Three Golden Age British-style whodunits from the Edgar Award–winning writer Agatha Christie called “a master magician . . . the king of the art of misdirection.”
One of the most popular Golden Age mystery authors, John Dickson Carr was also lauded by his peers. Agatha Christie offered him the highest praise from one mystery writer to another: “Very few detective stories baffle me, but Mr. Carr’s always do.” And Dorothy Sayers enthused: “Mr. Carr can lead us away from the small, artificial world of the ordinary detective plot into the menace of outer darkness. . . . Every sentence gives a thrill of positive pleasure.”
Featured in Carr’s widely acknowledged masterpiece, The Hollow Man, Dr. Gideon Fell is a portly sleuth whose formidable intellect is the terror of every criminal in London and the envy of every detective in Scotland Yard.
The Blind Barber: Aboard the majestic ocean liner Queen Victoria, the theft of a reel of top-secret government film sets off a chase involving stolen jewels, massive marionettes, and a corpse that won’t stay put. It will take the timely intervention of Dr. Fell to cut through the shipboard shenanigans and unmask a killer.
“A good mystery and lots of fun in the bargain.” —The New York Times
Death-Watch: A clockmaker is puzzled by the theft of the hands from a monumental new timepiece he is preparing for a member of the nobility. When one of the stolen hands is found buried between a policeman’s shoulder blades, stopping his clock for all time, Dr. Fell comes to the aid of Scotland Yard, putting him squarely in the path of a madman with nothing but time on his hands.
“There has probably never been, either in real life or in fiction, a more elaborately planned crime than this one.” —The New York Times
To Wake the Dead: On a wager, mystery novelist Christopher Kent travels from Johannesburg to London with only the cash in his wallet and the clothes on his back. He arrives with twenty-four hours to spare, his wallet and stomach both empty. But while having breakfast at a luxurious hotel, he is implicated in the murder of a guest. Fleeing the scene, Kent takes refuge with Dr. Fell. For Kent, getting to London was easy. The trick will be avoiding the hangman.
“An excellent novel of crime and puzzlement.” —The New York Times
