The Ten Teacups

A note arrives at Scotland Yard: THERE WILL BE TEN TEACUPS AT NUMBER 4, BERWICK TERRACE, W8 ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, AT 5 P.M. PRECISELY. THE PRESENCE OF THE METROPOLITAN POLICE IS RESPECTFULLY REQUESTED The reaction of Chief Inspector Masters and his men is one of near panic, because, the last time a v......more

There’s something about JDC’s writing that just doesn’t quite work for me. This is a perfectly serviceable locked room mystery. It’s cleverly plotted an genuinely gets the brain going. However, pretty much without exception the characters are pompous and irritating. They speak in unnatural ways and......more

This book made me realize how crucial a good motive is to a successful mystery. Usually even a mediocre mystery novelist supplies a believable motive, but, unbelievably Carter Dickson did not in The Peacock Feather Murders. (view spoiler)[There were, of course, two culprits here (I say "of course" assuming whoever (hide spoiler)]......more

An ingenious but very over complicated locked room mystery which I found difficult to follow at times. Merrivale's dialogue was annoyin' and irritatin' .......more

While initially intriguing, the unformed characters and the different-for-different's-sake locked room puzzle make it very difficult to be surprised when the murderer (or, murderers) is (are) revealed. The murder of Vance Keating especially is contingent on the alignment of quite a number of stars.......more