The Magic Lantern Murders When I first started reading John Dickson Carr, I leaned heavily on the top tier titles. Part of that was intentional – wanting to read the best while first explori…| The Green Capsule
Patrick Butler appeared in two novels and somehow managed to become the most divisive topic of John Dickson Carr’s 70+ book career. Why? Well, he’s a bit of a pompous ass, perhaps known best for …| The Green Capsule
The Danger Within first flickered onto my radar a little over a year ago while I was reviewing Tomcat’s list My Favorite Locked Room Mysteries over at Beneath the Stains of Time. “This is one of my…| The Green Capsule
6 posts published by thegreencapsule during November 2018| The Green Capsule
If I could wrap up everything that I’m looking for in a Carr work perfectly, it would be The Plague Court Murders. No, it’s not his absolute masterpiece – that designation is better bestowed…| The Green Capsule
The definitive locked room mystery novel. For an author whose name is so entwined with the locked room genre, The Judas Window showcases Carr at the top of his game. Too often, the label “locked …| The Green Capsule
Like its namesake, The Unicorn Murders is an unusual beast. Part spy caper, part impossible crime, it’s a unique entry in the Carr library. The story revolves around a duel between a master thief …| The Green Capsule
On rare occasions, I’ll be several chapters into a book when I realize that I’m reading something special. I got that sense two chapters into The Burning Court – I knew that I was in for a f…| The Green Capsule
Some books challenge me in terms of how to rate them. There are stories, like the Judas Window, which hold their excellence throughout and are a no brainer on a Top 10 list. Then there are storie…| The Green Capsule
I’m surprised that I don’t read more about this book. It doesn’t show up on many Top Carr lists and I haven’t seen it reviewed on many of my favorite sites. It seems to occupy a strange limbo alo…| The Green Capsule
Juliet died a lady I don’t know why, but I love the name of this novel. I’ve seen it placed high on top 10 Carr lists and was curious to see if it would live up to its reputation. Short answer &#…| The Green Capsule
5 posts published by thegreencapsule during June 2017| The Green Capsule
This is a book that I’ve been dying to get to for a while now. First, it’s featured in John Pugmire’s list of 99 key locked room novels. Second, reliable impossible crime enthusiast JJ at The Inv…| The Green Capsule
“I came up here to make a dead man change his mind.” I have a heavy suspicion that at some point, nearly every review of Rim of the Pit includes that immortal first line of the story. And how coul…| The Green Capsule
The Devil Drives by Virgil Markham stands out as one of my fonder memories of reading this genre. What on the surface appears to be a somewhat pulpy hardboiled thriller takes hard swerves in a num…| The Green Capsule
One of my favorite reads last year was Murder of a Lady by Anthony Wynne. Not only was it highly readable, but it featured a series of truly puzzling impossible crimes. The good news – Anthony Wynne released nearly 30 mystery novels, and I’ve heard that he focused on impossible crimes. The bad news – … Continue reading "The Double Thirteen Mystery – Anthony Wynne (1926)"| The Green Capsule
Ah, my great white whale. Well, in this case, it is more a White Circle. Pocket Edition, that is. I’ve been steadily hunting for The Sleeping Bacchus for about five years, and I’ve never come close to spotting it for sale. Not in the original hardback form, nor in the White Circle Pocket Edition from … Continue reading "The Sleeping Bacchus – Hilary St George Saunders (1952)"| The Green Capsule
When holiday season rolls around and I finally get some concentrated time off work, I like to splurge a bit and dive into books that I know are likely a guaranteed top read. That typically translates to impossible crime novels by the likes of Locked Room International, Pushkin Vertigo, and Ramble House. Last year, a … Continue reading "The Red Death Murders – Jim Noy (2022)"| The Green Capsule
The Dogs Do Bark is the first of nine novels published under the Jonathan Stagge brand by the Patrick Quentin writing collective of Richard Webb and Hugh Wheeler. The Stagge name received some attention back around 2018 when Death’s Old Sweet Song became all the rage for a short time. It’s a serial killer mystery … Continue reading "The Dogs Do Bark – Jonathan Stagge (1936)"| The Green Capsule
Nothing like a Paul Halter novel to bring me back to life. When The Gold Watch first dropped in 2019, the big headline was that the author had written a new novel – following a five year gap – and that it was being published in English immediately. That we got the new novel in … Continue reading "The Gold Watch – Paul Halter (2019)"| The Green Capsule
A 2021 post about The Anthony Boucher Chronicles over at Cross Examining Crime tipped me off to some (now) obscure locked room mysteries that Boucher had reviewed back in the day. I first tried my luck with One of These Seven, which turned out to be a pretty vapid pulp mystery that didn’t even feature … Continue reading "Murder and the Married Virgin – Brett Halliday (1944)"| The Green Capsule
Easy to Kill was first serialized during the winter of 1938, around the time that Hercule Poirot’s Christmas was published. It was released as a novel the following summer, sharing the publication year with one of Christie’s most famous stories, And Then There Were None. That seemed like a fertile setting for a potential quality … Continue reading "Easy to Kill (Murder is Easy) – Agatha Christie (1939)"| The Green Capsule
A big thanks to Aidan at Mysteries Ahoy for championing this book and putting it on my radar. I probably recognize the title from vaguely being aware of the 1991 film adaptation staring Matt Dillon. I realize I just lost two thirds of my reading audience with that statement; a portion shouting out an outraged … Continue reading "A Kiss Before Dying – Ira Levin (1953)"| The Green Capsule
Let me know when you’ve found another book that throws down the gauntlet in the opening stretch like this one does. The Problem of the Wire Cage? The Judas Window? The Red Widow Murders? Maybe. I scan my bookshelves and I struggle to find a book that comes out with as solid of an opening … Continue reading "The Hollow Man (The Three Coffins) – John Dickson Carr (1935)"| The Green Capsule
