Detektivka s prvky strašidelného románu, která je považována za klasiku tzv. záhady zamčeného pokoje. V pracovně svého londýnského domu je zavražděn úctyhodný profesor Grimaud, jehož krátce předtím navštívil podivný iluzionista s požadavkem urovnání jakéhosi starého dluhu. Vrah, jak se zdá, unikl z dokonale zamčené a hlídané místnosti, aniž po sobě zanechal sebemenší stopu uvnitř nebo na souvislé sněhové pokrývce kolem domu. Řešení záhady a zejména motiv činu je třeba hledat v dávné, temné minulosti pana profesora... Klasická detektivka, v níž je důkladně rozebrána tzv. záhada zamčeného pokoje a možnosti jejího řešení. Pátrání se tu ujímá amatérský detektiv dr. Gideon Fell, který svým zevnějškem i názory nápadně připomíná autorův velký vzor, jednoho z otců detektivky G. K. Chestertona.

Clever locked room mystery. Carr's style when writing Dr. Fell is a bit didatic and may turn off some readers but I loved the (somewhat lengthy) exposition Fell gives about the various types of so-called "locked room" mysteries. As he says himself:

"    "When the cry of 'This-sort-of-thing-wouldn't-happen!' goes up, when you complain about half-faced fiends and hooded phantoms and blond hypnotic sirens, you are merely saying, 'I don't like this sort of story.' That's fair enough. If you do not like it, you are howlingly right to say so. But when you twist this matter of taste into a rule for judging the merit or even the probability of the story, you are merely saying, 'This series of events couldn't happen, because I shouldn't enjoy it if it did.'"

As I was starting this book, I realized that I had read a few other Gideon Fell mysteries before and that Fell wasn't as much fun as Gervase Fen. In other words, I do not much like Carr's mysteries or perhaps just not his writing style.

However, this seemingly insoluble, improbable locked-room mystery in which the murderer didn't even leave footprints in the snow was extremely clever. I thought I had suspected everyone in turn but not once did I come close to the true culprit! Carr plays fair with the reader -- there are no hidden facts brought out only during the solution. In fact, he tells you in the first chapter the names of certain witnesses whose testimony can be relied on to be truthful and complete!! Yet despite this broad hint and Fell uttering cryptic clues periodically, I only deciphered one small aspect of the crime.

In addition, Gideon Fell did make me chuckle several times with his pronouncements, such as when he gives rules about what ghosts should be like in English fiction (they should be seen in old abbeys or cemeteries, not lemonade stands). I also liked his mention of several other mystery novels and authors who excelled at certain types of mysteries during his discourse mentioned above.

Overall, I would recommend this as an excellent example of a certain style of mystery (the locked room) which is no longer fashionable.
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A shame that John Dickson Carr isn’t as well known as Conan Doyle, Christie and others. This was so much fun and so well written for a locked room mystery! I definitely need to check out more of his works. ( )

Couldn't finish. It was worse than a textbook. ( )

Really spooky beginning, clever solution, and an (apparently famous) lecture in one chapter about the mechanics of the locked-room mystery.
The only thing was, none of the characters did much for me. I found it odd that the brilliant sleuth had *two* Everyman sidekicks and wasn’t sure what the point of that was. And Dr. Gideon Fell is less interesting than Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes. But as a locked-room mystery it’s first in its class.

'But, if you're going to analyse impossible situations,' interrupted Pettis, 'why discuss detective fiction?'
'Because,' said the doctor, frankly, 'we're in a detective story, and we don't fool the reader by pretending we're not. Let's not invent elaborate excuses to drag in a discussion of detective stories.’

Soooo meta ( )