What do you think?
Rate this book
Dr. Sam Hawthorne
Nothing is Impossible: Further Problems of Dr Sam Hawthorne
Dr. Sam Hawthorne, a New England country doctor in the first half of the twentieth century, was constantly faced by murders in locked rooms and impossible disappearances. Nothing Is Impossible contains fifteen of Dr. Sam s most extraordinary cases solved between 1932 and 1936, including a circus acrobat who vanishes from a trapeze; an invisible weapon; murder in a cabin surrounded by unmarked snow; murder in a locked house surrounded by an electrified fence; the attack on a ventriloquist's dummy; a haunted teepee; the vanishing of a teenage girl from her blue bicycle; and eight other ingenious problems for Dr. Sam. The introduction is by Janet Hutchings, editor of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.
238 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2014
17 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Edward D. Hoch
422 books45 followersEdward D. Hoch is one of the most honored mystery writers of all time.
* 1968 Edgar Allan Poe Award (Mystery Writers of America): "The Oblong Room", The Saint Mystery Magazine, July 1967
* 1998 Anthony Award (Bouchercon World Mystery Convention): "One Bag of Coconuts", EQMM, November 1997
* 2001 Anthony Award (Bouchercon): "The Problem of the Potting Shed", EQMM, July 2000
* 2007 Ellery Queen Readers Choice Award (awarded 2008): "The Theft of the Ostracized Ostrich", EQMM, June 2007
* Lifetime Achievement Award (Private Eye Writers of America), 2000
* Grand Master (Mystery Writers of America), 2001
* Lifetime Achievement Award (Bouchercon), 2001
* 1968 Edgar Allan Poe Award (Mystery Writers of America): "The Oblong Room", The Saint Mystery Magazine, July 1967
* 1998 Anthony Award (Bouchercon World Mystery Convention): "One Bag of Coconuts", EQMM, November 1997
* 2001 Anthony Award (Bouchercon): "The Problem of the Potting Shed", EQMM, July 2000
* 2007 Ellery Queen Readers Choice Award (awarded 2008): "The Theft of the Ostracized Ostrich", EQMM, June 2007
* Lifetime Achievement Award (Private Eye Writers of America), 2000
* Grand Master (Mystery Writers of America), 2001
* Lifetime Achievement Award (Bouchercon), 2001
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 7, 2023
While Edward D. Hoch is an accomplished writer in almost any genre, I believe that he used to reserve his best for the Doc Hawthorne 'Problems'. This collection only reinforced my notion.
It contains fifteen stories. Apart from being brilliant locked-room mysteries and other seemingly 'impossible' crimes, they are vivid in historical details. They are also sufficiently nuanced to highlight the changing times and norms. But the best thing about these stories are, they are told from a sympathetic, erudite, humane and warm point of view— Dr. Sam Hawthorne's. He is very intelligent, but absolute opposite of the more famous high-functioning sociopaths whom we usually find in genre fiction.
And the mysteries were seriously good. As a bonus we had one mystery recounted by Ben Snow, which was solved by the Doc.
Loved it.
Highly recommended to all lovers of mystery.
It contains fifteen stories. Apart from being brilliant locked-room mysteries and other seemingly 'impossible' crimes, they are vivid in historical details. They are also sufficiently nuanced to highlight the changing times and norms. But the best thing about these stories are, they are told from a sympathetic, erudite, humane and warm point of view— Dr. Sam Hawthorne's. He is very intelligent, but absolute opposite of the more famous high-functioning sociopaths whom we usually find in genre fiction.
And the mysteries were seriously good. As a bonus we had one mystery recounted by Ben Snow, which was solved by the Doc.
Loved it.
Highly recommended to all lovers of mystery.
May 15, 2016
An entertaining little collection of short stories,all with an impossible crime/locked room scenario.
Each story features the small town doctor and amateur sleuth Sam Hawthorne,who makes a likeable protagonist.
Each story can be done in about 10 minutes,so ideal to dip in and out of!
Recommended for lovers of the genre.
Each story features the small town doctor and amateur sleuth Sam Hawthorne,who makes a likeable protagonist.
Each story can be done in about 10 minutes,so ideal to dip in and out of!
Recommended for lovers of the genre.
June 4, 2021
I can’t recommend these stories highly enough. I feel like I’m actually reading a novel. No other short stories—except those that specifically set out to comprise a novel in shorts—have built such a rich, believable world. Hoch, relying on his extensive research, beautifully paints a picture of small town New England life in the early 20th century. The way technology develops and how the town grows and the changes in the lives of its characters is a treat to behold.
In his introduction to the first volume of Dr. Sam Hawthorne stories, Hoch remarked that along with the stories being impossible, his publisher (one half of Ellery Queen) also mandated/suggested Dr. Sam have a country dialect. This made no sense since Sam was raised in the city and Hoch soon stopped it. Another mandate/suggestion, one I liked, was that each story should include a framing device—Dr. Sam introduced the story by offering a visitor, you, the reader, a small libation, and he concluded it by bidding the visitor come around again soon for another drink and another story. He shortened the former and did away with the latter completely. This volume features the final “next week on Dr. Sam” teaser:
“Next time I’ll have a more peaceful story for you, about a puzzle that didn’t seem to involve a crime at all.”
The following story is actually a departure. It’s written in the third person and features another Hoch detective, Ben Snow. However, there is a crime. So the last teaser turns out to have been teasing who knows what! Talk about a tease. Anyway, I really liked the teasers but when it got to the point where Hoch was only writing a couple Sam stories a year, it didn’t make sense to have them thought out so early. Fair enough.
Suffice it to say, this, and all the Dr. Sam Hawthorne collections are GREAT reads and I’m bummed there are only five. Recommended. Highly. These quaint little stories will remind you what escapism means. Remember escapism? (Pepperidge Farm ‘members.)
In his introduction to the first volume of Dr. Sam Hawthorne stories, Hoch remarked that along with the stories being impossible, his publisher (one half of Ellery Queen) also mandated/suggested Dr. Sam have a country dialect. This made no sense since Sam was raised in the city and Hoch soon stopped it. Another mandate/suggestion, one I liked, was that each story should include a framing device—Dr. Sam introduced the story by offering a visitor, you, the reader, a small libation, and he concluded it by bidding the visitor come around again soon for another drink and another story. He shortened the former and did away with the latter completely. This volume features the final “next week on Dr. Sam” teaser:
“Next time I’ll have a more peaceful story for you, about a puzzle that didn’t seem to involve a crime at all.”
The following story is actually a departure. It’s written in the third person and features another Hoch detective, Ben Snow. However, there is a crime. So the last teaser turns out to have been teasing who knows what! Talk about a tease. Anyway, I really liked the teasers but when it got to the point where Hoch was only writing a couple Sam stories a year, it didn’t make sense to have them thought out so early. Fair enough.
Suffice it to say, this, and all the Dr. Sam Hawthorne collections are GREAT reads and I’m bummed there are only five. Recommended. Highly. These quaint little stories will remind you what escapism means. Remember escapism? (Pepperidge Farm ‘members.)
July 14, 2022
The 3rd volume of Edward D. Hoch's "impossible crime" series of short stories featuring compassionate New England country doctor Sam Hawthorne continues to delight readers with its clever puzzles and fascinating historical portrait of a small town in the 1930s. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE begins in spring of 1932 and concludes in September 1936, and brings many changes to the town and to Dr. Sam's personal and professional life. Particularly recommended: "The Problem of the Sealed Bottle," which takes place on the night that Prohibition is repealed, and thirsty Northmont residents await their first legal drink.
July 16, 2018
As usual very nice and cozy impossible crime stories.
February 15, 2022
More Dr. Sam
I really enjoy the Dr. Sam stories and have now read 4 of the books. Edward Hoch created a continuing and evolving cast of characters that keeps one interested.
I really enjoy the Dr. Sam stories and have now read 4 of the books. Edward Hoch created a continuing and evolving cast of characters that keeps one interested.
January 7, 2018
I used this for the "read a book published by a micropress" prompt in the 2017 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge. This collection of short stories focused on amateur sleuth, Dr. Sam Hawthorne. The mysteries were all "locked room" style mysteries told as Dr. Hawthorne reminisced about his life in New England in the 1930s. Most of the stories are set in the small town in which he practiced, but he does get a chance to do some sleuthing out of town as well. I wasn't familiar with the author before I selected this book and am glad I had a chance to discover a new-to-me author. The stories were a good introduction to his writing and to Dr. Hawthorne.
February 6, 2015
I enjoyed these mysteries, but they did get pretty easy to solve once you get used to his formula.
March 8, 2015
Nice little anthology of mainly "closed room" mysteries. Nothing earth-shattering, paradigm-shifting, or shocking--just nice little stories competently written.
April 24, 2015
Not as strong as the earlier stories but good reads nonetheless. Full review at classicmystery.wordpress.com
January 16, 2016
Great collection of historical short stories set in the 1930s.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews