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Know what's awesome? Murder Mysteries! Pitting your wits against the likes of Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr to see if you can deduce the culprit before reaching the end of the book. However, these literary puzzles can be extremely difficult - so why should we take them on alone? The purpose of this thread is to read through classic and modern Whodunits as a group, bouncing theories around and comparing notes to try and catch the killer before the solution is revealed. The previous thread can be found here, and this one will proceed in approximately the same way:
Interested? Want to get involved? Pick up the book we're reading and join in! Current Challenge:  The Blind Barber, by John Dickson Carr, is available on Kindle for $9 or Kindle Unlimited for free. Presently, you may read until the end of chapter 10. Spoiler tags are required anything starting from the beginning of chapter 8. Spoiler Policy
Books already challenged: The Body on the Beach, by Simon Brett The Problem of the Green Capsule, by John Dickson Carr She Died a Lady, by John Dickson Carr A Murder is Announced, by Agatha Christie And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie Crooked House, by Agatha Christie The Moving Finger, by Agatha Christie Murder is Easy, by Agatha Christie Pit Prop Syndicate, by Freeman Wills Crofts The Ponson Case, by Freeman Wills Crofts Cat of Many Tails, by Ellery Queen Thus Was Adonis Murdered, by Sarah Caudwell Murder by the Book, by Rex Stout Books to challenge in the future: Green for Danger, by Christianna Brand He Who Whispers, by John Dickinson Carr Death and the Dancing Footman, by Ngaio Marsh Death in a White Tie, by Ngaio Marsh Overture to Death, by Ngaio Marsh Clouds of Witness, by Dorothy L. Sayers And Be A Villain, by Rex Stout Prisoner's Base, by Rex Stout The Shortest Way to Hades, by Sarah Caudwell Stop Press, by Michael Innes Discussing books to challenge in the future is always encouraged, even in mid-puzzle. I think last thread got a bit carried away with Agatha Christie, so I'm on the lookout for less well-known authors in the genre. Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 14:31 on Dec 20, 2014 |
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Aug 13, 2014 20:44
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Since the above post will eventually change, posting it here for posterity: The first book of this thread is Cat of Many Tails, by Ellery Queen (which is a pseudonym used by two cousins, Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee, who jointly wrote the series). Starting as soon as you pick up the book, you can read up to the end of Chapter 2 and start discussion. Just in case people have different versions of the book with different chapter numbering: Chapter 2 ends 12% of the way through the book, with the following line: "If you give me three minutes, I'll go with you." I'll allow plenty of time for this first chunk, since it's a new thread and people need to get the book and whatnot to get started.
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Aug 13, 2014 20:47
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Posting so I'll remember to get the book. I'd be interested in Hopeford's thoughts on Crooked House, since I remember he had some but then the thread was closed. 
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Aug 13, 2014 21:21
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Yay for my 3-month Scribd free trial. The first chapter makes it pretty clear we're dealing with either a serial killer or copy-cat murderers. I'm inclined towards the latter because of the title of the book and the sort of odd references to cats scattered throughout that really aren't necessary unless you're trying to draw attention to it. Or perhaps both, the first five were by a serial killer and the rest, after the cartoon was published, were by copy-cats, since the first five were in Manhattan. I've never read an Ellery Queen novel before, but he seems all right. I don't think there is a motive for these murderers besides the thrill of it, unless there's some really convoluted way to connect a loner, a well-off prostitute, a working man at the end of his rope, a rich girl who liked to live life, a disabled woman being taken care of by her sister, and a woman taking care of her father. Mecca-Benghazi fucked around with this message at 22:25 on Sep 6, 2014 |
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Aug 14, 2014 23:39
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Thanks for running this thread and let me know if you need any help with it -- title changed, etc.
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Aug 15, 2014 00:26
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Thanks for running this thread and let me know if you need any help with it -- title changed, etc. You're welcome! I will keep it in mind, provided we get enough players to keep it afloat.
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Aug 15, 2014 00:47
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Ech, I just finished Cat of Many Tails a few weeks ago, so I can't join in on this one. Still, a good story that kept me guessing.
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Aug 15, 2014 16:29
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Hmm. Have people started reading without commenting? Would there be more players with a different book? Is there just not enough interest in the Book Barn to keep this thread alive? Because I'm not gonna run it with only one person participating.
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Aug 17, 2014 19:03
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Glad to see this thread's gone up! Unfortunately I've already read Cat of Many Tails, so I can't participate for this book, but I'll watch the thread keenly.
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Aug 18, 2014 11:36
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I'm in. Kind of disappointed it's a regular mystery novel. The cover made it look like it was cat themed and I've always wanted to read one of those terrible books about a quilter/cupcake baker/cat lady who solves mysteries on the side.
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Aug 18, 2014 21:42
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Hey, a novel I haven't read! Totally gonna play this time. Thought I had read it at first, but it seems that's one Queen I missed.
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Aug 19, 2014 23:08
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Alright, three players and two more waiting for the next book is a better spread. Friends, go ahead and read up to the end of Chapter 4! This next destination point is 29% of the way through the book, and ends with the following memorable line: "I’m going to bed." The little naked man shuffled out. Posts above this one can be unspoiled.
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Aug 20, 2014 13:30
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Whee, new thread. I'm in.
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Aug 20, 2014 14:46
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Oh, hey, a new thread! I'll get started.
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Aug 20, 2014 16:23
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Hm, an interesting sort of case, since we're low on serious suspects so far. Of course, it could always be a case of copycats or the old ABC, which would make the solution much simpler, but who knows. Ellery is an odd guy, who seems to be constantly doing statistics in the back of his head. It feels like timing is the key. Almost all of the victims were targeted by the Cat at a time when they just happened to be particularly vulnerable. Someone who knew them could have known that the paraplegic's sister would be out at the movies at that time, or that the doctor's niece would probably skip the party due to a nasty period, but how is that possible if the victims are randomly selected, or even randomly selected to fit a weird pattern?
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Aug 21, 2014 14:45
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For me notable at this point is that the victims seem random, yet obviously must fit some criteria that requires some knowledge of them. So how does the killer find and select them?
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Aug 21, 2014 20:27
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Meanwhile, I am torn between wanting to suspect people who have shown up and realizing that I'm only suspecting them because the murderer probably has to be someone who appears in the book, as opposed to any of the other seven million people who could have done it. On those grounds, I guess the doctor is the most suspicious? A doctor involved in public health programs probably had a pretty good opportunity to get into the homes of people both rich and poor. Rand Brittain fucked around with this message at 19:44 on Sep 9, 2014 |
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Aug 21, 2014 20:46
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I'm on vacation right now, so feel free to continue without me, I'll catch up when I get back in a week.
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Aug 22, 2014 18:15
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Well, let's go ahead and advance, then, to the end of Chapter 7. That is 47% of the way through the book, and ends on this line (this is an actual spoiler for once, so only read if you're not sure): There was the familiar Cat, but he had an eighth tail and it was not a question mark. Everything above this post can be unspoiled.
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Aug 27, 2014 18:15
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And then much happened that was topical, and very little happened that seems likely to be relevant to the solution of the mystery. I was interested in the outcome of the riots but they don't seem to tell us anything about who the Cat actually might be. We did learn, however, that two of the victim's relatives had excellent motives to murder them. Could they be exploiting the Cat crisis to get away with an extra victim? Incidentally, the two obvious lovers in mysteries are incredibly irritating, although I appreciate that Ellery seems to find them ridiculous. Not that he has any right to complain since he brought it all on himself. Rand Brittain fucked around with this message at 19:44 on Sep 9, 2014 |
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Aug 29, 2014 02:17
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I found little info here asides from the fact that the lack of in-depth covered characters reinforces what was already said about it possibly being someone who was introduced already. The Prometheus section was a nice reflection on modern society.
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Aug 29, 2014 08:13
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Finally got the book, will get caught up over the weekend.
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Aug 29, 2014 16:40
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Okay, back and all caught up. So we know 1) the victims have been descending in age 2) all the women have been unmarried (although not virgins, because of the prostitute) 3) the men got blue scarves, the women salmon ones 4) they all had their own entries in the phone book. There's no other connection between them besides living in Manhattan. We're nearly half-way through the book and the only characters besides our detectives that have been really introduced have been McKell, Celeste, the psychiatrist, the mayor, and that one sergeant with his map but I think he's out. Multiple serial killers is looking like an extremely entertaining possibility right now. A doctor would definitely have all of the information so far to find the victims but why victims descending in age? Seems really arbitrary. As an aside, I really like the way this story is written and how the city itself is a character. Mecca-Benghazi fucked around with this message at 22:26 on Sep 6, 2014 |
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Sep 2, 2014 03:54
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I just got this off Audible and am using my hour commutes to get caught up! Looking forward to solving the case with goons.
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Sep 2, 2014 19:20
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It sounds like we've got some people trying to catch up, so I'll hold off on advancing until Fifteen and Hopeford are properly with us.
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Sep 2, 2014 19:24
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Almost caught up, should be caught up by tomorrow. Sorry for taking so long, had a mild issue with my kindle. Also...Fifteen of Many posted:I just got this off Audible and am using my hour commutes to get caught up! Looking forward to solving the case with goons. Oh my god, Audible has Ellery Queen books? How have I been missing that all my life? That's awesome!
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Sep 2, 2014 20:02
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I'm following this with some curiosity since I read Cat of Many Tails last summer. It's a fun book, and I'll be interested to see what you make of it.
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Sep 3, 2014 05:42
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Caught up! I think the most important point here is going to be the selection of the victims. It's either the good ol' ABC method, or there's some link to them. If it's the former, then we'll figure that out with a few more clues, but if it's the latter, then we have our work cut out for us. Mecca-Benghazi's idea of multiple serial killers seems worth considering. Hmm, it really comes down to the motive here. Namely if the motive is just serial killing or to appear like it's serial killing. I'm going to do some rereading tomorrow, really tired right now, but I like the way things are getting lined up. Also as an aside, the prose here is way better than in Roman Hat Mystery which...was a bit of a chore to finish.
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Sep 4, 2014 02:58
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Roman Hat Mystery was my first Queen book, and it nearly turned me off from the series entirely.
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Sep 4, 2014 04:13
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I've started side-reading The Greek Coffin Mystery and I kind of wish I could reach into the book and murder Ellery to shut his smart mouth forever.
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Sep 4, 2014 04:31
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If Ellery drives you insane, never read any of Van Dine's books. There's a reason why the saying Philo Vance, needs a kick in the pance exists. Van Dine's books were incredibly relevant for the genre to evolve the way it did, but holy hell Vance was an annoying detective.
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Sep 4, 2014 05:17
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Don't worry about holding the thread up for me - I'll probably be a bit slower catching up (in chapter 4 now) just because of limited time. I'll get there and just follow the thread as I catch up.
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Sep 4, 2014 18:18
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All right, then, let's advance through to the end of chapter 9! This puts us 66% of the way through the book, and ends with the following line: And Jimmy McKell snarled, "Me, too!" Everything above this post can be de-spoiled.
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Sep 4, 2014 18:51
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Rand Brittain posted:I've started side-reading The Greek Coffin Mystery and I kind of wish I could reach into the book and murder Ellery to shut his smart mouth forever. He was completey insufferable in that one. On the other hand, it was a good book apart from him, and I think Ellery was intentionally being made that insufferable at that point, which made it better for me in retrospect. Though he could still be annoying in later books, he was never that bad again. But I still don't like him. One of the TV series adaptations actually made Ellery likeable, which was a nice change. Hopeford posted:but holy hell Vance was an annoying detective. Oh, he absolutely was. I like the books a lot, and I'd place some of them among my favourite mystery novels, but Vance was never a likeable person. I'd say he was at his worst in the last two stories, probably because those two were just worse stories overall and couldn't compensate.
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Sep 4, 2014 19:42
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Canalis is too obvious at 66% in the book. Who else has access to the necessary files? His wife? Who cannot understand why he successfully birthed so many children but could not get their own? Did he feel something is wrong with her and try to fix it by becoming a good psychiatrist?
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Sep 4, 2014 22:48
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Skuto posted:Canalis is too obvious at 66% in the book. Who else has access to the necessary files? His wife? Who cannot understand why he successfully birthed so many children but could not get their own? Did he feel something is wrong with her and try to fix it by becoming a good psychiatrist? Yeah, I think the wife is the obvious answer, since at this point it has to be either Cazalas or someone deeply connected to him, and she's slightly less insignificant than the other members of his household. Cazalas himself is obviously innocent because it's too early in the book for him to be guilty, unless there's a double bluff. There could be someone else who wants to frame the doctor but it's a bit late to be introducing that. I was attached to the theory that some of the victims were copycat crimes but that one's been pretty thoroughly blown out of the water. Rand Brittain fucked around with this message at 19:43 on Sep 9, 2014 |
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Sep 4, 2014 22:56
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Jimmy was just amazing in this last chapter, holy poo poo  I was really attached to my copy-cat serial killer theory too.  Aside from Mrs. Cazalis, there's also Mrs. Richardson, her sister and mother of one of the victims that might have access to that information. The doctor might have killed some, and the wife the others, I suppose it's not inconceivable they're working together, at least if we're just tossing out motive at the moment. One thing that is confusing me, and Ellery too so I must be onto something  , is how the doctor (let's say it's him, for convenience's sake) managed to make contact with everyone. No letters have been connected to him, phone calls seem impractical in the case of Celeste's sister (because Celeste would have noticed her sister being called) and probably expensive judging by the married man that was killed early on. I guess in most of the cases you wouldn't need to make contact, just follow them around enough to figure out their schedule. But there's the issue of the shut-in guy that was the first victim. Then again, if you know he's a bit of a loner, it's easy to catch him at a time when he's alone.
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Sep 6, 2014 22:25
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This is a great thread idea. I'll join in for the next book, since it sounds like you all are almost done the current one (chapter 9 of 13, by my Amazon check.)
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Sep 9, 2014 10:40
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Mecca-Benghazi posted:Jimmy was just amazing in this last chapter, holy poo poo They say a love interest has no place in a detective story, and reading these young lovers I can believe it. I think the thing that really annoys me is that almost all mystery writers are never going to have either Young Lover be guilty, so their presence in the narrative always feels way extraneous (although the young lovers in Miss Silver are even more annoying).
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Sep 9, 2014 16:19
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Well, then, let's move things along to the end of Chapter 12. That is 92% of the way through the book, and ends with this very spoilerly line: "I mean, Professor Seligmann, that Cazalis did not kill those nine people. Cazalis is not— and never was— the Cat." Everything above this post can be de-spoilered. This is the  LAST SECTION BEFORE THE SOLUTION, so everyone lock in your final theories!Also, since we're getting to the end here, we should start talking about nominations for the next book! There's a list in the OP, but new books are always welcome.
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Sep 9, 2014 16:23
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