"The Mad Hatter Mystery"

It began really with what seemed to be practical jokes at best (or at worst, depending on your point of view). Somebody was stealing top hats and other headgear from a number of prominent people - snatching them off their owners' heads and escaping into a crowd. The hats would later turn up in unlikely but, perhaps, appropriate places: a barrister's wig, for example, was found on the head of a taxi driver's horse. And then, perhaps inevitably, there was a murder - and the victim had, on his head, one of the missing top hats. That's when Dr. Gideon Fell got involved in the search for an explanation and a solution. You'll find the story in The Mad Hatter Mystery, by John Dickson Carr. It's the subject of today's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you are welcome to listen to the complete review by clicking here.

The press clearly was enjoying the story of the stolen hats and the apparent inability of the police to do anything about them. The police were not amused and, increasingly, highly frustrated. There were other, more serious crimes, to be solved - for example, the theft of a priceless manuscript, a previously unknown detective story by Edgar Allan Poe. Only Dr. Fell thought there might be some connection between the theft of the manuscript and the theft of the hats.

While John Dickson Carr is remembered primarily for his mastery of the “impossible crime” mystery, he was also a master of the eerie atmosphere. In a Carr novel, you might be reading a passage that strikes you as very funny – and suddenly find something very cold and chilling lurking at its heart. Originally published in 1933, The Mad Hatter Mystery was Carr’s second book to feature Dr. Gideon Fell as his protagonist. Dr. Fell was based on the real-life author G. K. Chesterton (whom Carr admired), and he would go on to become one of Carr’s primary sleuths. Although this book is not really about murder in a locked room, it has a brilliant and complex plot that is certain to grip the reader. And when it ends, the reader will see that he or she was given every necessary clue – but those clues are so well disguised that they slip right past that reader’s eyes. As with so many of Carr’s novels, his story creates an unforgettable atmosphere that aims – quite successfully, in my opinion – at throwing the reader off-balance, making seemingly inexplicable events suddenly believable. Long out of print, publisher Otto Penzler has brought out a new edition as part of his American Mystery Classics series. I recommend The Mad Hatter Mystery very highly.

Comments

[Colin McGuigan]

I like this novel. I reread it a couple of years ago and had a good time with it. No, it's not an impossible crime (but Carr is about more than just that subset anyway) but that's no criticism of it. The atmosphere is fine, as it generally was in these early stories, less pronounced than the sometimes overwrought Bencolin tales yet still rich.

I coming towards the end of a reread of Death-Watch at the moment and it creates a typically creepy atmosphere in a non-impossible situation. Some will tell you these early Fell stories are a bit weaker overall but, Blind Barber aside, I like them quite a bit and it's great to see more of Carr's work back in print.

[Les Blatt]

I keep hearing rumblings about more of Carr's work (as both Carr and Dickson) being due for re-publication, Colin. I certainly hope that's true. Too many of the best titles have been completely unavailable for a long while. Let's hope it happens soon.

[Colin McGuigan]

Well, Constant Suicides came out in the UK not long ago and Crooked Hinge, She Died a Lady and It Walks by Night are all due quite soon. Just scratching the surface of course but every bit helps!

[Les Blatt]

Constant Suicides and Crooked Hinge were both published in the US by the Rue Morgue Press, now sadly out of business. Most of the really good ones still are awaiting their turn. I've always assumed it was a rights problem. I certainly hope it gets cleared up!