Not just a whodunit, but also a how-dun-it from the master of locked-room mystery, John Dickson Carr, who offers an intriguing and entertaining tale in this book. Every now and then, I do manage to work out the whodunit villain; however, this one certainly had me totally fooled. I also liked that the reader got to know the main characters--as Dick Markham, playwright, begins to distrust his betrothed, Lesley Grant--and its storyline soon advances into a real puzzler. No wonder this is a crime classic! ( )

The Dr Fell stories become a bit tedious towards the end - they just go on and on - one begins to wish he would quit talking ( )

This is a gripping locked room mystery that keeps you barreling along through fast-paced scenes of action and puzzlement. There are very few slow sections, which makes it a compelling case for finishing in one sitting, or at least one day (which is what I did!).
At the heart of the story are whisperings about a femme fatale – Lesley, the lovely new fiancée of Dick Markham. Why should Dick care that he knows absolutely nothing about her prior to the last six months? What could possibly be of concern? But when a neighbor masquerading as a fortune teller at a fair confides in Dick that he recognizes Lesley as a serial but unproven husband-poisoner, Dick's world is shaken. Especially when the fortune teller is immediately shot in the back by Leslie firing a gun, ahem, accidentally. What is happening?
The rest of the novel is a masterful kaleidoscope that leads you to believe first one thing, then another, then back again, then on to something else, and so on and so forth until a breathless finale.
This was my first book by John Dickson Carr, and I was impressed. Although his sleuth, Dr. Gideon Fell, is somewhat Poirot-adjacent but less appealing, the mystery itself and the core cast of characters are very good! I look forward to checking out more titles from this Golden Age author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this digital review copy! ( )

La apacible tranquilidad de un pueblo inglés es sacudida por un asesinato: un muerto aparece en un cuarto cerrado sin rastro alguno del ser suicida. Sin vacilaciones las sospechas recaen al comienzo sobre la figura de una forastera, la novia de un joven escritor del pueblo, que nunca había sido bien vista por los ojos locales. Pero, a medida que avanza la investigación, una amenaza se ciñe sobre la pareja: las maquinaciones del asesino son apenas una muestra de la feroz desconfianza que caracteriza a los convencionalismos pueblerinos. Los relatos de Dickson, cuyos climas se comparan con los de Stevenson y los de Chesterton, combinan magistralmente el rigor intelectual inglés con la rápida agilidad de las intrigas americanas.

I’m a huge fan of locked room mysteries, and Till Death Do Us Part (reissued by British Library Crime Classics) does not fail to deliver. Set in the English countryside, a famous English pathologist is found murdered in a locked room situation. Ingeniously plotted by the author, one of the great locked room mystery authors, the book is a quick and fun read with lots of twists and turns. Quite enjoyable.

My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book. ( )