The Emperor's Snuff-Box

This is one of the most perfectly plotted mysteries I've read. The book is thin on characterization, and the misogyny of the times is difficult for this 21st century woman to take in stride. That being said, Carr is at the top of his form with this intense, tightly woven tale of murder, deception, and double dealing. Well worth a read if for nothing else, to see a master at the height of his powers.

Reasonable mystery---all the necessary clues are there and reasonable. It was fun to read, even all the postponed revelations of whodunit. I had narrowed down my choices about who the murderer was to two; does that count as almost guessing it?

I was reminded of the old romantic comedies where Cary Grant is the ex-husband and Ralph Bellamy the new fiance. But this Cary Grant burnt his wife with a cigarette while he was drunk; he was very apologetic afterwards, but I wondered if that was acceptable behavior when the book was written. (We learn if it is by the end of the story.) And this Ralph Bellamy, while as insistent on upright behavior on the part of his bride-to-be, is less insistent on his own honorable behavior.

The Emperor’s Snuff-Box by John Dickson Carr was published in 1942. The detective in this Carr mystery is a psychologist named Dr. Dermot Kinross.

Sir Maurice is found dead in his own home with his skull smashed in. The hunt for his murderer forms the central mystery.

The plot of The Emperor’s Snuff-Box is pretty good. The writing is first-rate but some of the characters do come across as rather artificial.

Another good thing is that the book is fairly short. I managed to finish it in a day.

My main problem with the story was that I felt absolutely no sympathy for the heroine of this story, Eve Neil.

The ever misunderstood and beautiful Eve gets caught up in every little trap that is set up for her and then in all her efforts to get out show more of it, muddles the situation even more! And then she usually seeks help from some man or other, all the while moping about how misfortune will not leave her alone. In short, Eve is basically the quintessential wallflower.

Overall, The Emperor’s Snuff-Box is a good, satisfying short mystery. It’s a pity that I dislike the character of Eve Neil so much! show less

This is a very good detective novel from John Dickson Carr that is not locked room and is not part of his Fell, Merrivale, or Bencolin series. Eve says she looked out her window and saw Sir Hawes working on part of his collection, but when she looked again, he was dead. The presence of residue of one of his prized snuff boxes and witnesses reporting her washing blood from her hands lead to her becoming the main suspect. As always with Carr, you need to consider what the 3rd person narration says along with the words of the characters. Definitely one of his best.

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 show more 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. show less

I've read other Carr books I've liked better, but if you enjoy mysteries where "whodunnit" is very hard to figure out, you'll probably rate it 4 or 5 stars. I did pick up on a few things, but I definitely did not guess the killer. This is true for me whether his books appear under the "John Dickson Carr" or "Carter Dickson" name. In fact, I've guessed Carr's killer only ONCE, and even then it was perhaps two pages before the revelation.

Classic detective story with a nice slightly brittle feel to it. Thouroughly enjoyed