The Unicorn Murders

Sir Henry Merrivale #4

by Carter Dickson, John Dickson Carr

The diplomat Sir George Ramsden is returning to Britain from France with the mysterious “unicorn” in tow. The legendary thief Flamande has declared that he will be on the same flight as Ramsden, in disguise, and that the unicorn will be his. His arch-rival and head of the Sûreté Nationale, Gasquet, has assured the public that he too will be on the plane to thwart his nemesis.

Meanwhile, holidaying in Paris, the ex-spy Kenwood Blake runs into Evelyn Cheyne and is swept into a perilous chase ending at the Chateau de l’Ile on a stormy night. Here, Ramsden’s plane has made an emergency landing, and Henry Merrivale has joined the party. When the castle is cut off by the flooding river, the stage is set for a battle of wits between two masters of disguise in Flamande and Gasquet, as a bizarre and seemingly impossible murder among the party casts suspicion in every direction – and the mystery of the unicorn is revealed.

Carter Dickson’s brilliantly intricate mystery was first published in Britain in 1936; it remains a testament to his unique talent for wrangling audacious levels of devilishness into a masterpiece.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Locked Room, Detective

270 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1935

About the author

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

Reviews

[Dani]

My first Carter Dickson (I’ve read a few Dickson Carrs) and by Jove was it insane. The lengthy explanation at the end had me in a tizzy. Definitely one of his more unrealistic and ludicrous mysteries but I still enjoyed it.

[Bev]

I can't possibly talk about this one without letting several cats out of the bag, so I'm just going to warn you up front and not bother with coded comments. If you haven't read this particular mystery by Dickson/Carr, then, you should probably give my review a pass.

So...I don't think I've ever read such a convoluted mystery by such a good detective novelist. Dickson/Carr likes to have tricky little, intricate little solutions to his seemingly impossible crimes. Those sometimes confuse me. But honestly...there are so many people pretending to be somebody else in this one that I couldn't keep up even if I had a scorecard. We start out with our narrator, Kenwood Blake, pretending to be the secret service agent that Evelyn Cheyne (also an agent) is supposed to hook up with in France so they can stick like glue to Sir George Ramsden who is transporting the "unicorn" some sort of top secret, extra-important something-or-other (we aren't told what until the very end) to England. Why on earth the man is going through France isn't really explained--but, whatever.

Apparently, a thieving bad guy by the name of Flamande (shades of G. K. Chesterton's Flambeau) has vowed to be on the same plane as Ramsden and plans to steal the unicorn. Flamande is super-great at disguise and nobody knows what he looks like, so it's going to be difficult to protect Ramsden and his unicorn. To counter Flamande, we have the super-spiffy French Chief Inspector of the Surete, Gaston Gasquet--who, coincidently is also a master of disguise and nobody knows what he looks like either. And he's vowed to be on the plane to catch Flamande.

So...we have Blake pretending to be the secret service guy. We have the real secret service guy somewhere. We have another guy pretending to be the secret service guy and we have the secret service guy's brother (who looks enough like secret service guy to also pretend to be him if the fancy strikes--it does). We wind up with one these guys (no, I'm not going to completely spoil it and tell you which guy) dead in a French chateau on a island cut off from the main land by a raging river in storm. He was apparently killed in the middle of a stairwell in view of others (albeit by low lamplight) with the horn of a unicorn (you can't make this stuff up--well, you can if your name is Dickson/Carr). Luckily for our hero--whom one of the several guys who claim to Gasquet (don't ask how many--more than we need) accuses him of being Flamande, good ol' H.M. (Sir Henry Merrivale) is also on the spot and will be able to figure out who is who and which one killed who and how and when and where. And, yes, even if I told you all the names and exactly what happened (supposing I could...I'm not sure I can), I don't think you'd be any less confused. Yikes.

The best part of this whole thing is H.M. (and therefore all star points go to him), but, honestly, even he was a bit much. Definitely not my favorite Dickson/Carr novel.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Ellie]

It's not a bad book, it's just not what I read Carr for. This one is heavy on action, chases and fights. Meh. Give me a locked room mystery any time over this.

[Gilgamesh]

La mia passione per questo genere di romanzi classici e per John Dickson Carr non poteva mancare in questa mia libreria virtuale. Questo è uno dei romanzi migliori in assoluto del maestro. Oltre al solito mistero, al "delitto impossibile", qui ci troviamo di fronte a un vero guazzabuglio, di quelli davvero appetitosi per chi ama l'intrigo, il mistero e anche un po' certi aspetti della Spy Story.
La sfida "mediatica" fra due geni (un criminale e un poliziotto), di cui nessuno conosce l'identità (quindi oltre all'assassino, c'è da indovinare anche colui che gli dà la caccia da sempre), un castello isolato che sembra una scena preordinata per la sfida che ha del teatrale, e una serie di equivoci e coincidenze pazzesche (senza contare il "tocco" finale di un Henry Merrivale messo con le spalle al muro e che si "vendica" risolvendo tutto nel suo solito modo strepitoso), rendono questo romanzo fra i più avvincenti, di quelli che ti inchiodano, che io abbia mai letto. E ne ho letti proprio tanti!

[John Cook]

This is Carter Dickson (aka John Dickson Carr) at his brilliant best.

Not only do we have the standard Carr elements of an ingenious impossible mystery and brilliantly drawn characters, but this works equally well as a thriller.

[Justine Shenton]

I found this one hard to get into but it was good at times
Too many secret identities!

[JDL]

A very interesting selection from Monsieur Carr... this, of course, is the H.M. that features a master detective and master thief running amok in France, both masters of disguise. If that wasn't enough hijinks for you, our friend Ken Blake, running into acquaintance Evelyn Cheyne, accidentally gives a code-word and is sucked into a secret British mission to protect Sir George Ramsden, unofficial English diplomat, from thief Flamande through his French trip. After learning of one mysterious murder for which Flamande has taken credit (it's as if the victim was stabbed through the forehead by a unicorn horn...), Blake and Evelyn have an awkward encounter with the real other secret agent, whom Ken knocks out and steals the credentials of, before then running into H.M. while stuck in a muddy ditch. The airplane landing in the middle of nowhere (which happens to be nearby) of the plane containing Ramsden, and ostensibly both Flamande and Inspector Gasquet, turns the action towards the Chateau de l'Ile. On this island castle, owned by the weird Comte D'Andrieu, H.M., Ken, Evelyn, and the passengers are gathered. They know that one amongst them is a god-like sleuth, and the other a demonic criminal. The identity revelations are already underway when another person is killed by the invisible horn of the unicorn, in front of several witnesses from several angles, and no killer is seen there. We're not even halfway through...
Does that sound kind of insane? Because yeah, it mind of is. Gone are the legends of Plague Court and Red Widow, or the simple impossibility of White Priory. The Unicorn Murders gives a complexity or character relations and events beyond any Perry Mason. It may be hard enough to keep track of who's who for some, and then add the question of who's REALLY who and you've got a conundrum. Some of the passages here are kind of long winded and this overall effect around the middle is what makes it lose a star. The revelations are abound everywhere, and sometimes there isn't time to step back and get to know our cast more.
But the mystery here is still top-notch. I had a hunch about the killer's identity, backed up by some half-baked logic, and huzzah, I was right! That makes my third Carr where I have guessed the killer (the others being He Who Whispers and Emperor's Snuff Box.) The identity of the weapon was on the tip of my tongue, and I should have gotten it... Side note: another review here mentions another (more famous) book which uses the same weapon (in a non-spoilery way), so if you've read that one then you'll know what the weapon is here. So don't scroll too far...
The workings of the invisible killer problem of the second death was really nice. It's the kind of thing you expect from Carr at this point, and it relies on some very lucky timing in one key place (then again, when doesn't it...), but I really liked how the impossibility was resolved overall. The one part of the solution which was clunky was figuring out who was who - and by the end, quite a few people are not really who they say they are. It gets complicated.

I would not recommend this as a first Carr at all, but for the seasoned reader, it's a nice outing with the idiosyncratic espionage style.

[Srob]

Book 1 (for me) of a British Library crime subscription. Giving it 5 stars because of when it was first published (1935) and how completely enjoyable readers must have found the wild ride of a story. I really could not work out the murder weapon. Completely out there in terms of what the likeable but mad characters do, some of whom are British Intelligence Service. Get yourself a glass of Dubonnet and enjoy.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

James Bond meets Agatha Christie in this odd little number. I had high hopes for it at first, as it got off to a running start and leapt straight into mischance and misdemeanor...but when it turned into the ubiquitous 1930s forced-house-party scenario, it started to feel more and more like I was watching "Clue" or "Murder by Death." Far too much of the text was taken up with speculation on who did what and how, in endless tell-not-show conversations. By the end the plot was more convoluted than the human intestinal tract, which was not helped by the fact that my reading was plagued by interruptions from my own personal Importunate Person from Porlock who just had to talk to me every time I picked up this book and looked like getting a handle on the storyline. The ending felt anticlimactic and silly--or was it just that I couldn't wait for it to be over?

I see from reviews a consensus that this is not the author's best work. I will therefore take heart of grace and try again another day, in hopes I get a better one.

[Bruce]

A superb blend of intriguing mystery and adventure that holds all the way to the denouement, where one must tolerate a detailed and dull explanation. Part of the dullness for me, however, was due to the fact that I figured out the "impossible" crime. Have these mysteries sharpened my wits, or have I simply become too familiar with the formula? A little of both perhaps.

[Naphta]

This one is sort of fun, but reminds me more of a 1930s Hollywood film. It is a light romance with one of Carr's typical impossible situations where a man starts at the top of the stairs and is dead at the bottom of the stairs. Witnesses are all around and yet no one knows how a hole has been drilled in the dead man's forehead.

[Luis Minski]

Prolífico autor de novelas de misterio, y especialista en los llamados "crímenes de cuarto cerrado" , John Dickson Carr nos ofrece aquí, bajo el seudónimo de Carter Dickson, esta novela publicada en 1935.
Se trata de una novela menor, por momentos tediosa. Y esto es, porque el autor, siguiendo una tendencia propia de la época, donde los escritores se esforzaban en mostrar asesinatos casi imposibles de cometer, dedica muchas páginas, a lo largo de toda la novela, a que los personajes especulen sobre cómo pudo haberse cometido un crimen.
Además, si bien la idea de ubicar la escena en un antiguo castillo aislado en medio de una fuerte tormenta, siempre proporciona un buen marco para cualquier novela de misterio, al involucrar como protagonistas a un famoso ladrón y asesino, que va en busca de"algo", - una especie de MacGuffin, - que posee un diplomático inglés, y a un famoso inspector de la Sureté que le quiere dar caza, - ambos especialistas en disfraces, y por tanto, de identidad desconocida para los demás protagonistas, y para el lector -, y a varios miembros del Servicio Secreto Británico, que van tras la misma presa; hacen de la trama algo confuso, lleno de pistas falsas y de engaños - para los personajes y para el lector -, propios quizás de folletines del siglo XIX o principios del siglo XX , que podrían haber quedado mucho mejor en una comedia de enredos.
En definitiva, una novela sólo disfrutable por algo de la atmósfera que brinda, y nada más, que puede quedar como muestra de un subgénero que no resistió el paso de los años.
https://sobrevolandolecturas.blogspot...

[Alberto Avanzi]

The lion and the unicorn
Were fighting for the crown
The lion beat the unicorn
All around the town.
Some gave them white bread,
And some gave them brown;
Some gave them plum cake
and drummed them out of town

Questa filastrocca infantile, ispirata alla rivalità fra i regni di Inghilterra (il leone) e Scozia (l’unicorno) fa da fil rouge alla storia, una spy story anni 30 ambientata su un’isola fluviale nella campagna francese, dove per una serie di strani motivo che scoprirete leggendo si trovano i passeggeri di un aereo di linea, un nobile francese con i suoi servitori, una buffa coppia di spie e … Harry Merrivale. Fra loro si nascondono un famoso ladro francese, accusato di una misteriosa uccisione in cui un uomo si trova con il cranio sfondato come se fosse stato colpito dal corno di un unicorno, e il poliziotto francese che gli dà la caccia.
L’atmosfera è suggestiva e inquietante, anche se più bencoliniana che merrivaliana, per me. L’enigma in sé del “come” relativo al delitto impossibile è risolto in modo semplice e ingegnoso. Il resto della storia, cioè l’enigma del “chi è chi” e del “chi l’ha ucciso”, e la parte più propriamente di spionaggio, non sono all’altezza delle aspettative, ma comunque sono piacevoli. Un bel libro, che può tenere compagnia per qualche ora ma che, almeno per me, non rientra fra quelli “memorabili”

[Christopher Law]

I've read most of the British Library Crime Classics but this 150th celebration edition has to be one of the weakest. First published in 1935, it has an extremely convoluted plot full of coincidences so wacky that they wouldn't be out of place in a classic West End farce only without the humour. There is no mystery about the murderer because we know early on who that is, although there is some detection required to determine the murder method and also to bring the culprit to justice. That said, I wouldn't classify this novel as a police procedural or a "how catch 'em". Whilst it has elements of the "murder in a country house" genre and the "impossible crime" sub-type, I don't think that this novel is a particularly good example of either. It fits in more with the adventure genre, although here again the lead character is hardly Bulldog Drummond and I didn't feel any sense of tension reading this, only a wish that it be over quickly. The best feature of the novel is the classic character of Sir Henry Merrivale who is known from various other novels and short stories some of which have also appeared in the British Library Crime Classics series. Perhaps the biggest mystery is why anyone would choose this oddity for the 150th celebration volume.

[Amy Lovell]

The battel of wits between the detective (Gasquet) and the arch-criminal (Flamande) felt reminiscent to that of Sherlock and Moriarty and I thoroughly enjoyed reading that play out! I also enjoyed the different sub-genres that were pulled beneath this short crime novel (spy thriller, romance, gothic novel, murder mystery) as it gave the story interesting layers throughout, keeping me engaged on every page. It does take some work to keep up with the guesses of Merrivale but the twisty plot kept me guessing right until the end not only who but how the murder was committed. My only complaint is that there should have been more Evelyn and I didn't love how the fact she was a capable government agent was systematically brushed aside (although this was written in the 1930s). Overall an enjoyable classic crime read from the golden age of crime writing.

[Merryn Summersgill]

📚 Book 1 of my 10 British Library Books Prize:

I enjoyed the drama and fast paced element of this novel. I wasn’t sure at the beginning whether I was going to like it, but it quickly gripped me when they all got to the chateau. I was able to grasp the characters and I enjoyed that each chapter had a twist or surprise that kept me reading.

Overall there was a LOT going on and none of it really held any importance but it was still fun and stupid and sure throw in some unicorns.

The one thing that I am still not sure about was Blake’s passport being taken by that policeman at the start. Was that a red herring or a genuine mistake? It never got brought up again seriously and yet I felt like it had something big to do with the plot.

[Martin Pilkington]

This was first published in 1935 and there is definitely a between the wars feeling to it. It's set in France and is a Sir Herbert Merrivale book, apparently there are 23 novels with him in them altogether. I'm getting there slowly but surely.

Up to the ending this was a 4 star book, for me, but I felt that the solution was a bit of a cheat. A bit too "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." But maybe that's just me. Two interesting, and likeable, leads in Ken and Evelyn who feel like heroes and heroines in mid 1930s books. They aren't believable in modern terms but that's not why I read the books in the British Library Crime series.

Some suspension of disbelief and you'll enjoy this book.

[Ruth]

How have I got to this stage in my life and never read any John Dickson Carr (aka Carter Dickson)?
The 1930s was the golden age of the crime novel and this 1935 novel, which has spies, a master of disguise murderer, agents of the Sureté and a bloke called Ken geographically imprisoned in a french chateau, is completely bonkers.
I’m still not 100% certain of who did what to whom and when but that doesn’t matter. It was a joy from start to finish. I particularly enjoyed HM’s pronouncement that he wouldn’t be able to show his face in the Diogenes, the only club of which I have ever wanted to be a member.

[Anna]

Kenwood Blake is a a brawn-over-brains member of the intelligence service. After making a comment at a bar, a woman he has a crush on approaches him and recites a nursery rhyme. When he completes the verse, she thinks he is her counterpart and the two dash off together. Soon, they find themselves trapped in a creepy mansion with their boss, a French detective... and a murderer.

This story was a bit too much action/spy instead of murder mystery for me. It also took me a really long time to remember who all the characters were.

[Victor]

Not in the same class as judas or even ten teacups ..but a very compelling read all the same .The setup is somewhat absurd and fantastical but very intriguing and is full of good fun as well.
.The book has complex plotting ,immaculate clue hiding and thoroughly satisfying tying up of the bizarre happenings . The let down is the long and exhausting explanation of the mysteries ....it surely could have been made more succinct.

[Ron Kerrigan]

Not on a par with his best; it's OK, and better than many current mysteries, but this is not as good as The Three Coffins, The Problem of the Green Capsule, The Case of the Constant Suicides, et al. The international criminal plot line wasn't that interesting to me, and the whole thing seemed a little farfetched. I prefer his locked rooms. Save this one for near the bottom of the pile if you are working your way through all his novels.

[Gurnoor Walia]

A slightly unusual plot than the regular ones featuring Sir Henry Merrivale, involving not just an Impossible crime, but also espionage, action sequences, a plane crash and international theft. The basic plot revolves around an overarching theme of a cat and mouse chase between a gentleman thief Flamande, and gentleman police detective Gasquet, both of whom are in disguise with their identities hidden to the world, a theme which I basically dislike but as the mystery is not solely focused around that the imposter caper is exceedingly tolerable. Things come to a head when due to the connivance of either the thief or police, a plane carrying either or both of them accompanied by various passengers and the tituliar UNICORN becomes stranded near a chateau of a mysterious French Count, who is seemingly prepared for their arrival. They are then joined under contrived circumstances by HM and two of his minions Ken Blake and future Mrs. Blake, who were delightful compared to other drab single male narrators involved by Carr and would go on to feature in further novels.
Then, death strikes the chateau as the victim appears to be killed by a perfect hole bored in the head, giving an appearance of death by Unicorn’s horn, leaving HM with a somewhat supernatural mystery to be solved. The motive, method and solution was both utterly bizarre and gonzo. The setting of rural France perfectly gothic, a forte of Carr coupled with various characters each of whom could be either the thief or policeman disguised. Only drawback of the novel being that the solution is overcomplicated and takes two long to be explained, and the mechanics of the murder although well described very circumstantial and impractical.

[Todayiamadaisy]

It begins improbably with a secret agent accidentally accepting another secret agent's job, and gets more improbable as it goes on, ending someone impersonating someone impersonating someone. Full of some absolutely wild coincidences; convoluted and exhausting.

And I don't think we ever find out about the missing passport.

[Tayler K.M.]

The jacket blurb caught my eye:
"A unicorn can make itself invisible at will... three people may be present when a man is killed and none of them can say who killed him or how. The wound is a clean round hole: made by the point of a unicorn's horn?"

[Laura Rye]

absurd premise...cleverly written

[Gabriele Crescenzi]

Un Carr in splendida forma. Trama intricata ma scorrevole, molti colpi di scena e un delitto impossibile spiegato razionalmente. Consigliatissimo.

[Juan Carlos]

Excelente !!!! Ingenioso y muy entretenido. Digno de los mejores libros de Carter Dickson !!! Un H.M. sin igual !!!

[Evangéline L.]

Je me suis laissée balader du début à la fin !

[Keith Boynton]

The setup is deliciously melodramatic, but the plot seems to stall out, and the final explanation is wildly arbitrary. Such a waste of a wonderful beginning!

[Jon Nadler]

Loved the book. Totally lost me in the plot. I just love the characters.