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kate66's review
4.0
Language and women's place in the world very dated but the end was good and worth the read.
ericwelch's review
4.0
Good light reading. John Dickson Carr wrote many detective stories under several different pseudonyms. The Emperor's SnuffBox is representative of the fine stories he created. It's based on the classic conundrum of the man having an affair with a married woman. They are in a bedroom when they witness a murder being committed in a room across the street. They are the only witnesses and when an innocent man is charged with the crime, they must decide whether to reveal what they know, making their affair public, or to remain silent. Carr makes the scenario even more interesting. Eve Neill has her ex-husband in her bedroom. He wants to win her back before she can marry Tony Lambs. They witness the murder of Tony's father, who lives across the street. Through a series of bizarre circumstances, Eve gets locked out of her house, gets blood on her nightgown, and a piece of a shattered snuff box that was found next to the murdered man is discovered in her clothes. (That unexplainable piece is the key to the solution of this marvelous puzzle.) She is charged with the murder but hopes she will be able to count on her ex- to substantiate her alibi. But Ned is dying of a contused head wound. The solution is pure Carr who was famous for his locked room mysteries.
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