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Dr. Gideon Fell #9
To Wake the Dead
Wealthy young Christopher Kent has undertaken a that he cannot work his way from South Africa to England without recourse to his own bank account. With less than twenty-four hours left before he can reveal himself and win the bet, Kent arrives at a London hotel he knows, hoping to scam a meal--only to find himself trapped in a room with a half open trunk and a dead woman's body.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1938
81 people are currently reading
356 people want to read
About the author
John Dickson Carr
423 books488 followersAKA Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson and Roger Fairbairn.
John Dickson Carr was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, in 1906. It Walks by Night, his first published detective novel, featuring the Frenchman Henri Bencolin, was published in 1930. Apart from Dr Fell, whose first appearance was in Hag's Nook in 1933, Carr's other series detectives (published under the nom de plume of Carter Dickson) were the barrister Sir Henry Merrivale, who debuted in The Plague Court Murders (1934).
John Dickson Carr was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, in 1906. It Walks by Night, his first published detective novel, featuring the Frenchman Henri Bencolin, was published in 1930. Apart from Dr Fell, whose first appearance was in Hag's Nook in 1933, Carr's other series detectives (published under the nom de plume of Carter Dickson) were the barrister Sir Henry Merrivale, who debuted in The Plague Court Murders (1934).
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April 20, 2024
Do Not Disturb. Dead Woman.
Review of The Murder Room eBook (November 19, 2012) of the Harper and Brothers hardcover original (1938)
To Wake the Dead is another one of John Dickson Carr's "impossible crime" novels featuring Dr. Gideon Fell as the amateur sleuth who explains it all when the police authorities are baffled. This one involves a dead body being found in a Piccadilly Circus hotel room with a sign hanging on the door saying "Do Not Disturb. Dead Woman."
The front cover of the original 1938 Harper and Brothers hardcover. Image sourced from Goodreads.
Various individuals had been seen entering the room earlier in the evening but there was also a side door which allowed for unobserved exits. The woman was travelling as part of a tour group and her husband had been murdered a few weeks earlier. Now she herself has fallen victim. A bracelet has gone missing but then mysteriously reappears. A pair of mismatched women's suede shoes have been left outside the hotel room for 'polishing.' An unknown hotel employee was apparently seen outside the hotel room door with a pile of towels hiding their face. A drunken man insists that he saw a hotel employee at the country estate where the husband died. The drunk himself is arrested on suspicion, and is locked up at the time of the 2nd murder. How can it all be explained?
Dr. Fell figures it out of course, but the explanation is pretty outrageous and felt like cheating i.e. someone who couldn't have committed the crimes is still proved to be the perpetrator. It was a definite 10 out of 10 on the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale i.e. impossible to solve by the reader.
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.
John Dickson Carr took the inspiration for Dr. Gideon Fell's appearance from that of author G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), writer of the Father Brown mysteries and other works.
Photograph of G.K. Chesterton. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
The source of the name Dr. Fell is apparently from the apocryphal epigram:
Review of The Murder Room eBook (November 19, 2012) of the Harper and Brothers hardcover original (1938)
‘Let me understand this,’ he said. ‘Things have come to a fine pass. You don’t know what people are thinking even when they tell you. What do you call that?’
From the head of the table Dr. Fell put down his glass and spoke.
‘I call it,’ he said, ‘a detective story.’
'A master magician ... The King of the Art of Misdirection.' - cover blurb by Agatha Christie for this edition of To Wake the Dead.
To Wake the Dead is another one of John Dickson Carr's "impossible crime" novels featuring Dr. Gideon Fell as the amateur sleuth who explains it all when the police authorities are baffled. This one involves a dead body being found in a Piccadilly Circus hotel room with a sign hanging on the door saying "Do Not Disturb. Dead Woman."
The front cover of the original 1938 Harper and Brothers hardcover. Image sourced from Goodreads.
Various individuals had been seen entering the room earlier in the evening but there was also a side door which allowed for unobserved exits. The woman was travelling as part of a tour group and her husband had been murdered a few weeks earlier. Now she herself has fallen victim. A bracelet has gone missing but then mysteriously reappears. A pair of mismatched women's suede shoes have been left outside the hotel room for 'polishing.' An unknown hotel employee was apparently seen outside the hotel room door with a pile of towels hiding their face. A drunken man insists that he saw a hotel employee at the country estate where the husband died. The drunk himself is arrested on suspicion, and is locked up at the time of the 2nd murder. How can it all be explained?
Dr. Fell figures it out of course, but the explanation is pretty outrageous and felt like cheating i.e. someone who couldn't have committed the crimes is still proved to be the perpetrator. It was a definite 10 out of 10 on the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale i.e. impossible to solve by the reader.
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.
John Dickson Carr took the inspiration for Dr. Gideon Fell's appearance from that of author G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), writer of the Father Brown mysteries and other works.
Photograph of G.K. Chesterton. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
The source of the name Dr. Fell is apparently from the apocryphal epigram:
I do not like thee, Doctor Fell,
The reason why – I cannot tell;
But this I know, and know full well,
I do not like thee, Doctor Fell.
August 13, 2016
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04bzw4wDescription: 1937, on the eve of the coronation of King George VI, a woman is murdered in a grand London hotel. But the police know it's not the first of its kind...
First published in 1938, John Dickson Carr's thriller dramatised in two-parts by Peter Ling.
Starring Donald Sinden as detective, Doctor Gideon Fell. With John Hartley as Supt. Hadley, Richard Johnson as Sir Giles Gray, Wendy Craig as Melita Reaper, John Rowe as Dan Reaper and Tracy-Ann Oberman as Francine Forbes.
April 14, 2020
It looks like Christopher Kent has landed himself in a whole lot of trouble. He has just returned to England on the last leg of a journey from South Africa that has resulted from a bet with his friend Dan Reaper. Reaper claims that Kent, a writer who also has a private income, hasn't done a real day's work in his life and that he will wager that Kent won't be able to work his way back to England in time to meet Reaper there on the morning of February 1st. The only rule--he can't draw on his bank and he can't use his own name because he might be able to draw credit on it.
January 31st finds Kent in Picadilly--just one day away from winning that wager--but he's not got one penny in his pocket. He hasn't eaten since yesterday's breakfast and he's sure he could make it if he could just get a hot meal inside him. He finds himself outside the Royal Scarlet Hotel where he's scheduled to meet Reaper and comes up with an ingenious idea. Despite being without funds, he still looks presentable and he's sure that if he just walks boldly into the dining room like he belongs then he can order up a hot breakfast and charge to a room (any room) and just walk out again.
It's all going splendidly until a hotel attendant comes and tells him there's a problem regarding his room. It seems that the previous occupant has called with claims to have lost a valuable bracelet and won't rest until the room is checked. The attendant doesn't wish to disturb the gentleman's wife who is still sleeping, so would he just go in and check through the drawers and whatnot to see if the bracelet is there. What's a guy to do? If he tells the attendant he's not the husband and reveals why he's cadged a meal, then the bet's off. If he goes along with the attendant and manages to get in the room, how's he to explain himself to the good lady occupying the room? He's still puzzling that last bit out when the attendant uses a master key to get him in the room and he discovers that he's got a far worse problem on his hands. The good lady is dead--strangled with a towel. And, by the way, she's not just any good lady...she happens to be the wife of his cousin...who just happens to be in the hotel as part of Dan Reaper's party. But Kent doesn't recognize her in the dimly lit room.
So...Kent does what any innocent young man in a John Dickson Carr novel does. He sneaks out the side door (the suite conveniently comes with another entrance) and makes his way to his friend Dr. Gideon Fell's home for advice and help. The good news? Fell and Superintendent Hadley (who is there to consult Fell on the murder at the Royal Scarlet Hotel) seem to believe that he's innocent--provided he can prove when he arrived and his whereabouts the previous evening. The bad news? Jenny Kent isn't the only one who's dead. Christopher's cousin Rodney Kent was killed in a very similar manner to his wife about two weeks previous at a country house in Northfield.
There are various clues available to Fell and Hadley--from the man in the hotel uniform who was observed at both scenes around the time of the murders to a drawer full of ripped up photographs (and one that was not ripped up) to a second bracelet belonging to the dead woman. There are also a great many connections to the past--both the past of the dead woman and the past in Northfield.
Carr, as per usual, provides a highly entertaining story with interesting characters. He spreads clues about and displays most of them--but there is a bit of information that isn't revealed properly until it's too late for the reader to beat Fell to the punch. And there is one bit of business that takes a bit of swallowing to believe that (oops, can't tell you who) didn't, in all those years, discover that (oops can't tell you what, either). I, mean, really...if my (that thing I can't tell you) had the characteristic that the one in the story did, I'd think I notice at some point. But--other than those two points--the story is quite good and Fell in fine form. He tells Hadley that he is not going to lecture on the mystery and then proceeds to do so. He enumerates various questions that, if they can answer them properly, will provide the solution to the crimes. Naturally, Fell is able to answer them all by story's end.
[First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
January 31st finds Kent in Picadilly--just one day away from winning that wager--but he's not got one penny in his pocket. He hasn't eaten since yesterday's breakfast and he's sure he could make it if he could just get a hot meal inside him. He finds himself outside the Royal Scarlet Hotel where he's scheduled to meet Reaper and comes up with an ingenious idea. Despite being without funds, he still looks presentable and he's sure that if he just walks boldly into the dining room like he belongs then he can order up a hot breakfast and charge to a room (any room) and just walk out again.
It's all going splendidly until a hotel attendant comes and tells him there's a problem regarding his room. It seems that the previous occupant has called with claims to have lost a valuable bracelet and won't rest until the room is checked. The attendant doesn't wish to disturb the gentleman's wife who is still sleeping, so would he just go in and check through the drawers and whatnot to see if the bracelet is there. What's a guy to do? If he tells the attendant he's not the husband and reveals why he's cadged a meal, then the bet's off. If he goes along with the attendant and manages to get in the room, how's he to explain himself to the good lady occupying the room? He's still puzzling that last bit out when the attendant uses a master key to get him in the room and he discovers that he's got a far worse problem on his hands. The good lady is dead--strangled with a towel. And, by the way, she's not just any good lady...she happens to be the wife of his cousin...who just happens to be in the hotel as part of Dan Reaper's party. But Kent doesn't recognize her in the dimly lit room.
So...Kent does what any innocent young man in a John Dickson Carr novel does. He sneaks out the side door (the suite conveniently comes with another entrance) and makes his way to his friend Dr. Gideon Fell's home for advice and help. The good news? Fell and Superintendent Hadley (who is there to consult Fell on the murder at the Royal Scarlet Hotel) seem to believe that he's innocent--provided he can prove when he arrived and his whereabouts the previous evening. The bad news? Jenny Kent isn't the only one who's dead. Christopher's cousin Rodney Kent was killed in a very similar manner to his wife about two weeks previous at a country house in Northfield.
There are various clues available to Fell and Hadley--from the man in the hotel uniform who was observed at both scenes around the time of the murders to a drawer full of ripped up photographs (and one that was not ripped up) to a second bracelet belonging to the dead woman. There are also a great many connections to the past--both the past of the dead woman and the past in Northfield.
Carr, as per usual, provides a highly entertaining story with interesting characters. He spreads clues about and displays most of them--but there is a bit of information that isn't revealed properly until it's too late for the reader to beat Fell to the punch. And there is one bit of business that takes a bit of swallowing to believe that (oops, can't tell you who) didn't, in all those years, discover that (oops can't tell you what, either). I, mean, really...if my (that thing I can't tell you) had the characteristic that the one in the story did, I'd think I notice at some point. But--other than those two points--the story is quite good and Fell in fine form. He tells Hadley that he is not going to lecture on the mystery and then proceeds to do so. He enumerates various questions that, if they can answer them properly, will provide the solution to the crimes. Naturally, Fell is able to answer them all by story's end.
[First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
October 8, 2018
The plot itself was interesting, the story fairly good, and most of the characters interesting. However, especially at the end, the characters acted in a very unrealistic manner and it all got a little bit silly.
If I'm brutally honest, some of the character's actions seemed rather out of place even from the start.
I didn't realise this one was #9 in the series, I may see if I can find book #1 to see if the character's odd behaviour is a one off in book #9.
If I'm brutally honest, some of the character's actions seemed rather out of place even from the start.
I didn't realise this one was #9 in the series, I may see if I can find book #1 to see if the character's odd behaviour is a one off in book #9.
September 29, 2018
Another very puzzling and engrossing mystery by JDC.Though this was not one of the locked room mysteries for which Carr is famous,it's still one enormously convoluted mystery that leaves you suspecting the street dog after you have run out of suspects because of aparent alibies or lack of motive.
As usual dr.Fell lectures and puts forward a full dozen questions ,which must be answered satisfactorily to arrive at the correct solution . I couldn't and I believe very few people would even though all the clues are there . There are a few facts that is unearthed by police machinery that was not on the table but the clues to the facts were there.
Apart from a sourpuss heroine and another naughty old boy rest of the characters were likable enough . I would rank this above crooked hinge as this was more satisfactory overall while lacking the wonderful atmosphere of the Crooked Hinge. Read it if you get the chance ,I don't think you will be disappointed if you have read a JDC before.
As usual dr.Fell lectures and puts forward a full dozen questions ,which must be answered satisfactorily to arrive at the correct solution . I couldn't and I believe very few people would even though all the clues are there . There are a few facts that is unearthed by police machinery that was not on the table but the clues to the facts were there.
Apart from a sourpuss heroine and another naughty old boy rest of the characters were likable enough . I would rank this above crooked hinge as this was more satisfactory overall while lacking the wonderful atmosphere of the Crooked Hinge. Read it if you get the chance ,I don't think you will be disappointed if you have read a JDC before.
August 13, 2016
From BBC Radio 4 Extra:
1937, on the eve of the coronation of King George VI, a woman is murdered in a grand London hotel. But the police know it's not the first of its kind...
2/2: Dr Gideon Fell's murder investigation reaches its climax as King George VI is about to be crowned.
First published in 1938, John Dickson Carr's thriller dramatised in two-parts by Peter Ling.
Starring Donald Sinden as detective, Doctor Gideon Fell. With John Hartley as Supt. Hadley, Richard Johnson as Sir Giles Gray, Wendy Craig as Melita Reaper, John Rowe as Dan Reaper and Tracy-Ann Oberman as Francine Forbes.
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1997.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04bzw4w
1937, on the eve of the coronation of King George VI, a woman is murdered in a grand London hotel. But the police know it's not the first of its kind...
2/2: Dr Gideon Fell's murder investigation reaches its climax as King George VI is about to be crowned.
First published in 1938, John Dickson Carr's thriller dramatised in two-parts by Peter Ling.
Starring Donald Sinden as detective, Doctor Gideon Fell. With John Hartley as Supt. Hadley, Richard Johnson as Sir Giles Gray, Wendy Craig as Melita Reaper, John Rowe as Dan Reaper and Tracy-Ann Oberman as Francine Forbes.
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1997.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04bzw4w
December 13, 2018
My second JDC and it was certainly more interesting and intriguing than "The Case of the Constant Suicides".
The characters were nicely-drawn and the plot neatly misleading, with an unexpected twist.
A very underrated mystery, probably as it is not a locked room one.
Highly enjoyable and recommended.
The characters were nicely-drawn and the plot neatly misleading, with an unexpected twist.
A very underrated mystery, probably as it is not a locked room one.
Highly enjoyable and recommended.
November 21, 2017
Adequate but sub par for Carr. Full review at classicmystery.wordpress.com
January 18, 2025
Double murder…
Christopher Kent has undertaken a wager with Dan Reaper that he can get from South Africa to London without using his own name or money. Kent works and wangles his way over, and is outside the Royal Scarlet Hotel in Piccadilly the day before he is due to meet Reaper there to win his bet. Broke and hungry, he scams a breakfast out of the hotel by pretending to be a guest, but gets tangled up in trouble when the hotel manager asks him to accompany him to the room that he has claimed is his to look for a bracelet left behind by the previous occupant. It turns out there is no bracelet in the room. There is, however, a dead body – a woman, clearly murdered. Kent escapes from the hotel and makes his way to the home of Gideon Fell, whom he knows slightly though only by correspondence. But Fell already knows about the murder since his friend Superintendent Hadley is already there consulting with him about it. Hadley breaks it to Kent that the woman in the room was, in fact, Jenny Kent, the wife of Christopher's cousin, Rodney, and Rodney had also been killed in the same manner a couple of weeks earlier. Since Christopher is quite easily able to prove that he was on a ship in the middle of the ocean at the time of Rodney’s death, he then becomes a third party with Fell and Hadley investigating the crimes…
The fact that the dead woman was a relative of Kent’s isn’t as much of a coincidence as it sounds. Dan Reaper and his party, which included several friends or relatives of Kent, had already turned up at the hotel and had taken over the entire top floor. Since it’s soon clear that it would have been very difficult for an outsider to get into Jenny’s room unseen by hotel staff, suspicion quickly falls on this group. But if one of them is guilty, then it seems that the police have made a mistake over the first murder, Rodney’s. For they have arrested a man who lived near the house in which they had all then been staying, in Northfield, and he was in a police cell at the time of Jenny’s murder.
Carr specialises in the howdunit so the reader is well aware that the solution is going to depend on lots of deliberately confusing details about who was where when, and how X could have got from A to B without being seen by Y, and so on. This can sometimes get rather tedious to those of us who prefer whodunits, where the emphasis is usually on motive and character at least as much as opportunity and method. However, sometimes Carr manages to get a reasonable balance between intricate puzzle and interesting mystery, and he more or less achieves that in this one.
The story is told mostly through dialogue among all the various characters, which makes it a demanding task for the narrator of an audiobook. Jonathan Keeble handles it very well, giving each character a distinctive voice so that it’s easy to know who’s talking at any point. His voicing of Fell himself is particularly good, bringing out the larger than life aspects of his personality.
The plot is interesting, as we gradually learn more about the group of characters and their relations with each other. It soon transpires that more than one of them has secrets, and that not everyone is what they appear to be! Gideon Fell himself continues to grow on me – his friendship cum rivalry with Superintendent Hadley adds quite a lot of humour as they spar over possible solutions and gleefully tear each other’s suggestions apart. Of course it’s Fell who gets to the solution in the end, but Hadley is no slouch either – he’s not one of those stupid policemen so beloved of mystery writers. And Christopher Kent adds an entertaining element in that he is a mystery writer, so his contribution is to say how he would make different aspects of the crimes work out if he was writing the story. Not quite breaking the fourth wall, but close!
The eventual solution is a total cheat – there is no way that the reader could have worked it out, and frankly it all becomes too ludicrous anyway. But that’s usually the way with howdunits, and it’s no more unfair than most of them. Despite that, I found it an enjoyable romp – not his best, perhaps, but still good fun!
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Christopher Kent has undertaken a wager with Dan Reaper that he can get from South Africa to London without using his own name or money. Kent works and wangles his way over, and is outside the Royal Scarlet Hotel in Piccadilly the day before he is due to meet Reaper there to win his bet. Broke and hungry, he scams a breakfast out of the hotel by pretending to be a guest, but gets tangled up in trouble when the hotel manager asks him to accompany him to the room that he has claimed is his to look for a bracelet left behind by the previous occupant. It turns out there is no bracelet in the room. There is, however, a dead body – a woman, clearly murdered. Kent escapes from the hotel and makes his way to the home of Gideon Fell, whom he knows slightly though only by correspondence. But Fell already knows about the murder since his friend Superintendent Hadley is already there consulting with him about it. Hadley breaks it to Kent that the woman in the room was, in fact, Jenny Kent, the wife of Christopher's cousin, Rodney, and Rodney had also been killed in the same manner a couple of weeks earlier. Since Christopher is quite easily able to prove that he was on a ship in the middle of the ocean at the time of Rodney’s death, he then becomes a third party with Fell and Hadley investigating the crimes…
The fact that the dead woman was a relative of Kent’s isn’t as much of a coincidence as it sounds. Dan Reaper and his party, which included several friends or relatives of Kent, had already turned up at the hotel and had taken over the entire top floor. Since it’s soon clear that it would have been very difficult for an outsider to get into Jenny’s room unseen by hotel staff, suspicion quickly falls on this group. But if one of them is guilty, then it seems that the police have made a mistake over the first murder, Rodney’s. For they have arrested a man who lived near the house in which they had all then been staying, in Northfield, and he was in a police cell at the time of Jenny’s murder.
Carr specialises in the howdunit so the reader is well aware that the solution is going to depend on lots of deliberately confusing details about who was where when, and how X could have got from A to B without being seen by Y, and so on. This can sometimes get rather tedious to those of us who prefer whodunits, where the emphasis is usually on motive and character at least as much as opportunity and method. However, sometimes Carr manages to get a reasonable balance between intricate puzzle and interesting mystery, and he more or less achieves that in this one.
The story is told mostly through dialogue among all the various characters, which makes it a demanding task for the narrator of an audiobook. Jonathan Keeble handles it very well, giving each character a distinctive voice so that it’s easy to know who’s talking at any point. His voicing of Fell himself is particularly good, bringing out the larger than life aspects of his personality.
The plot is interesting, as we gradually learn more about the group of characters and their relations with each other. It soon transpires that more than one of them has secrets, and that not everyone is what they appear to be! Gideon Fell himself continues to grow on me – his friendship cum rivalry with Superintendent Hadley adds quite a lot of humour as they spar over possible solutions and gleefully tear each other’s suggestions apart. Of course it’s Fell who gets to the solution in the end, but Hadley is no slouch either – he’s not one of those stupid policemen so beloved of mystery writers. And Christopher Kent adds an entertaining element in that he is a mystery writer, so his contribution is to say how he would make different aspects of the crimes work out if he was writing the story. Not quite breaking the fourth wall, but close!
The eventual solution is a total cheat – there is no way that the reader could have worked it out, and frankly it all becomes too ludicrous anyway. But that’s usually the way with howdunits, and it’s no more unfair than most of them. Despite that, I found it an enjoyable romp – not his best, perhaps, but still good fun!
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
November 18, 2025
sarebbe un 3,5 ⭐️ in realtà, libro scritto top ti tiene incollato ti piace e anche la risoluzione è molto intrigante MA c’è una cosa che a me smorza tantissimo l’entusiasmo ed è IL PASSAGGIO SEGRETO NELLA STAZIONE DI POLIZIA
dai è tra le regole fondamentali dei gialli classici non avere passaggi segreti altrimenti il lettore si sente raggirato, lo fa dire anche Carr stesso al suo personaggio Fell in Le Tre Bare nella sua disamina del delitto a camera chiusa e ok questo non è a camera chiusa ma QUASI e comunque a prescindere i passaggi segreti sono noiosi
dai è tra le regole fondamentali dei gialli classici non avere passaggi segreti altrimenti il lettore si sente raggirato, lo fa dire anche Carr stesso al suo personaggio Fell in Le Tre Bare nella sua disamina del delitto a camera chiusa e ok questo non è a camera chiusa ma QUASI e comunque a prescindere i passaggi segreti sono noiosi
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2024
⭐️ 2.5 stars ⭐️
July 12, 2018
John Dickson Carr writes fun locked room murder mysteries. To Wake the Dead is a light engaging read in the style of the classic British mystery tradition, with Dr. Gideon Fell the brilliant detective who can cut through the confusing clues and lies to solve a seemingly impossible murder. An enjoyable cosy read.
September 21, 2014
I think to the English murder is not really thought of as a brutal crime but more of a thoughtful and contemplative art form requiring careful planning, even emotions and extreme patience. One must not run about hurry scurry with a knife or gun in an emotionally charged state of mind expecting to find either monetary award or vengeance. No one must be committed to a minimum of six to eighteen months of complicated planning or plotting if you prefer, because once the crime is committed, one will be inevitably faced with an English detective more than well educated in all the nuances of cat and mouse. And, with an English detective it is always frightfully nerve racking playing the role of the mouse, because inevitably one becomes ensnared in a trap of ones own making. Making one wonder, what was the point of all that plotting in the first place?
Good, but typically English even if Carr was but a displaced American.
Good, but typically English even if Carr was but a displaced American.
September 7, 2015
Another excellent Dr. Fell mystery. I didn't guess the murderer correctly in this one, but I blame that on the absence of certain clues which only came to light at the end after the murderer had been exposed.. :/
February 15, 2019
Presents an interesting mystery; but the ultimate solution is something of a cheat, and thus unsatisfying.
Full review (with spoilers) on my blog.
Full review (with spoilers) on my blog.
July 8, 2020
Unsatisfactory. Begins promisingly with a "wrong man" angle (a la Judas Window( but this is quickly and inexplicably dropped. The investigation is a dull affair and the solution not worth the effort. Not fair play either -- solution involves hidden passages and secret compartments.
March 2, 2014
Another typical Dr Fell book-love the character. Read many years ago and reread last year. Author always an easy read especially when traveling. Love the time period in which the stories are set.
September 30, 2014
A completely British mystery novel by an American author. No spectacular revelations, just a good, steady plot, some interesting characters.
July 11, 2016
More classic Fell. What can I say? Carr was a master.
May 28, 2020
Highly entertaining!!
November 2, 2025
As per usual, Carr reels the reader in almost immediately, as a rather improbable set of circumstances ends with young Christopher Kent discovering a murdered corpse (later revealed to be that of his cousin's wife) in a hotel room. Once his own innocence is established, Kent becomes an active participant in the subsequent investigation alongside Dr. Gideon Fell and Superintendent Hadley. He soon learns that the aforementioned cousin was already killed in similar fashion a few days earlier, and from there we get all the usual twists and turns until Fell unravels the tangled thread at the end.
Like other reviewers, I found the solution ingenious in some respects and questionable in others. In all honesty, I don't get too hung up in trying to solve mysteries while I'm reading them; what I do find a bit unsatisfying is when the explanation involves conjecture and leaps of logic that aren't justified by the evidence presented, especially when crucial facts aren't fixed upon as they naturally would be when the investigators are discussing the case. I'll enumerate my gripes in spoilers below:
I feel like the best examples of this kind of mystery - think Agatha Christie at the top of her game - manage to dangle the necessary details in front of your face throughout the story without you even realising their importance. To my mind, Carr went a bit overboard in trying to keep the clues as oblique as possible, to the point where some of Fell's deductions come across as essentially sorcery, even in hindsight.
Like other reviewers, I found the solution ingenious in some respects and questionable in others. In all honesty, I don't get too hung up in trying to solve mysteries while I'm reading them; what I do find a bit unsatisfying is when the explanation involves conjecture and leaps of logic that aren't justified by the evidence presented, especially when crucial facts aren't fixed upon as they naturally would be when the investigators are discussing the case. I'll enumerate my gripes in spoilers below:
I feel like the best examples of this kind of mystery - think Agatha Christie at the top of her game - manage to dangle the necessary details in front of your face throughout the story without you even realising their importance. To my mind, Carr went a bit overboard in trying to keep the clues as oblique as possible, to the point where some of Fell's deductions come across as essentially sorcery, even in hindsight.
September 23, 2025
5/5
Another masterpiece by John Dickson Carr. A great entry to the ethos of Murder Mysteries. A fiendishly beautiful crime committed by an equally adept murderer who had Dr. Fell on his toes through the entirety of the novel. I am truly astounded by the depth of Carr's intelligence in creating such interesting problems one after the another with such consistent brilliance.
Enough praise about the novel, let's discuss it as we usually do:
The Detective and the Method of Detection : 5/5
The Criminal : 5/5
The Method of Crime : 5/5
The Detective, as usual, is Dr. Gideon Fell, the rotund gentleman who always speaks eloquently and has an exasperating effect on Superintendent Hadley, the usual Police Force in the series. The case this time around is of a series of murders, committed in locked rooms in two different places, a country house in Northfield and a hotel in London, with the only evidence of the murderer being a strange blue coat uniform with silver buttons. We also have a stolen bracelet that complicates matters. On the outset, there is no connection between the two murders except that the two victims were husband and wife. How Dr. Fell uses his brilliant mind to weave together random facts to get to the root of the problem and the identity of the murderer is the crux of the novel. It's always invigorating to see a master at work and I highly recommend everyone to do so with as little information available beforehand as possible.
Moving to the murderer, here again Carr has struck gold. I'm always of the opinion that the detective story is only as good as the cunning of the criminal. And I'm to say this novel features a man of such iron will and ingenuity that he would have escaped stockfree if not for the presence of Dr. Fell. The method of the crime is also so fascinating and unique, appearing at first glance to denounce the murderer of any involvement, but on closer inspection being his trademark. Another aspect of the murderer that I find appealing is that he seems like an average man that the reader must have come across in their own life. The murderer is relatable at once when we know his motivation though the author does try to paint them in a psychotic light. From another perspective, they are the heros of their own story and what more could you ask from your villians.
Overall, a great read. Highly recommended to everyone who has a passion for mysteries.
Can't wait to read more!!!
Another masterpiece by John Dickson Carr. A great entry to the ethos of Murder Mysteries. A fiendishly beautiful crime committed by an equally adept murderer who had Dr. Fell on his toes through the entirety of the novel. I am truly astounded by the depth of Carr's intelligence in creating such interesting problems one after the another with such consistent brilliance.
Enough praise about the novel, let's discuss it as we usually do:
The Detective and the Method of Detection : 5/5
The Criminal : 5/5
The Method of Crime : 5/5
The Detective, as usual, is Dr. Gideon Fell, the rotund gentleman who always speaks eloquently and has an exasperating effect on Superintendent Hadley, the usual Police Force in the series. The case this time around is of a series of murders, committed in locked rooms in two different places, a country house in Northfield and a hotel in London, with the only evidence of the murderer being a strange blue coat uniform with silver buttons. We also have a stolen bracelet that complicates matters. On the outset, there is no connection between the two murders except that the two victims were husband and wife. How Dr. Fell uses his brilliant mind to weave together random facts to get to the root of the problem and the identity of the murderer is the crux of the novel. It's always invigorating to see a master at work and I highly recommend everyone to do so with as little information available beforehand as possible.
Moving to the murderer, here again Carr has struck gold. I'm always of the opinion that the detective story is only as good as the cunning of the criminal. And I'm to say this novel features a man of such iron will and ingenuity that he would have escaped stockfree if not for the presence of Dr. Fell. The method of the crime is also so fascinating and unique, appearing at first glance to denounce the murderer of any involvement, but on closer inspection being his trademark. Another aspect of the murderer that I find appealing is that he seems like an average man that the reader must have come across in their own life. The murderer is relatable at once when we know his motivation though the author does try to paint them in a psychotic light. From another perspective, they are the heros of their own story and what more could you ask from your villians.
Overall, a great read. Highly recommended to everyone who has a passion for mysteries.
Can't wait to read more!!!
June 20, 2021
Mid-20th Century North American Crime and Mystery
COUNTDOWN - 10 (of 250) - Favorite Dark Comedy
Carr was born in North America Even though Carr is considered by some to be a British writer, he was born in North America.
Hook - 4: First of all, there is the title of Chapter 1: "The Crime of Having Breakfast." And how is that a crime? When you walk into a hotel where you are not registered, declare your room number is 707, and steal a huge meal. Why? A bet has been made: could a wealthy, rather lazy man travel from South Africa to London in one month with no money and no access to funds and not mention hiis famous name.
PACE - 4: A dense novel, a mental exercise in density of clues, red herrings, seemingly odd motivations which raise question after question in a reader's mind. There were times when I wanted to read on but needed to review notes: I shall outsmart Carr! But no.
PLOT - 5: Brilliant. Carr is considered the master of locked room mysteries, but here there is at least a half dozen impossibilities strung together.
CAST - 5: Carr is Christopher Kent, our traveler to London. A friend asks, "Oh, Chris, if you weren't so beastly intolerable." Carr/Kent replies, "Intolerant? Me?". Friend, "Chris, you sail through the world in your own sweet way...For instance, Jenny." And Jenny is described as socially dangerous, o much so that she might come to no good, but only after her husband, Rodney, is murdered before this story even begins. Sir Gyles "is a bachelor and seems to have welcomed a lot of company in his new country house." Superintendent Hadley paces Gyles' rugs, "measuring the spots in the carpet..." Old Bellowes had "a taste for doing a lot of the work with his own hands...". There are MANY clues within character descriptions. Magnificent!
ATMOSPHERE - 5: The stately, glamorous hotel. An English Country House. A lodge. Time tables. Travel. Fun!
SUMMARY - 4.6: This is an author writing at the height of his powers, giving us mysteries on top of mysteries. As I read this, I continually wrote down various theories as to what was taking place. And once I was almost correct.
COUNTDOWN - 10 (of 250) - Favorite Dark Comedy
Carr was born in North America Even though Carr is considered by some to be a British writer, he was born in North America.
Hook - 4: First of all, there is the title of Chapter 1: "The Crime of Having Breakfast." And how is that a crime? When you walk into a hotel where you are not registered, declare your room number is 707, and steal a huge meal. Why? A bet has been made: could a wealthy, rather lazy man travel from South Africa to London in one month with no money and no access to funds and not mention hiis famous name.
PACE - 4: A dense novel, a mental exercise in density of clues, red herrings, seemingly odd motivations which raise question after question in a reader's mind. There were times when I wanted to read on but needed to review notes: I shall outsmart Carr! But no.
PLOT - 5: Brilliant. Carr is considered the master of locked room mysteries, but here there is at least a half dozen impossibilities strung together.
CAST - 5: Carr is Christopher Kent, our traveler to London. A friend asks, "Oh, Chris, if you weren't so beastly intolerable." Carr/Kent replies, "Intolerant? Me?". Friend, "Chris, you sail through the world in your own sweet way...For instance, Jenny." And Jenny is described as socially dangerous, o much so that she might come to no good, but only after her husband, Rodney, is murdered before this story even begins. Sir Gyles "is a bachelor and seems to have welcomed a lot of company in his new country house." Superintendent Hadley paces Gyles' rugs, "measuring the spots in the carpet..." Old Bellowes had "a taste for doing a lot of the work with his own hands...". There are MANY clues within character descriptions. Magnificent!
ATMOSPHERE - 5: The stately, glamorous hotel. An English Country House. A lodge. Time tables. Travel. Fun!
SUMMARY - 4.6: This is an author writing at the height of his powers, giving us mysteries on top of mysteries. As I read this, I continually wrote down various theories as to what was taking place. And once I was almost correct.
December 22, 2023
I did not like this Fell mystery as much as the previous ones. I don't think the author was fair in presenting the clues throughout the story. It felt like towards the end he threw in a clue that wasn't even alluded to which I felt was necessary to figuring out the identity of the murderer, sort of a deux ex machina. That is not to say that I will not continue reading the series.
“CONSEQUENTLY,” PURSUED THE SUPERINTENDENT, “I think you can help us.” For the first time a human look appeared on his face, the shadow of an exasperated smile. “I’ve come to this duffer for help,” he nodded towards Dr. Fell, who scowled, “because it seems to be another of those meaningless cases which delight his heart so much. Here are two young people, a happily married couple. It is universally agreed (at least, it’s agreed by everyone I’ve spoken to) that neither of them had an enemy in the world. They certainly hadn’t an enemy in England, for neither of them has ever been out of South Africa up until now. There seems no doubt that they were as harmless a pair as you’d find anywhere. Yet somebody patiently stalks and kills them—one at Sir Gyles Gay’s place in Sussex, the other here at the Royal Scarlet Hotel. After killing them, the murderer stands over them and batters their faces with a vindictiveness I’ve not often seen equalled. Well?”
“No!” he roared. “No, by the temple of Eleusis! And there’s one main reason why I don’t. I think (mind you, I say I think) I know just half this affair; with luck I may be able to get the other half. But there’s a strong possibility, on which I am balanced at the moment, that the explanation may be exactly opposite to what I think it is: for that reason I haven’t even dared to explain fully to Hadley. And he has some new information. I don’t want to raise your hopes, and put you off-guard in case——”
“Eleusis,” repeated Kent, as Dr. Fell stopped in mid-sentence. “...Didn’t the Eleusinian mysteries celebrate the descent of Persephone into the underworld, and her return to the light of day? System of rewards and punishments?” He added, “‘To wake the dead.’”
“CONSEQUENTLY,” PURSUED THE SUPERINTENDENT, “I think you can help us.” For the first time a human look appeared on his face, the shadow of an exasperated smile. “I’ve come to this duffer for help,” he nodded towards Dr. Fell, who scowled, “because it seems to be another of those meaningless cases which delight his heart so much. Here are two young people, a happily married couple. It is universally agreed (at least, it’s agreed by everyone I’ve spoken to) that neither of them had an enemy in the world. They certainly hadn’t an enemy in England, for neither of them has ever been out of South Africa up until now. There seems no doubt that they were as harmless a pair as you’d find anywhere. Yet somebody patiently stalks and kills them—one at Sir Gyles Gay’s place in Sussex, the other here at the Royal Scarlet Hotel. After killing them, the murderer stands over them and batters their faces with a vindictiveness I’ve not often seen equalled. Well?”
“No!” he roared. “No, by the temple of Eleusis! And there’s one main reason why I don’t. I think (mind you, I say I think) I know just half this affair; with luck I may be able to get the other half. But there’s a strong possibility, on which I am balanced at the moment, that the explanation may be exactly opposite to what I think it is: for that reason I haven’t even dared to explain fully to Hadley. And he has some new information. I don’t want to raise your hopes, and put you off-guard in case——”
“Eleusis,” repeated Kent, as Dr. Fell stopped in mid-sentence. “...Didn’t the Eleusinian mysteries celebrate the descent of Persephone into the underworld, and her return to the light of day? System of rewards and punishments?” He added, “‘To wake the dead.’”
July 12, 2021
This was a much better Carr than I was expecting! Even though it is not a commonly mentioned Carr - having come out the same year as The Crooked Hinge, The Judas Window, etc. - it is still a very interesting puzzle and a great mystery overall. The hook is probably my favorite part of the story - Christopher Kent trying to finish his bet of going from South Africa to London without using his own money or name, finally getting to the hotel that is his ending point, grifting as the guest in a hotel room the receipt of which has blown down from the top floor to his hands, and - of course - finding a dead body whose identity hits close to home. I actually knew this exact hook before I knew this book itself - indeed I was much less familiar with Carr then as I was now - because my mom read this book a long time ago and remembered it. Somehow through the magic of Google I was able to manipulate the words describing the opening and actually managed to find this book. So in that way it kind of holds a special place for me.
The mystery, while not locked-room, was very solid, complex, and in the end satisfying. I feel like this is the kind of mystery that Ellery Queen was trying to write in the Nationality mysteries, but which they often did not reach the level of. Although Carr does cheat a little bit (!) in a couple smaller parts of the solution, the general conceits which hide the murderer's identity and the way all the strange circumstances (the hotel uniform, the bracelet, and a whole lot more) fit together at the end is really nice to read. Even with its flaws, this is just a grade-A solution for me. The star off is mainly for the way it kind of gets slow in the second quarter of the book (even with all the revelations given here, it is rather slow, but then a fabulous false solution ushers in the much quicker third quarter.) Overall, I would recommend this Carr to see how he manages a more "conventional" mystery.
The mystery, while not locked-room, was very solid, complex, and in the end satisfying. I feel like this is the kind of mystery that Ellery Queen was trying to write in the Nationality mysteries, but which they often did not reach the level of. Although Carr does cheat a little bit (!) in a couple smaller parts of the solution, the general conceits which hide the murderer's identity and the way all the strange circumstances (the hotel uniform, the bracelet, and a whole lot more) fit together at the end is really nice to read. Even with its flaws, this is just a grade-A solution for me. The star off is mainly for the way it kind of gets slow in the second quarter of the book (even with all the revelations given here, it is rather slow, but then a fabulous false solution ushers in the much quicker third quarter.) Overall, I would recommend this Carr to see how he manages a more "conventional" mystery.
June 23, 2022
When fiction writer Christopher Kent cages a breakfast at a hotel where he is to meet his best friend and win a bet, little does he know that he will become involved in a murder mystery.
Ten weeks earlier, Kent had been in an argument with his best friend Dan Reaper regarding writers using their experiences in the writing. Reaper challenges him to take on manual labor, rather than his family money, in order to make his way from South Africa to England. Reaper will be there with his wife, Melitta; Kent's cousin Rodney and his wife, Jenny; family friend Harvey Wrayburn; and Dan's niece Francine.
When he enters the hotel, he is sent into a situation where he discovers the body of Jenny. Now fearing for himself, he flees and pleads his case to Dr. Gideon Fell. Soon he and Fell are joined by Sup. Hadley of CID investigating not one but two deaths.
This is a twisty, multilayered — complicated — mystery where of course, just about everyone could be the murderer. But the biggest twist comes right at the end. The clues are there but I never saw them, so the end was indeed a big surprise. Dr. Gideon Fell is indeed an intriguing character and I enjoyed his way of investigating, including, asking the 'suspects' to describe each other.
I enjoyed reading Dickson Carr's books as a teen but have recently returned to reading them and once again I'm finding in these books mysteries in which I mull over the clues right along with the fictional investigator. Carr, very much one of the great writers of the "Golden Age" mysteries, wrote complex, plot-driven stories that force the reader to consider everything that he writes. The cases often do seem to be impossible before all the clues come together. Yet this doesn't seem like work, this is a delightful puzzle that you can enjoy over and over again, just by reading a new book.
Ten weeks earlier, Kent had been in an argument with his best friend Dan Reaper regarding writers using their experiences in the writing. Reaper challenges him to take on manual labor, rather than his family money, in order to make his way from South Africa to England. Reaper will be there with his wife, Melitta; Kent's cousin Rodney and his wife, Jenny; family friend Harvey Wrayburn; and Dan's niece Francine.
When he enters the hotel, he is sent into a situation where he discovers the body of Jenny. Now fearing for himself, he flees and pleads his case to Dr. Gideon Fell. Soon he and Fell are joined by Sup. Hadley of CID investigating not one but two deaths.
This is a twisty, multilayered — complicated — mystery where of course, just about everyone could be the murderer. But the biggest twist comes right at the end. The clues are there but I never saw them, so the end was indeed a big surprise. Dr. Gideon Fell is indeed an intriguing character and I enjoyed his way of investigating, including, asking the 'suspects' to describe each other.
I enjoyed reading Dickson Carr's books as a teen but have recently returned to reading them and once again I'm finding in these books mysteries in which I mull over the clues right along with the fictional investigator. Carr, very much one of the great writers of the "Golden Age" mysteries, wrote complex, plot-driven stories that force the reader to consider everything that he writes. The cases often do seem to be impossible before all the clues come together. Yet this doesn't seem like work, this is a delightful puzzle that you can enjoy over and over again, just by reading a new book.
August 9, 2021
In 'To Wake the Dead', Christopher Kent tells an innocuous lie that lands him in hot water when a dead woman is discovered in a hotel room. Her surprising identity and trunk are just the start of an intriguing case for Superintendent Hadley and Dr. Fell to solve.
The crime scene was puzzling. Adding to the mystery were the towels, the victim's unique bracelet and the strange sightings of an unidentified person clad in a hotel uniform. These evoked many questions such as the significance and whereabouts of said uniform, how the killer managed to get away unseen, etc.
The suspects were an interesting and diverse bunch who at one point or another aroused suspicion. On top of that, there were secrets and connections tied to the past. As usual, Superintendent Hadley and Dr. Fell made for a great team and the latter's deductions were spot on.
I enjoyed the denouement and the detailed explanations of how Dr. Fell figured out every piece of the puzzle though certain things required suspension of disbelief.
Overall, 'To Wake the Dead' was delightfully smart and suspenseful.
The crime scene was puzzling. Adding to the mystery were the towels, the victim's unique bracelet and the strange sightings of an unidentified person clad in a hotel uniform. These evoked many questions such as the significance and whereabouts of said uniform, how the killer managed to get away unseen, etc.
The suspects were an interesting and diverse bunch who at one point or another aroused suspicion. On top of that, there were secrets and connections tied to the past. As usual, Superintendent Hadley and Dr. Fell made for a great team and the latter's deductions were spot on.
I enjoyed the denouement and the detailed explanations of how Dr. Fell figured out every piece of the puzzle though certain things required suspension of disbelief.
Overall, 'To Wake the Dead' was delightfully smart and suspenseful.
November 4, 2018
Every murder mystery author cheats. I know I do. Whether it's detaching from the detective's point of view for a crucial bit of evidence or disregarding plausibility, whodunnits have to play fast and loose with the rules in order to present impossible crimes. No crimes have been as impossible as the ones by John Dickson Carr. I could tell you that all the clues are there, but I'm not sure how true that statement would be. In the end, entertainment is all that matters. To Wake the Dead is plenty entertaining. Dr. Gideon Fell is one of those characters who would be maddening in real life, but wonderful on the page. A husband and wife are killed weeks apart by a mysterious figure in a hotel uniform. The method of murder is exactly the same and the same group of suspects is involved in both cases. If you are familiar with Carr's work, then you know that everyone will be suspected, ruled out, and then suspected all over again. The book isn't quite as ingenious as some of his more famous work, but it would probably be a good place to start.
February 11, 2025
There's a terrific opening - a decent man pretends to be a hotel guest to cadge a free breakfast, and is innocently asked by the management to get something from 'his' room only to discover a murder scene - and a cute final scene, but the rest of the book feels like Carr is going through the murder mystery motions. A travelling party of friends and relations has two of their members violently murdered and mutilated and they seem, at best, mildly put out (they even take the widow to the theater to cheer her up, and their behavior is neither a biting statement from Carr nor a clue for the reader - they're not really human characters, just puzzle pieces for the author to move around); the solution to the mystery is sort of impossible, and some points are left unexplained; and Gideon Fell himself references several of his other cases that he seems to have found more interesting. Carr is a solid, professional writer who moves the story along and provides some colorful quips, but it's really just a time-killer of a novel.
October 8, 2023
It seems to me that this is a bit more of a cheat than others that I have read; I am sure the clues are given, but there is one significant and quite salient detail that would make the case much less mysterious, and yet no one seems to be paying any attention to it until it is time for Dr. Fell to explain the whole matter. In fact, as I look back, the reader must piece it out from an oblique hint hidden in one sentence and the illustration, and yet a decent detective would certainly have noticed and pointed it out.
The victims seem to be kind of nonentities, which is not helped by our entering the story after both murders have already occurred. Also I could not see the supposed attraction between the romantic couple (that one is sort of explained by the last few lines but still).
The victims seem to be kind of nonentities, which is not helped by our entering the story after both murders have already occurred. Also I could not see the supposed attraction between the romantic couple (that one is sort of explained by the last few lines but still).
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