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Exeunt Murderers: The Best Mystery Stories of Anthony Boucher
A collection of puzzling whodunits featuring Sister Ursula and Nick Noble, from the author of Nine Times Nine and “a fine craftsman” (Ellery Queen). Anthony Boucher was a literary renaissance an Edgar Award–winning mystery reviewer, an esteemed editor of the Hugo Award–winning Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, a prolific scriptwriter of radio mystery programs, and an accomplished writer of mystery, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. With a particular fondness for the locked room mystery, Boucher created such iconic sleuths as Los Angeles PI Fergus O’Breen, amateur sleuth Sister Ursula, and alcoholic ex-cop Nick Noble. This anthology features some of Boucher’s most beloved characters as well as some less common—but equally fascinating—narrators. In part one, “An Ennead of Nobles,” retired detective Nick Noble, who was asked to leave the force due to his problems with alcohol, is determined to redeem himself by solving the toughest cases. Part two, “Conundrums for the Cloister,” features the wise and empathetic Sister Ursula, the daughter of a cop who once aspired to work in law and order until health issues caused her to rethink her life’s direction and take up holy orders instead. But she still can’t give up the habit of sleuthing. Part three, “Jeux de Meurtre,” offers an assortment of nonseries mystery stories narrated by cops and amateurs detectives—and occasionally by the murderers themselves.
356 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 1983
28 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Boucher
650 books44 followersWilliam Anthony Parker White, better known by his pen name Anthony Boucher, was an American author, critic, and editor who wrote several classic mystery novels, short stories, science fiction, and radio dramas. Between 1942 and 1947, he acted as reviewer of mostly mystery fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle. In addition to "Anthony Boucher", White also employed the pseudonym "H. H. Holmes", which was the pseudonym of a late-19th-century American serial killer; Boucher would also write light verse and sign it " Herman W. Mudgett" (the murderer's real name).
In a 1981 poll of 17 detective story writers and reviewers, his novel Nine Times Nine was voted as the ninth best locked room mystery of all time.
In a 1981 poll of 17 detective story writers and reviewers, his novel Nine Times Nine was voted as the ninth best locked room mystery of all time.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 10, 2021
Author, editor, and reviewer Anthony Boucher (1911-1968) seemed headed into the sciences until he was bitten by the literature bug, selling his first story when he was 15, "Ye Goode Olde Ghoste Storie," published in Weird Tales in January 1927. He would later add that in retrospect the story was so bad, the editor must have had a "sadistic grudge against the readers."
After his college career, he turned his hand to detective fiction in 1937, with a standalone followed by one series with amateur criminologist Fergus O'Breen and the other Sister Ursula of the Order of Martha of Bethany (published under the pen name H.H. Holmes). Although a moderate success as a novelist, he found his true calling when he started reviewing mysteries and science fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle (another node of connection with this year's conference), followed by editing anthologies and translating other books. He landed a job as the regular mystery fiction critic for the New York Times in 1951, a job he held for close to 17 years.
His contributions to the genre didn't end there—he was a founding member of the Mystery Writers of America, a charter member of the Baker Street Irregulars in San Francisco and wrote scripts for Sherlock Holmes and Ellery Queen radio programs, co-edited the True Crime Detective magazine, wrote a monthly review column for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and created a regular mystery-review show for the public radio station KPFA.
His dozens of short stories reflect his multi-faceted interests outside literature, with one of the editors to the Boucher collection Exeunt Murderers, Francis M. Nevins, Jr., adding that Boucher wrote mysteries delving into "religion, opera, football, politics, movies, true crime, record collecting and an abundance of good food and wine along with clues and puzzles and detection." (Nevin's co-editor for this collection was the prolific Martin H. Greenberg.)
Many Boucher stories pivot around talented and brilliant amateur sleuths, although the first third of Exeunt consists of nine stories featuring former police Lieutenant Nick Noble, once a rising star in the force until he took the rap for a bad cop. The second part is a series of Sister Ursula stories grouped under the title "Conundrums for the Cloister." Although technically an amateur, Sister Ursula is the daughter of a police chief who'd once planned on entering the field herself until poor health changed her plans. These stories mirror Boucher's own life in two ways—he was a devout Catholic who also struggled with poor health his entire life, ultimately dying of lung cancer at the age of 57. Part Three of Exunt is "Jeux de Meurtre," narrated by both cops and amateurs, and in one case, the murderer.
These are thoroughly enjoyable stories, and it's almost a shame that he spent so much of his time on other projects (in a poll in 1981, Boucher's novel Nine Times Nine was voted in the top ten "best locked room mysteries" of all time). But it is that very legacy of support to the crime fiction community that his namesake annual Bouchercon convention celebrates, and so we'll just have to be content with the body of work we have from someone who managed to pack more into a half-century than most people do with decades more.
After his college career, he turned his hand to detective fiction in 1937, with a standalone followed by one series with amateur criminologist Fergus O'Breen and the other Sister Ursula of the Order of Martha of Bethany (published under the pen name H.H. Holmes). Although a moderate success as a novelist, he found his true calling when he started reviewing mysteries and science fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle (another node of connection with this year's conference), followed by editing anthologies and translating other books. He landed a job as the regular mystery fiction critic for the New York Times in 1951, a job he held for close to 17 years.
His contributions to the genre didn't end there—he was a founding member of the Mystery Writers of America, a charter member of the Baker Street Irregulars in San Francisco and wrote scripts for Sherlock Holmes and Ellery Queen radio programs, co-edited the True Crime Detective magazine, wrote a monthly review column for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and created a regular mystery-review show for the public radio station KPFA.
His dozens of short stories reflect his multi-faceted interests outside literature, with one of the editors to the Boucher collection Exeunt Murderers, Francis M. Nevins, Jr., adding that Boucher wrote mysteries delving into "religion, opera, football, politics, movies, true crime, record collecting and an abundance of good food and wine along with clues and puzzles and detection." (Nevin's co-editor for this collection was the prolific Martin H. Greenberg.)
Many Boucher stories pivot around talented and brilliant amateur sleuths, although the first third of Exeunt consists of nine stories featuring former police Lieutenant Nick Noble, once a rising star in the force until he took the rap for a bad cop. The second part is a series of Sister Ursula stories grouped under the title "Conundrums for the Cloister." Although technically an amateur, Sister Ursula is the daughter of a police chief who'd once planned on entering the field herself until poor health changed her plans. These stories mirror Boucher's own life in two ways—he was a devout Catholic who also struggled with poor health his entire life, ultimately dying of lung cancer at the age of 57. Part Three of Exunt is "Jeux de Meurtre," narrated by both cops and amateurs, and in one case, the murderer.
These are thoroughly enjoyable stories, and it's almost a shame that he spent so much of his time on other projects (in a poll in 1981, Boucher's novel Nine Times Nine was voted in the top ten "best locked room mysteries" of all time). But it is that very legacy of support to the crime fiction community that his namesake annual Bouchercon convention celebrates, and so we'll just have to be content with the body of work we have from someone who managed to pack more into a half-century than most people do with decades more.
Want to Read
January 14, 2021Synopsis: Boucher, the name behind the Mystery Writers of America's annual awards, wrote some of the best mystery short stories of all time.
November 13, 2024
The things I get myself into....
So I was reading an anthology of "classic" detective stories and was entranced by one by Anthony Boucher, featuring that gentle-but-persistent amateur detective - Sister Ursula. Hoping for more, I bought this book of short stories by Boucher and was promised that some would have Sister Ursula. If "some" means "two", they weren't lying.
One of the two stories concerns an unlikely serial killer. The suspects boil down to three men who share a house with the latest victim. The police are baffled, but Sister Ursula is a member of the Order of Martha of Bethany, which specializes in housework. All SHE needs is a look at the sheets. Today most of us have washers and dryers, but when laundry had to be done by hand or sent out, shortcuts were necessary. And then there's the clue about how Quasimodo got his name. In addition to housework, Sister Ursula knows the church calendar. It's a prime example of a detective with specialized knowledge.
The second is a story of college football. The BIG GAME is coming up and the two star quarterbacks are both murder suspects. Even Sister Ursula couldn't save this stinker.
There are nine stories featuring various LAPD detectives who utilize the services of former detective Nick Noble. The first one is so over-the-top I felt like I was reading one of Robert Leslie Bellem's campy Dan Turner stories. ("Then I lamped the stiff on the floor. He was deader than vaudeville.") However, I kept going and finally began to see why Boucher's stories about Noble were popular back in the day. They're clever and Noble's computer-like mind pulls some nice rabbits out of hats.
Perhaps I'd like them better if the disgraced-cop-gone-to-seed bit hadn't been done to death. Today every other detective series concerns some former cop who was framed and dismissed from the force. Naturally, each one is a genius who can think circles around the detectives who are still working. Are that many police officers unjustly fired? And why does no one ever write about the ones who SHOULD be fired and aren't?
Persevere and you'll eventually be rewarded. The section titled "Jeux de Meurtre" ("The Murder Game") has eleven stories and several of them are fine. "Threnody" is worth the price of admission all by itself. It was once rejected by a publisher. Boucher thinks the publisher was dead wrong and I couldn't agree more. It shows how a writer can turn even the death of a friend into a positive, as long as he's willing to do what's necessary to protect his investment. It's one of the most satisfying stories I've ever read.
The others in that section are all good, too. Some are set in LA and some in San Francisco, but most feature police detectives who operate in the traditional style - lots of methodical work and the occasional flash of inspiration. I especially like "Code Zed" - a twisty WWII espionage story with a surprise ending.
I love Lieutenant Michaels of the LAPD, a wise-cracking cop who takes no guff from anyone, even movie queens. Growing up in the jewelry trade comes in handy, since jewels are frequent targets of thieves. And what famous actress or wealthy LA socialite doesn't have a cache of expensive baubles waiting to be lifted?
I'm glad I bought this book and that I kept reading, even after being disappointed initially. The best of Boucher's stories are not just well-written, but clever and imaginative. If you like detective stories from the 1940's and 50's, these are worth your time.
So I was reading an anthology of "classic" detective stories and was entranced by one by Anthony Boucher, featuring that gentle-but-persistent amateur detective - Sister Ursula. Hoping for more, I bought this book of short stories by Boucher and was promised that some would have Sister Ursula. If "some" means "two", they weren't lying.
One of the two stories concerns an unlikely serial killer. The suspects boil down to three men who share a house with the latest victim. The police are baffled, but Sister Ursula is a member of the Order of Martha of Bethany, which specializes in housework. All SHE needs is a look at the sheets. Today most of us have washers and dryers, but when laundry had to be done by hand or sent out, shortcuts were necessary. And then there's the clue about how Quasimodo got his name. In addition to housework, Sister Ursula knows the church calendar. It's a prime example of a detective with specialized knowledge.
The second is a story of college football. The BIG GAME is coming up and the two star quarterbacks are both murder suspects. Even Sister Ursula couldn't save this stinker.
There are nine stories featuring various LAPD detectives who utilize the services of former detective Nick Noble. The first one is so over-the-top I felt like I was reading one of Robert Leslie Bellem's campy Dan Turner stories. ("Then I lamped the stiff on the floor. He was deader than vaudeville.") However, I kept going and finally began to see why Boucher's stories about Noble were popular back in the day. They're clever and Noble's computer-like mind pulls some nice rabbits out of hats.
Perhaps I'd like them better if the disgraced-cop-gone-to-seed bit hadn't been done to death. Today every other detective series concerns some former cop who was framed and dismissed from the force. Naturally, each one is a genius who can think circles around the detectives who are still working. Are that many police officers unjustly fired? And why does no one ever write about the ones who SHOULD be fired and aren't?
Persevere and you'll eventually be rewarded. The section titled "Jeux de Meurtre" ("The Murder Game") has eleven stories and several of them are fine. "Threnody" is worth the price of admission all by itself. It was once rejected by a publisher. Boucher thinks the publisher was dead wrong and I couldn't agree more. It shows how a writer can turn even the death of a friend into a positive, as long as he's willing to do what's necessary to protect his investment. It's one of the most satisfying stories I've ever read.
The others in that section are all good, too. Some are set in LA and some in San Francisco, but most feature police detectives who operate in the traditional style - lots of methodical work and the occasional flash of inspiration. I especially like "Code Zed" - a twisty WWII espionage story with a surprise ending.
I love Lieutenant Michaels of the LAPD, a wise-cracking cop who takes no guff from anyone, even movie queens. Growing up in the jewelry trade comes in handy, since jewels are frequent targets of thieves. And what famous actress or wealthy LA socialite doesn't have a cache of expensive baubles waiting to be lifted?
I'm glad I bought this book and that I kept reading, even after being disappointed initially. The best of Boucher's stories are not just well-written, but clever and imaginative. If you like detective stories from the 1940's and 50's, these are worth your time.
December 20, 2012
Pleasant collection of traditional puzzle mysteries (the Nick Noble stories are the best) with a few even pleasanter odd ones as well (I liked "The Catalyst" and "The Statement of Jerry Malloy"). I just wish there were more featuring Sister Ursula.
As a sidenote--I've been having a bad run of luck reading older detective stories (even from the sixties and seventies) burdened by racist/sexist/homophobic themes. How nice to find a writer from the forties who is well aware of stereotyping and dead against it. Can't think of many other mystery writers of the period who include un-wince-worthy (unwinceable?) black/Latino/female characters. Yet another thing to thank Anthony Boucher for.
As a sidenote--I've been having a bad run of luck reading older detective stories (even from the sixties and seventies) burdened by racist/sexist/homophobic themes. How nice to find a writer from the forties who is well aware of stereotyping and dead against it. Can't think of many other mystery writers of the period who include un-wince-worthy (unwinceable?) black/Latino/female characters. Yet another thing to thank Anthony Boucher for.
November 12, 2024
Anthony Boucher is something of a legend in mystery and science fiction writing, so when this book fell into my lap, I was determined to read it quickly instead of merely committing it to my to-read pile. And read it quickly I did. Most of the stories are very quick, mini mysteries that are little more than set-up and solution, any characterization or backstory involved only a paragraph or two, which is not a problem except it can be repetitious when reading them all back-to-back. The originals all having appeared in the Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine months apart.
While sometimes clever, I didn't really feel that any of these stories were genius level puzzles, except a few stories that were genius level. Unless you were a mathematician, football expert, or understand church calendars, some of the solutions would be over your head, whether or not the author was playing fair with you.
Boucher wrote for radio and these could all work as scripts for short radio plays, and radio crops up in a few of the stores with thinly veiled references to The Shadow and Escape.
This was an entertaining read, but I think I'll try to hunt down some of his SF works next.
While sometimes clever, I didn't really feel that any of these stories were genius level puzzles, except a few stories that were genius level. Unless you were a mathematician, football expert, or understand church calendars, some of the solutions would be over your head, whether or not the author was playing fair with you.
Boucher wrote for radio and these could all work as scripts for short radio plays, and radio crops up in a few of the stores with thinly veiled references to The Shadow and Escape.
This was an entertaining read, but I think I'll try to hunt down some of his SF works next.
March 11, 2023
Takes a lot of work
But these stories are worth it. They are clever and complicated. Sometimes I had to go back and reread portions. I absolutely will read more of his books.
Lots of twists and turns. With interesting characters and bizarre fact patterns.
But these stories are worth it. They are clever and complicated. Sometimes I had to go back and reread portions. I absolutely will read more of his books.
Lots of twists and turns. With interesting characters and bizarre fact patterns.
October 8, 2019
Old-fashioned but clever and entertaining mystery stories
June 11, 2023
I read these over such
A long time I’m not sure whether it’s a three or a four…so I gave the author the benefit of the doubt. I love short stories and I enjoyed these.
A long time I’m not sure whether it’s a three or a four…so I gave the author the benefit of the doubt. I love short stories and I enjoyed these.
September 14, 2025
Excellent collection and that final short was a perfect choice.
Want to Read
April 6, 2025Read so far:
Screwball division--3
QL696.C9--3
Black murder--
*Death of a patriarch--
*Rumor, Inc.--
The punt and the pass--
*Like Count Palmieri--
Crime must have a stop--3
The girl who married a monster--3
*Coffin corner--
The stripper--3
Threnody (aka Death Can Be Beautiful)--3
Design for dying--
Mystery for Christmas--3
Code zed--3
The ghost with the gun (aka Trick or treat)--3
The catalyst (aka The numbers man)--2
*The retired hangman (aka Murder was their business, aka You can get used to anything)--
The smoke-filled locked room--2
*The statement of Jerry Malloy (aka Command performance)--
A matter of scholarship--1
*The ultimate clue--
***
The adventure of the Bogle-wolf--
Elsewhen--2
A kind of madness--3
The last hand (aka A little honest stud)--2
Nine-finger Jack--
The pink caterpillar--
Public eye--
Vacancy with corpse--
Screwball division--3
QL696.C9--3
Black murder--
*Death of a patriarch--
*Rumor, Inc.--
The punt and the pass--
*Like Count Palmieri--
Crime must have a stop--3
The girl who married a monster--3
*Coffin corner--
The stripper--3
Threnody (aka Death Can Be Beautiful)--3
Design for dying--
Mystery for Christmas--3
Code zed--3
The ghost with the gun (aka Trick or treat)--3
The catalyst (aka The numbers man)--2
*The retired hangman (aka Murder was their business, aka You can get used to anything)--
The smoke-filled locked room--2
*The statement of Jerry Malloy (aka Command performance)--
A matter of scholarship--1
*The ultimate clue--
***
The adventure of the Bogle-wolf--
Elsewhen--2
A kind of madness--3
The last hand (aka A little honest stud)--2
Nine-finger Jack--
The pink caterpillar--
Public eye--
Vacancy with corpse--
January 11, 2021
A collection of short stories that kept my interest throughout. So disappointed when I got to the end of the book. First time reading mysteries from Anthony Boucher, definitely won't be the last time.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews