Puzzle for Fools

Peter Duluth Mystery #1

by Patrick Quentin

A wave of murders rocks a sanitarium—and it’s up to the patients to stop them.

Broadway producer Peter Duluth sought solace in a bottle after his wife’s death; now, two years later and desperate to dry out, he enters a sanitarium, hoping to break his dependence on drink—but the institution doesn’t quite offer the rest and relaxation he expected. Strange, malevolent occurrences plague the hospital; and among other inexplicable events, Peter hears his own voice with an ominous warning: “There will be murder.”

It soon becomes clear that a homicidal maniac is on the loose, and, with a staff every bit as erratic as its idiosyncratic patients, it seems everyone is a suspect—even Duluth’s new romantic interest, Iris Pattison. Charged by the baffled head of the ward with solving the crimes, it’s up to Peter to clear her name before the killer strikes again.

Reprinted for the first time in over thirty years, A Puzzle for Fools is the atmospheric and complex mystery that first introduced Peter Duluth; the character and his love interest Iris went on to star in eight more novels, two of which were adapted for film.

“Mr. Quentin is a craftsman of the first class”—Times Literary Supplement

“Baffling crimes, brilliant writing”—Saturday Review

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Golden Age Mystery, Classics, Historical

Paperback

First published January 1, 1936

About the author

Patrick Quentin, Q. Patrick and Jonathan Stagge were pen names under which Hugh Callingham Wheeler (19 March 1912 – 26 July 1987), Richard Wilson Webb (August 1901 – December 1966), Martha Mott Kelley (30 April 1906–2005) and Mary Louise White Aswell (3 June 1902 – 24 December 1984) wrote detective fiction. In some foreign countries their books have been published under the variant Quentin Patrick. Most of the stories were written by Webb and Wheeler in collaboration, or by Wheeler alone. Their most famous creation is the amateur sleuth Peter Duluth. In 1963, the story collection The Ordeal of Mrs. Snow was given a Special Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America.

AKA:
Πάτρικ Κουέντιν (Greek)

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to some detective work on my part... I discovered the earlier writing life of Hugh Wheeler - who had only previously been known to me as the wonderful librettist for musicals, three for which he won well-deserved Tonys: 'A Little Night Music', 'Candide' and 'Sweeney Todd'. (He had also been produced on Broadway as a playwright - with 'Big Fish, Little Fish'- and wrote screenplays for 'Something for Everyone', 'Nijinsky' and - apparently 'hush-hush' and not officially - 'Cabaret'.) 

It came as a fascinating surprise to learn that, for decades prior to his theater work, Wheeler had been writing mysteries - sometimes collaborating with others, sometimes writing alone; several pseudonyms were involved. 

So 'A Puzzle for Fools' is credited to 'Patrick Quentin' and was one of Wheeler's many collaborations with Richard Wilson Webb. (You can read Wheeler's complicated writing history at Wikipedia's 'Patrick Quentin' page; it's dizzying!) 

It's also a rollicking gem of suspense! 

Set in a sanitarium - which, as explained, is not the same as a mental institution; the difference being between 'having issues' and 'being way beyond just issues' - 'APFF' is, on its surface, a standard '(Just About) Everyone Is A Suspect' tale. ~ rather, it becomes one after the initial murder on the premises. 

As such, it's a model of its kind; meticulously constructed, unnerving at just about every turn, and also peppered with spicy wit. Yes, it's certainly a concoction of various elements that only really see the light of day in this kind of vintage whodunit hyperreality. A sort of entertaining, brain-teasing hokum. 

But, to be effective, this sort of thing must be handled with panache. And, in that, 'Quentin' succeeds admirably. I flew through this, practically transfixed. (And isn't that the point as well as the goal?) Pinballing non-stop (and often startlingly) between 'Is the murderer a patient?!' and 'Is it one of the staff?!' here proves addictive.

The writing is a particular standout and highlight:

The restricted atmosphere of a sanitarium has a remarkable effect upon one's ethical standards. After a few weeks of it, one feels oneself reverting to the ineluctable codes of one's prep-school days. The staff assume in one's mind the impersonal aloofness of martinet school teachers and the patients become schoolmates and fellow conspirators. Relationships take on a juvenile intensity and the breaking of a confidence seems as dire and irremediable a sin as does gratuitous tale-bearing to the normal boy.

A work like this will never be mistaken for great literature. But my high rating reflects the fact that what's been done here has been done quite well. It tick-tick-ticks and it ticks all the boxes.

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

landing somewhere between 3.5 and 4
full post here
http://www.crimesegments.com/2022/03/...

I have to say right up front that it took all I had to read another novel by Patrick Quentin after having read his Puzzle for Players, which seriously did not float my boat at all. However, and much to my great surprise, Puzzle for Fools turned out to be surprisingly good. At its core is the mystery of who is killing people at a private sanitarium after first psychologically tormenting the patients.

Here the atmosphere is set at the beginning and doesn't let up over the course of the story. There's just something compelling about the scene of the crime being inside of a sanitarium with its darkened corridors, locked doors and secrets; even better, this story really is a puzzle -- the author offers any number of clues to put together to get to the heart of this mystery, and his characters are so nicely drawn that at some point I realized that nearly every person in the sanitarium was a potential candidate for suspect, and that ultimately in this story, you can't really trust anyone.

Don't miss the introduction by Otto Penzler; while I don't quite agree with Penzler's assessment of Puzzle for Fools as a "suspense thriller in the Alfred Hitchcock mode," it still makes for a good few hours of fun and unputdownable reading. Recommended to those readers who enjoy these older mysteries. The armchair detective in me was highly satisfied -- I never guessed the who and so I was completely taken by surprise when all was revealed. I call that a win.

[Ana Cristina Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Publicado en 1936, Enigma para tontos es un buen misterio clásico, muy bien ambientado y entretenido.

El protagonista, Peter Duluth, se recupera en un hospital psiquiátrico de sus problemas de depresión y alcoholismo, y es en este entorno inquietante donde comienzan a suceder los crímenes. Como se ve, es una buena variante de la típica casa de campo o mansión con mayordomo, aquí los protagonistas son los pacientes y los médicos.

Muy agradable de leer, recomendable para conocer un autor de la época dorada.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading some mystery classics from the early mid 20th century. Although dated in many ways, the mysteries themselves are really interesting and fun to try to figure out as you are reading. I’m going to read a few more. This edition is in a series called American Mystery Classics by Otto Penzler and ar the back of the book there are reviews of about 10 others in the series. I just ordered 3 of them! If you are into mystery these are fun!

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting mix of golden age mystery with a psychological twist that is more prevalent after WWII. The setting is also a little unusual, a psychiatric institute. Someone is playing particularly nasty mental games with people already on the edge.

Overall, a solid mystery.

[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broadway producer Peter Duluth's wife is tragically killed, leading him to find solace in the bottle. A subtle hint from thirteen friends - they all gift him copies of a book on the benefits of sanitariums for alcoholics on the very day it is published - inspires him to seek treatment at the Sanitarium of Dr. Lenz.

Peter makes progress until strange things start happening at the sanitarium. He hears his own voice warning of murder. Other patients experience this as well, and a mix of strange events gain steam until a most bizarre death takes place. Dr. Lenz asks Peter to act as a sort of spy within the sanitarium to help figure out who or what is behind the terror.

The biggest draw of this book is its atmosphere and its characters. The author does a good job of providing a sense of creepiness about the sanitarium, takes the time to give personalities to its inhabitants and drops little refreshing bits of wit and sarcasm along the way. Most importantly, Peter Duluth is a likable, flawed every-man whose narration moves the tale along smoothly. The "how" of the mystery was not difficult to deduce, although the "who" was a bit more difficult.

This was a very entertaining mystery. I have the next volume in the series, A Puzzle for Players, in my home library. I look forward to seeing the next chapter in the life of Peter Duluth.

[tortoise dreams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Peter Duluth installment in which the alcoholic Broadway theatrical producer is locked up in a sanitarium to dry out after cracking up, but there encounters threats and murder. The thing about a mental hospital is that no one is above suspicion: the staff seem creepily sadistic and the patients are possibly psychopathic. The mystery isn't the strongest part of the story as the eventual miscreant has an implausible set of skills, and although the fallible Duluth guesses wrong others guess right and its all part of the fun as he meets the beauteous Iris so we can now have the Peter and Iris Duluth mysteries. Enjoyable, entertaining, and the peculiar setting makes for an extra large locked-room mystery. The "author" (Patrick Quentin, aka Q. Patrick or Jonathan Stagge) is a pseudonymous consortium consisting of two men and two women in various configurations. A Puzzle for Fools is part of a series of nine novels all titled "A Puzzle for ..." featuring Peter and Iris Duluth, written by Richard Wilson Webb and Hugh Callingham Wheeler. Two were made into films. Wheeler also wrote screenplays and for Broadway, best known for Candide, Sweeney Todd, and A Little Night Music -- all Tony Award winners. [3½★]

[Puzzle Doctor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent puzzler. Full review at classicmystery.blog

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you don't know that I love vintage mysteries by now, I'm afraid you haven't really paid all that much attention to me over the years. If you are a recent newcomer to the blog, I may let you slide for now. Despite my love affair of all things Golden Age, I've tended to focus on the female writers of the time. I've dabbled with the men here and there, but never given them my full attention. I wish I could explain the reasons behind it, because when I do explore the more masculine side, I find myself loving it just as much. I guess it's doomed to be one of the great mysteries of life.

I know I drone on and on about atmosphere and how important it is in a mystery tale, but it really is. I'm almost to the point of saying that it's the most important aspect of a well written mystery. A Puzzle for Fools hits the nail on the head and gives one of the creepiest setting I've had the pleasure of reading in a very long time. I'm almost convinced that an insane asylum is the perfect setting for murder, especially one that is populated by this particular cast of characters. Of course a sunny feeling is hard to maintain when people are being bound and slaughtered like cattle. I'm already a huge fan of mysteries set in spooky country houses, on speeding trains or small yachts, now I'm going to have to add insane asylums to that list.

If you couldn't figure it out by now, I really enjoyed A Puzzle for Fools. It was one of those tales that grabbed and kept my attention from the get go. Peter Duluth is the type of guy that I could easily fall for in the right circumstances. He has taken a lot of hits in a short period of time, and even though he starts a slow descent to the bottom, he has the strength of will to not only admit it, but to do something about it. Through it all he manages to keep a sense of humor that serves him well on more than one occasion. Once things start to get a little wonky, he wakes up and realizes more is at stake than his career. Luckily for me, this is only the first book in a series, so I'm going to get to spend more time with Peter. I have to share him with that lovely young woman he met in the synopsis, but I'm not an overly jealous man.

[Chazzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Duluth, New York’s youngest theatrical producer, is drinking his success and reputation down the drain. Realizing he needs to dry out and come down to Earth, he checks into a posh private sanitarium for “the cure.”

After a few weeks of drying out Dr. Lenz, the director, approaches Duluth asking for help on a problem. Lenz feels there may be an unwanted patient, who is causing disruption that is leading to tension among the patients and the possibility of them relapsing. There have been reports of voices being heard and other disturbing incidents.

Duluth takes on the task with the idea of it being a good distraction while he finishes out his cure. It isn’t just the patients who interest Duluth, there are also members of the staff.

When murder rears its ugly head, Duluth really has some sharp turns to navigate as he sorts out who is really who.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter Duluth became a drunk when his wife died in a tragic fire. But after two years, he realizes it's time for him to straighten out and he goes to a sanitarium, where the other patients are suffering from mental illness. Strange things start to happen, culminating in the death of one of the characters. The police seem willing to call it a strange accident, but Peter has his doubts. He meets one of the women patients, and realizes that she could be a great actress. But when there's a second death, she's the main suspect. Peter is determined to clear her. Since the entire novel takes place in the sanitarium--and remember that the book is set in 1936 when conditions were very different--the location is really irrelevant.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early Bird Book Deal | Enjoyable, but a little over-long | Felt more modern than it was, really only the reference to King Edward and mesmerism dated it in any way; the world of a psychiatric facility is quite separate from the things that place people in a time period. The pacing was off, I was ready to be done long before the book was, but probably the authors improved on that with time.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great American Mystery Classic—a sort of New York crossbred with English detective story set in a mental institution. The shadows are dark but Peter and Iris are breezy fun.

[Calum Reed · Rating 2 out of 5]

C:

Strenuously unconvincing with bad characterisation. Surprised at the acclaim.

[Tom Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

This classic mystery by an author that was unknown to me was a welcome change from my other reading, with an entertaining plot and cast of characters. What can be more vivid than a group of mental patients, each with their own odd behavior, and anyone of them the suspect of a gruesome murder. Even the doctors and nurses are suspect. You need to go along with this setup and the dialogue is a little odd by today’s comparison, but the story carries you on to the finish. I can understand why this mystery is well regarded.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broadway producer Peter Duluth checks himself into a mental health hospital for alcoholism. When strange things start to happen in the Sanitarium, the charismatic and somewhat mysterious director enlists Duluth's help to solve the mystery. This is an atmospheric and charming Golden Age gem from 1936. I figured out the "howdunit" but not the "whodunnit". Red herrings and Christie like fakeouts combine in this puzzler. Kudos to the American Mystery Classics line and Penzler publishers for putting this back into print.

[Kelvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 1936 novel written by Richard Webb and Hugh Wheeler under their Patrick Quentin pseudonym. Webb and Wheeler, who were very prolific and co-authored many stories, have multiple pseudonyms, including Q. Patrick, Patrick Quentin, and Jonathan Stagge. This is the first book of their amateur detective Broadway theatrical producer Peter Duluth series. Having read a set of story stories featuring Lieutenant Timothy Trant (another one of the series detectives created by Webb and Wheeler writing using the pseudonym Q. Patrick), I was looking forward to read a Peter Duluth story. I was very disappointed with this book. While the plot is interesting, it is probably more suitable for a short story rather than a full-length novel. I find the book drags on quite a bit (especially in the middle). The fact that the whole book is geographically confined to things that happen in one sanitorium probably does not make it easy for the author. In addition, I find Duluth a very average and ineffective amateur playing detective instead of an amateur detective. In fact, in the end, even though Duluth’s logic and chain of reasoning turned out to be generally correct, his conclusion was totally wrong and he actually accused the wrong person as the murderer. Thankfully, someone else was there to correct his mistake and solved the case for him. Also, instead of having the detectives solve the case by following clues and analyzing facts, the detectives in this case just announced the findings at the end, with a lot of lucky speculation. The title of the book refers to Duluth’s comment on the murder plot, which he believes would be very obvious if it is not so foolish no one will believe it.

Spoiler Alert. The setting of the book is in early 1930s somewhere near New York City. Peter Duluth, a successful Broadway producer, became a serious alcoholic after losing his wife in a tragic theater fire. He decided to go into rehab and checked himself into a sanitarium called Sanitarium of Dr Lenz, which mostly works with mental patients although Dr. Lenz also takes in patients with lessor problems. While Duluth was there, be started hearing voices saying “There will be Murder”. As he looked into the matter, he discovered other patients also have similar experiences and soon there was an epidemic of fear among the patients. Later, one of the attendants, Jo Fogarty, was found dead under suspicious circumstances. In the meantime, Duluth fell in love with a fellow patient, Iris Pattinson, who was suffering from depression after having witnessed her father commit suicide after losing his fortune in the stock market crash. Her father blamed his loss on a co-investor, millionaire Daniel Laribee, who also happened to be a patient in the same sanitarium. After Laribee was found stabbed to death in a dark auditorium when the whole patient population were there watching a movie, and Iris was found holding the knife and sitting next to Laribee, Iris was the natural suspect. Duluth decided to save her. He finally figured out the real murderer of both Jo Fogarty and Daniel Laribee was Laribee’s son-in-law (who Laribee has never met). The son-in-law was both an accomplished parlor magician and a one-time medical school student. Under Laribee’s will and trust documents, if Laribee were to die or be declared insane, his estate would go to his daughter. Therefore, the son-in-law, who now called himself Martin Geddes, checked into the sanitorium as a patient (with no one knowing his true identity). His original plan was to use his skill as a ventriloquist to make Laribee hear voices to try to scare him insane. However, after Geddes arrived at the sanitorium, he discovered Laribee (who was a widower) was falling in love with a nurse called Isabel Brush. Concerned that Laribee might marry Brush and change his will to write his daughter out, Geddes decided to kill Laribee. Given the history between Laribee and Iris’s father, she is a natural scapegoat. Therefore, Geddes decided to frame the murder on Iris. In the final denouement scene held in Dr. Lenz’s office, Duluth expounded on his theory of the son-in-law, which is correct, but was totally wrong in determining who is the son-in-law. He mistakenly believed it was one of the doctors in the sanitorium, Dr Moreno. After Moreno proved he cannot be the murderer, Duluth was devastated. Thankfully, Dr. Lenz came to the rescue. Using the same general logic as Duluth, but using better deduction, Lenz was able to conclude the murderer son-in-law is one of his patients, Martin Geddes. Geddes also had to kill Jo Fogarty because he recognized Geddes as a ventriloquist he has seen performing before.

[Linda Brue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A PUZZLE FOR FOOLS, Patrick Quentin, 1936/2019
From the publisher: "Patrick Quentin, best known for the Peter Duluth puzzle mysteries, also penned outstanding detective novels from the 1930s through the 1960s under other pseudonyms, including Q. Patrick and Jonathan Stagge." There is an introduction to the book by Otto Penzler.

Peter Duluth's decline began when his wife died in front of him and he could not save her. After that, he climbed into a bottle and stayed there until hitting bottom and finally ending up in a mental hospital for rehab. He is well on his way to recovery when he finds the body.

This Golden Age mystery is really the traditional Manor home closed story, where the victim and the suspects are all living in the place where the murder takes place. Only one of those living there could be the murderer. (The murder is particularly gruesome for a GA murder, and I didn't enjoy that part.) If you think about it, a mental hospital is a place where no one is really safe, because the inmates aren't necessarily sane. One can wonder about the staff, too. I assume Peter is allowed access to the murder investigation because he found the body and the director of the hospital considers him to be smart and capable, although in reality it doesn't make much sense. The murderer is one of those fantastically smart ones who are way ahead of the investigators and seem endowed with super-human abilities, using the various patients' own mental problems to further muddy the waters. Peter knows more murders are coming if the murderer isn't caught, perhaps even his own. He has a chance meeting with a beautiful young patient, who later comes under suspicion of being the murderer. He becomes obsessed with her and now must save her as well.

I enjoyed the story, even if I thought it unlikely for Peter to be so trusted by the hospital staff and the investigators. Because Peter is the narrator, you only get the story strained through his mind, and not everything he believes is necessarily the truth, plus you have to wonder if he's reliable. I was totally invested in the plot until reaching the end, which I found to be rather confusing and left me feeling as if I had more questions than answers.

[Ian B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know what it says about me, but I’m drawn to books and films set in sanitariums or asylums – The Bell Jar, The Plague and I, The Magic Mountain, Armadale, Splendor in the Grass, The Dark Circle, The Snake Pit, and so on. Perhaps it’s the combination of a closed community and a collection of characters vulnerable in a way they couldn’t be in the outside world. A Puzzle for Fools centres around the attempt of recovering alcoholic Peter Duluth to understand the strange happenings – disembodied voices, spirit messages, and eventually murder – which are disturbing the normal restorative calm of Dr Lenz’s sanitarium. Ruminating on his efforts, he decides:

Drunk, sober or convalescent, the detective instinct is as fundamental as birth or sex.

Interestingly, the author note (Patrick Quentin was actually two people) mentions that a film version of the penultimate Peter Duluth book featured Gene Tierney. She played Iris, the fellow patient with whom Peter here falls in love and, further down the line, marries. In this novel, published in 1936, several years before Tierney’s career began, the description of Iris fits her to a tee. If I were to cast a late forties version at Twentieth Century Fox, I would certainly have chosen her. Dana Andrews, her co-star from Laura, would have been ideal as Peter. (But perhaps such casting would have been rather too near the knuckle, since she had a breakdown in the late fifties, and spent time in a mental hospital, and he had problems with alcohol for some of his career.)

I am used to mystery novels, vintage or otherwise, disappointing me at the last with an explanation that is lacklustre or just that bit too far-fetched, but this one works really well. Quentin has a knack for keeping us guessing on multiple fronts at once. He also rings a welcome change on the stock idea of the inspired amateur detective outwitting the authorities with his brilliant deductions. The atmosphere of the clinic was right up my street, the characterization effective and varied, and the prose a pleasure to read. I’ll be sure to track down the other books in the series.

[Kry Tiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Duluth, once known as one of the best Broadway producers in the biz, has recently lost his wife. After her death, alcohol took hold of every aspect of his life. He decides to enter himself in a sanitarium in hopes of detoxing and getting his mind right. While there, strange things begin to happen. A bodiless voice is speaking to some of the patients, Duluth included, and warning them of an impending death. Dr. Lenz, sanitarium director, has requested the aid of Duluth to try and solve this strange occurrence. But when a dead body actually turns up, things take a sudden turn.
Without any idea who the killer is but a slew of clues, Duluth must track down the murderer before he strikes again. With the aid of some other patients, can Duluth solve this case before it's too late??

I love a good murder mystery! This is a perfect example.
Well researched and thought out, it had me guessing the whole time. There were plot twists and excellent character development, and the flow was smooth. But you better pay attention if you want to guess before it's revealed.
If you are looking for an excellent, cozy murder mystery, this is your book! So grab your blanket, your fav drink, and the best seat in the house, because this one will have you guessing till the very end.
There is a second to this book, which I hope to find soon. I very much enjoyed this author, and would give Patrick Quentin my attention for another round. I hope you enjoy him too!!

[David Dunlap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Duluth, a young but well-known Broadway producer, is in rehab at an expensive sanitarium, attempting to overcome the alcoholism into which he plunged following his witnessing of the death of his first wife in a devastating fire. He seems to be on the mend...but then he hears a voice (his own!), warning him to get out of the sanitarium -- that "There will be murder." Other patients are receiving similar messages. Although there seems to be a great deal of animosity directed against the financier Daniel Laribee, it is a member of Dr. Lenz's staff that turns up dead. Who killed Jo Fogarty? Was it his sour-faced wife, a nurse on the men's ward? One of his colleagues? One of the patients? What was the motive? And why was Fogarty killed in such a gruesome manner? Questions abound...and Duluth sets out for answers, while trying to protect the lovely Iris Pattison from coming under suspicion of murder. -- This book is great on atmosphere: one can sense the claustrophobic nature of the sanitarium. The characters are perhaps not-so-well drawn, but their very shadowy-ness adds to the nature of the mystery. I really enjoyed this one!

[Jiří Pavlovský · Rating 2 out of 5]

Když jsem začal číst sérii s Peterem Duluthem, dostal se mi do ruky i první díl, který původně vycházel na pokračování v magazínu Ahoj, s ilustracemi Šalamouna. A ty ilustrace jsou na tom asi to nejzajímavější. Na rozdíl od dalších knih z téhle řady je tohle fakt jen klasická detektivka z neklasického prostředí - blázince lomeno protialkoholní léčebny, kam se jde hrdina dát po zhroucení dohromady. Má to docela lehký styl, blázni jsou spíše roztomilí a zábavní a na to, že hrdina chlastá po otřesu ze smrti své manželky to má spíše komediální nádech (a nebrání mu to, aby se okamžitě znovu zamiloval - dříve se na dlouhodobé emoce zase tak moc nehrálo). Navíc Peter Duluth už tady nastavuje vysokou laťku své detektivní neschopnosti. Teď, po čtyřech knihách, už musím jeho řadu dočíst až do konce, abych zjistil, jestli se mu někdy povede se s odhalením pachatele trefit.

Vcelku je to příjemná věc, ale chápu, proč se začínalo s vydáváním řady od pozdější Záhady pro herce a Záhady pro loutky. To už je vážně o třídu výše. Tohle je taková soft Agatha Christie. Navíc triky nespočívají v nápadech, ale v téměř magických schopnostech pachatele, což taky není úplně fér.

[Nikki Mackay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was recommended this series by Inner Sanctum Mysteries. I had never heard of it so felt I should fix that.

The start of this book of this edition has an intro which gives you a bit of a background on the book/author(s) and the end has some ads for other mysteries series they've re-printed.

The mystery was interesting and didn't have so many twists and turns that you got lost. Peter Duluth was a normal guy who helped solved a mystery. As this is the first book it's hard to tell exactly what separates him from the rest of the famous detectives out there so I found him a little bland. He does have a background in theatre which helped him a little and you could see some potential but it could go in many directions.

Would read another book in the series to find out how the characters and the series evolve but not in a rush.

[Rog Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in 1936 and written by Hugh Wheeler and Richard Webb. I am writing this review over 43 years after I read it but some of it still sticks in my mind. I have read thousands of books over this period and to be honest I do not even remember the authors and titles let alone the stories of some of them! This is set in some sort of mental hospital and the protagonist Peter Duluth is a naive character. There is a bit where he comes across a dead body and starts raving about, "The thing on the slab!" Following this I read several of the later books in this series but apart from the second book "Puzzle for Players" I did not enjoy them as much.

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really enjoyable mystery. It's a Peter Duluth mystery, might be the first one- I've read other books by this (group of authors) and have liked them all so far. This one takes place in a mental asylum- where the people aren't necessarily dangerous just broken. Duluth is there to dry out (but it seems also to overcome a horrific death of a loved one.) Regardless all the people there being broken by an event (usually) there is quite a bit of humor and it's also interesting to see the two sides of this- the inmates and the keepers.

It's a quick read- and is full of surprises. Would recommend if you like a good puzzle, humor and non-typical settings.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

" 'It was the position of the body which was so shocking ... like some mad modern sculpture'

"Duluth was drying out. the last thing on his mind was detective work. But it seemed a lunatic really had taken over the asylum -- and Duluth had to find out which one. Could it be the poor little rich girl? Or crisp, cool Nurse Brush, the inmates' dreamboat? Whoever it was, they were certainly mad, bad and dangerous to know, and the sanatorium was a decidedly unhealthy place to be."
~~back cover

This one just didn't pull me in. Abandoned at page 34.

[Susan Chapek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up when I realized that Patrick Quentin is better known (to me) asHugh Wheeler, who wrote the scripts (apart from the lyrics) for Sondheim's Sweeny Todd and A Little Night Music.

Mildly disappointed in the first-person POV; Peter Duluth is pretty evidently a fool, but his foolishness didn't engage me a whole lot.

But mileage may vary. So if you enjoy vintage mysteries, read the sample.

[Darlene Messenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delicious classic crime. A mental break due to alcohol has landed Broadway producer, Peter Duluth, in a sanitarium. Once there, as he dries out, normalized his emotions, strange happenings have him questioning his sanity. When a fellow patient dies unexpectedly, he turns amateur sleuth. No spoilers! This author of Sweeney Todd has a fine mind for the strange and improbable. Quick read and thoroughly enjoyable.

[Barksdale Penick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable whodunnit set in a mental institution, with plenty of false clues and red herrings. It reads as when it was written, when men drank rye whisky and bridge dinner dances were the backbone of the social scene. Fun to read about psychiatry, with a whiff of Magic Mountain as the invalid sees a little bit behind the curtain of psychiatric omniscience.

[Emmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book! I enjoy old-time mysteries and who-dunnits, and this was certainly one that had me glued to the page. Best of all, I did not see the ending coming! I'm not sure that I'll read the rest of the Peter Duluth mysteries, but I certainly enjoyed this one enough to consider it.