The Curse of the Bronze Lamp

Sir Henry Merrivale #16

by Carter Dickson

Traditional Chinese edition of Carter Dickson's (writing as John Dickson Carr) vintage classic The Curse of the Bronze Lamp. In Chinese. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Detective, Fiction

230 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1945

About the author

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

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Curse of the Bronze Lamp is the 16th Sir Henry Merrivale mystery by Carter Dickson (John Dickson Carr). Originally published in 1945, The Saturday Review's guide to detective fiction (an article called "The Criminal Record") gave it this review at the time: "Symphonic variations on a G.K.C. theme--which doesn't give it away. H. M. at his best in puzzling, amusing, and brilliantly plotted yarn. Get it!" There are lots of sites and reviewers who have said that it is Carr's best work featuring Merrivale. I don't believe that I agree. While I enjoyed this one and certainly rate it higher than some of his later stories, I wouldn't say that it's better than The Judas Window or The Peacock Feather Murders (The Ten Teacups).

In this outing, Lady Helen Loring has been in Egypt with her father, Lord Severn, at the site of an archeological dig. Towards the end of the trip, one of the archeologists falls ill and dies from a scorpion bite. Rumors soon begin to fly that the tomb and its contents was cursed....and when word gets out that Lady Helen intends to take an ancient bronze lamp with her back to England--a gift from the Egyptian Government, a mystic comes crawling out of the woodwork to proclaim a curse: If Lady Helen insists on taking the lamp home, then she will never reach her bedroom (the lamp's intended resting place) alive. She will be "blown to dust as if she never existed." Lady Helen vows to prove the prophecy wrong.

Sir Henry Merrivale has also been in Egypt--taking a rest cure. And he is on hand at the train station to hear the prophet of doom speak his piece. Lady Helen initially says that she would like Merrivale's advice, but suddenly changes her mind. Once back in England, Merrivale becomes worried about the situation and drives down to Severn Hall to see what's up--only to find that Lady Helen has indeed vanished from her own home. The house itself was surrounded by gardeners and workmen who had been hard at work getting the estate ready for the Lorings return. They all swear that no one came back out of the house. The house has been searched and there is no sign of Lady Helen save for the coat she dropped in the hall and the bronze lamp lying by its side.

A mysterious foreign voice tips off the police and the newspapermen and soon Inspector Masters arrives to get to the bottom of things. Lord Severn follows his daughter home and another disappearing act takes place in his study. It is up to Sir Henry to reveal how not one, but two people could disappear from the country house without a trace.

This is a decent "impossible" mystery. It opens very nicely in Cairo and the introduction to the characters is fun and full of Carr's good humor. Sir Henry is in fine form--particularly in the incident with the taxi driver. Somewhere about the middle (mid-way between the two disappearances), it started to lag for me, bringing the tale down to a three-star outing instead of four. The key to the first disappearance isn't too hard to spot if you've got a lot of mysteries under your belt, but still a pretty fine performance by the master.

This was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[Alonzo Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid entry in “Carter Dickson’s” series of impossible murders. This one involves an English lady’s defiance of a curse on a lamp taken out of Egypt, and the resulting hocus pocus. Carr is at his best when there are bad girls and a mystical/horror element going on and this one has both.

I don’t think this is the greatest of the Sir Henry Merivale series, but it is quite representative and the solution of the main problem isn’t as absurd as some of these can be.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story obviously inspired by the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb and the superstitions surrounding it. Published in 1945, the action takes place 10 years earlier when a group of British archeologists discover the tomb of “Herihor, high priest of Ammon [sic] who had ruled as king over Egypt at the end of the Twentieth Dynasty.”

Just like the discovery of King Tut's tomb, the discovery of Herihor's tomb causes a massive media reaction with some pretty ludicrous newspaper headlines. The situation becomes worse when Professor Gilray, one of the leaders of the expedition, dies after being stung by a scorpion. He was the first to enter the tomb and rumor has it that he was the first victim of the “curse.” Gilray's partner, the Earl of Severn, and his daughter, Lady Helen Loring, who was also a member of the expedition, are supposedly next on the list of the “cursed,” something they both find absurd.

Helen was gifted with a bronze lamp that was found in the tomb in honor of her and her father's work and patronage. The press immediately goes after the lamp, which they claim is cursed (you're going to hear that word a lot). Helen is confronted by Alim Bey, who claims to be a mystic and accuses the British archeologists of desecrating the tomb. When Helen defies him, Alim Bey vows she will never return to her own room with the lamp.

Helen ignores Bey's threats to her and returns home with two friends. She walks upstairs – and vanishes. No trace of Helen can be found anywhere. An exhaustive search turns up no secret doors or passages that could have aided in her disappearance. Helen has seemingly vanished into thin air – much to the delight of the press and presumably Alim Bey. Then there is the little issue of the portrait of Lady August Loring, Helen's 18th century ancestor – the portrait is now missing and no one can find it anywhere.

Sir Henry Merrivale, who met Helen while all the nonsense was going on, is promptly on the case, much to the bewilderment of the people he is supposed to be helping. (That's a normal reaction by the way.)

This is a fast-paced, sometimes confusing mystery. It's like a cross between a mystery and a screwball comedy, especially with Sir Henry's behavior. However crazy he may (real or pretend), Sir Henry does know what he's doing and he solves the crime in the end. I found the motive a little far fetched and just what happened to Helen even more so. I don't think that would work in real life, but it's a nice puzzle.

Carter Dickson (John Dickson Carr) dedicated this book to Ellery Queen with the remark, “I will do no more than make cryptic reference to James Phillimore and his umbrella. You have been warned.”

James Phillimore is referenced in a Sherlock Holmes story, “The Problem of Thor Bridge.” Phillimore returned to his home for an umbrella and was never seen again. It was one of those throwaway references to other cases that Arthur Conan Doyle liked to make. John Dickson Carr and Adrian Conan Doyle(Arthur Conan Doyle's son) wrote a story based on Phillimore titled “The Adventure of the Highgate Miracle.”

[Laurie K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the wake of the death of a fellow archeologist, and rumors that he died as a result of a curse, Lady Helen Loring returns home to England. With her she takes an ancient bronze lamp, a gift from the Egyptian government for her work in helping to uncover the tomb of . But before she can depart, a seer warns that if she removes the lamp from Egypt, she will “be blown to dust as if she never existed.” Helen doesn’t believe in curses and, as she tells her fellow passenger Sir Henry Merrivale, “I’m going to put the lamp on the mantelpiece in my room, as proof that the curse is rubbish.” But then she enters Severn Hall, closes the door, and when the friends accompanying her follow, they find only her coat, and the bronze lamp, lying on the floor. Lady Helen is gone… vanished as if she never existed. Enter Sir Henry…

This is my first Carter Dickson, aka John Dickson Carr, so to those who know his work well, forgive me if I gush a bit. Also, I’m fairly sure that this was my first “impossible mystery”, and I was definitely impressed. I’m pretty good at figuring out the solution, spotting the villain, etc., but this one had me stumped. When the reveal came I had one of those “it was so obvious; why didn’t I see it?” moments. Maybe once I’ve read several more of his books I’ll be a little better at it, but for now I’ll just enjoy.

Rather than the dark, gothic mystery that I thought it would be, this was a fast paced, light, fun read. The plot seemed quite straightforward at the beginning, then it evolved and became more complex, but never convoluted. I found myself not only engrossed, but grabbed and pulled along, racing to the finish.

I don’t care how good the mystery is, for me, a book is only as good as it’s characters. And “Lord love a duck” Sir Henry is so much fun. He is such a memorable character who, convinced of his own infallibility, is a source of exasperation and entertainment to those he encounters, as well as the reader. I even enjoy how enigmatic he is in his approach to finding the solution, taking in everything around him, rolling it around in that great brain…and then keeping it to himself! There is a bit of the theatrical about him, and maybe even some slapstick (i.e. the scene with the taxi driver). But I can live with a bit of the ridiculous since it’s not maintained at that level throughout the story.


John Dickson Carr
It is a mystery to me why I’ve never read anything by Carr before because I’ve seen his books around my entire life…well actually, more Carter Dickson than Carr. Then I recently stumbled upon The Green Capsule blog and after reading several posts there, followed by reviews for Carr/Dickson on other blogs, I thought, why not give the man a chance? I found a couple of Carter Dickson books just the other day and dove right in. Very glad I did! So thank you Green Capsule…whoever you are, and all the other GAD bloggers who lead me to JDC.

Oh, and my new favorite word is “Lummy”. Thank you Inspector Masters.

[Rick Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Major characters:
Professor Gilray, scorpion bite victim
John Loring (Lord Severn)
Lady Helen Loring, Lord Severn's daughter
Christopher "Kit" Farrell, a lawyer, Helen's boyfriend
Sandy Robertson
Audrey Vane, Sandy's girlfriend
Alim Bey, Egyptian fortune teller
Leo Beaumont, American fortune teller
Benson, the butler
Elizabeth Pomfret, housekeeper
Sir Henry Merrivale, "H.M."

Locale: Egypt (briefly), then England

Synopsis: Professor Gilray, John Loring (Lord Severn), his daughter Lady Helen Loring, and Sandy Robertson are on an archeological expedition to Egypt, and retrieve many artifacts from a tomb. The locals believe they are cursed for doing so, and Gilray is bitten by a scorpion and dies. Lady Helen is given a small bronze lamp as a gift by the Egyptian government, which she announces she is taking back to Severn Hall in England. While travelling, she meets up with Sir Henry Merrivale. As they depart, Egyptian fortune teller Alim Bey prophesies that if she takes the lamp there, she will never reach her room at the hall.

Severn Hall has been closed for years, but is put into shape quickly under the direction of butler Benson and housekeeper Elizabeth Pomfret. The travelers arrive and Lady Helen, carrying the lamp, is the first in the door. When the others follow, they find the lamp on the floor, and Lady Helen missing.

The house is searched and she is not found. Benson shows an architect's book which testifies the house has no hidden rooms or secret passages. The house was surrounded by various workers who swear she did not leave the house. Then Lord Severn disappears in the same manner, again leaving the bronze lamp in his place.

Review: This starts out with some comedy as H.M. has an unruly encounter with a taxi driver, which. is enjoyable and not so long it detracts from the story. H.M is in the action right from the start. The search of the manor is well done, with workers staged around the outside who testify no one left the building.

I liked how the secret room/passage possibility is ruled out right away by the architect's book which so testifies. That was a clever way to dismiss that possibility right from the start.

I had my own idea where Helen was, but of course, I was wrong. There are some red herrings dangled for possible hiding places. Her actual location was quite a surprise.

For additional reviews indexed by author, please visit The Mystillery Blog and try The Mystillery Reading Challenges!

[Alberto Avanzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

. Dalla prima lettura (fu il mio primo Carr, almeno trent’anni fa) ricordo una sensazione di divertimento e umorismo, che confermo nella recente rilettura. E’ uno di quei rari ed eccellenti casi in cui abbiamo un romanzo che è contemporaneamente un ottimo esempio del genere a cui appartiene, e una parodia del genere stesso, come in ambito cinematografico e per generi diversi lo sono il primo Indiana Jones o Lo chiamavano Trinità.
Dopo poche pagine, il romanzo entra nel vivo con una scena epica, esageratamente caricaturale e però che non riesce a non strappare il sorriso: mi riferisco al litigio fra Merryvale e il tassista egiziano. Il romanzo ruota attorno a una maledizione che un fanatico egiziano lancia sull’archeologo che ha appena scoperto ed esportato importanti reperti, e alla sua nipote e collaboratrice, che in seguito sembra essere svanita nel nulla (anche se alcuni indizi la danno per avvistata successivamente alla sparizione), quindi il dilemma non è tanto il classico “chi è stato” quanto “è viva o morta”? E in entrambi i casi “dov’è? O dove è stata seppellita?” con una variante sul tema della camera chiusa che in questo caso coincide con un’intera residenza di campagna come quelle che siamo abituati a conoscere nei romanzi di questo genere.
La narrazione viene mantenuta comunque sempre su un piano di leggerezza, diverso dalla tensione e dal mistero di capolavori come Tre bare, Vedova rossa o Penne di pavone, e anche dalla caccia al delitto inspiegabile di Occhio di Giuda, Occhiali neri e Discesa fatale. Anche l’indizio decisivo e la sua spiegazione sono caricaturali, ma nel contesto vengono viste appropriate e ben accettate dal lettore. Un altro punto a favore di questa storia è che non contiene un difetto di Carr presente in altri romanzi, e cioè l’eccessivamente anticipata soluzione, con parecchie pagine destinate alla spiegazione da parte di Fell o Merrivale. Qui invece la spiegazione avviene veramente alla fine, letteralmente all’ultima pagina, con un colpo di scena inatteso, quasi alla Ellery Queen.
Insomma, forse non il capolavoro di Carr, ma un romanzo che sia per l’umorismo che lo pervade sia per la validità della trama gialla merita di essere letto o riletto
 

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Medium Merrivale.
Some good atmosphere and clever misdirection, for one part of the mystery at least. The central puzzle of how a woman could be seen to enter a house that was observed from all sides and simply vanish is enjoyable yet incredibly straightforward too when the secret is revealed.
The other aspects of the story are less satisfying, but even so Merrivale is always fun to spend some time with.

[Carsten Nielsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A truly enjoyable read. The mystery is slight compared to some of Carr's more famous books, but still presents many interesting features. I guessed the how, but not the why, of the disappearance at the center of the book about halfway through, a rare feat for me. Some great writing throughout. The plotting is a bit clunky.

[Juan Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esta novela de Carter Dickson mantiene el suspenso hasta el final como ya es costumbre en su autor. Sin embargo el desenlace no es limpio ya que el autor oculta cosas el lector que sólo conocerá al final. Un giro que desmerece un poco la narración.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun Golden Age mystery although Sir Henry was a little too silly for my tastes.

[Calum Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

B–:

Solid effort. Particularly enjoyed the jocular conversations between Merrivale and Masters in this one. Ending a little bit of a cop out.

[Peter Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun

[Jameson · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIRST READING 4/12/20: 5 Stars

JDC’s in top form, from the hook to the reveal, and the prose has that certain “je ne sais quoi” that keeps the pages turning. Egyptology, gothic castles, subterfuge, romance, this one has it all (well, except the one thing every single other John Dickson Carr book has, but that would be telling.)

(I ordered the Carroll & Graf edition because I love the cover—it’s very Scooby Doo—but instead I’m stuck with the boring Berkley one. I like the alternate title of some editions: Lord of the Sorcerers, too.)

SECOND READING 2/6/24: 4 Stars

One thing I noticed this time around was the dedication. In a pretty ballsy move, Carr essentially challenges Ellery Queen to solve the mystery. Yep, Ellery Queen—he of “Challenge to the Reader” fame. Carr must have been pretty chuffed with his craftmanship on this one to do that. He even provided Queen a hint: James Phillimore and his umbrella, which is a reference to a famous untold Sherlock Holmes story mentioned by Watson. Funnily enough, seven years after writing this dedication Carr, along with Arthur Conan Doyle’s son, actually wrote that untold Sherlock Holmes story himself, The Adventure of the Highgate Miracle (I won’t say whether or not that solution spoils this one.)

Enough time had passed, for me and my terrible memory anyway, since my first reading of The Curse of the Bronze Lamp to forget its ins and outs, but while I’d forgotten the ending certain clues did stand out, allowing me to reach more or less the correct solution for one of the major mysteries. It didn’t diminish my enjoyment any, but I wasn’t blown away by the reveal like I probably was the first time I read it. Even though, back then, I had come across that particular trick before. (I wonder how often it had been used by the time Carr wrote this? As a fan of OTR, my favorite Carr radio play which predates Bronze Lamp uses it, and of course Chesterton famously used it when Carr was just a wee lad.)

If you enjoyed this mystery—and why wouldn’t you have done? You’re intelligent and possess wonderful taste—you may want to check out Carr’s book of radio plays, The Island of Coffins. One such script is an adaptation of this novel. Unfortunately no recording is know to have survived. The play, though pruned to the bare minimum, is a fascinating look at the nuts and bolts of the mystery.

Oh, yeah. And just what made me decide to re-read this particular Carr at this particular time? Indiana Jones 5. I finally saw it. It stunk, of course. So naturally I then watched the superb original trilogy, which yadda yadda yadda sent me on a binge of all things Egypt and mummies: DuckTales and Captain Caveman, Archie and EC comics, Hammer’s mummy films, Abbot and Costello and the 3 Stooges, a ton of horror and mystery stories centered around ancient Egypt and all that jazz. Even the Geoffrey Whitehead Sherlock Holmes series has a mummy episode!

[Booklovertw · Rating 3 out of 5]

故事有點悶
最後的結局也沒有太大驚喜
略為失望

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed this one up at the same time as I found The Gilded Man. And as I tend to choose the skinniest book on my shelf to read next, here I am reading two of these things in a row. But now I have two data points to work with. Isn't that exciting?

Once again, young rich people of varying degrees of wealth and/or nobility have Problems, most of which seem to involve who's going to marry below their stations first and how low they will be willing to go. In the midst of this, the youngest, richest, highest born of the group may or may not have got herself murdered. But that's okay because one time she talked to Sir Henry Merrivale on a train. Procrastinating on his scrapbook (I am not making this up), he decides to don a bigger, uglier hat and drop in on the young woman's house and see what's happening. This is to the great relief of the older, more hanger-on types who were not even remotely murdered and who must suffer the indignity of a warm house, good food, and a doting staff while they wait for the Old Man to mop up their friend's mess.

Meanwhile, in the 21st century, the reader struggles. On the one hand, the premise relies on the fear induced by the mummy's curse, which, as the modern person who routinely attends the speech of that one guy at work who always talks about Egypt knows, is not a thing. On the other, the reader assumes that everybody who wrote a novel before, say, 1972, is basically a dumbass who doesn't actually know anything about Egypt nor care about the problematic nature of the fetishization of non-white civilizations for western amusement. But on the other, other hand, the reader remembers that this is a mystery, not a ghost story. On the other, other, other hand, the writer has forgotten the point she was going to make when she started this paragraph.

Anyway. "Dickson" likes to write about rich English people in ridiculous houses with superhumanly responsible butlers whose compensation packages are never discussed. I absolutely accept this as a genre and if you do too, go nuts with this guy's whole deal. As for me, I didn't like the characters as well as in the other book and the ending wasn't as satisfying to me. It seems the killer was that one non-rich guy who cannot be described by any author as having a handsome face. Hey but at least we have confirmation that there's no magic in the world! Only venality! Hooray!.

[Panu Mäkinen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pronssilampun kirous on taidokkaasti punottu palapelidekkari, jonka jokainen lukijalle annettu pala on merkityksellinen. Tapahtumat lähtevät liikkeelle Egyptistä, jossa Helen Loring on egyptologi-isänsä kanssa arkeologisilla kaivauksilla. Palatessaan takaisin kotiin Englantiin Helen saa Egyptin hallitukselta muistoksi pronssilampun. Helen ei ota vakavasti kirousta, jonka mukaan pronssilampun kantaja ei ikinä saavu kotiinsa elävänä, vaan katoaa kuin tuhka tuuleen.

Helen palaa kotiinsa Severn Halliin ystäviensä saattamana ja rientää innoissaan kartanon ovesta sisään pronssilamppu kädessään, ennen kuin saattajat ehtivät matkalaukkuineen perässä. Palvelusväki kiiruhtaa tulijoita vastaan, mutta eteisaulaan saavuttuaan ei ehdi nähdä vilaustakaan Helenistä vaan ainoastaan pronssilampun ja sadetakin, jotka nököttävät keskellä eteisaulan lattiaa.

Poliisien ohella tapausta alkaa tutkia railakas sir Henry Merrivale, joka tutustui Heleniin jo Kairossa. Katoamistapauksesta kuultuaan hän ei malta pitää näppejään erossa siitä, vaan rientää Helenin perässä Severn Halliin. Sitä ennen hän kuitenkin katsoo asiakseen muun muassa läksyttää huonokäytöksistä taksinkuljettajaa.

Ja lopuksi, huippuvedoksi, hän piirsi liimalla kuljettajan kasvoille viivan, joka toi mieleen Zorron merkin.
— Haa! sanoin sir Henry Merrivale. — Vai haluat sinä rahaa, häh?
  Kun kuljettajan suusta purkautui uusi kiljaisu, kohtaus täydentyi. H. M. pisti liimaputken taskuunsa ja kalasti toisesta taskustaan englantilaisen viiden punnan setelin. Hän iski setelin lujasti ja varmasti kuin postilaitoksen leimauskone miehen liimaisiin kasvoihin. Ja hän teki sen juuri kun kaksi salamavalolamppua leiskahti ja useat lehdistön kamerat ikuistivat näkymän jälkimaailmalle. (s. 22–23)

[Jack Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a glorious wallow in golden age classic crime. Egyptologists opening tombs and unleashing curses. A 1930s English country house. Loyal servants and obnoxious foreigners.
No stranger to the locked room mystery, Carr here changes the formula only slightly when a girl disappears from a house under observation from all sides. The trick turns out to be psychological rather than physical and for once I did guess it well ahead of the detective's explanation. Also to be noted there are two bright young couples for romantic interest rather than the standard pair - worth considering why the plot needs that.
Possibly Carr was coasting when he wrote this, it's not one of his most challenging puzzles and no points for originality, but good fun all the same.

[Sean Brennan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering my life long egalitarian, Socialist ideology I freely admit I absolutely love well written contemporary novels concerning The British Upper classes in the period between the World Wars.

Carter Dickson's books with there larger than life hero in the corpulent persona of Sir Henry Merrivale are marvellous, and the classic formula of a unbelievable crime, often accomplished under the very eyes of the main protaginists and it's eventual solution at the climax of the story that will leave you guessing all through the work have seldom been bettered. Nice!

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Dickson/Carter puzzler caught my eye for the Egyptology and the British Wodehouse quality. It also reminded that my middle school librarian use to buy Dick Francis books for me. It wasn't quite the same, but still an exotic diversion on the subway. I delayed finishing it to draw out the suspense, and it was passable.

[Catherine Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This intriguing case is based on the Egyptian archeology rage which seized the world after the King Tut discovery. A titled female archeologist brings home a cursed lamp and disappears in her own home. This is a Sir Henry Merrivale mystery with fun and hijinks.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Pearl recommended this author a while ago on KUOW and I can't believe I never read this delicious brain candy before. Don't expect complex characters or plots that transcend the genre--just expect a "locked room" style mystery that you will probably stay up all night finishing.

[Tawnya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun short mystery/suspense(Egypt is involved, of course---my favorite kind of mysteries!)

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was a pleasant mystery. I did find the main detective a little tiresome.

[Andy Plonka · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Dickson Carr specializes in sleight ooand stories of which this is an excellent example.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

H.M. solves a mysterious disappearance from a country house.

[Irfan Nurhadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a bit anticlimactic, the humor is not as good as the previous book. I still enjoy it though.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

A diverting little mystery,not one of Carr's more difficult plots,
this one concerning an impossible disappearance rather than a locked room
conundrum.
Definitely worth a read.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: like the 1922 discovery of Tutankhamun, Herihor's tomb has been found. One leader dies and a member disappears. Is it cursed?

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very clever mystery with great clueing ,misdirection and mystification while the solution is simple and elegant . Very enjoyable read . While it's not his best ,its easily in the top half .