This was my second attempt to check out a mystery sub-genre: the locked room mystery. The previous book I had (tried to) read didn’t work out for me, but this one did. I’m glad I gave this one a shot.
This book is set in 1936 London, and it starts right away with some small mysteries, leading up to a murder in a locked room. As expected in these kinds of books, the murder seems impossible. Then, to add some more layers of complexity there is a painting stolen which also seems to be impossible, and then finally one more impossible murder. Of course, all of these events are connected, and it is up to an old magician and his Scotland Yard detective friend to figure it all out.
The writing here is well done. The characters are interesting and everyone seems like they are hiding something. The reader treats each new person as a possible suspect, and the locations and time period seem genuine and realistic. Compared with the previous book I read, there is a high degree of skill and storytelling that pulls the reader in.
There is a point at which (as is tradition in these kinds of books, apparently) the author announces that you now have all the information necessary to solve the mystery yourself, and once you are ready you can continue reading for the big reveal. Personally, I had no idea whodunnit, so I was completely surprised by the reveal. I can see why some people really enjoy these stories – they can puzzle things out and see if they were right. The author has to come up with a result that is both surprising and believable, which I imagine is a very tough balance to manage.
I felt that the reveal here was a little far-fetched for my taste, but I suppose not many people read these kinds of books for a realistic ending.
So after this little experiment I think I’d probably be happy to read more of these kinds of books, but I think I’ll read more from some of the classic authors first.
Next I am going back to science fiction, by reading The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis.
