Book Review: The Case of the Constant Suicides by John Dickson Carr
Castle Shira is not a canny place. Ever since one of the Campbell soldiers involved in the Glencoe Massacre threw himself from the tower, supposedly to escape the ghost of a murdered MacDonald, there have been a series of falling deaths associated with the castle. Most recently, Angus Campbell propelled himself out of his bedroom at the top of the tower, and since the room was locked from the inside, one might think it suicide. But there are circumstances which suggest this death is instead murder, by persons or things unknown.
This locked room mystery is by John Dickson Carr, who specialized in the field, and features his continuing character Doctor (of lexicography) Gideon Fell as the detective. One might mistake the first couple of chapters for a romantic comedy, however. Dr. (of history) Alan “A.D.” Campbell, a professor, has been drawn into a war of letters to the editor with K.I. Campbell, a rival historian. Summoned for a “family conference” after Angus’ death, wartime circumstances and confusion by the rail company’s scheduler books the feuding professors into the same one-bed compartment. Even more distressingly from some angles, K.I. Campbell is an attractive woman named Kathryn, a very distant cousin to Alan.
After a tense night of arguing about points of the reign of King Charles II, they arrive in Scotland, and secure transportation to the castle along with a tabloid reporter, Charley Swan. He happened to be in the next compartment over, and heard just enough of their conversation to completely misconstrue the cousins’ relationship. If he doesn’t get a better story at the castle of Shira, Mr. Swan will have to run some hot gossip that will make their reputations suffer. Mr. Swan is something of a comic relief character, always misconstruing events or saying the absolute wrong thing to enrage someone.
At the castle, we meet other eccentric characters, and learn that the most interesting clue is an empty pet carrier that shouldn’t have been in the room. An animal assassin is laughed off as too “Fu Manchu” but then, why did Angus leap? Did someone actually spot a ghost? The fine point of it being suicide or murder will determine whether the insurance pays off, saving Angus’ heirs from poverty. One of the heirs has summoned his old acquaintance Gideon Fell to help investigate.
Despite a couple more “suicides”, the tone is light, with humor about Scots told by Scots, Alan and Kathryn’s verbal sparring, Swan’s pratfalls and Dr. Fell having more interest in justice than law. Nightly blackouts due to World War Two bombing play an important part, but the case isn’t directly tied to the war.
The solution more or less makes sense, and the writing is good, so recommended for mystery fans who are okay with more humor than usual.
