A classic mystery that I never read when I was younger but was given the opportunity now, and I must say was pleasantly surprised by the wit and humor at times though the subject could have been made darker by other authors. Here though at times, you get the English good manners along with some humor but you don’t know it right away at least for me anyway. I found this to be a very good read with really good characters and a book that I will read again.

I am so glad the British Library are bringing classics like this back into print, as this is possibly one of John Dickson Carr’s greatest works. Darkly funny, with Gideon Fell eating scenery as usual, Till Death Do Us Part has all the hallmarks of a great Fell novel. It examines interesting themes regarding justice and truth, themes which Fell’s character grapples with time and time again. Highly recommended, especially for golden age mystery aficionados.

This title is part of the author’s Dr. Gideon Fell Series; there are many books that feature this sleuth. The book is published by Poisoned Pen Press as part of their commitment to reissuing classic mystery stories from earlier eras. Till Death Do Us Part originally came out in the 1940s.

Carr was known for his locked room mysteries, of which this was one. The case is meant to intrigue and to be possible for an astute reader to solve (that does not always include me). The plot in this one is complex. Is a mystery writer’s fiancee a murderer? If so, how many crimes has she committed? Or, is his fiancee being unjustly accused? Gideon Fell is eventually called in to solve the case with his expertise.

Those who enjoy crime novels dating from the 1940s will be thrilled with this one as will be those who are already the author’s fans.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

An entertaining read featuring John Dickson Carr's regular sleuth Dr. Gideon Fell confronting a locked room mystery. The characters are well drawn, and we are kept in suspense particularly in regards to the two women in the main character's life. The solution to the mystery and how exactly a particular murder was carried out is explained in a satisfying way.

This was such a fun little mystery - John Dickson Carr writes great puzzles! I really enjoyed the setting, an idyllic English village between the wars, and the twists and turns of the story were so entertaining. Locked room mysteries are always a chance for an author to get really inventive, and it works here to perfection.

My ARC of this expired before I was able to download it, but I was finally able to get my hands on a copy for myself and I’m glad I did. Locked room mysteries are my absolute favorite, and this one was quite solid, with a twisty and dramatic plot and a satisfying ending. This was my first novel by John Dickson Carr, and I’m looking forward to reading more in the future.

Having read two golden age Dr. Gideon Fell mysteries before and not finding them to my liking, I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed “Till Death Do Us Part” by John Dickson Carr. The plot is quite clever, the mystery is full of twists and turns, and the action makes you want to keep turning the pages.

Although written in 1944, the setting is interwar England, the small village of Six Ashes. Dick Markham is in love, he is celebrating his engagement to Lesley Grant, a mysterious new addition to the village who is a bit reluctant to talk about her past. At the village fete, a new neighbor plays the role of fortune teller, who upsets Lesley with his predictions and gets “accidently” winged with her rifle. Confiding in Dick later that day, he confesses to being a famous pathologist who tells him that Lesley is a notorious serial husband killer who hasn’t been caught due to her cleverness, and that Dick is (obviously) next on the list. Early the next morning Dick is called to the neighbor’s cabin, where he is found dead in the method that was described to Dick just the night before. Can Dr. Gideon Fell solve the mystery of how the killer was able to escape the locked room?

Oh, to be in an English village between the wars. We have all the usual golden age elements here: an old doddering Lord of the manor, family black sheep, secret identities, nosy Postmistress, two women in love with the same man, mysterious strangers, missing jewels, blackmail, and many, many hidden secrets. And of course, a second murder before our detective is able to catch the killer. I am still not a fan of Dr. Gideon Fell, but he seems much more tolerable in this story than in the others I have read. A very nice mystery with an interesting ending.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

A very psychologically twisty mystery, with reversals in perspective coming fast and furious. The plot keeps moving along quickly also, adding to a near-frantic atmosphere for the main protagonist. An entertaining read!

This has been out since 1989 and lots of helpful reviews already. This is fun, has some good humor, Recommended for fans of the author and those seeking a light fun mystery.

I really appreciate the free review copy for review!!

Oh wow this story had me hooked early one!! It kept me guessing the entire time. It was a great mystery and I am glad I got a chance to read it.

With multiple twists and turns, this mystery from the Golden Age of Detection will keep you guessing until the end. Every couple of chapters gave a new twist to the characters and to the possible solution to the crime. I was so surprised by the solution, but it completely made sense.

I loved the book.

John Dickson Carr is considered a master of the locked room mystery and Till Death Do Us Part is a good example of that. This is the first Gideon Fell book I think I’ve read, but it worked fine as a standalone.

Dick Markham with his fiancee, Lesley Grant, arrive late to the village fair. Events lead to Lesley accidentally shooting the fortune teller, renowned criminologist Sir Harvey Gilman. Later Markham hears from Gilman the story of Lesley’s life as a serial poisoner. Soon Superintendent Hadley and Dr. Gideon Fell become involved when a murder occurs in the village.

It’s an enjoyable mystery. The characters are the usual odd lot that lives in fictional small towns, with assorted secrets and jealousies. There is plenty of misdirection, lots of red herrings, and several people who aren’t who we think. I did not guess who the killer was or how they managed to pull it off. It’s a quick read, but I think I might have to read a couple more Fell books before I know if I’m a fan.

John Dickinson Carr and Gideon Fell are always an excellent exercise in logic and puzzle solving. This is a well done and gripping locked room mystery and i had a lot of fun in reading it.
I loved the puzzle and the characters. It's an excellent Golden Age mystery and I'm glad I read it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

In pre-WWII village of Six Ashes, Richard Markham with his fiancee, Lesley Grant, arrive late to a village fete. Events leads Lesley to shooting the fortune teller, renowned crimologist Sir Harvey Gilman. Later Markham hears from Gilman the story of Lesley's life as a serial poisoner. Soon Superintendent David Hadley and Dr. Gideon Fell become involved when another murder occurs.
An interesting and enjoyable murder mystery with its cast of varied and likeable characters. Another good addition to this series which can easiy be read as a standalone story.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Originally published in 1944

Till Death Do Us Part is the 15th Dr. Gideon Fell mystery by John Dickson Carr. Originally released in 1944 this reformat and re-release, out 5th May 2020 is part of the British Library Crime Classics series by Poisoned Pen Press. The new edition is 272 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. (Other editions available in other formats). It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

The author is, of course, known for his impossible locked room mysteries. This is another such. Set in England in the years before the second world war, tranquil village life is rocked by a series of accidents (or perhaps not). Soon Dr. Gideon Fell is on hand from London to untangle the mystery.

As with the others in the series, there is an introduction by mystery history expert and historian Martin Edwards. As engaging as these classic mysteries have been, I have looked forward in equal measure to Mr. Edwards' always insightful background commentary.

Four stars. It's a bit dated (it's 78 years old) but has worn well for all that, with a cleverly constructed mystery, smoothly engineered plot, and well written dialogue.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Great read!

There’s a jolly good reason why this is part of British Library Crime Classics. It’s fascinating, although in this day and age, slightly fussy with the crime maven keeping all the information stored in his head and occasionally forgetting to tell his satellites what he’s doing, or has done.
The murder is a mess of rumor, false starts and a needless death but most satisfying in it’s solving and execution. Atmospheric!
Martin Edward’s Introduction is insightful, placing Carr’s works and centrality to the genre firmly in orbit. The last sentence a fitting tribute to Carr.
“Till Death Do Us Part is a dazzling showcase for the great man’s detective skills and a reminder of Carr’s gift for constructing a fiendish mystery plot.”

A Poisoned Pen ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the publisher.

How can someone be murdered in a lock room? The premise of 'Till Death Do Us Part'. A British Crime Classic that was first published in 1944, and being rereleased by Poison Pen August 2, 2022.

Lesley Grant is recently engaged to David Markham. She has only lived in the village for six months and now someone has started a vicious rumor. They saw she has gotten away with murder 3 times,and that the police know it's her, but each murder takes place in a locked room.

Be ready for a fast paced read. It kept me turning the page. It can easily be read in a day, if you aren't interrupted with life, as I was. I enjoyed this quaint mystery. Of course, I was wrong on who did it, and how. There are a lot of likely suspects. Read the book and see if you can figure out how a murder is committed in a locked room.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poison Pen for the Kindle Version of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Happy Reading 📚😀📚

Till Death Do Us Part by John Dickson Carr is deemed to be a classic locked-room mystery. This was my introduction to Carr’s series detective, Gideon Fell. My goodness, isn’t he larger than life? I can see why everyone assumed he was based upon the writer, G.K. Chesterton – both men physically dominate rooms due to their size and with their flamboyant speech.

Crudely summarised, the plot is that Dick Markham has become engaged to Lesley Grant. Everyone is surprised because it was understood that he would marry Cynthia Drew, who obviously adores him. Sir Harvey Gilman, the famous Home Office pathologist, pretends to be an exotic eastern fortune teller at the village fete. He’s just about to tell Dick who Lesley really is when she shoots him – completely by accident, of course! He survives the shooting and tells Dick that Lesley is a poisoner and has killed three men. Dick is, understandably, now uncertain about his fiancée. But is Gilman correct? Although Lesley didn’t fatally wound him, he does die later that night – in a locked room. He can’t have killed himself, but no-one else can have been in the room and left it locked from the inside. So how did he die?

Carr plays the reader like a fish on a line. Dick (and we) are told something bad about Lesley; but then we see a different view. Is she a poisoner? Is it malicious gossip? Does she truly love Dick? By the end of the book, I didn’t know what or who to believe – and that’s Carr’s point. If A tells us something about B, why do we believe it? (And enough of us do – look at how fake news and disinformation spreads in the 2020s.) But, equally, there are plausible rogues who can convincingly deny accusations. Of course someone would deny being a murderer – but that doesn’t mean they didn’t do it.

If you enjoy mysteries; if you enjoy Golden Age detective stories; read this book. I’m still not 100% sure how the locked room setup was achieved but I don’t care and it doesn’t matter – this is a rollicking good read by a master of the art.

This is a delightful golden age locked room mystery by the genre's master, John Dickson Carr. One of the Gideon Fell series, the portly detective is tasked with solving a murder where even the victim is a mystery.

This is almost a pure plot novel, with the characters feeling like merely vehicles to present the puzzle mystery. Still, its fun to try to solve along with the (clueless) leading man, Dick Markham, as his suspicions about his fiancee mount.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A locked room mystery by John Dickson Carr is a story to behold, unfortunately not up to his standard this time. Still enjoyable with many twist and turns and of course that locked room, with Dr Fell presiding. I really enjoy books that fit into the Golden Age window, I enjoy the time travel and penmanship of the writer. Just a little too many twists in this one. . Thanks you NetGalley and Poison Pen Press for the DRC