The Ten Teacups

Sir Henry Merrivale #6

by Carter Dickson, Martin Edwards (introduction)

There will be ten teacups at number 4, Berwick Terrace, W.8, on Wednesday, July 31st, at 5 p.m. Precisely. The presence of the Metropolitan Police is respectfully requested.

The note was delivered to New Scotland Yard, its words evoking a cold murder case and its unsolved mystery of the ten teacups found beside the body. Scrambling to prevent a second killing, the police set up a watertight cordon at Berwick Terrace. But gunfire rings out from the top floor at 5 p.m. on the 31st, and the corpse of one of the celebrity tenants is found in a locked room, shot twice from behind, a smoking gun by their side and on the table – ten teacups. The killer has vanished into thin air, an impossibility which calls for the masterful sleuth Sir Henry Merrivale to enter the fray.

First published in 1937, this classic mystery shines on today as one of the great masterpieces of the impossible crime genre.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, British Literature, Murder Mystery, London

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1937

About the author

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

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A note arrives at Scotland Yard:

THERE WILL BE TEN TEACUPS AT NUMBER 4, BERWICK TERRACE, W8 ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, AT 5 P.M. PRECISELY. THE PRESENCE OF THE METROPOLITAN POLICE IS RESPECTFULLY REQUESTED

The reaction of Chief Inspector Masters and his men is one of near panic, because, the last time a very similar note arrived at the Yard, two years ago, a murder was committed at the specified address, a murder that the cops could neither prevent nor solve. So Masters calls upon his old friend Sir Henry Merrivale as a consultant and surrounds 4 Berwick Terrace with cops at the appointed time. Even so, "at 5pm precisely" a man is killed in the house by two gunshots, apparently fired at close range, with no trace of the murderer to be found. The only evidence, apart from the corpse and the gun, is a circular arrangement of ten teacups and saucers upon a tablecloth embroidered in gold with a pattern of peacock feathers . . .

As you'd expect from Carr ("Carter Dickson" was the alter ego of John Dickson Carr), there's lots of delightful misdirection before Sir Henry is able to work out how the "impossible murder" was done and finger the culprit. Also as you'd expect from Carr, the writing's sufficiently graceful and witty that, even during a longish central section where nothing very much seems to be going on, my interest never flagged. Carr's characterization is good here, too, from the red-hot much-younger wife of an elderly solicitor to that solicitor himself, who may be the most sympathetically portrayed of all the suspects.

Much as I enjoyed this novel, I wouldn't rank it as among Carr's greatest. The mechanism behind the first of the tale's two "impossible murders" seemed very implausible to me (because pistols are inaccurate at any distance and because they have different aerodynamic properties than cricket balls; as a onetime bad bowler, I can attest to the latter claim with some expertise), while I actually worked out the second mechanism more or less on sight. But as a piece of entertainment The Ten Teacups is tremendous.

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For a far fuller and utterly fascinating discussion by JJ and Puzzle Doctor, albeit complete with ~2.7 billion spoilers, go here.

[Adam Carson · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s something about JDC’s writing that just doesn’t quite work for me. This is a perfectly serviceable locked room mystery. It’s cleverly plotted an genuinely gets the brain going.

However, pretty much without exception the characters are pompous and irritating. They speak in unnatural ways and there’s generally far more words than there needs to be in any given chapter. I find this almost universally the case with JDC’s books. It’s a little too much ‘An American’s vision of what Britain is”

Fine and glad I read, but I wouldn’t rush to another JDC for a while

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ingenious but very over complicated locked room mystery which I found difficult to follow at times. Merrivale's dialogue was annoyin' and irritatin' .

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me realize how crucial a good motive is to a successful mystery. Usually even a mediocre mystery novelist supplies a believable motive, but, unbelievably Carter Dickson did not in The Peacock Feather Murders. There were, of course, two culprits here (I say "of course" assuming whoever is reading this has read the novel): Janet Derwent and her lover, Ronald Gardner. Mrs. Derwent's motive is solid: she is slated to inherit a fortune from the victim who wanted to be her lover. (This motive is also improbable--leaving a fortune to someone you simply wanted to sleep with?) Gardner, however, is the primary culprit, and his motive is a very indistinctly explained passion for Mrs. Derwent. The reader is told explicitly his motive is not Mrs. Derwent's inheritance. This in turn suggests to me that Dickson sacrificed credibility of motive to construct the very complex apparently impossible crime--and he barely does that. Obviously aware of how far his explanation strained credulity, Dickson actually supplies footnotes referring to the pages where clues can be checked. But this is still a Carter Dickson mystery; simply one of his weaker efforts.

[Rama · Rating 2 out of 5]

While initially intriguing, the unformed characters and the different-for-different's-sake locked room puzzle make it very difficult to be surprised when the murderer (or, murderers) is (are) revealed. The murder of Vance Keating especially is contingent on the alignment of quite a number of stars.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Sir Henry Merrivale mystery, I’m sure we’re going to become great friends!

This book was once voted the 10th best locked room mystery ever, and it certainly lives up to its billing!

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find these locked room mysteries tedious. They are so convoluted that I don’t actually care whodunnit! I just want it over!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read, but felt a bit heavy handed in the end for the "gotcha" moment of the reveal, and then certain aspects of the resolution felt extraneous as well. I liked the read in study of the style & language use of the author.

Also it has given me the phrase "Lord love a duck" so that's wonderful.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Puzzle Doctor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stunning impossible crime, let down by the forced actions of some characters to make the impossibility happen. Full review at classicmystery.wordpress.com

[Cesar Felipe · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.7 Stars!

This is a Carr story where he is clearly out to one-up himself and his traditional "one locked-room mystery" template. There's a LOT of moving parts here. A multitude of characters, all deeply involved in the overall plot, and what turns out to be several murder mysteries being solved even on the go, one on top of the other. Plus multiple incidents both in the past and the present that relate to the murders themselves and that need to be analyzed and reconstructed to solve the mystery. So, it's easy to see how this story can seem convoluted or messy. But just like Merrivale's calm and poignant behavior, I believe Carr handles these plot lines sensibly and carefully to avoid a mess and instead construct a fascinating story. But it's quite a lot to take in!

First, the fact that the main murder is done a mere seconds before a policeman comes into the room and there is no murderer to be found is incredible. It's certainly a mind-boggling twist in the genre, and it leaves a LOT to explain by the author. Thankfully, the story paces properly into discarding the most obvious solutions, then the most ridiculous ones, and still leaving the mystery alive as the rest of the story unfolds.

However, the twists and turns involving the characters and their motivations, the multiple intrigues and deceits at play, are the meat of this particular story. A past murder; a murder party; and eventually a current threat that becomes a mystery all to itself, all run hand in hand with the main locked-room mystery being investigated. This is definitely Carr attempting to raise the bar that he himself raised in his mastery of the genre. And since these locked-room mysteries succeed or fail on the basis of their solution, it's gratifying to see that it all leads up to a logical and rather satisfying conclusion.

The solution to the main mystery to me is a solid 8/10. It's not flawless, but it's very creative and reasonable for the circumstances. It's not only until the very last pages that the mechanics of the murder are revealed, and they make sense in the context, BUT with a main concession that the reader is asked to make. Two of the main crime scenes are actively being watched by multiple cops since they were warned in advance. This is a challenge that Carr put up for himself, and his solution relies on the premise of it being too dark for cops to notice certain subtle things that happen right in front of them. Not just because of night-time darkness, but also (and this is the weakest part of the whole solution) the fact that the windows were too thick and dirty. I also found it kind of unclear how the shooter managed to access the same building they were watching from, and fired a shot from there without them noticing it so close to them. There is a mention of there being multiple floors between them but the geometry of the whole scene was still very confusing to me.

It could also have been better if the murderer had been clearly established as a professional thrower from the sports he practiced, instead of being almost a footnote by the end. Because this is basically the solution to not just the main mystery but the second murder that occurs.

Oh and a man hiding a fresh corpse inside a chair he sits on in just a few minutes before professional policemen come into the room and notice nothing for around 20 minutes is downright silly.

The final motives and intentions of the characters do get a bit muddled by the end, which I think is inevitable not only to justify the murder scenes but also because of the complexity of the plot.

In the end, for all its intricacy and ambition, The Peacock Feather Murders manages to not only remain on its feet, but provide a satisfying solution to its own challenging premise. It's not perfect, and it exceeds its grasp at certain points, but it still pulls off quite a majestic landing after such a challenging flight.

[Alberto Avanzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Dickson Carr, al di là delle ottime trame gialle, ha una capacità di scrittura notevole, insieme ad altri giallisti pur molto diversi fra loro (come Chesterton, Rogers, Talbot, Milne, Fredric Brown…) per cui si legge sempre con piacere. Qui, in aggiunta, troviamo anche un delitto particolarmente ingegnoso e una soluzione particolarmente brillante, che lo rendono al livello dei migliori Carr (e confermano la mia preferenza per Merrivale rispetto a Fell).

La trama: Scotland Yard riceve un misterioso biglietto nel quale si invita la polizia a recarsi in una casa disabitata. Analoghe modalità caratterizzarono un omicidio insoluto di alcuni anni prima, nel quale l’unico indizio consisteva in un servizio da tè rinascimentale, ornato con un motivo di penne di pavone, probabilmente usato per riti iniziatici da qualche società segreta. Questa volta Masters, consigliatosi anche con Merrivale, fa sorvegliare la casa disabitata, dove nonostante la vigilanza si svolge un delitto incredibile. Un uomo entra in una stanza, che ha solo una porta (sorvegliata da un poliziotto) e una finestra (anch’essa sorvegliata da alcuni poliziotti). A un certo punto si odono due colpi di rivoltella, la polizia entra e trova l’uomo ucciso e la rivoltella a terra vicino al cadavere. La posizione dei colpi esclude il suicidio, per cui (pur non essendo a rigore una camera chiusa) rientriamo nel caso dei delitti impossibili, con una soluzione che (sia pure con una piccola sbavatura) è estremamente brillante (qui come in questo genere di misteri il “come ha fatto” eclissa il “chi è stato”) e che arriva, per fortuna del lettore, proprio nelle ultimissime pagine.

Uno dei migliori Carr. Dove l’atmosfera di mistero (qui legato non al soprannaturale ma a una setta segreta) permea di tensione la storia, che non delude le aspettative. Ambientazione londinese molto intrigante, personaggi nella giusta quantità e ben caratterizzati, sospetti abilmente sparsi, indizi numerosi e ben spiegati, finale “breve” con spiegazione minimale ma convincente (fatta salva la sbavatura, menzionata prima, che a Carr si perdona.)

[Jini · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the book that came after this (The Judas Window) first. And I dislike this as much as liked that one. Interestingly, for the same reasons - human behaviour. Dickson's grasp of it is so very well portrayed in that book while here it is too far-fetched.

The good parts:

Dickson does a fantastic job in creating the atmosphere - of that empty house, of that murder party. It's pure genius the way he makes us think (at least I did) that both murders are locked-room crimes. When the Dartley one is garden variety murder.

The terrible parts:
Dickson commits the cardinal sin of telling and not showing. Nowhere can we guess the Gardner-Janet relationship. At least one scene with them would've made sense. Even simply having Gardner commit the crime in the murder party and not Philip Keating along with the reason HM gives about there usually being an affinity between such characters in such games would've given us some hint.

The other bit is that HM explains that Keating was going to reveal his diabolical plan of the secret marriage and the nullified will at the Tea Cup meeting. But he had still not made Janet his mistress. That statement makes zero sense. HM also says that Keating didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of 'prospective mistress' at the murder party so he was a no-show. Unless Keating was going to sleep with Janet in that house on Wednesday and reveal it immediately afterwards.

The motive is the murkiest. I am assuming Janet wanted Keating dead so that she would get the money. And Ron simply obliged her.

[JDL · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final "Something Something Murders" outing from H.M. does not disappoint (well, unless you call it The Ten Teacups on which case it really isn't the last one of those, or if you call The Judas Window "The Crossbow Murder".)
One of Carr's most taut plots, with an engaging beginning that gives you one of his most tantalizing locked-room puzzles yet, and the threat of some kind of mysterious society always looms evilly in the background. Certain circumstances create a closed suspect pool of six people (and this certainty in such a small closed circle is rare for H.M., although not for Carr in general.) This allows the characters to get more shaping than in the previous books, and although some of them are very much of one kind of personality or another, we still get some characterization throughout. The p.o.v. character of Sgt. Pollard is much more down-to-earth than any of our previous protagonists, too - I might like him more than Ken Blake! And after a barrage of new revelations right before the reveal of the murderer, we get a solution to the plot. I suppose it's feasible overall, and it's well clued (if you consider like twenty footnotes at the end pointing to said clues "good cluing", which I actually do) and honestly pretty clever. As others have said before it relies a bit too much on sheet luck and athletic ability to be completely plausible, but I can understand why this is so highly ranked on the Ed Hoch locked-room poll and why it is still one of the most revered H.M.s today.

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a mumbled mess. I get the impression writer Dickson was trying to write a 'Locked Room' mystery and, in this, tried too hard. This is another book where I can read where the writer had a conclusion and worked backwards to make it all fit. Dickson fails in be comprehensible in his meandering, endless conversations that lead the novel no where.

Goodreads reviewer, Bruce from 2020 nails my problem with this book. There was no reason for any of this to happen. THIS is what H.M. should've realized early as it was obvious this book had no where to go. This is the second mystery I've read this month with a good idea for a plot that was badly fumbled by the writer.

I'll add I found Dickson's assemblage of characters to be standard and pretty uninteresting, with the exception of the butler.

The settings are all written really read as Dickson does that well.

Bottom line: i don't recommend this book. 3 out of ten points.

[Martin Pilkington · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was first published in 1937 by the author John Dickson Carr writing as Carter Dickson. Here two “impossible” murders take place, 2 years apart. Can the police, along with Sir Henry Merrivale identify how and who?

The characters are well written though i do find Sir Henry extremely irritating, it’s probably me rather than you, Sir Henry. There are two women characters though one drifts out of the narrative towards the middle of the story.

It’s ingeniously written, and, as in the original, when Sir Henry is explaining the solution there are footnotes taking you back to where the clues are written in the book. Quite a clever idea to show that the author wasn’t pulling a fast one, the clues were there, if you as the reader didn’t spot them….

A very enjoyable read.

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utterly and completely mystifying before it is explained ... engrossing read as usual .But this third Merrivale (for me) lacked the sense of plausibility of the Judas Window and She died a lady. No murderer can plan a murder that needs so many things to be exactly right when simple probability says it wont . Some things are not even possible to plan ...and without any plan what kind of lunatic will scheme this sort of complex maneuvers?!!
This is the same issue I had with Christies death on the Nile .. everything fits together to solve a fiendishly complex puzzle but even allowing for the fact that its all for entertainment, the issue of psychological impossibility rankles.

[SuedePuzzler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remembered part of the solution, but not all and there was one bit I felt had to be a cheat. But no, Carr explained it in the end. Sure, some might think certain events/actions improbable, but Carr has delivered a surprising and fairly clued solution that is certainly possible. (And more probable than certain classic Christie solutions I would say.)

The story is well-told. I sometimes find some aspects of Carr's style annoying, but I think he avoided most of them here, and the story moves along at a nice pace. The characters are none-too memorable, but certainly serve their role in the plot.

[Theunis Snyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carter Dickson (aka John Dickson Carr) is the master of locked room mysteries, and also of detective stories. His ingenuity surpasses almost all other authors. He is different than other authors because of a tinge of the supernatural, comedy and bizarre elements in many of his stories. In this story he is absolutely brilliant. There seems to be no solution. And why would somebody who usually does not wear a hat suddenly wear a hat several sizes too big for him. I only give him 4 stars for this because several of his other stories are even better than this one.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was definitely nobody in the room other than the victim — the police were sure of that as they had every door and window watched. Yet the murder still took place in a manner eerily similar to an unsolved murder from two years before. Amateur detective, the quirky Henry Merrivale, is called in to investigate. And investigate he does. The novel follows the investigation as Merrivale and the police question the suspects and slowly unravel the mystery.

This is a well-written and well-constructed murder mystery that could act as an exemplar of a Golden Age mystery.

[Laura Rye · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first experience with Sir Henry Merrivale---or HM as he is written....fascinating...well-written, quite the character. I usually try to start with the first book in a series but these seem to be difficult to find---I'm still a "hard-copy" book person. An interesting intricate mystery...I highly recommend it for those who like Scotland Yard mysteries. I hope to eventually find and read all the books in the series. Very well-written

[Gabriele Crescenzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una delle camere chiuse più belle di Carr. Qui abbiamo a che fare con un delitto avvenuto in una casa sorvegliata da una schiera di poliziotti. Nessuno può essere entrato o uscito, tranne la vittima. Eppure qualcuno pare essere entrato e uscito rendendosi invisibile. Una soluzione ingegnosa, un H.M. umoristico e magnifico, un atmosfera mistica che ho trovato decisamente accattivante. Consigliatissimo.

[Martina Sartor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un giallo davvero intricato, con delitti impossibili a ripetizione e possibili colpevoli affascinanti ed intriganti. L'investigazione del Vecchio è magistrale, nel suo apparente far nulla e lasciar tutto all'ispettore Masters, per poi alla fine svelare una soluzione che sembra ovvia e facile. Ma solo quando la spiega lui. Grande.

[Kim Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A locked room mystery with a barely plausible solution, though the premise was good. And as with all locked room mysteries, the solution is obvious when someone tells you it. There are suspects aplenty in this story and at the end one of the perpetrators is fairly obvious, whilst the other, I certainly didn't guess until almost the end and then the character himself gave it away.

[Emilia Koch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one feels like it’s written in the very best tradition of classic stories. Totally locked in from the start. The atmosphere is so rich, layered, intriguing, and just pulls you right in. And the characters! Bright, unusual, unforgettable. I won’t spoil anything, but let’s just say it’s been such a joy to read. Absolutely loved it...

[MARLENE RANTZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

DOUBLE BRAVO, Carter Dickson! You did it again! A man is murdered in a locked room with witnesses not seeing anyone coming in or going out. Impossible, but HM solved the case with a satisfying conclusion! I so look forward to reading more books by this author!

[Umer Abbas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carr is a master for a reason. The pace doesn't let up throughout the tale and the impossibility though partly guessable is done beautifully. Some of the motives and plannings are a bit far fetched but thats just the beauty of this elaborate plot.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another dazzling impossible crime from John Dickson Carr/Carter Dickson in his prime. One aspect of the solution is arguably overdone but the whole book hangs together wonderfully well and grips the reader throughout.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Britain, London, fog and a locked room mystery. Sir Henry Merrivale, a crusty old War Office veteran solves the unsolvable by sitting and thinking. He dresses badly, talks funny, and grumbles his way through life. Well worth tucking this book in your project bag.

[Calum Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

B-:

Engaging as ever for Carr, but the methods of murder are completely ridiculous. The chances of the culprit pulling this off as seamlessly as this would be one in a million. Needed fine tuning, I think.