The problem of the wire cage / John Dickson Carr ; introduction by Rian Johnson.

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Title:

The problem of the wire cage / John Dickson Carr ; introduction by Rian Johnson.

Author:

Carr, John Dickson, 1906-1977, author.

Johnson, Rian, writer of introduction.

ISBN:

9781613164860

9781613164877

Physical Description:

vii, 262 pages ; 21 cm.

Series:

American mystery classics

Otto Penzler's classic American mystery library.

General Note:

Includes discussion questions.

Abstract:

"Among all of Carr's ingenious crime scenes, the present case is one of his best known: a dead man is found strangled in the middle of a clay tennis court, just after a storm. In the damp dirt, there is one set of footsteps -- his own -- leading back to the grass; the court is otherwise untouched. There are no trees above from which the body may have fallen and no other visible means by which it may have been transported to its final resting place. Before determining the perpetrator of the strangulation, the local authorities are first confronted by the utter implausibility of the location -- two interlocking questions puzzling enough to stump even the most seasoned inspector. The bafflement is reaching a harried volley by the time amateur sleuth Dr. Gideon Fell gets involved, but he soon shows that the knotted plot is no match for his deductive powers. Before he can serve up a dazzling explanation of whodunnit, though, Fell will have to sort through a confounding set of clues in search of a diabolical killer and a bizarre murder method." -- Provided by publisher.

Subject Term:

Fell, Gideon (Fictitious character) -- Fiction.

Private investigators -- England -- Fiction.

Murder -- Investigation -- England -- Fiction.

Tennis courts -- Fiction.

Détectives -- Angleterre -- Romans, nouvelles, etc.

Meurtre -- Enquêtes -- Angleterre -- Romans, nouvelles, etc.

Geographic Term:

England -- Fiction.

Angleterre -- Romans, nouvelles, etc.

Genre:

Detective and mystery fiction.

Novels.

Mystery and detective fiction -- England.

Mystery and detective fiction.

Romans.

Added Author:

Johnson, Rian,

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library	Adult Mystery Fiction Book Hardback	120791003115933	F CAR	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

John Dickson Carr is famous for his puzzling "impossible crime" plots in which corpses are discovered in scenarios that seem to lack any logical explanation. Among all of Carr's ingenious crime scenes, the present case is one of the best known: a dead man is found strangled in the middle of a clay tennis court just after a storm. In the damp dirt, there is one set of footsteps--his own--leading back to the grass; the court is otherwise untouched.

It seems like a case of sudden death but, in order to find who's at fault, the authorities must first solve the mystery of the body's puzzling position. The bafflement has reached a harried volley by the time ace amateur sleuth Dr. Gideon Fell gets involved, bringing to the case a wit capable of cutting through the racket and discovering the truth. With brilliant deductive reasoning and plenty of humor, Fell untethers a confounding set of clues in search of a diabolical killer and a bizarre murder method, serving up a dazzling stroke of genius to expose whodunit.

Reissued for the first time this century, The Problem of the Wire Cage is an atmospheric and amusing Golden Age mystery with a memorable puzzle at its center, perfect for both long-time fans and first-time readers of John Dickson Carr.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

How could someone be strangled to death in the middle of a sodden clay tennis court without the killer leaving any footprints? That riddle animates this excellent entry in the Gideon Fell series from Carr (1906--1977; The Hollow Man), originally published in 1939 and now appearing with an introduction by Knives Out filmmaker Rian Johnson. The story opens with four characters playing mixed doubles on Dr. Nicholas Young's estate, near London. Frank Dorrance is engaged to Brenda White, with their union primed to net them a considerable fortune from Brenda's guardian. Hugh Rowland, a criminal defense attorney known for getting guilty clients acquitted, harbors his own feelings for Brenda. The members of the love triangle are joined by Young's high-society neighbor, Kitty Bancroft. After the quartet's game is disrupted by heavy rain, one of them is found choked to death on the court, with only their own footsteps visible in the mud, and Fell is called in to investigate. Carr's tricks and puzzles are as thrilling as ever, and Johnson's introduction offers sharp insight into the story's enduring appeal ("The beating heart of any John Dickson Carr tale is the delicious terror of the unsolvable... and the implication that the monster is just outside your window"). This is an ideal introduction to a master of mystery fiction's golden age. (Jan.)

Booklist Review

Readers are in for a double treat in this latest addition to American Mystery Classics, which, like the British Library Crime Classics, re-issues long out-of-print mysteries from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. The first treat is the mystery itself by John Dickson Carr, considered the master of the "impossible crime" mystery. The second is the introduction by writer and director Rian Johnson, himself the concocter of impossible crimes in the films Knives Out and Glass Onion. This tale, first published in 1939, is set on the grounds of an English estate. A love triangle, in which an arrogant aristocrat and a struggling barrister vie for the affections of a young woman, makes for a tense party. Once the woman commits to marrying for money, the aristocrat is found strangled to death with his own scarf in the middle of a tennis court on the grounds. Only the victim's footprints are etched into the clay leading to and from the net. Enter amateur sleuth Dr. Gideon Fell, who provides the traditional "one of you is the murderer" summing-up with aplomb. Brilliant.