Review of 'The Mad Hatter Mystery (Dr. Gideon Fell Mystery)' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I am trying to like John Dickson Carr. I am 80-85 years too late. Carr, genius of the "locked room mystery" trope, has influenced generations of writers of television and print fiction mysteries, so my introduction to the detective Dr. Gideon Fell had a sense of déjà vu: a bearded fat know-it-all with a shovel hat remarking "Tut tut."
Carr was the first American member of "The Detection Club," a small circle including Anthony Berkeley, E. C. Bentley, G.K. Chesterton, and Agatha Christie. He lived in England for some time, and in The Mad Hatter Mystery described much of the Tower of London, where a body is discovered.
There is no connection with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Mad Hatter Mystery doesn't have the same noirish fun and flair of Fredric Brown's Night of the Jabberwock. Fans of Golden Age detective fiction, especially those with historical English settings, …
I am trying to like John Dickson Carr. I am 80-85 years too late. Carr, genius of the "locked room mystery" trope, has influenced generations of writers of television and print fiction mysteries, so my introduction to the detective Dr. Gideon Fell had a sense of déjà vu: a bearded fat know-it-all with a shovel hat remarking "Tut tut."
Carr was the first American member of "The Detection Club," a small circle including Anthony Berkeley, E. C. Bentley, G.K. Chesterton, and Agatha Christie. He lived in England for some time, and in The Mad Hatter Mystery described much of the Tower of London, where a body is discovered.
There is no connection with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Mad Hatter Mystery doesn't have the same noirish fun and flair of Fredric Brown's Night of the Jabberwock. Fans of Golden Age detective fiction, especially those with historical English settings, will enjoy this.