John Dickson Carr on Kindle

This is news to me - and, I suspect, good news for those of us who love traditional mysteries and own an Amazon Kindle. A number of John Dickson Carr's best books are being made available now for the Kindle. That includes two of my absolute favorites. "He Who Whispers," one of the most atmospheric and best written of Carr's  books, is a mystery in which Dr. Fell solves a seemingly impossible murder which may have been committed by a vampire. "The Plague Court Murders," the first mystery featuring Sir Henry Merrivale, is another brilliantly written book, with its eerie atmosphere and impossible locked room crime.

If you haven't read either of those books, I think they are among Carr's finest, and I urge you - if you have a Kindle - to get them and read them. I hope more classic mystery authors will be appearing on Kindle, if they cannot be brought back in regular mass market or trade paperback editions (or even if they can), so that more readers can enjoy them. Frankly, if I didn't already own a Kindle, this could push me into getting one. (Disclosure: if you decide to get a Kindle, and use my link, I get a remarkably small percentage).

Updated to add a hat tip to "Scott" on the Golden Age of Detection mail list on Yahoo, for calling this availability to my attention.

Comments

[Yvette]

Don't have a Kindle and now I may be jealous. Carr's books are not all that easy to find. But I'll keep trying. :)

I'm reading a Mr. and Mrs. North but not liking it as much as I thought I would. A couple of them I've begun and put back because they're so dated and, really, kind of boring. I was surprised.

[Les Blatt]

It has been a while since I read a Mr. and Mrs. North - I have one on my shelf, but can't remember when (or even if) I read it. One of the things I like about the great mystery writers - such as Carr - is that their books are still very readable and exciting. Not always true of all the other authors, however. Sigh.

[Graham Powell]

I love Carr, but as to THE PLAGUE COURT MURDERS, I must respectfully disagree. To put it diplomatically, modern readers may find it a tad slow.

[Les Blatt]

You may be right, Graham. It has been many years since I read "The Plague Court Murders," and I'm working only from memory. I remember it as being a top=notch impossible crime, with a wonderfully eerie setting, but the details have faded. I suppose the only way I can resolve it in my own mind is to get it for my Kindle and re-read it!