The Case of the Constant Suicides, by John Dickson Carr

I came across this little gem on WRL’s shelves recently as I was processing a no-use report for the mystery collection. Books on this list have not been checked out in two years or more and are prime candidates for weeding from the collection. As I leafed through this particular book, I was overcome by a wave of nostalgia. My father owns possibly every Carr (aka Carter Dickson) ever published, and as a child I derived enormous pleasure from selecting a new one to read from his seemingly endless collection. My love of Golden Age mysteries (Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham) started in my Dad’s collection, and the Carrs and Dicksons were among my favorites.

I’m happy to report that I saved The Case of The Constant Suicides from the dire fate of withdrawal by checking it out and reading it. It was truly a delight.

Although Carr was an American, most of his mysteries featured thoroughly English characters and settings. He specialized in the locked room mystery, drawing influences from Gaston Leroux and G.K. Chesterton. His two most famous protagonists, Dr. Gideon Fell and H.M. Merrivale, were written under the names John Dickson Carr and Carter Dickson, respectively. Gideon Fell is fat and blustery, walks with the aid of two canes, and usually wears a cape and a “shovel hat” – in fact, he looks like G.K. Chesterton, upon whose character Dr. Fell was modeled. H.M. Merrivale is similar in stature but more lecherous, irascible and humorous a character.

The Case of the Constant Suicides contains all of the appealing elements of Carr’s best works: a hideous crime in a super-creepy atmosphere; an impossible locked-room element which seems to suggest only a horrifyingly supernatural explanation; an ultimately logical and utterly satisfying solution; the full force of Dr. Fell’s character; and an element of romance between two main characters in the drama. Not all of Carr’s work achieved this level of satisfaction, but The Case of the Constant Suicides is a pretty good example.

Angus Campbell has apparently committed suicide by leaping from the high tower bedroom of his Scottish castle, immediately after purchasing a life insurance policy with a suicide clause. To Dr. Fell, the evidence contradicts suicide (to wit: a missing diary, an enemy of Campbell’s who threatened him the night before and has now disappeared, and an animal cage found under Campbell’s bed). However, murder seems to have been physically impossible: Campbell’s bedroom was locked from the inside. Of course, there is a logical explanation, and the anticipation that Gideon Fell will eventually figure it out and reveal all is part of the pleasure of reading Carr’s books.

Most of Carr’s works appear to be out-of-print, although I see that Rue Morgue Press will be re-issuing The Crooked Hinge featuring Gideon Fell and The Judas Window featuring H.M. Merrivale (very good examples of the best of Fell and Merrivale respectively) this month. Those that exist in libraries are falling prey to no-use reports throughout the land. Dr. Fell and “the old man” H.M. Merrivale are endangered species. Sponsor one of these worthy characters today—run, don’t walk to your local library and check them out. If your library does not own any, ask—nay, demand!—that they be obtained for you via Interlibrary Loan. If you only read one, read The Three Coffins with Gideon Fell – it is believed by many to be Carr’s best.

 Check the WRL Catalog