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John Dickson Carr (November 30, 1906–February 27, 1977) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 author
Author

An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created....
 of detective stories, who also published under the pen name
Pen name

A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her writings, or for any of a number of...
s Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson and Roger Fairbairn. He is generally regarded as one of the greatest writers of so-called "Golden Age" mysteries
Whodunit

A whodunit or whodunnit is a complex, plot-driven variety of the detective fiction in which the puzzle is the main feature of interest. The reader is provided with clues from which the identity of the perpetrator of the crime may be deduced before the solution is revealed in the final pages of the book....
, complex, plot-driven stories in which the puzzle is paramount.






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Four False Weapons
John Dickson Carr (November 30, 1906–February 27, 1977) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 author
Author

An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created....
 of detective stories, who also published under the pen name
Pen name

A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her writings, or for any of a number of...
s Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson and Roger Fairbairn. He is generally regarded as one of the greatest writers of so-called "Golden Age" mysteries
Whodunit

A whodunit or whodunnit is a complex, plot-driven variety of the detective fiction in which the puzzle is the main feature of interest. The reader is provided with clues from which the identity of the perpetrator of the crime may be deduced before the solution is revealed in the final pages of the book....
, complex, plot-driven stories in which the puzzle is paramount. Most of his many novel
Novel

File:2009 stapelweise Neuerscheinungen im Buchladen.JPGA novel is today a long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern Romance and in the tradition of the novella....
s and short stories
Short story

The short story refers to a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, usually in narrative format. This format or medium tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels or books....
 feature the elucidation, by an eccentric detective, of apparently impossible, and seemingly supernatural
Supernatural

The term supernatural or supranatural pertains to an order of existence beyond the scientifically visible universe. Religious miracles are typically supernatural claims, as are Spell and curses, divination, the belief that there is an afterlife for the dead, and innumerable others....
, crimes. He was influenced in this regard by the works of Gaston Leroux
Gaston Leroux

Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux was a France journalist and author of detective fiction.In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel The Phantom of the Opera , which has been made into several film and stage productions of the same name, such as the Phantom of the Opera starring Lon Chaney, Sr.; and Andrew Lloy...
 and by the Father Brown
Father Brown

Father Brown is a fictional character created by English novelist G. K. Chesterton, who stars in 52 short story, later compiled in five books. Chesterton based the character on Father John O'Connor , a priest in Bradford, Yorkshire who was involved in Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism in 1922....
 stories of G. K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was one of the most influential English writers of the 20th century. His prolific and diverse output included journalism, philosophy, poetry, biography, Christian apologetics, fantasy and detective fiction....
. Carr modeled his major detective, the fat and genial lexicographer Dr. Gideon Fell, on Chesterton.

Carr was a master of the locked room mystery
Locked room mystery

The locked room mystery is a sub-genre of detective fiction in which a crime -- usually murder -- is committed under apparently impossible circumstances....
, in which a detective solves apparently impossible crimes. Examples of such crimes are murder inside a locked and sealed room (where the only exit from the room is through the locked door -- which cannot be locked from outside the room), or the discovery of a dead body (strangled or knifed at close quarters) surrounded by snow or wet sand in which no footprints but the victim's are visible. The Dr. Fell mystery The Three Coffins (also known as The Hollow Man) (1935), usually considered Carr's masterpiece, features crimes that are variations on both of these scenarios and that has a notable discourse by Dr. Fell on the nature of impossible crimes. It was selected as the best locked-room mystery of all time by a panel of mystery writers and Dr. Fell's discourse is sometimes printed as a stand-alone essay.

Many of the Fell novels feature two or more different impossible crimes, including He Who Whispers
He Who Whispers

He Who Whispers is a mystery novel by detective novelist John Dickson Carr. Like Many of the works by this author feature so-called impossible crimes ....
 (1946
1946 in literature

The year 1946 in literature involved some significant events and new books....
) and The Case of the Constant Suicides
The Case of the Constant Suicides

The Case of the Constant Suicides, first published in 1941, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr. Like much of Dickson Carr's work, this novel is a locked room mystery, in addition to being a whodunnit....
 (1941
1941 in literature

The year 1941 in literature involved some significant events and new books....
). The novel The Crooked Hinge
The Crooked Hinge

The Crooked Hinge is a mystery novel by detective novelist John Dickson Carr. It combines a seemingly impossible throat-slashing with elements of witchcraft, an automaton modelled on Johann Maelzel's Chess Player, and the story of the Tichborne Claimant....
 (1938
1938 in literature

The year 1938 in literature involved some significant events and new books....
) weaves a seemingly impossible throat-slashing, witchcraft, a survivor of the Titanic
RMS Titanic

The Royal Mail Ship Titanic was an Olympic class ocean liner superliner owned by the White Star Line and built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland....
, an eerie automaton modelled on Johann Maelzel's chess player, and a case similar to that of the Tichborne claimant into what is often cited as one of the greatest classics of detective fiction. But even Carr's biographer, Douglas G. Greene (John Dickson Carr: The Man Who Explained Miracles), notes that the explanation, like many of Carr's in other books, seriously stretches plausibility and the reader's credulity.

Besides Dr. Fell, Carr mysteries feature three other series detectives: Sir Henry Merrivale (H.M.), Henri Bencolin
Henri Bencolin

Henri Bencolin is a fictional detective created by John Dickson Carr. He is Carr's first series detective, appearing in five "locked-room" and "impossible crime" mystery novels of the 1930s, and four short stories from an even earlier date....
, and Colonel March. Many of the Merrivale novels, written under the Carter Dickson byline, rank with Carr's best work, including the highly praised The Judas Window
The Judas Window

The Judas Window is a famous locked room mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , writing under the name of Carter Dickson, published in 1938 in literature....
 (1938).

A few of his novels do not feature a series detective. The most famous of these, The Burning Court
The Burning Court

The Burning Court is a famous locked room mystery by John Dickson Carr. However, it contains neither Gideon Fell, or Henry Merrivale, Carr's two major detectives....
 (1937
1937 in literature

The year 1937 in literature involved some significant events and new books....
), involves witchcraft, poisoning, and a body that disappears from a sealed crypt in suburban Philadelphia; it was the basis for the French film La Chambre ardente (1962
1962 in film

The year 1962 in film involved some significant events....
). The book is notable for an apparently supernatural ending that contradicts an earlier, rational explanation of the mysterious events.

Carr wrote in the short story format as well. "Most of Carr's stories are compressed versions of his locked-room novels, and at times they benefit from the compression. Probably the best of them are in the Carter Dickson book, The Department of Queer Complaints (1940), although this does not include the brilliantly clever H.M. story The House in Goblin Wood or a successful pastiche which introduces Edgar Allan Poe as a detective."

Carr also wrote many radio
Radio

Radio is the transmission of signals, by modulation of electromagnetic radiation with frequency below those of visible light.Electromagnetic radiation radio propagation by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space....
 scripts, particularly for the BBC, and some screenplay
Screenplay

A screenplay or script is a written work especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing works....
s. His 1943 half-hour radio play Cabin B-13 was expanded into a series on CBS
CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
 in 1948-49 for which Carr wrote all 25 scripts, basing some on earlier works or re-presenting devices that Chesterton had used. (For a log of episode titles, see .) The 1943 play Cabin B-13 was also expanded into the script for the 1953 film Dangerous Crossing, directed by Joseph M. Newman
Joseph M. Newman

Joseph M. Newman was an United States film directors most famous for his 1955 film This Island Earth. His credits include episodes of The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents....
 and starring Michael Rennie
Michael Rennie

Michael Rennie was an England film, television, and stage actor, best known for his starring role as the space visitor Klaatu in the 1951 classic science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still ....
 and Jeanne Crain
Jeanne Crain

Jeanne Elizabeth Crain was an Oscar-nominated United States acting....
. Carr worked extensively for BBC Radio
BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation, almost always referred to by its abbreviation "the BBC", is the world's largest broadcasting.Incorporated in the United Kingdom by government charter, it employs 28,500 people in the country alone and has an annual budget of more than ?4 billion....
 during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, writing both mystery stories and propaganda
Propaganda

Propaganda is the dissemination of information aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people. As opposed to Objectivity providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense presents information in order to influence its audience....
 scripts.

1942
1942 in literature

The year 1942 in literature involved some significant events and new books....
's The Emperor's Snuff-Box
The Emperor's Snuff-Box

The Emperor's Snuff-Box is a novel by mystery novelist John Dickson Carr. Unlike most of the works by this author, it's quite straight forward with no impossible crimes....
 became the 1957
1957 in film

The year 1957 in film involved some significant events....
 British film production That Woman Opposite. In 1950
1950 in literature

The year 1950 in literature involved some significant events and new books....
 Carr wrote a novel called The Bride of Newgate
The Bride of Newgate

The Bride of Newgate, first published in 1950, is a historical whodunnit story by John Dickson Carr which does not feature any of Carr's series detectives....
, set during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts involving Napoleon I of France First French Empire and changing sets of European allies and opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815....
, and this may be called the first full-length historical whodunnit
Historical whodunnit

The historical whodunnit is a sub-genre of historical fiction which bears elements of the classical mystery novel, in which the central plot involves a crime and the setting has some historical significance....
. The Devil in Velvet
The Devil in Velvet

The Devil in Velvet, first published in 1951, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr. This novel is both a mystery novel and a Historical fiction, with elements of the Supernatural....
 and Fire, Burn! are the two historicals with which he himself was most pleased. With Adrian Conan Doyle
Adrian Conan Doyle

Adrian Malcolm Conan Doyle was the youngest son of Arthur Conan Doyle. Adrian Doyle was described as a race-car driver, big-game hunter, explorer, and writer....
, the youngest son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, Deputy Lieutenant was a Scotland author most noted for his stories about the Detective fiction Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger....
, Carr wrote Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. He is the creation of Scotland-born author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle....
 stories that were published in the 1954 collection The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes
The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes

The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes is a short story collection written by Adrian Conan Doyle and John Dickson Carr, first published in 1954 ....
 . He was also honored by the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by being asked to write the biography for the legendary author. The book, The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, appeared in 1949 and received generally favorable reviews for its vigor and entertaining style. Later critics have noted that Carr may have glided over difficult issues about Conan Doyle's advocacy of Spiritualism. In 1950, this book brought Carr the first of his two Special Edgar Award
Edgar Award

The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America. They honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film and theatre published or produced in the past year....
s from the Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America

Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
; the second came in 1970, in recognition of his 40-year career as a mystery writer. He was also presented the MWA's Grand Master award in 1963.

Late in life Carr developed an interest in the Southern United States
Southern United States

The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States....
, and a number of his last books are set there. In early spring 1963, at Mamaroneck, Carr suffered a stroke
Stroke

A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. According to the National Stroke Association, a "stroke" occurs when a blood clot blocks and artery or a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain....
 which paralyzed his left side. He continued to write using one hand, and for several years contributed a regular column of mystery and detective book reviews, "The Jury Box", to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine is a monthly digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction. Launched in 1941 by The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, EQMM is named for the author Ellery Queen, who wrote novels and short stories about a fictional detective named Ellery Queen....
. He eventually died of lung cancer
Cancer

Cancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cell display uncontrolled growth , invasion , and sometimes metastasis . These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited, do not invade or metastasize....
 in Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina

Greenville is a mid-sized city located in the upstate of South Carolina. It is the county seat of Greenville County, SC and the principal city in the Greenville-Mauldin, South Carolina-Easley, South Carolina Greenville-Mauldin-Easley metropolitan area ....
.

Dr. Fell and Sir Henry Merrivale


Carr's two major detectives, Dr. Fell and Sir Henry Merrivale, are superficially quite similar. Both are large, blustery, upper-class, eccentric Englishmen somewhere between middle-aged and elderly. Dr. Fell, however, who was frankly fat and walked only with the aid of two canes, was clearly modeled on the British writer G. K. Chesterton and was at all times a model of civility and geniality. He had a great mop of untidy hair that was often covered by a "shovel hat" and he generally wore a cape. He lived in a modest cottage and had no official connection to any public authorities.

"H.M.", on the other hand, although stout and with a majestic "corporation", was physically active and was feared for his ill-temper and noisy rages. In a 1949 novel, A Graveyard to Let, for example, he demonstrates an unexpected talent for hitting baseballs improbable distances. A well-heeled descendant of the "oldest baronetcy" in England, he was an Establishment figure (even though he frequently railed against it) and in the earlier novels was the head of the British Secret Service. In The Plague Court Murders he is said to be qualified as both a barrister
Barrister

A barrister is a lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions that employ a split profession in relation to legal representation. In split professions, the other type of lawyer is the solicitor....
 and a medical doctor. Even in the earliest books the bald, bespectacled, and scowling H.M. was clearly a Churchillian figure and in the later novels this similarity was somewhat more consciously evoked.

Critical appraisal


For many years now Dr. Fell has generally been considered to be Carr's major creation. The British novelist Kingsley Amis
Kingsley Amis

Sir Kingsley William Amis, Commander of Order of the British Empire was an English novelist, poet, critic and teacher. He wrote more than twenty novels, three collections of poetry, short stories, radio and television scripts, and books of social and literary criticism....
, for instance, writes in his essay "My Favorite Sleuths" that Dr. Fell is one of the three great successors to Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. He is the creation of Scotland-born author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle....
 (the other two are Father Brown
Father Brown

Father Brown is a fictional character created by English novelist G. K. Chesterton, who stars in 52 short story, later compiled in five books. Chesterton based the character on Father John O'Connor , a priest in Bradford, Yorkshire who was involved in Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism in 1922....
 and Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe

Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective, created by the United States mystery writer Rex Stout, who made his debut in 1934. Wolfe's confidential assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the detective genius in 33 novels and 39 short stories from the 1930s to the 1970s, with most of them set in New York City....
) and that H.M., "according to me is an old bore." This may be in part because in the Merrivale novels written after World War II H.M. frequently became a comic caricature of himself, especially in the physical misadventures in which he found himself at least once in every novel. Humorous as these episodes were intended to be, they also tended to have the unwanted effect of diminishing his overall persona. Earlier, however, H.M. had been regarded more favorably by a number of critics. Howard Haycraft, author of the seminal Murder for Pleasure: The Life and Times of the Detective Story, wrote in 1941 that H.M. or "The Old Man" was "the present writer's admitted favorite among contemporary fictional sleuths". In 1938 the British mystery writer R. Philmore wrote in an article called "Inquest on Detective Stories" that Sir Henry was "the most amusing of detectives". And further: "Of course, H.M. is so much the best detective that, once having invented him, his creator could get away with any plot."

There is a book-length critical study by S. T. Joshi
S. T. Joshi

Sunand Tryambak Joshi is an Indian American literary critic, and a leading figure in the study of H. P. Lovecraft and other authors of weird fiction and fantastic fiction....
, John Dickson Carr: A Critical Study (1990) (ISBN 0-87972-477-3).

The definitive biography of Carr is by Douglas G Greene, John Dickson Carr: The Man Who Explained Miracles (1995) (ISBN 1-883402-47-6)

Publications


Novels as John Dickson Carr

3coffins
Deathwatch
*It Walks By Night
It Walks By Night

It Walks by Night, first published in 1930, is the first detective novel by John Dickson Carr which features for the first time Carr's series detective Henri Bencolin. This novel is a mystery of the type known as a Whodunit....
  (detective Henri Bencolin) - 1930
  • Castle Skull
    Castle Skull

    Castle Skull, first published in 1931, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr which features Carr's series detective Henri Bencolin. This novel is a mystery novel of the type known as a whodunnit....
     (Bencolin) - 1931
  • The Lost Gallows (Bencolin) - 1931
  • Poison In Jest
    Poison in Jest

    Poison In Jest, first published in 1932, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr which does not feature any of Carr's series detectives. This novel is a mystery novel of the type known as a whodunnit....
     - 1932
  • The Waxworks Murder
    The Waxworks Murder

    The Waxworks Murder, first published in 1932, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr featuring his series detective Henri Bencolin of the Parisian police....
     (Bencolin) - 1932 (US title: The Corpse In The Waxworks)
  • Hag's Nook
    Hag's Nook

    Hag's Nook, first published in 1933, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr and the first to feature his series detective Gideon Fell. This novel is a mystery novel of the type known as a whodunnit....
     (detective Dr. Gideon Fell) - 1933
  • The Mad Hatter Mystery
    The Mad Hatter Mystery

    The Mad Hatter Mystery, first published in 1933, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr featuring his series detective Gideon Fell. This novel is a mystery novel of the type known as a whodunnit....
     (Fell) - 1933
  • The Blind Barber (Fell) - 1934
  • The Eight of Swords
    The Eight of Swords

    The Eight of Swords, first published in 1934, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr featuring his series detective Gideon Fell. This novel is a mystery novel of the type known as a whodunnit....
     (Fell) - 1934
  • Death-Watch (Fell) - 1935
  • The Hollow Man
    The Hollow Man (1935 novel)

    The Hollow Man is a famous locked room mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , published in 1935 in literature. It was published in the United States under the title The Three Coffins and has frequently been hailed as the best of all locked room mysteries....
     (Fell) - 1935 (US title: The Three Coffins)
  • The Arabian Nights Murder
    The Arabian Nights Murder

    The Arabian Nights Murder, first published in 1936, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr featuring his series detective Gideon Fell. This novel is a mystery novel of the type known as a whodunnit....
     (Fell) - 1936
  • The Burning Court
    The Burning Court

    The Burning Court is a famous locked room mystery by John Dickson Carr. However, it contains neither Gideon Fell, or Henry Merrivale, Carr's two major detectives....
     - 1937
  • The Four False Weapons
    The Four False Weapons

    The Four False Weapons, first published in 1937, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr featuring his series detective Gideon Fell. This novel is a mystery novel of the type known as a whodunnit....
    , Being the Return of Bencolin     (Bencolin) - 1938
  • To Wake the Dead
    To Wake the Dead

    To Wake the Dead, first published in 1938, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr featuring his series detective Gideon Fell. This novel is a mystery novel of the type known as a whodunnit....
     (Fell) - 1938
  • The Crooked Hinge
    The Crooked Hinge

    The Crooked Hinge is a mystery novel by detective novelist John Dickson Carr. It combines a seemingly impossible throat-slashing with elements of witchcraft, an automaton modelled on Johann Maelzel's Chess Player, and the story of the Tichborne Claimant....
     (Fell) - 1938
  • The Black Spectacles
    The Black Spectacles

    The Black Spectacles , first published in 1939, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr featuring his series detective Gideon Fell. This novel is a mystery novel of the type known as a locked room mystery ....
     (Fell) - 1939 (US title: The Problem Of The Green Capsule)
  • The Problem of the Wire Cage
    The Problem of the Wire Cage

    The Problem of the Wire Cage, first published in 1939, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr featuring his series detective Gideon Fell....
     (Fell) - 1939
  • The Man Who Could Not Shudder
    The Man Who Could Not Shudder

    The Man Who Could Not Shudder, first published in 1940, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr featuring his series detective Gideon Fell....
     (Fell) - 1940
  • The Case of the Constant Suicides
    The Case of the Constant Suicides

    The Case of the Constant Suicides, first published in 1941, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr. Like much of Dickson Carr's work, this novel is a locked room mystery, in addition to being a whodunnit....
     (Fell) - 1941
  • Death Turns the Tables
    Death Turns the Tables

    Death Turns the Tables, first published in 1941 , is a detective story by John Dickson Carr which features Carr's series detective Gideon Fell....
     (Fell) - 1941 (UK title: The Seat of the Scornful, 1942)
  • The Emperor's Snuff-Box
    The Emperor's Snuff-Box

    The Emperor's Snuff-Box is a novel by mystery novelist John Dickson Carr. Unlike most of the works by this author, it's quite straight forward with no impossible crimes....
     - 1942
  • Till Death Do Us Part
    Till Death Do Us Part (1944 mystery novel)

    Till Death Do Us Part, first published in 1944, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr featuring his series detective Gideon Fell. This novel is a mystery novel of the type known as a locked room mystery....
     (Fell) - 1944
  • He Who Whispers
    He Who Whispers

    He Who Whispers is a mystery novel by detective novelist John Dickson Carr. Like Many of the works by this author feature so-called impossible crimes ....
     (Fell) - 1946
  • The Sleeping Sphinx
    The Sleeping Sphinx

    The Sleeping Sphinx, first published in 1947, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr which features Carr's series detective Gideon Fell. This novel is a mystery novel of the type known as a whodunnit....
     (Fell) - 1947
  • Below Suspicion (Fell) - 1949 (also features Patrick Butler)
  • The Bride of Newgate
    The Bride of Newgate

    The Bride of Newgate, first published in 1950, is a historical whodunnit story by John Dickson Carr which does not feature any of Carr's series detectives....
     - 1950, historical mystery
  • The Devil in Velvet
    The Devil in Velvet

    The Devil in Velvet, first published in 1951, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr. This novel is both a mystery novel and a Historical fiction, with elements of the Supernatural....
     - 1951, historical mystery
  • The Nine Wrong Answers
    The Nine Wrong Answers

    The Nine Wrong Answers, first published in 1952, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr which does not feature any of Carr's series detectives....
     - 1952
  • Captain Cut-Throat - 1955, historical mystery
  • Patrick Butler for the Defense
    Patrick Butler for the Defense

    Patrick Butler for the Defense, first published in 1956, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr which features Carr's series detective Patrick Butler ....
     (detective Patrick Butler) - 1956
  • Fire, Burn! - 1957, historical mystery
  • The Dead Man's Knock
    The Dead Man's Knock

    The Dead Man's Knock, first published in 1958, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr which features Carr's series detective Gideon Fell....
     (Fell) - 1958
  • Scandal at High Chimneys
    Scandal At High Chimneys

    Scandal at High Chimneys: A Victorian era Melodrama is a historical mystery novel by John Dickson Carr. It was published in the USA and Canada by Harper & Row in August 1959....
    : A Victorian Melodrama     - 1959, historical mystery
  • In Spite of Thunder
    In Spite of Thunder

    In Spite of Thunder, first published in 1960, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr which features Carr's series detective Gideon Fell. This novel is a mystery novel of the type known as a locked room mystery ....
     (Fell) - 1960
  • The Witch of the Low Tide
    The Witch of the Low Tide

    The Witch of the Low Tide, first published in 1961, is a detective story/historical novel by John Dickson Carr set in the England of 1907. This novel is a mystery novel of the type known as a Locked room mystery as well as being a Historical novel....
    : An Edwardian Melodrama     - 1961, historical mystery
  • The Demoniacs
    The Demoniacs

    The Demoniacs, first published in 1962, is a detective story/historical novel by John Dickson Carr set in the London of 1757. This novel is a mystery novel of the type known as a whodunnit as well as being a Historical novel....
     - 1962, historical mystery
  • Most Secret - 1964 (This was a revision of a novel by Carr that was published in 1934 as Devil Kinsmere under the pseudonym "Roger Fairbairn")
  • The House at Satan's Elbow
    The House at Satan's Elbow

    The House at Satan's Elbow, first published in 1965, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr featuring his series detective Gideon Fell. This novel is a mystery novel of the type known as a locked room mystery....
     (Fell) - 1965
  • Panic in Box C (Fell) - 1966
  • Dark of the Moon (Fell) - 1968
  • Papa La-Bas - 1968, historical mystery
  • The Ghosts' High Noon - 1970, historical mystery
  • Deadly Hall - 1971, historical mystery
  • The Hungry Goblin: A Victorian Detective Novel - 1972 (Wilkie Collins
    Wilkie Collins

    William Wilkie Collins was an English people novelist, playwright, and author of short stories. He was hugely popular in his time, and wrote 27 novels, more than 50 short stories, at least 15 plays, and over 100 pieces of non-fiction work....
     is the detective)


Novels as Carter Dickson

Judaswindow
Graveyard To Let
*The Bowstring Murders
The Bowstring Murders

The Bowstring Murders is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who wrote it under the name of Carr Dickson. It is a whodunit and the only one of his many works to be published under this name; subsequent reprints have been under his main pseudonym of "Carter Dickson"....
 - 1934 (Originally published as by Carr Dickson, but Carr's publishers complained that the name was too similar to Carr's real name, so Carter Dickson was substituted.)
  • The Plague Court Murders
    The Plague Court Murders

    The Plague Court Murders is the first Sir Henry Merrivale mystery, by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who wrote it under the name of Carter Dickson....
     (detective: Sir Henry Merrivale) - 1934
  • The White Priory Murders
    The White Priory Murders

    The White Priory Murders is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson....
     (Merrivale) - 1934
  • The Red Widow Murders
    The Red Widow Murders

    The Red Widow Murders is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson. It is a locked room mystery and features his series detective, Sir Henry Merrivale....
     (Merrivale) - 1935
  • The Unicorn Murders
    The Unicorn Murders

    The Unicorn Murders is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson. It is a locked room mystery and features his series detective, Sir Henry Merrivale....
     (Merrivale) - 1935
  • The Punch and Judy Murders
    The Punch and Judy Murders

    The Punch and Judy Murders is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson....
     (Merrivale) -1936 (US title: The Magic Lantern Murders)
  • The Ten Teacups
    The Ten Teacups

    The Ten Teacups , is a locked room mystery by American mystery writer John Dickson Carr, writing as Carter Dickson. It was voted the tenth best locked room mystery of all time....
     (Merrivale) - 1937 (US title: The Peacock Feather Murders)
  • The Judas Window
    The Judas Window

    The Judas Window is a famous locked room mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , writing under the name of Carter Dickson, published in 1938 in literature....
     (Merrivale) - 1938 (US title: The Crossbow Murder)
  • Death in Five Boxes
    Death in Five Boxes

    Death in Five Boxes is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson. It is a whodunnit and features the series detective Sir Henry Merrivale and his associate, Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Humphrey Masters....
     (Merrivale) - 1938
  • Drop to His Death
    Drop to His Death

    Drop To His Death is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson, in collaboration with John Rhode....
     (in collaboration with John Rhode) - 1939 (US title: Fatal Descent)
  • The Reader is Warned
    The Reader is Warned

    The Reader is Warned is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson. It is a whodunnit and features the series detective Sir Henry Merrivale....
     (Merrivale) - 1939
  • And So To Murder
    And So to Murder

    And So To Murder is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson. It is a whodunnit and features the series detective Sir Henry Merrivale and Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Humphrey Masters....
     (Merrivale) - 1940
  • Murder in The Submarine Zone
    Murder in the Submarine Zone

    Murder in the Submarine Zone is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson....
     (Merrivale) - 1940 (US title: Nine - And Death Makes Ten, also published as Murder in the Atlantic)
  • Seeing is Believing
    Seeing is Believing (novel)

    Seeing is Believing is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson. It is a whodunnit and features the series detective Sir Henry Merrivale and his associate, Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Humphrey Masters....
     (Merrivale) - 1941 (also published as Cross of Murder)
  • The Gilded Man
    The Gilded Man

    The Gilded Man is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson. It is a whodunnit and features the series detective Sir Henry Merrivale....
     (Merrivale) - 1942 (also published as Death and The Gilded Man)
  • She Died A Lady
    She Died a Lady

    She Died A Lady is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson. It is a whodunnit and features the series detective Sir Henry Merrivale....
     (Merrivale) - 1943
  • He Wouldn't Kill Patience
    He Wouldn't Kill Patience

    He Wouldn't Kill Patience is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson....
     (Merrivale) - 1944
  • The Curse of the Bronze Lamp
    The Curse of the Bronze Lamp

    The Curse of the Bronze Lamp is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson....
     (Merrivale) - 1945 (UK title: Lord of the Sorcerers, 1946)
  • My Late Wives
    My Late Wives

    My Late Wives is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson. It is a whodunnit and features the series detective Sir Henry Merrivale and his long-time associate, Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Humphrey Masters....
     (Merrivale) - 1946
  • The Skeleton in the Clock
    The Skeleton in the Clock

    The Skeleton in the Clock is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson....
     (Merrivale) - 1948
  • A Graveyard To Let
    A Graveyard to Let

    A Graveyard To Let is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson. It is a locked room mystery and features the series detective Sir Henry Merrivale....
     (Merrivale) - 1949
  • Night at the Mocking Widow
    Night at the Mocking Widow

    Night at the Mocking Widow is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson....
     (Merrivale) - 1950
  • Behind the Crimson Blind
    Behind the Crimson Blind

    Behind the Crimson Blind is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson....
     (Merrivale) - 1952
  • The Cavalier's Cup
    The Cavalier's Cup

    The Cavalier's Cup is a mystery novel by the United States writer John Dickson Carr , who published it under the name of Carter Dickson. It is a locked room mystery and the final appearance of the series detective Sir Henry Merrivale and his long-time associate, Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Humphrey Masters....
     (Merrivale) - 1953
  • Fear Is the Same - 1956, historical mystery


Short story collections


  • The Department of Queer Complaints (as Carter Dickson) (detective: Colonel March) - 1940 (The 1940 volume contains 7 stories about Colonel March and 4 non-series stories. The 7 March stories were reprinted as Scotland Yard: Department of Queer Complaints, Dell mapback
    Mapback

    Mapback is a term used by paperback collectors to refer to the earliest paperback books published by Dell Books, beginning in 1943. The books are known as mapbacks because the back cover of the book contains a map that illustrates the location of the action....
     edition, 1944.)
  • Dr. Fell, Detective, and Other Stories - 1947 (Fell)
  • The Third Bullet and Other Stories of Detection - 1954
  • The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes
    The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes

    The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes is a short story collection written by Adrian Conan Doyle and John Dickson Carr, first published in 1954 ....
    , with Adrian Conan Doyle - 1954 (Sherlock Holmes)
  • The Men Who Explained Miracles
    The Men Who Explained Miracles

    The Men Who Explained Miracles, first published in 1963, is a volume of short stories written by John Dickson Carr; the stories feature his series detectives Gideon Fell, Henry Merrivale and Colonel March, of the "Department of Queer Complaints"....
     - 1963 (Fell, Merrivale, and others)
  • The Door to Doom and Other Detections - 1980 (includes radio plays)
  • The Dead Sleep Lightly - 1983 (radio plays)
  • Fell and Foul Play - 1991 (includes the full version of The Third Bullet)
  • Merrivale, March and Murder - 1991 (includes all the stories from The Department of Queer Complaints + one, that is: all Colonel March stories)


Plays


  • Speak of the Devil - Crippen & Landru, 1994 (a radio play in 8 parts). First publication of Carr's radio script. Written in 1941.
  • 13 to the Gallows - 2008. A collection of 4 stage plays, written during the early 1940s -- 2 by Carr alone, and 2 in collaboration with the BBC's Val Gielgud ()
  • The Old Time Radio Series "Suspense
    Suspense (radio program)

    Suspense was a radio drama series broadcast on CBS from 1942 through 1962.One of the premier drama programs of the Old-time radio, was subtitled "radio's outstanding theater of thrills," and focussed on suspense thriller-type scripts, usually featuring leading Hollywood actors of the era....
    " contains 22 plays by Carr, many of them not available in printed form. The radio plays can be downloaded from this site in MP3 format: http://www.archive.org/index.php]
  • BBC has issued a set of two 90 minute cassettes containing radio versions of The Hollow Man and Till Death us Do Part.


Non-fiction

  • The Murder of Sir Edmund Godfrey
    Edmund Berry Godfrey

    Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey was an England magistrate whose mysterious death caused anti-Catholic church uproar in England. Contemporary documents also spell the name Edmundbury Godfrey....
     - 1936, historical analysis of a noted murder of 1678
  • The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - 1949, the authorized biography


Biographical material

  • John Dickson Carr: The Man Who Explained Miracles - Douglas G Greene


See also

  • Crime fiction
    Crime fiction

    Crime fiction is the genre of fiction that deals with crimes, their detection, criminals and their Motive s. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred....


External links

  • pictures of first edition covers
  • by Douglas G. Greene on
  • from the site.
  • by Alexander G. Rubio at , 30 November 2006.
  • 'Of the Moment' article by Nicholas Fuller on Spring 2007.
  • a site made by Nicholas Lester Fuller which includes book reviews.