, his style is his own and he can stand comparison with anyone for the originality of his plots and puzzles and his atmospheric writing."
His first published novel, La Quatrieme Porte ("The Fourth Door")was published in 1988 and won the Prix de Cognac, given for detective literature. The following year, his novel Le Brouillard Rouge (Red Mist) won "one of the highest accolades in French mystery literature", the Prix du Roman d'Aventures. He has now published more than thirty novels. Several of his short stories have been translated into English; by June 2010 six will have appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine; ten were collected and published by Wildside Press as The Night of the Wolf.
His first published novel, La Quatrieme Porte ("The Fourth Door")was published in 1988 and won the Prix de Cognac, given for detective literature. The following year, his novel Le Brouillard Rouge (Red Mist) won "one of the highest accolades in French mystery literature", the Prix du Roman d'Aventures. He has now published more than thirty novels. Several of his short stories have been translated into English; by June 2010 six will have appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine; ten were collected and published by Wildside Press as The Night of the Wolf.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 27, 2023
Sembra incredibile. Eppure è vero. L'ho iniziato in una calma domenica pomeriggio, leggendone più di metà, e ha infestato la mia notte agitandomi. E' il primo libro che entra in maniera così inquietante e prepotente nella mia vita reale, trasferendo gli incubi dalla carta stampata direttamente alla mia mente. Mi sono avvicinata a Paul Halter, un po' spinta dal mio attuale interesse nei confronti del giallo classico, un po' incuriosita dal fatto che tale autore francese contemporaneo venisse spesso citato come erede del grande John Dickson Carr...ed è stata una totale folgorazione! Il consiglio di un amico anobiano ha dato il via alla caccia al libro, la trama mi ha stuzzicata, la splendida copertina (con quel carro in mezzo a una strada insanguinata sullo sfondo di una fumosa Londra vittoriana) mi ha chiamata a sè, ma la storia, la storia in sè mi ha completamente affascinata. E mi ha regalato ore e ore di vera paura!
Anni 1960. John Braid è un uomo strano e taciturno e tutti, perfino la moglie, ignorano chi sia veramente e quale sia la sua professione. Quando l'uomo cade in stato di shock alla vista della copertina di un romanzo che ritrare la Londra vittoriana decide di sottoporsi a sedute d'ipnosi durante le quali svelerà a poco poco i particolari di un passato confuso e di un delitto inquietante. Nel frattempo, in città, un astuto assassino si diverte a bruciare le sue vittime nell'acido.
Anni 1880 circa. Amelia Jacobs, nobildonna borghese e madre di famiglia, viene assassinata da tre balordi di notte nel cortile di casa sua. Poco dopo, l'indovino che le aveva predetto tale sventura, viene a sua volta rinvenuto pugnalato, all'interno del suo studio, chiuso dall'interno e senza vie di fuga. L'assassino si nasconde fre le vie nebbiose della Londra vittoriana, ma chi è? E perchè ha ucciso?
Questi due binari temporali, che si alternano nei paragrafi del libro, col proseguire della lettura, dimostreranno sempre più inquietanti somiglianze, fino all'impensabile soluzione finale. Soluzione che, dopo aver strizzato l'occhio al soprannaturale, sarà logica e naturale come da miglior tradizione di giallo classico, e addirittura oserà interessanti riflessioni sui mondi della psicologia e della scrittura, dimostrando al lettore il talento e la genialità di Paul Halter. Un autore che riprende lo schema del giallo classico e gli aggiunge, in ritmo e tematiche, qualcosa del thriller contemporaneo, in una suggestiva commistione fra il fascino dell'ieri e la complessità dell'oggi.
Mes compliments Monsieur Halter...ha scritto proprio ciò che cerco in un libro di questo genere e mi ha fatto una paura tale che non la dimenticherò così in fretta!
Anni 1960. John Braid è un uomo strano e taciturno e tutti, perfino la moglie, ignorano chi sia veramente e quale sia la sua professione. Quando l'uomo cade in stato di shock alla vista della copertina di un romanzo che ritrare la Londra vittoriana decide di sottoporsi a sedute d'ipnosi durante le quali svelerà a poco poco i particolari di un passato confuso e di un delitto inquietante. Nel frattempo, in città, un astuto assassino si diverte a bruciare le sue vittime nell'acido.
Anni 1880 circa. Amelia Jacobs, nobildonna borghese e madre di famiglia, viene assassinata da tre balordi di notte nel cortile di casa sua. Poco dopo, l'indovino che le aveva predetto tale sventura, viene a sua volta rinvenuto pugnalato, all'interno del suo studio, chiuso dall'interno e senza vie di fuga. L'assassino si nasconde fre le vie nebbiose della Londra vittoriana, ma chi è? E perchè ha ucciso?
Questi due binari temporali, che si alternano nei paragrafi del libro, col proseguire della lettura, dimostreranno sempre più inquietanti somiglianze, fino all'impensabile soluzione finale. Soluzione che, dopo aver strizzato l'occhio al soprannaturale, sarà logica e naturale come da miglior tradizione di giallo classico, e addirittura oserà interessanti riflessioni sui mondi della psicologia e della scrittura, dimostrando al lettore il talento e la genialità di Paul Halter. Un autore che riprende lo schema del giallo classico e gli aggiunge, in ritmo e tematiche, qualcosa del thriller contemporaneo, in una suggestiva commistione fra il fascino dell'ieri e la complessità dell'oggi.
Mes compliments Monsieur Halter...ha scritto proprio ciò che cerco in un libro di questo genere e mi ha fatto una paura tale che non la dimenticherò così in fretta!
July 8, 2015
This is the ninth of Paul Halter novels translated from French into English.
It is a mysterious and suspenseful novel with 2 locked room events.
There are 2 strands of the novel, told alternately.
In the first strand set in 1959, John Braid and his wife Andrea, newly married, live at Shapwick village. John goes to London daily for his work but doesn't disclose the exact nature of his work to his wife. While in London, at a bookshop, the picture on the cover of a book creates a very strong emotion in him, but he doesn't understand the cause. Later he buys the book and becomes obsessed with the picture. He discusses the matter with his wife but makes no headway in unravelling the mystery. The picture shows a perfectly ordinary street, a row of modest brick houses, a small shop with its owner at the door, a few other people and a hand-cart at a crossroad.
Graham Morris, a bric-a-brac dealer at Shapwick, claims to know hypnosis and suggests hypnotising John. Under hypnosis, John mutters something about a few notes of music, mauve flowers, murder of a beautiful woman and three men in black.
At the same time, there is a series of murders in London and neighbourhood, known as the acid bath murders, in which the victims are cut into pieces and dissolved in sulphuric acid.
Why does John keep the nature of his work secret from his wife ? Is he the acid bath murderer ?
In the second strand, Amelia Jacobs, a beautiful woman and the wife of a prosperous business man Gideon Jacobs, is savagely murdered by 3 ruffians . A few days earlier, she had visited Jack Atmore, a palm-reader, who had predicted that a great misfortune would befall her. After the incident, her son Jonas leaves the house without informing anyone and is not seen again.
What is the link between the 2 strands ? There are several similarities in the 2 strands which may make the reader suspect that the second strand relates to the past events of a character in the first strand. However, several dissimilarities also arise leaving the reader perplexed. Finally, a rational explanation is provided for the link, which some readers may regard as a cheat. However, there is a significant clue to the link, which is referred to not once but several times.
There are 2 locked room events, one in each strand. In the first strand, a person vanishes from a locked room. In the second, a person is murdered in a locked room. While the solution to the first is nothing much to speak of, the solution to the second is highly satisfying.
I was disappointed with the explanation for the very strong emotion caused in John Braid by the picture and found it unsatisfying. For this reason, it is not possible to rate it as 5 star and I rate it as 4 star.
However, the book is a page-turner and virtually unputdownable and hence recommended.
It is a mysterious and suspenseful novel with 2 locked room events.
There are 2 strands of the novel, told alternately.
In the first strand set in 1959, John Braid and his wife Andrea, newly married, live at Shapwick village. John goes to London daily for his work but doesn't disclose the exact nature of his work to his wife. While in London, at a bookshop, the picture on the cover of a book creates a very strong emotion in him, but he doesn't understand the cause. Later he buys the book and becomes obsessed with the picture. He discusses the matter with his wife but makes no headway in unravelling the mystery. The picture shows a perfectly ordinary street, a row of modest brick houses, a small shop with its owner at the door, a few other people and a hand-cart at a crossroad.
Graham Morris, a bric-a-brac dealer at Shapwick, claims to know hypnosis and suggests hypnotising John. Under hypnosis, John mutters something about a few notes of music, mauve flowers, murder of a beautiful woman and three men in black.
At the same time, there is a series of murders in London and neighbourhood, known as the acid bath murders, in which the victims are cut into pieces and dissolved in sulphuric acid.
Why does John keep the nature of his work secret from his wife ? Is he the acid bath murderer ?
In the second strand, Amelia Jacobs, a beautiful woman and the wife of a prosperous business man Gideon Jacobs, is savagely murdered by 3 ruffians . A few days earlier, she had visited Jack Atmore, a palm-reader, who had predicted that a great misfortune would befall her. After the incident, her son Jonas leaves the house without informing anyone and is not seen again.
What is the link between the 2 strands ? There are several similarities in the 2 strands which may make the reader suspect that the second strand relates to the past events of a character in the first strand. However, several dissimilarities also arise leaving the reader perplexed. Finally, a rational explanation is provided for the link, which some readers may regard as a cheat. However, there is a significant clue to the link, which is referred to not once but several times.
There are 2 locked room events, one in each strand. In the first strand, a person vanishes from a locked room. In the second, a person is murdered in a locked room. While the solution to the first is nothing much to speak of, the solution to the second is highly satisfying.
I was disappointed with the explanation for the very strong emotion caused in John Braid by the picture and found it unsatisfying. For this reason, it is not possible to rate it as 5 star and I rate it as 4 star.
However, the book is a page-turner and virtually unputdownable and hence recommended.
January 6, 2019
The weakest one yet from Halter
Unconvincing and bland impossible crime explanation and incoherent meta fiction intertwined for no reason.
Unconvincing and bland impossible crime explanation and incoherent meta fiction intertwined for no reason.
June 18, 2019
Tra tutti gli Halter che ho letto, questo è di gran lunga il migliore, superiore per me anche a "Nebbia rossa", osannato da molti. Infatti, nonostante quello abbia una prima parte fenomenale e una seconda un po' più carente, "Cento anni prima" ha un struttura ben definita, con un finale ineccepibile. Il romanzo si sviluppa lungo 3 livelli narrativi: uno relativo all'epoca vittoriana, con l'omicidio brutale di Amelia Jordan e quello del chiromante Atmore (peraltro in camera chiusa); uno relativo alla storia del misterioso John Braid e sulla sua scomparsa impossibile; un altro su un misterioso serial killer che fa dissolvere i cadaveri delle sue vittime nell'acido. Davvero un capolavoro. Ogni livello troverà un collegamento con gli altri, tanto che sebbene sembrino ben distaccati (infatti ad ogni capitolo Halter passa da una storia all'altra, creando la giusta tensione e suspence), in realtà si tratta di una struttura unitaria. Per quanto riguarda la soluzione dei vari delitti, sebbene siano trucchi già sfruttati nel passato, risultano gradevoli (io ho preferito la soluzione del delitto in camera chiusa del chiromante rispetto alla sparizione impossibile di Braid).
P.S.: è il primo romanzo che leggo di Halter in cui l'omicida non è spinto ad esserlo dalla follia (cosa che trovavo un po' piatta e monotona).
P.S.: è il primo romanzo che leggo di Halter in cui l'omicida non è spinto ad esserlo dalla follia (cosa che trovavo un po' piatta e monotona).
February 8, 2020
Historia compleja con un desenlace inventado que no se condice con el desarrollo.
June 13, 2022
Three and a half stars: I was unimpressed at first with this book. It has alternating chapters detailing a murder in the past and ones in the "present" (1959); it's a device I usually don't enjoy much, preferring linear story-telling. But it soon became a gripping way to tie the whole tale together and the reveal at the end neatly does so. Another winner from Halter, and from his translator John Pugmire.
March 23, 2024
FIRST READING 1/28/20: 5 Stars
Boy, it sure is fun not knowing what the f is going on sometimes. In fiction. Halter excels at Mystification. And it’s hard to guess your way through the haze since, like JDC, he’s definitely not afraid to experiment with different wool-pulling techniques. Please, LRI, translate more.
SECOND READING 3/23/24: 4 Stars
This is another of those Paul Halter mystery novels that is addictively compelling. It’s a page turner, plain and simple. Because Halter chooses to deliver his narcotics in as pure and unadulterated form as possible, he’s often taken for granted by readers. That’s too bad. When you need an escape—or a fix—there’s no one better than Paul Halter. He’s as close to intravenous escapism as it comes. Pure puzzle, pure bliss.
*The change in my review is just because this time around I found the ending a bit of a cop-out. An enjoyable cop out, but one nonetheless.
Boy, it sure is fun not knowing what the f is going on sometimes. In fiction. Halter excels at Mystification. And it’s hard to guess your way through the haze since, like JDC, he’s definitely not afraid to experiment with different wool-pulling techniques. Please, LRI, translate more.
SECOND READING 3/23/24: 4 Stars
This is another of those Paul Halter mystery novels that is addictively compelling. It’s a page turner, plain and simple. Because Halter chooses to deliver his narcotics in as pure and unadulterated form as possible, he’s often taken for granted by readers. That’s too bad. When you need an escape—or a fix—there’s no one better than Paul Halter. He’s as close to intravenous escapism as it comes. Pure puzzle, pure bliss.
*The change in my review is just because this time around I found the ending a bit of a cop-out. An enjoyable cop out, but one nonetheless.
Read
August 15, 2015very different kind of a mystery. it fools the readers completely. i liked the clever, imaginative writing style of this novel rather than the locked room puzzles depicted here.
January 12, 2015
One of the best of the Halter translations. Full review at classicmystery.wordpress.com
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews