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Sir Henry Merrivale #2
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Set in London and the famous old house, White Priory, nearby. Main characters MARCIA TAIT, glamorous film star who has broken her Hollywood contract to open in a London play, "The Private Life of Charles II"; the eccentric MAURICE BOHUN, author of the play, and master of White Priory; JOHN BOHUN, his brother, in love with Marcia Tait; EMERY (publicity) and RAINGER (production) who have rushed after Marcia Tait from Hollywood - trying to persuade her to return; mouthy old LORD CANIFEST, backer of the play, and his subdued daughter, LOUISE; the lovely niece of the Bohuns, KATHERINE BOHUN; young JAMES BENNETT, American, and nephew of SIR HENRY MERRIVALE - that obese, sleepy old bear whom CHIEF INSPECTOR MASTERS routed out of his lair in Whitehall to solve that baffling mystery.
300 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1934
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About the author
Carter Dickson
69 books75 followersCarter Dickson is a pen name of writer John Dickson Carr.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 157 reviews
November 22, 2023
It got rather convoluted and ultimately, I lost interest.
December 1, 2024
A Sort-of Locked Room before Christmas
Review of the British Library Crime Classics paperback (October 10, 2022) of the original William Morrow hardcover (1934).
At 4 books a year, John Dickson Carr (1906-1977) was so prolific that his publishers insisted that he start using pseudonyms in order to not overwhelm the reading public. So the not-so-well disguised pennames of Carr Dickson and Carter Dickson were born.
The White Priory Murders is the 2nd of the Sir Henry Merrivale mysteries, where the retired Chief of Intelligence is called out from his Whitehall haunts in order to solve a so-called locked-room or impossible crime. In this case it is the murder of actress Marcia Tate on an island pavilion set on the White Priory estate. The pavilion sits on an island surrounded by ice and snow and there are no tracks in the snow until the morning when the body is discovered.
Although there were a considerable number of diversions and red herrings throughout, the final solution to this one was actually much more straightforward than is the case with many of Dickson's locked room mysteries. It certainly didn't require the acrobatics used in the first Merrivale case The Plague Court Murders (also 1934).
Although the case takes place in the winter with unbroken snow being a featured clue, there was otherwise nothing very Christmasy about this story. The subtitle A Mystery for Christmas seems to have been added by British Library Crime Classics for seasonal marketing purposes. This continues my annual tradition of reading a seasonally themed British Library Crime Classic at this time of the year.
The original cover on the 1934 William Morrow hardcover edition. Image sourced from the Goodreads.
Trivia and Links
John Dickson Carr (1906-1977) is one of the 99 authors listed in The Book of Forgotten Authors (2017) by Christopher Fowler. He is No. 20 in the alphabetical listing which you can see towards the bottom of my review here.
The British Library Crime Classic series are reprints of forgotten titles from the 1860's through to the 1950's. You can see a list at the British Library Crime Classics Shop (for North America they are reprinted by the publisher Poisoned Pen Press). There is also a Goodreads Listopia for the series which you can see here.
Review of the British Library Crime Classics paperback (October 10, 2022) of the original William Morrow hardcover (1934).
Thin ice and unbroken snow.
Momentarily he felt a horrible and incredible idea. Whenever he had been able to see the pavilion, it flashed back on him, the snow about it had been unbroken ... But the murderer had to go in and out. Even if there were sixty feet of solid ice all around the pavilion, he could not have done it without leaving a track.
At 4 books a year, John Dickson Carr (1906-1977) was so prolific that his publishers insisted that he start using pseudonyms in order to not overwhelm the reading public. So the not-so-well disguised pennames of Carr Dickson and Carter Dickson were born.
The White Priory Murders is the 2nd of the Sir Henry Merrivale mysteries, where the retired Chief of Intelligence is called out from his Whitehall haunts in order to solve a so-called locked-room or impossible crime. In this case it is the murder of actress Marcia Tate on an island pavilion set on the White Priory estate. The pavilion sits on an island surrounded by ice and snow and there are no tracks in the snow until the morning when the body is discovered.
Although there were a considerable number of diversions and red herrings throughout, the final solution to this one was actually much more straightforward than is the case with many of Dickson's locked room mysteries. It certainly didn't require the acrobatics used in the first Merrivale case The Plague Court Murders (also 1934).
Although the case takes place in the winter with unbroken snow being a featured clue, there was otherwise nothing very Christmasy about this story. The subtitle A Mystery for Christmas seems to have been added by British Library Crime Classics for seasonal marketing purposes. This continues my annual tradition of reading a seasonally themed British Library Crime Classic at this time of the year.
The original cover on the 1934 William Morrow hardcover edition. Image sourced from the Goodreads.
Trivia and Links
John Dickson Carr (1906-1977) is one of the 99 authors listed in The Book of Forgotten Authors (2017) by Christopher Fowler. He is No. 20 in the alphabetical listing which you can see towards the bottom of my review here.
The British Library Crime Classic series are reprints of forgotten titles from the 1860's through to the 1950's. You can see a list at the British Library Crime Classics Shop (for North America they are reprinted by the publisher Poisoned Pen Press). There is also a Goodreads Listopia for the series which you can see here.
December 14, 2022
It's in my opinion very much like a Agatha Christie novel except that Sir Henry Merrivale is a bit more fun than Poirot whom I detest.
The murder mystery is a closed room one, sort of. I had no clue who the murderer was and the theories thrown around by the characters all seemed plausible in some ways.
Snow has a big significance in this story so it's very wintery if you like that.
The murder mystery is a closed room one, sort of. I had no clue who the murderer was and the theories thrown around by the characters all seemed plausible in some ways.
Snow has a big significance in this story so it's very wintery if you like that.
March 15, 2023
Labai labai klasikinis, hermetiškas, techniškas ir itin britiškas detektyvas, kurio autorius – amerikietis, pagarsėjęs detektyvais su „neįmanomais nusikaltimais“.
Situacija panaši į dažną Agatha Christie detektyvą – sodyba, aktorė, vyras, meilužis, jauna neišvaizdi mergina... Tiesa, šio autoriaus balsas man skambėjo daug „techniškiau“ negu Christie, sunku buvo kažką pajausti personažams, bet nusikaltimas pristatytas puikiai, o raudonos silkės pakankamai ilgai atitraukė dėmesį, kad nepamatyčiau labai paprasto ir elegantiško sprendimo.
Šiaip labai patiko šio autoriaus (irgi neįmanomas-hermetiškas-užrakinto kambario) apsakymas The House in Goblin Wood, gali būti geras variantas susipažinti su John Dickson Carr kūryba.
Situacija panaši į dažną Agatha Christie detektyvą – sodyba, aktorė, vyras, meilužis, jauna neišvaizdi mergina... Tiesa, šio autoriaus balsas man skambėjo daug „techniškiau“ negu Christie, sunku buvo kažką pajausti personažams, bet nusikaltimas pristatytas puikiai, o raudonos silkės pakankamai ilgai atitraukė dėmesį, kad nepamatyčiau labai paprasto ir elegantiško sprendimo.
Šiaip labai patiko šio autoriaus (irgi neįmanomas-hermetiškas-užrakinto kambario) apsakymas The House in Goblin Wood, gali būti geras variantas susipažinti su John Dickson Carr kūryba.
December 25, 2023
A clever Christmas whodunnit/howdunnit.
Enjoyable but in the words of Elvis "a little less conversation and a little more action please". As there were a lot of conversations in this book!!
Enjoyable but in the words of Elvis "a little less conversation and a little more action please". As there were a lot of conversations in this book!!
February 18, 2023
i do love a closed circle mystery. however, i didn’t really enjoy these characters and wasn’t very interested in them, not enough for a murder mystery anyway. apart from henry merrivale (detective) of course, he’s such a fantastic character ! really the best part of the book. the mystery was written well with a shocking and satisfying conclusion, but i thought the written confession statement was quite lazy
side note though what is it with the sidekicks of murder mysteries getting married in the second book in the series ?! first watson, hastings, now bennett ?
side note though what is it with the sidekicks of murder mysteries getting married in the second book in the series ?! first watson, hastings, now bennett ?
January 7, 2023
James Bennett pays a call on his uncle, Sir Henry Merrivale, and tells him about some puzzling events involving failed British actress turned Hollywood star, Marcia Tate. Bennett is a very junior diplomat whose main job is to make visiting dignitaries happy. And he met Miss Tate when he was showing Lord Canifest, his daughter, and others the sights. Since that moment, Bennett has been caught up in the affairs of Canifest and Miss Tate. Canifest plans to back a London play featuring the actress who has ditched her Hollywood contract for a chance to show the London critics how wrong they were about her acting skills.
Marcia Tate makes for London with her producer Carl Rainger and publicity man Tim Emery following in her wake with hopes of talking her out of breaking contract and coming back to Hollywood. They all (including Bennett) wind up at Marcia's hotel suite in time to partake of some poisoned chocolates meant for the actress...oddly enough, Marcia doesn't like sweets. Now, as Bennett tells H.M., they've all been invited to White Priory, an ancient estate owned by the Bohun brothers--Maurice author of the play and who thinks he's lord not only of the manor, but of all creation and John who is in love with Marcia.
When Marcia winds up dead in a classic "locked room" scenario--all alone in an ornamental temple on a small island in a small pond with one way in and unbroken frozen pond water all around and smooth, unblemished snow all around the pond, we have an impossible crime on our hands. The only footprints belong to John Bohun who discovers the body and it's proved that he visited the building at the time he said he did...several hours after the murder had taken place. The rest of the party, particularly Carl Rainger start pointing fingers at one another. There are certainly plenty of motives to go round--including the ladies of the party, Katherine Bohun who may have let jealousy get to her and Louise Carew who may not have wanted the temperamental actress as a step-mama. It's up to H. M. and Chief Inspector Masters to discover how the murderer got away from the building without leaving another set of footprints.
This is cleverly done. The solution is simple, but everything about the narrative and the way the mystery is investigated leads the reader to focus on the wrong questions and to ignore the possibility of the correct answer. And I certainly didn't have my eye on the culprit. Dickson/Carr thoroughly pulled the wool over my eyes in this one. The setting is also enjoyable. I'm always up for a murderous weekend at a snowy country place. Maurice Bohun got on my nerves a bit and it was fun to watch H. M. take the wind out of his sails when he tried to play god one too many times.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
Marcia Tate makes for London with her producer Carl Rainger and publicity man Tim Emery following in her wake with hopes of talking her out of breaking contract and coming back to Hollywood. They all (including Bennett) wind up at Marcia's hotel suite in time to partake of some poisoned chocolates meant for the actress...oddly enough, Marcia doesn't like sweets. Now, as Bennett tells H.M., they've all been invited to White Priory, an ancient estate owned by the Bohun brothers--Maurice author of the play and who thinks he's lord not only of the manor, but of all creation and John who is in love with Marcia.
When Marcia winds up dead in a classic "locked room" scenario--all alone in an ornamental temple on a small island in a small pond with one way in and unbroken frozen pond water all around and smooth, unblemished snow all around the pond, we have an impossible crime on our hands. The only footprints belong to John Bohun who discovers the body and it's proved that he visited the building at the time he said he did...several hours after the murder had taken place. The rest of the party, particularly Carl Rainger start pointing fingers at one another. There are certainly plenty of motives to go round--including the ladies of the party, Katherine Bohun who may have let jealousy get to her and Louise Carew who may not have wanted the temperamental actress as a step-mama. It's up to H. M. and Chief Inspector Masters to discover how the murderer got away from the building without leaving another set of footprints.
This is cleverly done. The solution is simple, but everything about the narrative and the way the mystery is investigated leads the reader to focus on the wrong questions and to ignore the possibility of the correct answer. And I certainly didn't have my eye on the culprit. Dickson/Carr thoroughly pulled the wool over my eyes in this one. The setting is also enjoyable. I'm always up for a murderous weekend at a snowy country place. Maurice Bohun got on my nerves a bit and it was fun to watch H. M. take the wind out of his sails when he tried to play god one too many times.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
March 12, 2014
The White Priory Murders (1934) by Carter Dickson (a pseudonym of John Dickson Carr) is the second novel to feature Sir Henry Merrivale.
Unfortunately, it's overly talky and fails to live up to the potential promised by the clash of cultures as Hollywood meets British academia.
Jacques Barzun and Wendell Hertig Taylor's review in A Catalogue of Crime (1971) says it best:
"Sir Henry Merrivale is caught up in the murder of a wilful actress; it's done inside a pavilion, snow is on the ground, and there are crowds of candidates for her favors and for the role of murderer. ... The telling is done in Carter Dickson's usual long and diffuse talk which he thinks conversation; oddities are added for pseudo suspense; people shout, whirl, say "What!" in italics, and generally the thing is irritation unrelieved even by a second murder."
Merrivale is an entertaining character but after a brief appearance in the early pages doesn't return until the last quarter of the book. My theory that he owes more than a little to Rex Stout is bolstered by Merrivale saying not only "flummery" but also "phooey," in the Archie Goodwin spelling, though, rather than Nero Wolfe's "pfui."
Dickson has Merrivale point out early on that another character is "talkin' like a fool detective in a play. This is real. This is true." Later on, he says, "I must 'uv read a dozen stories like that, and they were funnier than watchin' somebody sit on a silk hat."
One-and-a-half daggers out of four.
Unfortunately, it's overly talky and fails to live up to the potential promised by the clash of cultures as Hollywood meets British academia.
Jacques Barzun and Wendell Hertig Taylor's review in A Catalogue of Crime (1971) says it best:
"Sir Henry Merrivale is caught up in the murder of a wilful actress; it's done inside a pavilion, snow is on the ground, and there are crowds of candidates for her favors and for the role of murderer. ... The telling is done in Carter Dickson's usual long and diffuse talk which he thinks conversation; oddities are added for pseudo suspense; people shout, whirl, say "What!" in italics, and generally the thing is irritation unrelieved even by a second murder."
Merrivale is an entertaining character but after a brief appearance in the early pages doesn't return until the last quarter of the book. My theory that he owes more than a little to Rex Stout is bolstered by Merrivale saying not only "flummery" but also "phooey," in the Archie Goodwin spelling, though, rather than Nero Wolfe's "pfui."
Dickson has Merrivale point out early on that another character is "talkin' like a fool detective in a play. This is real. This is true." Later on, he says, "I must 'uv read a dozen stories like that, and they were funnier than watchin' somebody sit on a silk hat."
One-and-a-half daggers out of four.
January 11, 2023
Footprints in the snow…
James Bennett has been invited to a house party in the White Priory, home to the Bohun brothers, John and Maurice. The star guest is Marcia Tait, a glamorous actress who has just walked out of a Hollywood contract so she can act in a play written by Maurice Bohun. The house is full of people connected to Marcia – fellow actors, people from the movie company, lovers actual and hopeful – and Marcia loves to be the centre of attention. In fact, it’s a real mystery why it’s taken so long for someone to murder her…
I’ve had a mixed reaction to Carter Dickson aka John Dickson Carr, loving some of his early books and not getting on well at all with his more famous locked room mysteries. This is one of the latter – in this case, the “locked room” is a pavilion in the ground of the White Priory where Marcia planned to spend the night alone (maybe), and is found dead with only one set of foot-prints, of the man who found her, in the snow outside. I must admit I’m weary of the one/no set of footprints in the snow trope beloved of locked roomsters, so my heart sank as we began to go through and discard all of the usual possibilities – secret tunnels, fresh snow falls, people dropping in from hot air balloons overhead (OK, I made that one up, but at least it would be different).
I’m afraid I found this dull, as I often do with locked rooms, and I didn’t like any of the characters including the detective, Sir Henry Merrivale, retired policeman. All the intricacies of alibis and who could have got to the pavilion and how left me both confused and bored, and there’s lots of jerky dialogue that mainly consists of people being rude to each other. I eventually abandoned it at 60% and flipped to the end to discover whodunit. A week later, I’ve forgotten.
I’m sure this would work fine for people who enjoy locked room mysteries or impossible crimes. Unfortunately it just happens not to be my kind of thing.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
James Bennett has been invited to a house party in the White Priory, home to the Bohun brothers, John and Maurice. The star guest is Marcia Tait, a glamorous actress who has just walked out of a Hollywood contract so she can act in a play written by Maurice Bohun. The house is full of people connected to Marcia – fellow actors, people from the movie company, lovers actual and hopeful – and Marcia loves to be the centre of attention. In fact, it’s a real mystery why it’s taken so long for someone to murder her…
I’ve had a mixed reaction to Carter Dickson aka John Dickson Carr, loving some of his early books and not getting on well at all with his more famous locked room mysteries. This is one of the latter – in this case, the “locked room” is a pavilion in the ground of the White Priory where Marcia planned to spend the night alone (maybe), and is found dead with only one set of foot-prints, of the man who found her, in the snow outside. I must admit I’m weary of the one/no set of footprints in the snow trope beloved of locked roomsters, so my heart sank as we began to go through and discard all of the usual possibilities – secret tunnels, fresh snow falls, people dropping in from hot air balloons overhead (OK, I made that one up, but at least it would be different).
I’m afraid I found this dull, as I often do with locked rooms, and I didn’t like any of the characters including the detective, Sir Henry Merrivale, retired policeman. All the intricacies of alibis and who could have got to the pavilion and how left me both confused and bored, and there’s lots of jerky dialogue that mainly consists of people being rude to each other. I eventually abandoned it at 60% and flipped to the end to discover whodunit. A week later, I’ve forgotten.
I’m sure this would work fine for people who enjoy locked room mysteries or impossible crimes. Unfortunately it just happens not to be my kind of thing.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
January 13, 2024
Hollywood actress Marcia Tate is hoping for money for her next venture from a British financier. When her entourage gathers at the White Priory - owned by the host family since the time of Charles II - things quickly go awry. A poisoned box of chocolates clues American guest James Bennett that someone has ill intentions, and he consults with his uncle, famous amateur detective and British military intelligence expert Sir Henry Merrivale (one of Carter Dickson's series characters). Merrivale ends up at the White Priory when a murder occurs.
I liked this slightly better than Dickson's Henri Bencolin mystery that I read, The Corpse in the Waxworks, which he wrote under the John Dickson Carr moniker. That being said, the women writers of the Golden Age that I've read seem to have a better grasp of characterization and ability to move the story along. There were a lot of lengthy speeches from Merrivale that are not as pithy as, say, Poirot's, and I felt the characters were mere sketches. He's stronger at devising twisty plots and closed-door conundrums, and this one doesn't disappoint in that regard.
I really enjoy and appreciate that Poisoned Pen Press and the British Library re-publish a classic Christmas mystery novel or story collection each year and hope that the tradition continues.
I liked this slightly better than Dickson's Henri Bencolin mystery that I read, The Corpse in the Waxworks, which he wrote under the John Dickson Carr moniker. That being said, the women writers of the Golden Age that I've read seem to have a better grasp of characterization and ability to move the story along. There were a lot of lengthy speeches from Merrivale that are not as pithy as, say, Poirot's, and I felt the characters were mere sketches. He's stronger at devising twisty plots and closed-door conundrums, and this one doesn't disappoint in that regard.
I really enjoy and appreciate that Poisoned Pen Press and the British Library re-publish a classic Christmas mystery novel or story collection each year and hope that the tradition continues.
March 6, 2023
You all know I'm a sucker for these British Library Crime Classics, what a super idea they are. This is a gem of piece, pushing all my buttons - the locked room device, snow all around so no tracks, theatre / Hollywood diva, the glam of the '20s, the Stately Home - oh brilliant. And as always it all hinges on a simple fact that everyone overlooks bear our odd-ball sleuth. Marvelleous stuff.
Toast
Toast
December 11, 2022
British library Crime’s Christmas book for 2022. Firstly, it’s certainly snowy, but not particularly festive!
An actress gets murdered in a country house in a seemingly impossible crime. Small closed circle and lots of twists and turns.
It’s very clever, and very well plotted but I’ve always found that the trouble with some of Dickson Carr’s books is that they’re more like solving a maths problem than reading a book. I’m also not a big fan of Carr’s lead - Sit Henry Merrivale, or the realistic but slightly irritating written vocal style.
3.5 stars for me.
An actress gets murdered in a country house in a seemingly impossible crime. Small closed circle and lots of twists and turns.
It’s very clever, and very well plotted but I’ve always found that the trouble with some of Dickson Carr’s books is that they’re more like solving a maths problem than reading a book. I’m also not a big fan of Carr’s lead - Sit Henry Merrivale, or the realistic but slightly irritating written vocal style.
3.5 stars for me.
December 16, 2024
I'm a fan of the British Crime Classics series, but this one was so bungled up that I didn't enjoy it at all.
December 17, 2023
I liked the style more than in the books Carr writes as JDC but the sleuth just doesn't do anything for me.
October 26, 2013
Otro ambicioso misterio de asesinato en habitación cerrada que me ha confundido.
El planteamiento es sencillo: una famosa actriz muere asesinada en una casa en medio de la nieve, donde las únicas pisadas recientes son las de la persona que descubre el cadáver. Las deducciones giran en torno a la aparente imposibilidad de haber cometido el crimen...
Aunque el crimen es bastante atractivo, la exposición resulta muy confusa y con partes que no se aclaran muy bien antes de llegar al clímax, y los personajes apenas están definidos. Esto en parte ayuda a crear una historia concisa que se centra casi exclusivamente en el asesinato, pues de lo contrario quizás ocuparía mucha más extensión, aunque desde el punto de vista literario resulte un poco decepcionante.
Por lo demás, ya Carter Dickson me puso sobre la pista falsa en "Los crímenes de la viuda rioja" y esta vez lo ha vuelto a hacer. Es un maestro reconocido dentro de este género y de ser capaz de confundir al lector al llevarlo por un camino totalmente equivocado. Interesante.
El planteamiento es sencillo: una famosa actriz muere asesinada en una casa en medio de la nieve, donde las únicas pisadas recientes son las de la persona que descubre el cadáver. Las deducciones giran en torno a la aparente imposibilidad de haber cometido el crimen...
Aunque el crimen es bastante atractivo, la exposición resulta muy confusa y con partes que no se aclaran muy bien antes de llegar al clímax, y los personajes apenas están definidos. Esto en parte ayuda a crear una historia concisa que se centra casi exclusivamente en el asesinato, pues de lo contrario quizás ocuparía mucha más extensión, aunque desde el punto de vista literario resulte un poco decepcionante.
Por lo demás, ya Carter Dickson me puso sobre la pista falsa en "Los crímenes de la viuda rioja" y esta vez lo ha vuelto a hacer. Es un maestro reconocido dentro de este género y de ser capaz de confundir al lector al llevarlo por un camino totalmente equivocado. Interesante.
April 10, 2024
Sir Henry Merrivale's American nephew James is visiting England on a minor diplomatic errand with press lord Lord Canifest, which means he's also spending time with the entourage of movie actress Marcia Tait,, who may become the second Lady Canifest. When Tait is found dead under seemingly impossible circumstances, the owner of the estate where she dies (and you'll be rooting for him as murderer, or at least as a second victim) comes up with a scenario condemning Tait's director, who responds with a different plot and a different culprit. HM, who has been lured to the estate to help his nephew, has a different idea from either of them--and, a different murderer in mind.
December 24, 2010
An excellently constructed "impossible situation" mystery where the victim is found in a structure surrounded by virgin snow with the only footprints being those of the character who discovers the body. The medical examiner (of course) confirms the crime happened after the snow stopped falling. Dickson masterfully anticipates the reader's guesses as to the solution and, one-by-one, knocks them down.
September 2, 2014
Nice plot as it can be expected of Carr..However too verbose ....One can get caught in the verbiage and miss the actual point altogether...well may be that's how the author wanted it to be..a good candidate for a taut play though..
June 13, 2017
For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
December 17, 2023
A locked room mystery in winter is usually my kind of thing but this had a cast of deeply unpleasant male characters and an undertone of misogyny that was rather ick.
December 31, 2023
I was interested in this book because it was a locked room mystery and I love the challenge of trying to figure out a how-done-it. The cast of characters were more likable than those in Hercule Poirot's Christmas. However, the number of characters had me flipping back to the cast of characters page at the beginning throughout the book. It also made the reading get off to a bumpy start because I couldn't keep the characters straight in my mind.
I liked the premise of the plot but even though at the end, it referred to two pages where supposed clues to the murderer could be found, I don't think any modern reader could have intuited the murderer from the references. I felt myself losing interest at the halfway point. The book seemed to keep dragging on and I wasn't interested enough to even form any suspects in my mind because the clues just didn't seem to be there.
I liked the premise of the plot but even though at the end, it referred to two pages where supposed clues to the murderer could be found, I don't think any modern reader could have intuited the murderer from the references. I felt myself losing interest at the halfway point. The book seemed to keep dragging on and I wasn't interested enough to even form any suspects in my mind because the clues just didn't seem to be there.
January 20, 2019
I’ve been filling the gaps in my John Dickson Carr / Carter Dickson reading over the last year, and was really looking forward to getting around to this one. The set up of a murdered woman being found surrounded by a hundred yards of unbroken snow with no footprints had my expectations very high indeed.
It didn’t disappoint. The puzzle and eventual solution are ingenious, and there are some nice false solutions in here too. This is up there with the author’s best for me, a clever mystery without the solution stretching logic or credulity.
It didn’t disappoint. The puzzle and eventual solution are ingenious, and there are some nice false solutions in here too. This is up there with the author’s best for me, a clever mystery without the solution stretching logic or credulity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2022
Young American diplomat James Bennett is invited for a Christmas sojourn at the stately White Priory, the former hideaway of Charles II, after becoming acquainted with a group of eccentric characters on a transatlantic voyage. However, something about the dynamic between them makes him unsettled. He decides to consult his uncle, the famous sleuth Sir Henry Merrivale (familiarly known as HM), for his opinion, and armed with his wisdom he sets off in the snow for what proves to be a very un-festive break.
At the centre of the circle is charismatic and headstrong Hollywood actress Marcia Tait, in England to star in a new play, The Private Life of Charles II. To establish some historic vibes, the oddball author of the play and master of White Priory, Maurice Bohun, has arranged a Christmas gathering. This is encouraged by his brother John, who is in love with Marcia - although John is less happy about the inclusion of the backer of the play and rival for the hand of the fair maiden, the domineering Lord Canifest. Throw in a famous male lead actor, Marcia's American producer, her stressed agent, Katherine the lovely niece of Maurice and John, Lord Canifest's brow-beaten daughter Louise, with a few loyal domestic servants, and you have the makings of a likely group of suspects for a murder. So it is not really a surprise when someone is killed on the first night of the festive revels, or that the victim is the manipulative Marcia herself, whose body is found brutally battered in the secluded pavilion where King Charles II entertained his lovers.
Unfortunately for Chief Inspector Masters, who is given the unhappy task of finding the murderer after co-incidentally being in the neighbourhood to play Father Christmas, this is a 'locked room' murder like no other. The pavilion is sited in the middle of a frozen lake, which can only be accessed via a causeway, and there is an undisturbed covering of snow surrounding it. The clues simply do not add up, and as more violence unleashes itself on the party goers at White Priory, Masters is at a loss - until the genius of HM comes to his rescue.
The format of this mystery is rather unconventional, as you are introduced to the cast of characters through Bennett's consultation with HM, which forms your expectations about their personalities before you meet them - but do not be fooled, as there are surprises to come. You are then tipped headlong into a knotty murder investigation, after Bennett arrives at White Priory in the early hours to discover Marcia Tait has been murdered - and it is clear from the start that the 'locked room' murder scene is going to be tricky to solve. Most delicious of all, is the fact that the one character that sits at the middle of the web, Marcia Tate, is someone you only ever see through the testimony of others - most of whom confess to holding a grudge against her as the threads twist and twist again.
This is very much a book that 'tells' rather than 'shows, and while it is devilishly devious and full of red herrings, it does lack the subtle story-weaving that marks my beloved Agatha Christie as the queen of the country house mystery. However, if you enjoy mystery stories that are driven by clever dialogue then there is a lot here to entertain, and the creepy setting of a snowy White Priors is gloriously atmospheric. I very much enjoyed how every theory about the murder crops up organically through conversation between the characters - both in private moments of disclosure, and through interviews with the adorably bumbling Chief Inspector Masters. My own solution was dashed about half-way through, which left me completely at a loss for how this crime could be solved - until of course, the cantankerous HM enters into the fray, and clears everything up with his sharp insight.
The jury is out for me on HM's character, as he is quite difficult to warm to. His ways are shockingly brusque and rude (Hercule Poirot would not get far calling his suspects "fat heads" to their faces), but there is no doubt that he has an uncanny ability to get to the heart of the matter in double quick time, and the action certainly hots up a lot once he is on the scene. My favourite characters were James Bennett and Katherine Bohun, who are the most likeable of the bunch, and there is a lovely romantic plotline between them that is much more Agatha Christie than the rest of the novel. This is a good point to shower praise up the narrator John Telfer, because in a book this wordy and dialogue heavy it is no easy task to keep the complex plot flowing, but he does a remarkable job. At no point does this get bogged down, and he carries each character along beautifully, which is vital when you need to concentrate on who says what.
This is a book that will appeal to the connoisseur of quirky Golden age crime. It is not the most accessible of stories, but I found myself completely caught up in the twists and turns, and the intense attention it demands was ultimately well rewarded. This is so much a 'play for voices' that there is no doubt in mind that listening to the audio format played a big part in this. I highly recommend trusting yourself to the capable talents of John Telfer, and sitting back to enjoy a story-telling ride as the best way to tackle this novel.
Incidentally, there is a fascinating introduction to the story by Martin Edwards, which helpfully puts Carter Dickson's unusual detective in context before you begin, and I was delighted that this was included in the audio edition.
At the centre of the circle is charismatic and headstrong Hollywood actress Marcia Tait, in England to star in a new play, The Private Life of Charles II. To establish some historic vibes, the oddball author of the play and master of White Priory, Maurice Bohun, has arranged a Christmas gathering. This is encouraged by his brother John, who is in love with Marcia - although John is less happy about the inclusion of the backer of the play and rival for the hand of the fair maiden, the domineering Lord Canifest. Throw in a famous male lead actor, Marcia's American producer, her stressed agent, Katherine the lovely niece of Maurice and John, Lord Canifest's brow-beaten daughter Louise, with a few loyal domestic servants, and you have the makings of a likely group of suspects for a murder. So it is not really a surprise when someone is killed on the first night of the festive revels, or that the victim is the manipulative Marcia herself, whose body is found brutally battered in the secluded pavilion where King Charles II entertained his lovers.
Unfortunately for Chief Inspector Masters, who is given the unhappy task of finding the murderer after co-incidentally being in the neighbourhood to play Father Christmas, this is a 'locked room' murder like no other. The pavilion is sited in the middle of a frozen lake, which can only be accessed via a causeway, and there is an undisturbed covering of snow surrounding it. The clues simply do not add up, and as more violence unleashes itself on the party goers at White Priory, Masters is at a loss - until the genius of HM comes to his rescue.
The format of this mystery is rather unconventional, as you are introduced to the cast of characters through Bennett's consultation with HM, which forms your expectations about their personalities before you meet them - but do not be fooled, as there are surprises to come. You are then tipped headlong into a knotty murder investigation, after Bennett arrives at White Priory in the early hours to discover Marcia Tait has been murdered - and it is clear from the start that the 'locked room' murder scene is going to be tricky to solve. Most delicious of all, is the fact that the one character that sits at the middle of the web, Marcia Tate, is someone you only ever see through the testimony of others - most of whom confess to holding a grudge against her as the threads twist and twist again.
This is very much a book that 'tells' rather than 'shows, and while it is devilishly devious and full of red herrings, it does lack the subtle story-weaving that marks my beloved Agatha Christie as the queen of the country house mystery. However, if you enjoy mystery stories that are driven by clever dialogue then there is a lot here to entertain, and the creepy setting of a snowy White Priors is gloriously atmospheric. I very much enjoyed how every theory about the murder crops up organically through conversation between the characters - both in private moments of disclosure, and through interviews with the adorably bumbling Chief Inspector Masters. My own solution was dashed about half-way through, which left me completely at a loss for how this crime could be solved - until of course, the cantankerous HM enters into the fray, and clears everything up with his sharp insight.
The jury is out for me on HM's character, as he is quite difficult to warm to. His ways are shockingly brusque and rude (Hercule Poirot would not get far calling his suspects "fat heads" to their faces), but there is no doubt that he has an uncanny ability to get to the heart of the matter in double quick time, and the action certainly hots up a lot once he is on the scene. My favourite characters were James Bennett and Katherine Bohun, who are the most likeable of the bunch, and there is a lovely romantic plotline between them that is much more Agatha Christie than the rest of the novel. This is a good point to shower praise up the narrator John Telfer, because in a book this wordy and dialogue heavy it is no easy task to keep the complex plot flowing, but he does a remarkable job. At no point does this get bogged down, and he carries each character along beautifully, which is vital when you need to concentrate on who says what.
This is a book that will appeal to the connoisseur of quirky Golden age crime. It is not the most accessible of stories, but I found myself completely caught up in the twists and turns, and the intense attention it demands was ultimately well rewarded. This is so much a 'play for voices' that there is no doubt in mind that listening to the audio format played a big part in this. I highly recommend trusting yourself to the capable talents of John Telfer, and sitting back to enjoy a story-telling ride as the best way to tackle this novel.
Incidentally, there is a fascinating introduction to the story by Martin Edwards, which helpfully puts Carter Dickson's unusual detective in context before you begin, and I was delighted that this was included in the audio edition.
December 18, 2023
John Dickson Carr, who published The White Priory Murders under the pseudonym Carter Dickson, is just not one of my favorite authors in the British Library Crime Classics line. I'm starting to think his writing just isn't for me. I, honestly, thought I was going to dnf this one, but it finally got to a point where the story was flowing okay. Anyway, I did end up finishing it and it was an okay read, but definitely not among my favorites in the line. The author does seem to be quite popular with other readers. Thanks to the publisher for the gifted book in exchange for an honest review!
December 19, 2023
More snowy / wintry than "Christmasy" to my mind but it was a fun read. Had a little trouble keeping some of the characters straight for a while but I stayed up too late finishing this one night because I couldn't stop reading it, which is a great sign for a mystery. Possibly due to that late night reading I'm still a little unclear on all of the how of the solution for this "locked room" mystery but I did enjoy it.
December 29, 2022
An interesting read and the plot definitely kept me gripped but oh my how confusing in places!My head was almost hurting.....The different characters going round and round and round debating the same points over and over!I am glad I read it and especially during the Festive period too as this is set during Christmas but it really was a pain at times.The character of Sir Henry Merrivale is without doubt one of my least likeable characters from the golden age of crime fiction,I just can't take to him at all unless this is one of his poorer cases?The reason I still gave the novel four stars is because it is definitely very well written and the actual plot/murder/s are clever which kept me interested until the last page .Maybe I need to give it another go when I've had time to forget it's intricacies a little .But I do definitely want to seek out some more Sir Henry Merrivale novels now to see if the others are an improvement....
January 17, 2024
*2.5 stars*
Rounded down to 2.5 stars. This just didn't work for me. There was far too much blathering about with the dialogue between characters that felt pointless, introducing action through a character's exclamation. It grew tiresome after a while, and I struggled to the end.
Would I recommend this book? Sadly, no.
Rounded down to 2.5 stars. This just didn't work for me. There was far too much blathering about with the dialogue between characters that felt pointless, introducing action through a character's exclamation. It grew tiresome after a while, and I struggled to the end.
Would I recommend this book? Sadly, no.
December 12, 2024
By the author known for locked-room mysteries. It's kind of slow in the middle, but in the end a great piece of detecting by HM. I'm looking forward to reading a couple of other books in this series.
December 12, 2023
This is a book from the British Crime Library. A murder is committed and the murderer has to be one of the group assembled in this country house during a snowstorm. There are many theories put forward as to who is responsible. It is a mystery that is about solving a puzzle. Entertaining though at the end it was very convoluted and I simply wanted to know the answer.
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