Great collection of golden age locked room stories. Some were new to me , some I revisited but almost all I enjoyed. Super nostalgic stories. Good selection of interesting authors.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Penzler Publications for the opportunity to read this fine collection of 14 locked room stories from the Golden Age of mysteries (mainly written in the 1930s-40s). I admit I am old enough to have read some of these authors who were still writing books later than this time period, and I was pleased that some of my favourite past authors were included in this book.

This collection focuses on classic stories in the locked room category. This refers to a murder committed in a room locked from the inside, or in another location where the crime seems impossible to have been committed or to solve. My favourite mystery writers of the past were John Dickson Carr and Cornell Woolrich and was excited that they were included in this anthology. I had read the books Woolrich wrote under the name of William Irish. I also enjoyed Frederic Brown, known for his extremely brief short stories.
I have come to prefer modern mysteries that rely more on showing rather than telling and with some intensity of action. Classic locked room mysteries challenged the reader with subtle clues, but it took a detective or an amateur sleuth to describe whodunit and by what ingenious method. They solved the crime by brilliant logic and deduction and explained it all at the conclusion. I felt characters were underdeveloped, probably due to the abbreviated length of most of the stories.

These sleuths worked without modern scientific techniques, such as DNA, surveillance cameras, and GPS tracking by cellphone or hidden devices. This made solving these impossible crimes more challenging but very clever. Their solution to a locked room crime was creative and surprising. There was some obsolete slang that was not a problem. Stories involving a telephone switchboard and an automat dated them firmly in the past.. Happily, there were no racist overtones frequently displayed in stories in that era.

I thought the story by my former favourite, John Dickson Carr, to be too complex, overly long and drawn out to the point of becoming boring. The story by Ellery Queen was more the length of a novella, and it was just OK for me. With any anthology, readers will vary in their choices of stories they enjoy the most. My favourite were those by Anthony Boucher, Frederic Brown, Mignon Eberhart, and Cornell Woolrich, authors familiar to me.. I also enjoyed some writers I was reading for the first time; Stuart Palmer, Craig Rice, and MacKinlay Cantor.

Recommended for readers who are fans of classic mysteries, especially the locked room category.

A nice anthology of classic "locked room" mysteries dates from predominantly the 1930s and 1940s. The settings vary from a touch of the science fiction - a la HG Wells - to the supernatural, missing heirs, actors, greedy and murderous relatives. Add to this a strange selection of detective: a magician, a young girl, an insurance broker, the usual police / detectives, a spinster, and a switchboard operator. Each story is unique - some are lengthy, others short and to the point.

Nice retrospective look back at the golden age of locked room mysteries.

Like many an Agatha Christie fan, a good locked room mystery is irresistible to me. This collection has fourteen of them. The addition of a 'golden age' (1920s-194os) setting sent this right up to the top of my 'to read' list. Some of the mysteries feature an actual locked rooms, others are simply the 'locked room' type - seemingly impossible crimes which ultimately turn out to have rational, if convoluted, explanations.

All fourteen are by different authors and were written contemporaneously - no modern throwbacks. As you'd expect with such a collection, the writing styles are all different and some I liked a lot better than others. It was also interesting to see how some stories had aged much better than others. I find Christie herself to have timelessness about her style, which is true of some of these too. However others felt more dated - full of archaic expressions and wording or attitudes that don't sit well with a modern reader.

My favourite was 'The Light at Three O'Clock' and I also really liked the time-travel murder mystery in 'Elsewhen'. Each story has short introduction - just a couple of pages - about the author. Even if you're not too interested in the history of the genre, it's worth at least skimming these as they sometimes provide good information about the characters and their set-up, which is useful if you're not familiar with them from other works by the author.

The collection should appeal to people who are interested in literary history, and to those who simply enjoy a good selection of detective stories. Personally I almost always prefer novels to short stories, because I like the greater sense of connection with the characters and more complex plots offered by the longer form, and this was no exception to that. But it was worth reading for the stories that I particularly enjoyed, and none of them was downright bad.

DNF

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I tried starting it multiple times but I just couldn't get into it.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Golden Age Locked Room Mysteries by Otto Penzler is a mixed bag. Some of the stories have ingenious twists, whilst others have solutions which are quite easy to spot, but none of them rise above the level of 'casually diverting'. This collection will while away a few hours on a wet Sunday afternoon, but isn't one that I would find myself likely to return to again and again.

Wow! This is a great short story collection. Plus you get a lengthy John Dickson novella—one that I had never heard of before. For any lover of Golden Age mysteries, this is a myst read!

Usually, when something has the name Otto Penzler on it, I'm going to like it. I wasn't disappointed with his latest effort. In this anthology, Penzler has pulled together many locked room mysteries from the Golden Age of Mysteries. The short stories generally take place in the twenties and thirties. Most take place in the United States, but some from England are thrown in for a good balance.

The stories feature the best of the most famous authors, including Ellery Queen, John Dickson Carr and Manly Wade Wellman. But it introduces the audience to some lesser known authors.

As expected, this is the best-0f-the-best when it comes to this genre. It amazed me how creative some of the solutions were. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves or is interested in this genre from within the mystery book sphere.

I really enjoyed this anthology the title sums it up perfectly, I'd forgotten how good some of these authors are. Great to revisit Ellery Queen and John Dickson Carr, masters of the looked room!!! It gets you thinking can we work it out before all is revealed......? A perfect way to spend an afternoon well worth it. Well done to Otto Penzler for picking out some fantastic stories.

Cops burst through a barred door into a room. It’s any room in the world. Windows, locked. Below, a deadly drop. It’s quiet and sedate: the Any-Room, unremarkable but for the putrefying corpse of a slain young girl; nude, prostrate and soaking the sofa with her blood.

That’s the rough setup in what was my favorite of the 14 stories included in “Golden Age Locked Room Mysteries” and it illustrates the niche celebrated in this new release from Penzler Publishers. How could a killer commit his crime, then exit a room that remains locked from the inside? The “locked room” mystery works as a shorthand for the impossible crime, the unbreakable life-and-death riddle.

Leave it to Otto Penzler to find the the myriad writers who perfected this brain-busting sub-genre, primarily in the years between world wars. This anthology is a blast from the past, reaching beneath the heights of Agatha Christie to authors like Ellery Queen and beyond to modern obscurity. It could feel anachronistic or slow to the unprepared reader, but the collection will be grist for any diehard mystery fan’s mill.

Approach knowing this is a genre that had its day, laying a foundation for innumerable talents to come. Penzler of course is the perfect curator, delivering the best from a time and place gone by, but no less fun to love.

I absolutely love a locked room mystery! This book has everything you could want. Some great stories that really get you to play detective and try to work out the cases.

This should be fully expected to be the exemplary in the world of locked room mysteries – thefts that are impossible, murders of people who remain completely out of reach to both man- and monkey-kind. I started for convenience sake with one of the longer works, and lo and behold it was the John Dickson Carr contribution, although here I found the build-up to the mystery to be more satisfying than how the big reveals at the end are played out. I then went back to the opening piece, which was only appropriate, considering it does feature a bloke able to travel back in time to a small extent, which helps him create a locked room in which to commit a murder and get out.

I tried the other long piece next and again found an author I should have slapped wrists for not reading before. Ellery Queen doesn't really offer a locked-room mystery, but he posits a bravura piece of the impossible instead, and it's just the right kind of slap-something-other-than-wrists obvious what the impossible solution is. And it's the joy of the impossible that is the key here, whether it be a seance-giver offed while all around him are in straitjackets, someone killing themself in a prison cell just when their award of a retrial gives them the reprieve from death row they wanted, or an artist's model both murdered and replicated on canvas. Sometimes things are stretched a little too far – one effort tries to have a smoking gun without an identifiable shooter but has spent too long on two identical claimants to the same inheritance, Erle Stanley Gardner's hooey, and the joy of an insurance salesman defending his client is kind of offset by the contrivance by which he says the crime was done.

There is a case for saying the whole Pushkin Vertigo imprint has more stand-out locked room mysteries than this volume has, and knowledge of those proves this is highly flawed by not having anything in translation. The 'Golden Age' here is very much from a reduced canon, then, but that being said this is an enjoyable book. Reading it digitally and early there were hundreds of type-setting errors for the publishers to work through, such as broken paragraphs and changes of scene going unregistered by line breaks, but that preparation under its belt this should still earn four stars. These stories may have been ten-a-penny back in the days of the pulp magazines, but they're not always read now, yet still make for some fine diversions at their best.

“Golden Age Locked Room Mysteries” is the latest in the series of American Mystery Classics curated and/or edited by Otto Penzler. This is a collection of 14 short stories, all involving the “locked room” type of puzzle, a seemingly impossible murder that eventually gets solved/explained. The acknowledged master of this subgenre is John Dickson Carr, who is represented here, along with Ellery Queen, Erle Stanley Gardner, and Craig Rice, and others who may not be as well known.

As is typical in this type of collection, some of the stories appealed to me more than others, and the length of a few of these stretch the definition of “short” stories, but this is definitely a collection worth reading.

“Elsewhen” by Anthony Boucher. A fun story of a time machine with limited usefulness.
“Whistler’s Murder” by Fredric Brown. An insurance investigator needs to prove his client innocent if he wants to sell him a policy. Cute.
“The Third Bullet” by John Dickson Carr. Although he is the acknowledged “master”, I seem to always find Mr. Carr’s stories needlessly complex and a bit boring. This one definitely fits that mold.
“Fingerprint Ghost” by Joseph Commings. One of a couple of magician stories.
“The Calico Dog” by Mignon G. Eberhart. Two young men try to prove they are a missing child, but one of them is a murderer, but which one?
“The Exact Opposite” by Erle Stanley Gardner. The thief Lester Leigh has a long adventure solving a murder and the theft of a ruby. A bit of fun with the police and their spy.
“The Light at Three O’Clock” by MacKinlay Kantor. A switchboard operator keeps on getting calls from an empty apartment. Fun and suspenseful.
“The Episode of the Nail and the Requiem” by C. Daly King. A woman stabbed in a locked penthouse.
“The Riddle of the Yellow Canary” by Stuart Palmer. A schoolteacher helps solve a questionable suicide.
“The House of Haunts” by Ellery Queen. A long story about a missing inheritance, a long-lost heiress, and a missing house in the woods. Interesting, even though a bit far-fetched.
“Off the Face of the Earth” by Clayton Rawson. Another magician mystery, not my favorite.
“His Heart Could Break” by Craig Rice. A lawyer tries to prove his “found dead in his cell by suicide” client was actually murdered in order to collect his fee. A little bit of morbid humor here.
“Murder Among Magicians” by Manley Wade Wellman. Another magician puzzle.
“Murder at the Automat” by Cornell Woolrich. A fun ending to the collection, a man who is murdered at an automat while eating his bologna sandwich.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Penzler Publishers, American Mystery Classics via NetGalley. Thank you!

A top notch collection of classic locked room mysteries.
This was a treat to devour.
Each one had me guessing.
This is a must have for mystery fans.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Golden Age Locked Room Mysteries
Edited by Otto Penzler

An ARC from NetGalley due to be published 5 July 2022, thanks to Penzler Publishers and distributor W. W. Norton for approval.

A “locked room” mystery is actually a crime that appears to have been impossible to commit based on location or surroundings. While a locked room itself is the most common, it can also be a physical location such as a snow-covered landscape with only the murder victim’s footprints in the snow. The Golden Age of detective fiction is usually considered to be the years between the two world wars. Penzler has selected fourteen short stories from some of the best authors of that period, ranging from those well-known to this day and others who have faded into obscurity, recognized only by die-hard mystery fans of the era. While a few publication dates fall past the period, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume they were still written within that time frame.

While the digital ARC I was provided had numerous format and spelling errors, I am confident that these will be addressed before the final product is released. Be prepared for out-of-date slang, different attitudes towards women, the poor, and the working class. Surprisingly enough, the racism common to the period appears to have been carefully eliminated (or possibly edited out).

The introductions are some of the best that I’ve seen in collections since Isaac Asimov passed away. I love the look at both the author and the story, its history, and whether there have been films and/or television series based on the stories (or series characters, if appropriate). This collection is definitely for the die-hard mystery fan who has either delved into this era or would like to. As with every collection, there are highs and lows. My favorite would have to be “The Light at Three O’Clock” by MacKinlay Kantor. Definitely a winner of a collection. 3.5 out of 5 stars overall.
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“Elsewhen” by Anthony Boucher. (Published in 1946) Amateur inventor Harrison Partridge accidentally discovers a time machine, immediately beginning to dream of fame and fortune as well as marrying the much younger Faith Preston. Unfortunately the time travel is only to the past and only for less than an hour earlier, making it essentially worthless to those who might be interested in the device. However, when Faith announces her engagement to a handsome young man of wealth and status, it sets Harrison onto a murderous path in which his time machine is an essential part. A locked room murder, a hapless suspect in the wrong place at the wrong time, and a desperate fiancee, all mixed with a time machine. Lots of unrealized potential in Boucher’s story. The mixture of mystery and science fiction might’ve been better served in a longer novella format which would’ve allowed more time to develop Fergus O’Breen, the series private detective brought in to solve the crime by Faith. Harrison was the best developed character, even generating pity and some sympathy. Not one of Boucher’s best, but also not bad. 3 out of 5.

“Whistler’s Murder” by Fredric Brown. (1946) Can also be found as “Mr. Smith Protects His Client”. Henry Smith of Phalanx Insurance Co. was called to discuss a lapsed life insurance policy. Upon arriving at the young man’s residence, Henry discovers his client’s uncle was murdered and his client is under arrest. However the Sheriff cannot understand how the murderer actually gained access to the house without being seen by two private guards who were posted on the roof. Almost cozy, with a soft-spoken protagonist whose demeanor invites others to speak freely with him. The solution was cute, if you can call discovering who the murderers are with that term. A fun read. 3.5 out of 5.

“The Third Bullet” by John Dickson Carr. (1937 in England as a novella; 1948 in the U.S. in an edited form) This is the shorter version. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Colonel Marquis is intrigued by Inspector Page’s latest case, the murder of Justice Mortlake. It happened in almost plain sight of Page and a fellow officer, yet Page has serious doubts as to the identity of the perpertrator. A bit convoluted and with so much detail about pretty much everything to the point of boredom. My experience with Carr in the past has always been the same, long drawn out scenes as if he was writing in the early 1800s, not 1900s. If this is the shorter version, I cannot imagine what the longer one contained! By the time I was about halfway through the story, I didn’t really care who was guilty or how it was done. I did manage to struggle through, but to be honest, if this wasn’t an ARC, I probably would’ve DNF’d it. 2 out of 5.

“Fingerprint Ghost” by Joseph Commings. (1947) Senator Brooks U. Banner is told of a mysterious murder by a fellow magician. When the police finally admitted they had no clues or leads, the family turned to a medium to get answers. The magician Larry Drollen challenges the medium as well as hoping he can draw the murderer out into the open. Banner is a lumbering caricature of an amateur detective, yet there is still a charm about him that would’ve had me wanting to delve into more stories in this series. Stage magic, freak show marriages, and misdirections galore all combine into a delightful mystery with a clever solution. CW: off-page suicide, fetuscide. 4 out of 5.

“The Calico Dog” by Mignon G. Eberhart. (1934) Mrs. Idabelle Lasher, widow of multi-millionaire Jeremiah Lasher, is in a quandary. Twenty years ago their four year old son Derek disappeared with his nursemaid. Now two men, Derek and Duane, have appeared, claiming that they are the missing heir. Young Susan Dare, a mystery writer, is asked to find out which man is telling the truth, if either. Her plan to reveal the truth may put in motion more than she anticipated. As much a thriller as a mystery, but definitely a fun read. Dare is a bit careless with her plotting, but she definitely has her heart in the right place. 4 out of 5.

“The Exact Opposite” by Erle Stanley Gardner. (1941) Lester Leigh has been both a private investigator and a thief in the manner of Robin Hood, stealing from the crooked rich and giving the proceeds to charity, minus a 20% “recovery” fee. His valet, called Scuttle by Leith, is actually a spy who reports to police sergeant Arthur Ackley, a man obsessed with putting Leith in jail. Well aware of this, Leith plants misinformation with the undercover operator to be shared with a frustrated Ackley. Scuttle brings the murder of adventurer George Navin and the theft of a sacred ruby to his attention. Leith claims he has promised himself to stop working out any more academic crime solutions, but is tempted by this one. Huh. I’m not certain what to say about this story. The use of a thief as the hero is a trope that I’ve always loved, whether television series such as “It Takes a Thief”, “Garrison’s Gorillas”, “Leverage”, and “The Saint” (as well as the books) or films in the same vein. A twisty plan to get results that aren’t explained at the start is also more than acceptable. Despite all that, I just found it hard to lose myself in the story. The characters are fascinating as to be expected from the writer of the Perry Mason book series. Basically I found this to be too much setup for such a short story. The ending, however, was a delight. 3 out of 5.

“The Light at Three O’Clock” by MacKinlay Kantor. (1930) Switchboard operator Eddie Shultz is ready to quit when the buzzer and light for Room 22 keeps activating and there is no answer other than gurgling or rough breaths. The room is supposed to be unoccupied after the only resident was murdered the night before, or so the police believe to have happened. The body, based on the flimsy evidence, was taken away by the ones behind the attack. Now this was a ride! Part suspense, beginning with an undercurrent of horror, leading into the locked room mystery itself. I absolutely loved this story, from start to finish. 5 out of 5.

“The Episode of the Nail and the Requiem” by C. Daly King. (1935) While accompanying an apartment manager to the penthouse over a report of music played over and over again, Trevis Tarrant recognized the song as a requiem mass. With no answer to banging on the door or calls to the room telephone, Tarrant climbs up to peer through the skylight. There he observes the body of a naked young woman, a knife protruding from under her left breast. A relatively tightly constructed mystery from an author who truly deserves more attention. This is more a “howdunnit” rather than a “who-” or “why-”. 3.5 out of 5.

“The Riddle of the Yellow Canary” by Stuart Palmer. (1934) Schoolteacher and amateur sleuth Hildegard Withers is invited by NYPD Inspector Oliver Piper to the site of a suspected suicide as a way of showing how the police differentiate between a murder and a suicide. Everything seems to point to suicide, but something about it bothers Withers and she begins to investigate further. Quite possibly one of Palmer’s most known characters, Hildegarde is not the usual female protagonist. Smart, yes, but definitely not beautiful or even handsome in looks, the kind of older spinster who is a background character most of the time. She’s loud, tall, opinionated, and forceful when she needs to be. As to this inverted detective story (where the reader already knows who did the crime and how – think the television series “Columbo”), a rarity in mystery fiction, the author has done a bang-up job from start to finish. 3.5 out of 5.

“The House of Haunts” by Ellery Queen. (1935) Can also be found as “The Lamp of God”. Ellery Queen is a man who believes in science and logic, a confirmed agnostic whose faith is in facts not fancy. When a lawyer friend calls for help, Queen agrees to go despite not knowing what is going on, but hearing a level of disturbance in his friend’s voice that concerns him. He is told to act as if he knows what is going on, not to ask any questions, leaving Queen to use what little information his friend can relay as well as what he can observe. There are strong gothic vibes within this mystery tale. The length is extreme for a short story, taking close to 20% of the collection. An extremely sloooooow read with a very convoluted plot and solution. I can see it appealing to many readers, but sadly I am not one of them. 3 out of 5.

“Off the Face of the Earth” by Clayton Rawson. (1949) The Great Merlini is fascinated by the information relayed to him by NYPD Inspector Gavigan regarding the Helen Hope disappearance. A man who claims to be from the dark cloud of Antares predicted her disappearance down to the date and time it would happen. Now he’s predicting the same for the Judge overseeing his arraignment. When that prediction comes true as well, in plain sight of two police officers, Merlini is determined to discover exactly how it was accomplished. I did enjoy this one! Mixing magic and mystery is something I truly enjoy when done right. And Rawson, an illusionist himself, definitely knows how to set-up the trick as well as sell it to his audience. I’m very pleased with the story and the characters within. 4 out of 5.

“His Heart Could Break” by Craig Rice. (1943) Shyster lawyer John J. Malone is furious when, while visiting his client on Death Row, the young man is found hanging in his cell. The man lives just long enough to utter “it wouldn’t break” to Malone before he dies. There was no reason for suicide considering Malone had finagled a new trial for him. Believing that his fees will go unpaid, Malone decides his only chance is to find the motive behind the hanging as well as how the rope was delivered and by who. It’s funny, as much as I enjoy stories with thieves and con-artists as the “heroes”, I strongly dislike those with crooked cops and lawyers. Here Malone doesn’t spare a moment to mourn his client’s cruel death, only the possible loss of his money. The prison-based song weaving through the story was an unusual touch, but well done. As was the solution to the mystery. 3.5 out of 5.

“Murder Among Magicians” by Manley Wade Wellman. (1939) Five musicians, four men and one woman, are invited to master magician and escape artist Securtaris’ isolated island. When a practical joke turns fatal, Homicide detective Grinstead must make his way there through the impending storm to determine what happened. So melodramatic, but in a good way. There is also a touch of blossoming romance, multiple secrets that spill out during the investigation and informal reading of the will, and a surprisingly satisfying conclusion. Almost Christie-like in the telling. 3.5 out of 5.

“Murder at the Automat” by Cornell Woolrich. (1937) Police detective Nelson and his partner Sarecky are called to an automat for the death of a man while eating. When the ambulance intern recognizes suspicious powder both on the man’s mouth and in the bologna sandwich, Nelson realizes it is murder. There were three other men, all strangers, eating at the same table, but one of them slipped away before the police could lock the place down. Nelson’s partner and captain are both convinced this is the killer. Nelson believes the man is innocent, but cannot say anything until he can find the real murderer. WARNING: contains police brutality (or as we call it nowadays, enhanced interrogation) and severe violation of a suspect’s rights. Nelson is a good cop, more interested in arresting the right man for the crime than grabbing whoever is to hand. An intriguing mystery with well-drawn out characters, good and bad. [For those too young to know or remember, automats were like cafeterias in many ways. Only the food would be put behind glass compartment doors. You would put your coin(s) in, usually a nickel or dime during that period, the door would unlock, and you would pull out your food. All self-serve. I was lucky enough to go to one of the last automats in New York City when I was young and, while the food wasn’t the best, it wasn’t bad for the price.] 4 out of 5.

I have always found locked room mysteries intriguing.Starting with the informative introduction I really enjoyed the stories.A really excellent collection so many well written stories.Will be recommending.#netgalley #wwnorton

I received an ARC from Netgalley and am providing an honest review.
I really enjoy classic detective and mystery stories so was thrilled when I received this E-ARC of an Otto Penzler curated selection of locked room mysteries. Thematically, all of the stories in this collection are about 'impossible' situations - which mostly involved physical locked rooms but also other impossible situations. I am a big fan of the better known British crime writers - Agatha Christie for example - so was happy to get exposure to more classics especially American ones.
Positives - I really enjoyed all the stories and would recommend this collection to anyone who has an interest in classic detective fiction. A lot of them are certainly classic tropes - and would probably hit the mark more with someone who already is across the genre, and I enjoyed seeing, in some of them, the first iteration of now well-used tropes in detective fiction. I enjoyed all the stories but obviously some more than others. Some of them definitely show their dates...no spoilers but one story involved confirming the stereotype that blonde women are always innocent while darker haired women are not...I felt like that one, while the mystery was a good one, didn't quite hit the mark. On that note it would've been great for the curator to add in contextual details in the blurb.
Definitely on the topic of context - I think what I missed a bit was more contextual details about the story itself and the context of the author. As mentioned before some of the stories are definitely a bit of their time and this would have helped present the story as a reflection or snapshot of the specific period this was written in and what kind of values and ideas were being reflected and represented. In general, the stories start off with a short blurb about the author - but I would like some more general context or history which may have inspired the story itself. The collection that did this best for me is another collection on Japanese mythology in the urban setting 'Kaiki: Tales of the Metropolis' - which, while a different subject matter, had some amazing contextual discussion on the stories. I think when books involve a curation or collection which spans time and history it's very helpful to the reader to give more rather than less in the way of contextual and historical details.

"If the mind of a diabolical genius can invent a method of robbery or murder that appears to be insoluble, then surely there must be a mind of equal brilliance that is able to penetrate the scheme and explain its every nuance."

SUMMARY
Golden Age Locked Room Mysteries by Otto Penzler is a collection of the most remarked upon mystery novelists and their best work during the period between the two world wars. There are fourteen stories altogether that do not take all that long to read, each one edited by the author.


OPINION
What I enjoyed the most of Penzler's collection is the entirely unfathomable murder scenarios. The famous 'locked-room' mysteries are one of mystery fictions greatest puzzles and the more impossible they seemed, the more I enjoyed. Out of all the stories carefully selected by Penzler, I liked The Third Bullet by John Dickson Carr the most. It was the most complex yet so simply solved. I realise I much preferred the characters who seemed to know straightaway how the murder had been completed and did a great reveal at the end of the story explaining everything.
However, I must say that I know these stories are a product of their time, but I really hoped that the strong sexism that was so deep rooted at the time would have been edited out. Unfortunately, it rather put me off.


RECOMMENDATION
This book would really suit fans of the locked-room mystery genre, and those that can ignore time-favoured prejudice.

Otto Penzler has gathered together fourteen stories of impossible crimes, all part of the locked-room mystery cannon, despite some great variations. There is a convergence in the origin of this genre, as Sheridan La Fanu created the earliest locked-room in ‘A Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess‘ (1838), and Edgar Allen Poe used a locked-room mystery in ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue‘ (1841), which is credited as the original detective story. This is an illustrious beginning.

Not that I’m the one to properly introduce this genre, as Otto Penzler happens to be an authority on the subject, which is why he has been able to compile a collection of fascinating examples that you may or may not be able to solve in advance of the fictional detectives into whose hands these seemingly supernatural crimes have fallen.

Incidentally, this is one of the features of crime novels that I frequently cite as being fundamental to my personal enjoyment, be it Holmes, Poirot, or Poe and Tilly: It should be possible, yet unlikely, that the reader could work it all out. This is what makes the denouement pay off; the realisation that all the pieces were present if you could just put them together. Most of the stories in Penzler’s collection have this quality and you might solve one or two yourselves along the way.

As well as literal locked-room scenarios (including a prison cell, if you want a very-locked room situation), there are mysteries enacted in plain site, crowded train stations, and bustling cafés. There’s a fantastically flamboyant murder amongst a group of magicians or an identity puzzle where two men make the claim of being a long-lost son. There is a dazzling array of set ups.

Penzler describes this genre as the ultimate manifestation of the detective story, which more than anything shows the passion he has as a collector of these perplexing tales.

For me, as with ghostly tales, these are an example of the power of short writing. Characters are quickly sketched, occasionally with great dexterity on the part of the authors as they quickly set the scene. The focus, though, is on the curious situation that initially baffles all who attempt to decipher the mystery. Like a great comedy routine, which amuses along the way and delivers a satisfying conclusion to bring about a big laugh, the locked-room mystery entertains as it progresses towards an equally fulfilling ‘AHA!’

Otto Penzler’s Golden Age Locked Room Mysteries is published on 5th July 2022.

Sadly this was a DNF for me, purely due to the absurdity of the stories, which seemingly weren’t supposed to be as daft as they sounded. *SPOILER* when the “answer “ is time travel or 2 men dressed in a pantomime horse costume, it would seem to be a book not to be taken seriously, yet this book does intend to be taken seriously as a locked door mystery, and so it was a collection of contradictions