Thanks for this. I noticed a copy of The Locked Room (in the Martin Beck series) in the stack pictured at the outset. Would love to hear your take on that (perhaps I just missed it!). I'm a big fan of that series.
I'm no specialist in Nordic mysteries, but I did enjoy The Locked Room, and found the character of Martin Beck intriguing—he departs markedly from the typical detective story sleuth, at least in this story. I'd like to read other books in the series. Which would you recommend?
I would start w/ the first book of the series, Roseanna, and proceed w/ the books in order, unless you simply lose enthusiasm. They are dated in some ways but still (so I think) beguiling.
Love locked-room mysteries; the first post here on the topic captured their appeal for me well. As a short mystery no longer than it could bear and a curiosity form the past, Melville Davisson Post's "The Doomdorf Mystery" is worth reading. The main character, Uncle Abner, is interesting enough in one story, maybe two at a time; I found him a bit trying in higher doses, and the attempt to make a backwoods character reflecting a certain 19th century American religious mentality is admirable but doesn't result in a really lovable detective. But that story? It's worth reading.
A true locked room mystery: The 1958 killing of Dr. Melvin Nimer and his wife, Lou Jean, in the Clifton section of Staten Island. It is chronicled in the book "Scapegoat: How the Wrong Man was Framed for the Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping" by Anthony Scaduto.
Completely off topic but... Who is Rudy Van Gelder, and do his remastering talents justify putting his name on the marquis in bigger letters and above the artist?
I heartily recommend The Winshaw Legacy by Jonathan Coe. Of note is its fantastically recursive ending.
Thanks for this. I noticed a copy of The Locked Room (in the Martin Beck series) in the stack pictured at the outset. Would love to hear your take on that (perhaps I just missed it!). I'm a big fan of that series.
I'm no specialist in Nordic mysteries, but I did enjoy The Locked Room, and found the character of Martin Beck intriguing—he departs markedly from the typical detective story sleuth, at least in this story. I'd like to read other books in the series. Which would you recommend?
I would start w/ the first book of the series, Roseanna, and proceed w/ the books in order, unless you simply lose enthusiasm. They are dated in some ways but still (so I think) beguiling.
I enjoyed The Laughing Policeman especially. Not locked room, but a good mystery.
Shout out for 'Prague Fatale', a highlight of Philip Kerr's excellent Bernie Gunther series.
"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Love locked-room mysteries; the first post here on the topic captured their appeal for me well. As a short mystery no longer than it could bear and a curiosity form the past, Melville Davisson Post's "The Doomdorf Mystery" is worth reading. The main character, Uncle Abner, is interesting enough in one story, maybe two at a time; I found him a bit trying in higher doses, and the attempt to make a backwoods character reflecting a certain 19th century American religious mentality is admirable but doesn't result in a really lovable detective. But that story? It's worth reading.
A true locked room mystery: The 1958 killing of Dr. Melvin Nimer and his wife, Lou Jean, in the Clifton section of Staten Island. It is chronicled in the book "Scapegoat: How the Wrong Man was Framed for the Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping" by Anthony Scaduto.
Completely off topic but... Who is Rudy Van Gelder, and do his remastering talents justify putting his name on the marquis in bigger letters and above the artist?