Scan barcode
A review by bhavani
The Case of the Constant Suicides by John Dickson Carr
3.0
Rating: 3.5 stars
The first half of this book is a pure joy to read. JDC has a sense of humor that I think is similar to P.G. Wodehouse. The story gets serious around the 50% mark with the arrival of Dr. Gideon Fell. However, there are light-hearted moments during the investigation, especially between Alan, Kathryn, and Colin Campbell, and Charles Swan. While I loved the humorous language and scenes, the book's investigation portion fell (pun not intended) flat for me, hence the 3.5 stars rating. If not, I'd have given it 4 stars.
One of this story's biggest pull for me is the setting, both the place and time. I don't think I've ever read a murder mystery set during WWII's early years. One paragraph, early in Chapter 1, caught my attention completely.
"Not that anyone had cause for apprehension. It was only the first of September, and the heavy raiding of London had not yet begun. We were very young in those days. An air-raid alert meant merely inconvenience, with perhaps one lone raider droning somewhere, and no barrage."
I love the sense of nostalgia and the ominous hint of things to come conveyed in this paragraph. Another thing I loved about this book is its vocabulary. I learned so many new words, which doesn't happen often. The description of the hangover in Chapter 9 is marvelous! I didn't like the underlying misogyny in the character's comments towards Kathryn and Elspat.
The introduction mentions that The Case of the Constant Suicides is a book many regard as the most entertaining JDC ever wrote. I don't know if this is the most entertaining book he ever wrote because I've only read this book, but it is highly entertaining, and I'd recommend it if you love locked room mysteries with a lot of humor and gorgeous settings.
The first half of this book is a pure joy to read. JDC has a sense of humor that I think is similar to P.G. Wodehouse. The story gets serious around the 50% mark with the arrival of Dr. Gideon Fell. However, there are light-hearted moments during the investigation, especially between Alan, Kathryn, and Colin Campbell, and Charles Swan. While I loved the humorous language and scenes, the book's investigation portion fell (pun not intended) flat for me, hence the 3.5 stars rating. If not, I'd have given it 4 stars.
One of this story's biggest pull for me is the setting, both the place and time. I don't think I've ever read a murder mystery set during WWII's early years. One paragraph, early in Chapter 1, caught my attention completely.
"Not that anyone had cause for apprehension. It was only the first of September, and the heavy raiding of London had not yet begun. We were very young in those days. An air-raid alert meant merely inconvenience, with perhaps one lone raider droning somewhere, and no barrage."
I love the sense of nostalgia and the ominous hint of things to come conveyed in this paragraph. Another thing I loved about this book is its vocabulary. I learned so many new words, which doesn't happen often. The description of the hangover in Chapter 9 is marvelous! I didn't like the underlying misogyny in the character's comments towards Kathryn and Elspat.
The introduction mentions that The Case of the Constant Suicides is a book many regard as the most entertaining JDC ever wrote. I don't know if this is the most entertaining book he ever wrote because I've only read this book, but it is highly entertaining, and I'd recommend it if you love locked room mysteries with a lot of humor and gorgeous settings.