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Loading... The Judas Window (1938)by Carter Dickson
![]() No current Talk conversations about this book. This has the magnificent Sir Henry Merrivale as barrister for the defense, which is a plus. It also has a defendant who confesses to murder in open court to prevent tho production in evidence of an obscene photo of the woman he loves. On the negative side, it has an improbable murder method and an emotionally unsatisfactory villain. I've been busy and tired so, as I often do, have been re-reading a swag of classic crime novels for relaxation. This was the first Carter Dickson novel I ever read and, though I don't find it in the same league as the work of the Queens of Crime, it's a very interesting and enjoyable "locked room" mystery starring the larger than life (in all senses of the word) Sir Henry Merrivale (or HM, or "The Old Man"). The solution is rather far fetched, but the story and characters are compelling, as is the unexpectedly racy motivation behind the crime - which has echoes in the present day world of sexting. I'd recommend it to classic crime buffs. In this novel, as in so many others by Carr/Dickson, it's not only a question of whodunit as whyd(s)hedoit, howd(s)hedoit, whatwasthevictimdoing, whoslyin', and multiple other problems. The solution(s) are accessible to the reader, but only through painstaking parsing of just about every pronouncement by every character and careful analysis of the implication of nearly every seemingly trivial detail of description. In fact, the trivial details are the ones to be scrutinized most carefully, since they only exist to enlighten and mystify. In other words, this book and its kin are games, precursers of today's video games, with twists and turns throughout and just about as much character development as Super Mario. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesBelongs to Publisher SeriesAdey's Locked Room Murders (0608) Il giallo [Mondadori] (1322) SaPo (12) Den svarte serie (95) Is contained inNotable Lists
Only young James Answell could have committed the murder. After all, he was found unconscious in the locked room next to the body of the murdered man. His clothes were disheveled from an apparent struggle. The whiskey decanter containing the liquor he said was used to knock him out was full to the brim. All the glasses on the table were clean. His fingerprints were found on the murder weapon, an arrow from the victim's collection. Furthermore, he was heard arguing with the dead man, whose daughter he wished to marry. Just about everyone is convinced that James is headed for a date with the hangman. Everyone except Sir Henry Merrivale, H.M. to his friends and associates. He's convinced that the real murderer used a "Judas window" to commit the crime. Pay no attention to the architects who designed the building, H.M. insists. In fact, he says, you'll find a Judas window in practically every room. "The trouble is that so few people ever notice it." First published in 1938, The Judas Window is considered by many to be the best locked room mystery of all time. Carter Dickson is, of course, the pseudonym of John Dickson Carr, the universally acknowledged grand master of the form. No library descriptions found.
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I'm hoping to try another John Dickson Carr sometime that's a little more zippy. (