Carr, John Dickson - Death Turns the Tables / The Seat of the Scornful (1941)

Review by Nick Fuller

4/5

One of the very few successful attempts to combine the problem of detection with the novel of character, and a simple and straightforward case without the nervous hysteria of which Carr was becoming so unfortunately fond at this time (c.f. Seeing is Believing, also 1941). Superb presentation of a severe cat-and-mouse judge who finds himself suspected of murder, until Dr. Fell solves the case in remarkably short time, discovering it to be an almost-perfect murder: although the murderer is known, his guilt cannot be proved.