More Things Impossible

Dr. Sam Hawthorne

by Edward D. Hoch

Dr. Sam Hawthorne, a New England country doctor in the first half of the twentieth century, was constantly faced by murders in locked rooms, impossible disappearances, and other so-called miracle crimes. More Things Impossible contains fifteen of Dr. Sam s extraordinary cases solved between 1927 and 1931, including impossible murder in a house that whispers; poisoning by a gargoyle on the courthouse roof; the case of the Devil in the windmill; the houseboat that resembles the Mary Celeste; the affair of the vanishing Gypsies; stabbing in the locked cockpit of a plane in midair; a ghostly pirate in a lighthouse; ad eight other ingenious riddles. Edward D. Hoch is a legend of ingenuity in the world of mystery writing. Author of more than 800 short stories, winner of the Edgar Award, former President of the Mystery Writers of America, and contributor to every issue of Ellery Queen s Mystery Magazine since 1973, Hoch is one of the great mystery writers of our time. As John Dickson Carr remarked, Satan himself would be proud of his ingenuity. And Crippen & Landru is proud to be Edward D. Hoch s publisher. The Founded in 1994 as the only publishing house to specialize in mystery short-story collections, Crippen & Landru has been described as a monument in the making (Alfred Hitchcock s Mystery Magazine) ,the best edited, most attractively packaged line of mystery books introduced in this decade (Mystery Scene),the specialty publisher with the most star-studded list (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine), and even God bless Crippen & Landru (The Strand).

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories

260 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 2006

About the author

Edward D. Hoch is one of the most honored mystery writers of all time.

* 1968 Edgar Allan Poe Award (Mystery Writers of America): "The Oblong Room", The Saint Mystery Magazine, July 1967
* 1998 Anthony Award (Bouchercon World Mystery Convention): "One Bag of Coconuts", EQMM, November 1997
* 2001 Anthony Award (Bouchercon): "The Problem of the Potting Shed", EQMM, July 2000
* 2007 Ellery Queen Readers Choice Award (awarded 2008): "The Theft of the Ostracized Ostrich", EQMM, June 2007
* Lifetime Achievement Award (Private Eye Writers of America), 2000
* Grand Master (Mystery Writers of America), 2001
* Lifetime Achievement Award (Bouchercon), 2001

Reviews

[Karl]

This book is copy number 8 of 230 cloth bound copies and is signed and numbered by Edward D. Hoch. The book also comes with a separate chapbook titled "The Bad Samaritan"

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This set of cases of Dr. Sam Hawthorne was as intriguing as ever. It managed to entertain me with all the charm and grit of New England of the past, while punctuating things by murders.
The stories were~
1. The Problem of the Revival Tent;
2. The Problem of the Whispering House;
3. The Problem of the Boston Common;
4. The Problem of the General Store;
5. The Problem of the Courthouse Gargoyle;
6. The Problem of the Pilgrims Windmill;
7. The Problem of the Gingerbread Houseboat;
8. The Problem of the Pink Post Office;
9. The Problem of the Octagon Room;
10. The Problem of the Gypsy Camp;
11. The Problem of the Bootlegger's Car;
12. The Problem of the Tin Goose;
13. The Problem of the Hunting Lodge;
14. The Problem of the Body in the Haystack;
15. The Problem of Santa's Lighthouse.
It also contains a Dr. Sam Hawthorne Checklist.
Very enjoyable and clever stories that deal with real people, real emotions, but apparently 'impossible' mysteries.
Highly recommended.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like chips - one after another.

[Kelvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second collection of Edward Hoch's short stories featuring Dr. Sam Hawthorne for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. It covers Dr. Hawthorne's cases from Fall of 1927 through December 1931. Eight of those stories are collected in this book. They are all very short stand-alone locked room mysteries in a historic setting. Extremely good New England local color, depiction of small town life as well as how the country changed over the years. The stories are short concise and creative. Similar to the first collection, at the end of the book is a full list of all the Sam Hawthorne stories listed by publication years.

[Natalie T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever, consistently entertaining set of 15 short stories, each featuring a locked-room mystery or "impossible" crime solved by New England country doctor Sam Hawthorne. These cases occur during the Prohibition years of 1927-1931, and the accurate portrait of small-town life that realistically grounds the unusual crimes makes the Dr. Sam stories particularly satisfying to read. MORE THINGS IMPOSSIBLE is the second in the five-volume series of Dr. Sam's adventures (DIAGNOSIS IMPOSSIBLE being the first, which begins in 1922 with the doctor just out of medical school). Don't miss "The Problem of the Boston Common" and "The Problem of the Tin Goose."

[Ron Kerrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, light read for lovers of impossible crimes. Of course some of the solutions are outlandish and it seems Northmont is about a deadly a place to live as Midsomer is. The stories continue the timeline from the previous collection and you get to see a small New England town advance (or not) over the years as technology creeps in from the outside world. Dr. Sam is an engaging character and it's a pleasant way to spend an hour or two at a time letting your disbelief suspend.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories told by a current day Doctor Sam Hawthorne about his adventures when he was younger. He was confronted by any number of mysteries the appear to be impossible: locked rooms, people killed in an open area, etc. He solves them all with solutions that seem plausible and rarely outlandish.
I heard about this book on the Classic Mysteries podcast.

[Lisa T. Ungerer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good locked room mystery stories

These short stories entertain. They occasionally skip in a comment about the human condition,for example when the narrator briefly wonders if his mother has someone who loves her. But mostly they are cozy tales good for reading one or two at a time.

[Sem · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serviceable bunch of "locked room mysteries", occasionally easy to solve, but sometimes rather surprising. They are still quite quaint, inventive, and fun to read though, so it's worth checking out if you're a fan of the genre.

[Gowri N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like solving puzzles, you'll like this collection of short mysteries (not all of them murders). Well written and well thought-through, they are a great way to exercise one's little grey cells, examining possibilities and eliminating those that don't seem plausible.

[Jameson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I'm with Sam Hawthorne
I go out of my head
And I just can't get enough
And I just can't get enough
All the mysteries he solves
And everything he says
I just can't get enough
I just can't get enough

[Juan Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stories but not as good as first Dr. Sam's book.

[Steve Gross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second collection of locked room mysteries featuring series character Dr. Sam Hawthorne.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fun brain candy. Solved several, which made me feel good!