As I say in my review below, "Rim of the Pit" is a first-rate impossible crime mystery. I am particularly fond of the impossible crime/locked room genre, books which, for me, are among the most enjoyable kinds of mysteries. I thoroughly enjoy authors who are masters of the art of the impossible - who can present a fictional crime which, on the surface, couldn't possibly have happened, but who go on to explain how it did happen, preferably with clues for the alert reader to follow.
The master of the field, to be sure, was John Dickson Carr, whose books written under his own name or that of "Carter Dickson" range from good to magnificent. I've mentioned some of the best before. But he's far from the only author worth your reading time. I've reviewed a pretty fair number of these books on this site. Here are links to some of my earlier reviews of locked room/impossible crime favorites:
There's another Carr - Glyn Carr, the pen name of mountaineer Showell Styles, who wrote a whole series of impossible crime novels set on mountainsides. If you can't picture how a rugged mountainside could become a sort of locked room, try one of this Carr's books.
Agatha Christie was superb at impossible crime stories. My favorite Christie still is "And Then There Were None," which, in many ways, is the ultimate in impossibilities. She also did a lovely "Murder for Christmas" - nothing like blood and murder at the holidays.
Agatha Christie's favorite American author was said to be Elizabeth Daly, and she wrote a wonderful impossible crime story in "Evidence of Things Seen," where it would appear that a ghost must have committed the murder.
Georgette Heyer's "Envious Casca" is a fine example of the English country-house mystery; it's also a really ingenious locked room murder that - hopefully - will keep you guessing all the way through.
Edmund Crispin often featured locked rooms and impossible crimes in his mysteries. If I had to pick one, I'd recommend "Swan Song," which combines humor and horror in a package set in the world of opera.
Another of my favorite authors is Michael Innes. His "Lament for a Maker" is a dazzling book about an impossible murder, told by a succession of narrators who peel away layers of this mystery to reveal the ultimate solution.
There are so many more. Do you have a personal favorite? Please leave a comment here!
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