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A review by diannamorganti
The Three Coffins by John Dickson Carr
5.0
I picked The Three Coffins (aka Hollow Man) up when, after I started reading the Poirot mysteries, Adam mentioned the term "Locked Room Mysteries". Having not read many classic mysteries before, I was ignorant of the genre. So, what does any internet-savvy person do when they want a superficial introduction to a subject, of course I Wikipedia-ed it (you can burn me later). Anyway, this book was listed as the epitome of the locked-room mystery.
This book is actually a fantastic way to get acquainted with locked-room mysteries, because the main character (the grumbling mumbling Dr. Fell whose employ is unknown) considers himself an expert on literature in general, and the concept "the locked-room mystery" in specific, and goes on a chapters-long diatribe about its conventions in literature and their applications to the mystery at hand. He figures to solve the crime by treating it as if it were a piece of literature. This diatribe, I believe, is what got the book voted as best.
This was such a fun book. I had to read slowly and re-read sections - I wanted to savor the character descriptions and plot twists. In such a celebrated mystery, I knew I'd want to analyze and try to figure it out myself rather than simply reading through it for plot and letting the characters sort out the mystery.
If I hadn't in recent months declared I'd stop starting new series (gees, I hardly have time for non-series reading anymore), I'd go through these from number 1 on up. If you're looking for a great classic mystery series, this one is great. Dr. Fell is just as lovable as Inspector Poirot.
This book is actually a fantastic way to get acquainted with locked-room mysteries, because the main character (the grumbling mumbling Dr. Fell whose employ is unknown) considers himself an expert on literature in general, and the concept "the locked-room mystery" in specific, and goes on a chapters-long diatribe about its conventions in literature and their applications to the mystery at hand. He figures to solve the crime by treating it as if it were a piece of literature. This diatribe, I believe, is what got the book voted as best.
This was such a fun book. I had to read slowly and re-read sections - I wanted to savor the character descriptions and plot twists. In such a celebrated mystery, I knew I'd want to analyze and try to figure it out myself rather than simply reading through it for plot and letting the characters sort out the mystery.
If I hadn't in recent months declared I'd stop starting new series (gees, I hardly have time for non-series reading anymore), I'd go through these from number 1 on up. If you're looking for a great classic mystery series, this one is great. Dr. Fell is just as lovable as Inspector Poirot.