Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN num: 9780821726075
ISBN number: 0821726072
Label: Zebra
Manufacturer: Zebra
Quantity: 1
Printing Date: March 01, 1989
Publishing house: Zebra
Sale Popularity Level: 2272898
Studio: Zebra
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers -
John Dickson Carr excelled at creating "impossible" crimes and then explaining how they occurred. To enjoy Carr's mysteries, you must like puzzles that have intricate solutions, and not mind that a few aspects may be difficult to follow. While Carr's solutions are clever, these mysteries were written in the 1930s to 1950s, so there may be an occasional clue that doesn't hold up in today's CSI era. Though some will disagree, Carr's most entertaining mysteries are those that feature Sir Henry Merrivale (written under the name Carter Dickson).
BEHIND THE CRIMSON BLIND is the 21st Sir Henry Merrivale mystery. Why would a master burglar carry an empty iron chest, which would seem to be nothing but a nuisance, when executing and leaving his crimes? The solution is clever, and not too much of a stretch. (You have to be a bit forgiving with a Carr mystery.) And the identity of the burglar is surprising. But BTCB is marred by several acts of excessive violence, including one by H.M. himself and one that is illogical. (The police shoot the only suspect who can identify the burglar when they probably could have captured him.) One bad guy is overdrawn and unpleasant to read about. And the story goes on somewhat too long. Passable, but I'd rank BTCB last among the 22 H.M. mysteries.
If you're a newcomer to H.M., read the mysteries in the order in which they were published. Or start with one of these: "The Curse of the Bronze Lamp," "Nine--and Death Makes Ten," "He Wouldn't Kill Patience," "A Graveyard to Let," "She Died a Lady."
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