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Death Turns the Tables

Page history last edited by J F Norris 13 years, 2 months ago

Carr, John Dickson - Death Turns the Tables (1941)

(published in the UK as The Seat of the Scornful)

 

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.


Here Carr blends into his story some tricks that are the favorite plot motifs of other mystery writers.  We get a story of an attempted murder inthe past, a missing murder weapon from that crime, an actual murder, a faked murder and the disappearance of a tramp accidentally run down. The business with the murder weapon reminded me of Erle Stanley Gardner's obsession with switched guns and missing bullets and all the rest of the dizzying ballistics games found in his Perry Mason novels.  And the final twist of where the victim was actually killed as opposed to where he was found is something that turns up quite often in the novels of Anthony Wynne.  The re-enactment of the faked murder towards the end of the book, however, is pure Carr. It is simultaneously one of the most preposterous and clever bits in the books of this period when he was at his creative. Only reader equipped with an arcane knowledge of Canadian geology and taxidermy could possibly figure it all out.

 

The above review by Nick Fuller elevates the book to something it really is not. Although there is heavy emphasis on the idea of justice and punishment (several of the characters are lawyers and judges) and the motivations of characters and their hidden thoughts are better explored in this book, I will never think of John Dickson Carr's work approaching anything remotely resembling a "novel of character."  Still and all, Dr. Fell is much more somber here and less of his usual blustery, pontificating self.  For those who are turned off by farce and outrageous humor this would be an excellent place to start with the work of John Dickson Carr.  We still have Fell's cries of "Archons of Athens!" and "Oh, my ancient hat!" but, with the exception of some antics at a pool party, the book is fairly devoid of the usual farcical excesses. Since Dr. Fell is engaged in a mental game of chess with the most arrogant of Carr's villains, Fell adopts a new persona. He is, in effect, acting as Nemesis in the classical meaning of the word. He knows full well who is responsible very early on and is determined to give the culprit what he fully deserves.  How Dr. Fell doles out his retribution, however, surprises not only the murderer, but the reader as well.

 

J F Norris

 

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