Locked Room Mysteries, Sort-of
I am sure you have heard of the genre “locked-room mysteries” – mysteries where the crime (most often murder) takes place in a location where, due to the circumstances, it is seemingly impossible for the culprit to have gotten in or out. While thinking about this topic, I read what many list as the quintessential locked-room mystery, The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr (available to library patrons through our interlibrary loan service). The crime takes place in an actual locked room, with other equally confounding situations occurring throughout the story.
Smithsonian Magazine credits Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” as being the first locked-room mystery. This made me start thinking about what else I’ve read that falls into the locked-room category. What I came up with are not traditional locked-room, but mysteries that give me the same feeling because of their locations. A good example of this is Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.
(Apologies to those of you who have already read about these titles on my Facebook book discussion - posted at 4:30pm each Wednesday – I’d love to hear what you’re reading!)
The Shetland series by Ann Cleeves – the first book is Raven Black. Instead of crimes being committed inside a locked room, everything takes place on the sparsely inhabited Shetland Islands. You need either a plane or boat to get to the islands (or get off), so the entire setting becomes the locked room. What adds to the story is that the residents all know each other and are often times related. As you become familiar with the characters and appreciate the small-town-feel of the islands, it’s more and more surprising when you find out the identities of the murderers. Emotions and family history run deep.
The Lewis Trilogy by Peter May – the first book is The Blackhouse. Lower than the Shetland Islands and to the left of mainland Scotland are the islands of the Hebrides. Like the Shetland Islands, this is a remote area with long-standing traditions and few outsiders. Detective Fin Macleod returns from Edinburgh to the place he grew up to investigate a murder. Macleod stays for two more books.
Closer to home is Shari Lapena’s An Unwanted Guest, a modern-day And Then There Were None set in a secluded hotel in the Catskills. An ice storm isolates the guests and the mystery begins. Even though I was familiar with the general story line, it kept me hooked. Not to toot my own horn (too much) but I figured out who the murderer was before the last obvious clue. That usually doesn’t happen .
If you’ve already read some or all of the books I’ve listed and are looking for something new but similar, use the NoveList database available through the library’s website. Search for an author or title you enjoyed – the right side of the screen will show a list of read-alikes. And, of course, your local branch librarians are always happy to help you find what you need.
Smithsonian Magazine credits Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” as being the first locked-room mystery. This made me start thinking about what else I’ve read that falls into the locked-room category. What I came up with are not traditional locked-room, but mysteries that give me the same feeling because of their locations. A good example of this is Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.
(Apologies to those of you who have already read about these titles on my Facebook book discussion - posted at 4:30pm each Wednesday – I’d love to hear what you’re reading!)
The Shetland series by Ann Cleeves – the first book is Raven Black. Instead of crimes being committed inside a locked room, everything takes place on the sparsely inhabited Shetland Islands. You need either a plane or boat to get to the islands (or get off), so the entire setting becomes the locked room. What adds to the story is that the residents all know each other and are often times related. As you become familiar with the characters and appreciate the small-town-feel of the islands, it’s more and more surprising when you find out the identities of the murderers. Emotions and family history run deep.
The Lewis Trilogy by Peter May – the first book is The Blackhouse. Lower than the Shetland Islands and to the left of mainland Scotland are the islands of the Hebrides. Like the Shetland Islands, this is a remote area with long-standing traditions and few outsiders. Detective Fin Macleod returns from Edinburgh to the place he grew up to investigate a murder. Macleod stays for two more books.
Closer to home is Shari Lapena’s An Unwanted Guest, a modern-day And Then There Were None set in a secluded hotel in the Catskills. An ice storm isolates the guests and the mystery begins. Even though I was familiar with the general story line, it kept me hooked. Not to toot my own horn (too much) but I figured out who the murderer was before the last obvious clue. That usually doesn’t happen If you’ve already read some or all of the books I’ve listed and are looking for something new but similar, use the NoveList database available through the library’s website. Search for an author or title you enjoyed – the right side of the screen will show a list of read-alikes. And, of course, your local branch librarians are always happy to help you find what you need.
- Andrea at the Hopewell Branch
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