Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories to Be Read with the Door Locked

by Alfred Hitchcock (Editor)

Contents:
Hijack / Robert L. Fish --
Tomorrow and tomorrow / Adobe James --
Funeral in another town / Jerry Jacobson --
A case for quiet / William Jeffrey --
A good head for murder / Charles W. Runyon --
The invisible cat / Betty Ren Wright --
Royal jelly / Roald Dahl --
Light verse / Isaac Asimov --
The distributor / Richard Matheson --
How Henry J. Littlefinger licked the hippies' scheme to take over the country by tossing pot in postage stamp glue / John Keefauver --
The leak / Jacques Futrelle --
All the sounds of fear / Harlan Ellison --
Little foxes sleep warm / Waldo Carlton Wright --
The graft is green / Harold Q. Masur. View by the moonlight / Pat McGerr --
There hangs death! / John D. MacDonald --
Lincoln's doctor's son's dog / Warner Law --
Coyote street / Gary Brandner --
Zombique / Joseph Payne Brennan --
The pattern / Bill Pronzini --
Pipe dream / Alan Dean Foster --
Shottle bop / Theodore Sturgeon --
The magnum / Jack Ritchie --
Voices in the dust / Gerald Kersh --
The odor of melting / Edward D. Hoch --
The sound of murder / William P. McGivern --
The income tax mystery / Michael Gilbert --
Watch for it / Joseph N. Gores --
The affair of the twisted scarf / Rex Stout.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Horror, Mystery, Anthologies

365 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 1975

About the author

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (1899-1980) was an iconic and highly influential film director and producer, who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres.

Following a very substantial career in his native Britain in both silent films and talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood and became an American citizen with dual nationality in 1956, thus he also remained a British subject.

Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career which spanned six decades, from the silent film era, through the invention of sound films, and far into the era of colour films. For a complete list of his films, see Alfred Hitchcock filmography.

Hitchcock was among the most consistently recognizable directors to the general public, and was one of the most successful film directors during his lifetime. He continues to be one of the best known and most popular filmmakers of all time.

Reviews

[Nev March · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice variety of stories even if they are more noir than mystery stories.
Wish there were more female writers- only one that I could see but that was then, huh?
Found a couple of new writers that I will explore. And that’s what anthologies are great for-finding new voices that one can look up and read their novels.
Best of all, the short stories here show how the problem is set up and paid off sometimes in as little as 3 pages. Nice!

[Dumpling Dumpling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Ritchie's Ten Minutes From Now, Short Story By Alfred Hitchcock
Of James B. Bellington who went to see a mayor Pettitbone on several occassions to dismantle the trail of robbery which took place in the state gallery situated in the vicinity of the city hall. While misleading police officers and psychiatrist with fake, almost Osama Bin Laden's like, paper-box, alarm-clock, sugar and bell bomb threats on the mayor and self-suicide bombing attempts, Jack Ritchie tik-tokked ten minutes from now until mayor actually agreed to see him, rewarding him with his attention. James did not complain about decline of the market value and loss of his estate by the shore but, of his evident lack of sleep due construction near by his hotel while, simultaneously, his companion Geoffrey robbed the state gallery of three Utrillas, two Picassos and two Modiglianies. Short story is written in mistakless Croatian translation and is actually quite amazing. 🕋

[James Greening · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of the stories are brilliant, but many of them were more mystery/noir than horror/scary. Still, I would read several times over!

[Missy (myweereads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“One spends one’s life trying to help others, but the world is never grateful.” - The Invisible Cat

Stories To Be Read With The Doors Locked by Alfred Hitchcock is a collection of 30 short stories and novellas based terror and suspense.

I kind of knew the vibe I was going to get from reading these stories and that’s exactly what I got. This anthology included ones which were obviously creepy from the get-go and some which were chilling and made their point in a suspenseful way.

I was familiar with a few authors and some were new to me. The stories although similar in theme spoke greatly through the writing of their authors. A few which stood out for me were:

The Invisible Cat by Betty Ren Wright

A Case For Quiet by William Jeffrey

Royal Jelly by Roald Dahl

Light Verse by Issac Asimov

The Distributer by Richard Matheson

The Leak by Jack Futrelle

Pipe Dream by Alan Dean Foster

These are only a few of the ones which were creepy and encapsulated the theme Alfred Hitchcock was going for in this anthology.

A fun collection worth checking out

[Scoats · Rating 5 out of 5]

It felt that I was reading this book for a long time. Turns out I spent 2 months on it. That's not a complaint as this book is packed with great stories that are worthy of reading leisurely. In a non-COVID world, I'd probably have had more opportunities to read it outside the house

There a couple of surprise writers including Isaac Asimov, Roald Dahl, and Alan Dean Foster. As usual are some great writers who are lost to time, whose only Google hits reference this book.

This book is from a different time, a time before limitless entertainment on demand. So it is a bit odd being reading it now in 2021. There were a couple, that while capably written are rather boring. Something you would read in 1970 when your entertainment options were quite limited (and someone could make a most living writing them), but are not worth reading now. But those are the minority. And Netflix ain't going anywhere, so your opportunity cost isn't that great.

The Alfred Hitchcock Presents books are usually a mixed bag of really strong stories and some clunkers. No real clunkers here. I only bailed on two, one that seemed a bit dated with old viewpoints, and the Nero Wolf novelette at the very end which didn't interest me. I was sort of familiar with Nero Wolf, but never read one or saw anything on video. Maybe I'll revisit it at some point.

After collecting books for 40+ years, I am currently trying to read them all and set them free. I'm keeping this one. I look forward to rereading it in 10 years.

If you come across this at a thrift store or garage sale, this is well worth the meager amount of money they will be asking for it.


ABOUT MY COPY
With each review, I usually write about the version I own.

My copy has a price sticker of $1 on it. Inside, it's stamped "WM. PENN HOUSE LIBRARY". The William Penn house is a co-op apartment building on Chestnut Street, around 20th or so, in Philadelphia. My guess they got rid of it, and it ended up at the new and used book store that used to be near by. I mostly likely bought in the 1990s, finally reading it about 25 years later.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 1975 collection of suspenseful short stories, supposedly selected by the film director Alfred Hitchcock. Despite the introduction in the style of his monologue at the start of each episode of his anthology TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents, I suspect that part was probably ghostwritten and his name was licensed out. Mostly crime whodunnits or with a surprise ending, the 29 tales here were authored by 29 different writers as wide-ranging as sci-fi luminary Isaac Asimov, chocolate factory chronicler Roald Dahl and crime writer Robert L. Fish between 1907 and 1974, and the writing style, social attitudes, and dialogue clearly reflect it, contrasting with modern sensibilities. I’m a great fan of old-style short stories with a twist, so with the exception of a couple of yarns that were strangely confusing and not to my taste at all, I quite enjoyed it.

[Sanja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knjiga se sastoji od 10 pripovijetki koje je odabrao Alfred Hitchcock. Svaku ću ocijeniti ponaosob, a prosjek tih ocjena će biti konačna ocjena cijele knjige.

Točno za deset minuta - Odlična priča o čovjeku koji na lukav način želi doprijeti do gradonačelnika da s njim porazgovara, a poradi sumnje da sa sobom nosi bombu, pola grada je na nogama, uključujući policiju. Kraj je neočekivan i fantastičan. Ocjena - 5

Kojoti - Kratka priča o privatnom istražitelju Stonebrakeru i slučaju Guerra. Istražitelju se obratila gospođica Elena Valdez koja brine za meksikanca koji je ilegalno u SAD-u, svog brata Carlosa Guerru. Nakon što ga pronađu mrtvog, Stonebraker traži ubojicu. Ocjena - 5

Mladica je zelena - Kratka priča o odvjetniku Scottu Jordanu i njegovoj ulozi u ubojstvu sudca na visokom položaju, njegovog prijatelja Edvina Marausa Bolta. Ocjena - 4

Odakle mač? - Vrlo kratka pripovijest o znanstvenom asistentu na sveučilišnom institutu za psihologiju, njegovoj zaručnici Angeli Manely i njenom ujaku doktoru Hilberu, čiji je leš pronađen u lobiju. Izgleda kao misteriozno ubojstvo. Zanimljiv je način počinjenja. Ocjena - 2

Čovjek koji ismijava lavove - Bivši vodič lova na životinje u Africi, gospodin Vandeeveer priča o pothvatima čovjeka bez straha - Franka McClintona, njegovoj uplašenoj i zlostavljanoj ženi Myri McClinton. Odličan kraj. Ocjena - 2

Tajni prihod - Istraga ureda za istrage (UZI) o načinu života gospodina Portwaya, pravnog zastupnika. Porezna je utvrdila nepravilnosti jer je gospodin Portway više trošio no što je zarađivao (danas bi većina bila pod istragom 😃) pa su inflitrirali svog djelatnika u tvrtku "Portway" da prikupi dodatne informacije i otkrije što je posrijedi. Doista zanimljivo otkriće. Ocjena - 3

Šablona - Razješavanje slučaja tri ubijene kućanice. Ocjena - 2

Gdje curi? - Cure informacije iz ureda cijenjenog burzovnog mešetara, a on ne može otkriti kako. Dosad je izgubio oko 10 milijuna, plaćao privatne istražitelje, ali bez uspjeha. Naposljetku se obratio znanstveniku koji sebe naziva "Stroj koji misli" i uz provedenu malu istragu došlo se do krivca. Zanimljiva pripovjest. Ocjena - 4

Magnum - Zanimljiva priča o klubu preživjelih boraca osnovanom 1898. godine. Kratka, ali slatka. Ocjena - 5

Tihi butler - Odvjetnik Scott Jordan rješava još jedan slučaj. Ovog puta radi se o naizgled slučajnom naletu automobila na njegovog prijatelja, doktora Rollsa Butlera. Jordan kao jedini očevidac, tzv. krunski svjedok, ujedno postaje odvjetnik optuženog. Što dalje čeprka po činjenicama, na vidjelo izlaze nove. Odlična priča. Ocjena - 5



The book consists of 10 short stories selected by Alfred Hitchcock. I will rate each one individually, and the average of those ratings will be the final grade of the entire book.

Story no.1
A great story about a man who cunningly wants to reach out to the mayor to talk to him, and because of the suspicion that he is carrying a bomb, half the city is on its feet, including the police. The ending is unexpected and fantastic.
Rating - 5

Story no.2
A short story about private investigator Stonebraker and the Guerra case. The investigator was approached by Miss Elena Valdez, who is caring for a Mexican man who is illegally in the United States, his brother Carlos Guerra. After they find him dead, Stonebraker searches for the killer.
Rating - 5

Story no.3
A short story about attorney Scott Jordan and his role in the murder of a high-ranking judge, his friend Edwin Maraus Bolt.
Rating - 4

Story no.4
A very short story about a research assistant at the University Institute of Psychology, his fiancée Angela Manely and his uncle Dr. Hilber, whose body was found in the lobby. It looks like a mysterious murder. It's an interesting way to do it.
Rating - 2

Story no.5
A former guide to hunting animals in Africa, Mr. Vandeeveer talks about the exploits of the fearless man Frank McClinton, his frightened and abused wife Myra McClinton. Great place.
Rating - 2

Story no.6
Investigation Office (UZI) Investigation into the lifestyle of Mr. Portway, a true MP. The taxman found irregularities because Mr. Portway spent more than he earned (today most would be under investigation: D) so they infiltrated their employee into Porway to gather additional information and find out what it was. A really interesting discovery.
Rating - 3

Story no.7
Solving the case of three murdered housewives.
Rating - 2

Story no.8
Leaks information from the office of a respected stockbroker, and he can't figure out how. He has lost about 10 million so far, paying private investigators, but to no avail. He eventually turned to a scientist who calls himself a “Thinking Machine” and with a small investigation, the culprit was found. An interesting story.
Rating - 4

Story no.9
An interesting story about the club of surviving fighters founded in 1898. Short but cute.
Rating - 5

Story no.10
Attorney Scott Jordan is resolving another case. This time it is a seemingly accidental car crash on his friend, Dr. Rolls Butler. Jordan, as the only eyewitness, the crown witness, also becomes the defendant's lawyer. The further he rummages through the facts, the new ones come to light. Great story.
Rating - 5

[Scoats · Rating 5 out of 5]

It felt that I was reading this book for a long time. Turns out I spent 2 months on it. That's not a complaint as this book is packed with great stories that are worthy of reading leisurely. In a non-COVID world, I'd probably have had more opportunities to read it outside the house

There a couple of surprise writers including Isaac Asimov, Roald Dahl, and Alan Dean Foster. As usual are some great writers who are lost to time, whose only Google hits reference this book.

This book is from a different time, a time before limitless entertainment on demand. So it is a bit odd being reading it now in 2021. There were a couple, that while capably written are rather boring. Something you would read in 1970 when your entertainment options were quite limited (and someone could make a most living writing them), but are not worth reading now. But those are the minority. And Netflix ain't going anywhere, so your opportunity cost isn't that great.

The Alfred Hitchcock Presents books are usually a mixed bag of really strong stories and some clunkers. No real clunkers here. I only bailed on two, one that seemed a bit dated with old viewpoints, and the Nero Wolf novelette at the very end which didn't interest me. I was sort of familiar with Nero Wolf, but never read one or saw anything on video. Maybe I'll revisit it at some point.

After collecting books for 40+ years, I am currently trying to read them all and set them free. I'm keeping this one. I look forward to rereading it in 10 years.

If you come across this at a thrift store or garage sale, this is well worth the meager amount of money they will be asking for it.


ABOUT MY COPY
With each review, I usually write about the version I own.

My copy has a price sticker of $1 on it. Inside, it's stamped "WM. PENN HOUSE LIBRARY". The William Penn house is a co-op apartment building on Chestnut Street, around 20th or so, in Philadelphia. My guess they got rid of it, and it ended up at the new and used book store that used to be near by. I mostly likely bought in the 1990s, finally reading it about 25 years later.

[Paperback Papa · Rating 4 out of 5]

While recovering from surgery, I didn't have the endurance for long reading sessions, so I opted for one of my many Alfred Hitchcock short story anthologies. This one, from 1975, was just what the doctor ordered. Some highlights:

William Jeffrey turned in a story about an old hotel in the English countryside...a stuffy, fog-shrouded, ivy-covered place on the moors where elderly people sit in the lobby every afternoon, the men reading their newspapers and the women making doilies. They love-I mean REALLY love-their peace and quiet. So when a loud, boisterous, and exceptionally uncouth young man bursts through the door...and when it appears he might be there disrupting their peace and quiet for a few days because his car broke down, the old folks decide to take matters into their own diabolical hands.

Charles Runyon, a terrific crime/noir author, contributed a grisly little story about a married couple on vacation, driving through a desolate area of Mexico in the middle of the night. Suddenly, a giant dog crosses the road in front of them carrying a severed human head in its mouth. And then they see part of a leg with a foot attached beside the road. And then...what's that? Ah yes, a human arm. I'll not give anything away. Suffice to say, the story is dark, but fun and quite clever.

My favorite story in this collection is by Betty Ren Wright. A beautifully and hilariously written story about the murder of a small-town busybody. I chuckled out loud at the author's description of Miss Cassells, who piously played the church organ every Sunday and then snooped about in everybody's business all week long. How do you evaluate motive when everyone in town had a reason to hate the old bag? This is one of my favorite short stories of all time.

If you like short crime fiction, you can't beat these anthologies. I've yet to read one that wasn't enjoyable.

[ČitamČitaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dok sam ih čitala, imala sam osjećaj da se nalazim ispred ekrana i gledam crno-bijele pokretne slike od dvadeset i pet minuta na kojima advokat Peri Mejson u svojoj kancelariji i sudnici ređa motiv, priliku i oružje izvršenog ubistva pred one kojima oni nepogrešivo pristaju i tako dokazuje i razrješava u prvim poglavljima nastao zločin.

Moj favorit kod ove zabavne zbirke jeste priča "Čovjek koji ismijava lavove" Brajsa Valtona. U njoj ima i elemenata strave, a ne bi je se, u ona vremena, postidio ni scenario za igrani film u kome bi - a na naročito Hičkokovo zadovoljstvo - jednu od uloga zaigrala kakva plavokosa, holivudska diva kalibra Grejs Keli. Da, baš bih njenu transformaciju voljela da sam mogla vidjeti u jednoj ovakvoj priči, kad već građani Monaka nisu mogli da prihvate da odigra onu Majru...

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in one of Hitchcock's compilations. I honestly can't remember much about this one. Giving it the benefit of the doubt and giving it three stars. Seems fair enough. At the end of the day, it's just another rating towards my account.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic. Works by Jacques Futrelle, Roald Dahl, Jack Ritchie. Most have good suspense, tinged with noir. I found a great woman writer, Betty Ren Wright, in this book, dealing with a small town snoop of a woman.

[Daniel Radočaj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dobar klasik. Ipak, ako volite gledati dvosatne filmove A. Hitchcocka onda će vam se svaka od uvrštenih priča u ovu knjigu činiti prekratka

[Deanna Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good, some bad, like many various authors collections.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, worth a read, but some of the stories did not age well.

[keiths · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading this was such a drag

[Nešo Shonery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Krimi priče, koje je prikupio veliki režiser. Sve imaju šmek tog vremena i sve su odlične, velika preporuka. 

[Hank Hoeft · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories to Be Read with the Door Locked is a typical volume of the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents..." series of mystery and suspense anthologies. Some stories I loved, some I didn't care for, and some were well-written, but when I finished them, I thought to myself, "Meh..." But overall, it was a good, entertaining (and often thought-provoking) read.

One interesting aspect of reading this book is the cultural context of the stories. The book was originally published in 1975, and a quick check of the copyright dates for the individual stories reveals that most of them were written between 1971 an 1973. This helps appreciating the social and cultural matrix from which each story dangles. (For example, a few stories deal with Cold War issues, and sure enough, those stories were written in the 1950s and early 1960s. and a couple of stories about a militant college radical were obviously written in the early '70s.)

My favorite story, "Voices in the Dust," was written by Gerald Kersh, an author of whom I'd never heard before. I was struck by the high quality of Kersh's story, especially as he was previously unknown to me, so I did a little research and discovered that Kersh is sf writer Harlan Ellison's favorite author of all time. I fully intend to track down more of Kersh's work and I'm indebted to Stories to Be Read with the Door Locked for introducing me to this forgotten master.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthology of short stories mostly from the early seventies and fist published in magazines like "Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine" and "Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine."

Personal favorites in this collection are:
The Affair of the Twisted Scarf - Rex Stout (a Nero Wolfe mystery)
Shottle Bop - Theodore Sturgeon (We Sell Bottles with things in them)
The Leak - Jacques Futrelle (a Thinking Machine mystery)
A Good Head for Murder - Charles W. Runyon (No vacation in complete without bits of people along the road)

No "bad" stories in this collection for me.

[Mackenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

These were definitely not as scary as I expected them to be, most of the stories were decent though

[Anthony Bracciante · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection of stories chosen by Alfred Hitchcock.