The danger with our reading weeks, particularly when they’re from a year earlier in the 20th century, is the terrible temptation I face just to let myself wallow in several days of reading classic crime! Golden Age detective stories are my go-to comfort reading – I can’t get enough of them, especially in times of stress, and so the British Library Crime Classics have become something of a lifeline! After enjoying my time spent in the company of Agatha Christie earlier in the week, I had a flick through the BLCCs I have unread on the shelves; alas, none of them were from the year in question. However, I think it was a comment on my trailer post for the Club that alerted me to the fact that a new BLCC had just made its debut – and it was published in 1930! I asked the BL if they would be able to provide a review copy, and indeed they did, along with several rather fantastic looking other titles – thank you *so* much, British Library Publishing! I have no excuse not to wallow in classic crime during the chilly autumn evenings!
But I digress. The 1930 book in question is “It Walks By Night” by John Dickson Carr, and it’s a special release for a number of reasons. Firstly, as Martin Edwards mentions in his introduction to the book, it’s the first title by an American author to be published in the series. Secondly, it’s the first published novel by Carr, which makes it doubly fascinating! JDC was known as the king of the locked-room mystery, and I’ve read a number of his books and covered some on the blog. I *love* a locked-room mystery – and as the setting for this one was 1920s Paris, it was always likely to be a good one.
Carr’s regular detective is Dr. Gideon Fell, but this early work features another sleuth, one who apparently continued to feature in Carr’s books over the years. He is Henri Bencolin, a director of the police amongst other titles, and he’s assisted by the narrator of the story – his ‘Watson’ who is a young American Jeff Marle. Bencolin was close friends with the latter’s father, and has a paternal interest in the young man. And the mystery they investigate is a dark and chilling one, the brutal killing of a young aristocratic sportsman on the night of his wedding. However, the matter is not as straightforward as that might sound. For a start, the butchered man is found in a locked room with no way in or out which was not being watched. The method of death means he cannot have committed suicide, and yet no-one can have entered or left the room to murder him without being seen. To make things more complex, the detectives have a suspect, in the form of a madman called Laurent. The latter was previously married to the bride before being locked up for violent and insane behaviour, with the marriage being anulled. However, Laurent is free and known to have visited a plastic surgeon… Therefore, the killer could be anywhere and look like anyone, as well as seemingly having the ability to make himself invisible and pass through locked doors or walls. It’s a pretty and apparently insoluble puzzle and one which will tax the sleuths to the very end…
For the present, we were all aware only of a confused and numbing sense of terrible things moving behind a veil. That room, with its amber lights and its black-and-white flagged floor, the two men who were my companions, suddenly took on an aspect of unreality which made me feel as though I were alone. It stripped away everything…
Needless to say, I absolutely *loved* this book; it was one of those I just couldn’t bear to put down, sneaking a few pages here and there whenever I could. Bencolin is a fascinating and often enigmatic character, and makes a wonderful detective; the sidekicks, in the form of Marle plus a slightly batty Austrian doctor, Grafenstein, are very entertaining. However, there’s a real darkness and tension in the narrative; 1920s Paris is full of drug-taking and depravity, people are not what they seem, and there is a creeping sense of dread surrounding everyone at the thought of a madman murderer being close by yet unrecognisable. Carr likes to slip in chilling hints of the supernatural (which admittedly he eventually dispels) and these add to the tense atmosphere of the story. And the plot twists and turns beautifully, with additional characters such as a Sharon, a rich Englishwoman who fascinates Jeff; a slimeball of a drug dealer; and a playwright with an obscure background who may or may not be what he seems. It’s a wonderful mix and makes for a most enjoyable and absorbing read!
As Edwards mentions in the introduction, the first edition of the book came with a clever marketing device; at a certain point in the narrative, a band was put around the remainder of the book and the reader challenged to solve the mystery with the information given so far and without reading the rest of the book. That point is marked in this edition and frankly I didn’t haven’t a chance of a solution; by then, I think I suspected just about everyone in the book and although I maybe had a bit of a glimmer closer to the end, I certainly was nowhere near the answer.
I woke in the warmth of clear blue sunlight, one of those mornings that flood you with a swashbuckling joyousness, so that you want to sing and hit somebody for sheer exuberance. The high windows were all swimming in a dazzle of sunlight, and up in their corners lay a trace of white clouds, like angels’ washing hung out on a line over the grey roofs of Paris. The trees had crept into green overnight; they filled the whole apartment with slow rustling; they caught and sifted the light; in short, it was a springtime to make you laugh at the cynical paragraph you had written the night before.
John Dickson Carr was a really marvellous author, and an outstanding proponent of the classic crime story. “It Walks..” is a treat for the aficionado as it’s peppered with references to everyone from Sax Rohmer to Edgar Allen Poe (and the latter is, of course, often reckoned to be the creator of the modern detective story). There’s a darkness and depth to Carr’s books which isn’t always there in books from that era, and he also writes remarkably well. His descriptions of Paris were vivid, and some of the sequences with Jeff and the Sharon were incredibly atmospheric. There were jumps and chills and wonderful detecting and really, this book was such a treat!
Well – I reckon I *could* have happily spent the week with Golden Age crime if I’d done a bit of research and dug out some more titles from 1930. However, I’m very, very glad I read “It Walks by Night” as it was an utterly entertaining and completely enjoyable book. This particular edition (and isn’t the cover lovely?) comes with an extra treat, in the form of “The Shadow of the Goat”, a rare short story by Carr which was the first to feature Bencolin. It contains all the elements you’d expect from Carr, including hints at the supernatural, a locked room, lots of twists and interestingly it ends (like “It Walks”) on a dramatic high point which is perhaps a little unusual. Really, I can’t recommend this one highly enough; the BLCCs are a wonderful thing anyway, and this one is a really special entry on the list. 1930 really *was* a marvellous year for books! 😀
(Review copy kindly provided by the publisher, with perfect timing for the #1930Club, for which many thanks!)
MarinaSofia
Oct 18, 2019 @ 07:11:25
Darn it, you got me hooked again!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Oct 18, 2019 @ 14:51:50
Sorry…. But this one is such fun! 😀
JacquiWine
Oct 18, 2019 @ 07:23:48
Well, it wouldn’t be a proper Club week without a few reviews of vintage crime classics, and this definitely fits the bill! It does sound very intriguing indeed, particularly given the challenge to readers. We have a copy of this in the shop so your review is quite timely – now I know a little more about it, I might be able to sell it to some of our customers. 🙂
kaggsysbookishramblings
Oct 18, 2019 @ 14:51:37
It wouldn’t, and this one was a real treat. Definitely one to point your customers to, I would say! 😀
madamebibilophile
Oct 18, 2019 @ 09:05:58
This sounds absolutely wonderful! I’ve read The Hollow Man but nothing else by JDC – great news that he’s now part of the BLCC family. I read a GA crime for the club – The Secret of High Eldersham – but I’m running out of time to post it… hopefully before Sunday…
kaggsysbookishramblings
Oct 18, 2019 @ 14:51:17
It’s a real treat! I do love JDC’s books and I’m hoping for more of his titles from the BL. And hope you get your post in in time, but don’t worry if it’s a little late! 😀
Annabel (AnnaBookBel)
Oct 18, 2019 @ 14:51:52
I’ve yet to read JDC, but rather want to now – and own that lovely cover.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Oct 18, 2019 @ 14:54:04
I know – I hate to be so superficial, but it *is* beautiful to look at! And I can vouch for the quality of the contents too! ;D
Caroline
Oct 18, 2019 @ 15:53:17
This does sound rather marvelous. I’ve only read one if his books but enjoyed it so much. Aren’t you lucky? What lovely books you got.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Oct 18, 2019 @ 15:54:35
I’m very lucky indeed – so lovely books, and all promising Golden Age delights! JDC is great and I recommend him highly if you can track some down.
heavenali
Oct 18, 2019 @ 19:13:32
Ooh this sounds fab. I do love a locked room mystery. Not read John Dickson Carr yet, but have heard good things about his mysteries.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Oct 18, 2019 @ 19:33:57
It’s marvellous! I’m fond of locked room too, and he certainly manages to get a chill down the spine as well with his stories!
buriedinprint
Oct 18, 2019 @ 19:18:16
Last week, Mr. BIP picked up a bug/virus and was feeling so poorly on one day in particular that, when I offered him a piece of chocolate, he turned down the offer. If you ever neglect to include a classic detective story as part of your reading for an event you are hosting, I will likely exhibit the same level of surprise and concern.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Oct 18, 2019 @ 19:33:29
LOL! Poor Mr BIP – I do hope he feels better soon! And yes – it really isn’t likely that I’d fail to include classic crime on the Ramblings – it’s a favourite genre! 😀
buriedinprint
Oct 22, 2019 @ 01:50:33
Oh, yes, much better, thank you. It was only that day and chocolate was consumed at regular intervals thereafter, as per usual. (What a fortunate life.) Will look forward to regular installments of detective story reportage then. As it should be. 🙂
kaggsysbookishramblings
Oct 22, 2019 @ 11:26:23
There will be plenty… ;D
winstonsdad
Oct 18, 2019 @ 19:49:28
I was looking through there’s to find one but decided to read the Agatha Christie for my third book as I already had it shame it was the start of the golden age of crime
kaggsysbookishramblings
Oct 18, 2019 @ 19:52:10
Yes, some wonderful crime writing from that era – and you can’t go wrong with Agatha! 🤣
Helen
Oct 18, 2019 @ 19:58:51
I didn’t love this as much as you, but it has left me wanting to read more by John Dickson Carr as soon as possible. I’m glad I’m not the only one who didn’t come close to solving the mystery!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Oct 19, 2019 @ 06:58:11
No, I rarely get the solution to these mysteries, which is half the fun! Perhaps try one of his Gideon Fell stories? They’re great! 😁
WordsAndPeace
Oct 19, 2019 @ 01:19:14
Thanks for introducing me to this author. I love classic mysteries
kaggsysbookishramblings
Oct 19, 2019 @ 06:57:04
Very welcome! I do love Carr’s writing – melodramatic in places, maybe, but always so clever and entertaining, as well as completely absorbing! 😁
#1930Club: kicking off! – Stuck in a Book
Oct 19, 2019 @ 13:14:26
Jane
Oct 20, 2019 @ 18:50:53
I haven’t read any of these BLCC’s yet, but can’t resist buying them, I’ll keep an eye out for this one, thank you!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Oct 21, 2019 @ 08:55:21
They look beautiful and there are such treats inside – you have some wonderful reading ahead of you! 😀
whatmeread
Oct 21, 2019 @ 22:29:35
This one sounds like fun.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Oct 22, 2019 @ 11:27:01
It really was. I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed by a BLCC!
Cavershamragu
Oct 26, 2019 @ 18:05:59
Great review Karen. It’s Carr that got me turned on to Golden Age detective stories, so lovely to see this being reprinted by the BL in such a spiffing edition. For me, much as I admire the Sayers’ prose style, Christie’s plots and Allingham’s sensitivity and brio, Carr for me remains the best of the lot for his humour, sense of atmosphere and sheer ingenuity. Beyond the remarkable cleverness of his “impossible” murders, I reckon he really could hide a murderer better than anybody else writing at the time.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Oct 26, 2019 @ 19:35:21
Thanks! 😀 Carr certainly is brilliant at hiding up his murderers, that’s for sure! I’ve read a few of his titles now, and I don’t think I’ve ever succeeded in working out the killer! Certainly very ingenious. I do love all the Golden Age greats, and appreciate them all for their different strengths I think. It’s great to see the BL republishing Carr and there is another Bencolin title in the pipeline for next year!
Devious dealings and double lives! #georgebellairs @BL_publishing @medwardsbooks | Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
Nov 08, 2019 @ 06:14:50
Chilling murder and mayhem on the Rhine! @BL_Publishing #JohnDicksonCarr | Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
Apr 09, 2020 @ 06:57:22
Two Books by John Dickson Carr: It Walks by Night (1930) and The Mad Hatter Mystery (1933) – a hot cup of pleasure
Aug 30, 2020 @ 14:12:53
“…the pink lights of the boulevards…” #johndicksoncarr @BritLibPublishing #BLCC @medwardsbooks | Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
Mar 19, 2021 @ 06:27:23