The Case of the Solid Key

Fergus O'Breen Mysteries #3

by Anthony Boucher

When it’s curtains for a theater director, Los Angeles PI Fergus O’Breen takes center stage in this locked room mystery from the author of Nine Times Nine.
 
Anthony Boucher was a literary renaissance man: an Edgar Award–winning mystery reviewer, an esteemed editor of the Hugo Award–winning Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, a prolific scriptwriter of radio mystery programs, and an accomplished writer of mystery, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. With a particular fondness for the locked room mystery, Boucher created such iconic sleuths as Los Angeles PI Fergus O’Breen, amateur sleuth Sister Ursula, and alcoholic ex-cop Nick Noble.
 
Working undercover for an insurance company, Fergus O’Breen finds himself part of the cast rehearsing the latest production at the Carruthers Little Theater. He’s been asked to keep an eye on playwright Lewis Jordan, who has taken out a joint policy with the director, Rupert Carruthers. If something should happen to one before the play opens, the other is set to collect a fortune.
 
When Carruthers meets an explosive end behind a locked door, O’Breen has his work cut out for him. With a theater full of secrets, it’s clear everyone in this troupe is putting on a show of their own. Now, aided by the struggling writer, O’Breen must determine who’s telling the truth and who’s acting—before someone else meets an untimely end . . .

Genres: Mystery

302 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1941

About the author

William Anthony Parker White, better known by his pen name Anthony Boucher, was an American author, critic, and editor who wrote several classic mystery novels, short stories, science fiction, and radio dramas. Between 1942 and 1947, he acted as reviewer of mostly mystery fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle. In addition to "Anthony Boucher", White also employed the pseudonym "H. H. Holmes", which was the pseudonym of a late-19th-century American serial killer; Boucher would also write light verse and sign it " Herman W. Mudgett" (the murderer's real name).
In a 1981 poll of 17 detective story writers and reviewers, his novel Nine Times Nine was voted as the ninth best locked room mystery of all time.

Reviews

[Theunis Snyman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boucher was well known as a science fiction author and a critic of mystery stories. I have never read any of his science fiction stories but from reading his reviews of detective stories and this book, it seems he was a better critic than an author. The mystery was well thought out, and the locked room solution satisfactory, but the storytelling itself lacks something. There is too much dialogue and about no descriptions. The reader can’t get a feeling for the main character and his emotions. And the mystery doesn’t grip you. Luckily some of his other books like “The Case of the Baker Street Irregulars” and “The Case of the Seven of Calvary” are better stories.

[Two Envelopes And A Phone · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast-paced, entertaining, and certainly very clever whodunit, albeit with some kooky, outrageous aspects. In fact, it seemed that the solution was going to hinge on something a bit too outrageous, hard to buy into, and I was going to drop the whole affair down to 3 stars for being compulsively readable but disappointing in the reveal. But it saved itself - a big revelation was just another feint - a very cool last trick, actually! - and the true ending was better than anything I could imagine.

A hideous death occurs within the confines of a weird little theater company operating in California...I say weird, when it comes to the theatrics, because it seems there may be some sham aspects to what could be a money-making scheme designed to bilk money out of would-be actors thinking they'll go from plays to film fame. So, apparently, there's a whiff of con-artistry - and then suddenly, a surprise development that makes it seem as if Agatha Christie read Double Indemnity and said to herself "I can make this even more labyrinthine and clues-y!". Insurance fraud among starving creative artists? One motive established...and then revenge motives also drop into place; alleged old wrongs, maybe murders, never properly punished, and a few more artsy types make great suspects. Double Indemnity getting on and off the Orient Express - and the 'solid key' - herring or clue? - actually becomes the least engaging puff of tricky smoke in the book. I liked this one. Heck, even the romantic subplot, with its mini-mystery, is a delight with a wonderful twist at the final reveal.

Boucher has comes a long way from my Rocket to the Morgue meh-ishness.

[Gabriele Crescenzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

"La chiave del delitto" è uno dei pochi romanzi gialli scritti dal noto critico letterario Anthony Boucher. Avevo già letto dell'autore "Nove volte nove", un'eccellente camera chiusa, e, stuzzicato dalla trama che prevedeva una situazione simile, l'ho subito acquistato.
Purtroppo il libro non regge le aspettative: innanzitutto l'inizio è a dir poco caotico, con personaggi che sbucano da ogni dove, senza alcun collegamento apparente tra di loro; non aiuta il prospetto iniziale dei personaggi, in quanto contiene meno della metà delle figure che compaiono nell'opera (e neanche tanto secondarie), per cui l'avrei semplicemente tolto (in questo modo è una sorta di "spoiler" in quanto restringe il numero di sospetti ancor di più). Il romanzo poi si risolleva con una scrittura leggera e briosa, anche se bisogna superare il centinaio di pagine per arrivare al delitto. Tra girandole, false piste, comportamenti ambigui di molti personaggi (che spesso confondono nella lettura), storie passate e presenti, O' Breen riuscirà a svelare la verità dietro questi sordidi delitti.
La soluzione è ciò che mi ha deluso maggiormente:la camera chiusa è un aspetto secondario, risolta in modo molto banale (per di più non ci si poteva arrivare in quanto non c'è l'ombra di un indizio). L'identità del colpevole mi è balzata subito all'occhio sebbene non avessi previsto il ribaltamento nelle ultime pagine. Tutto sommato sono riuscito a capire quasi tutto, anche il motivo delle improvvise scomparse di Sarah Plunk. Insomma, una lettura gradevole ma che non raggiunge alti livelli.

[Jameson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, an improvement on Crumpled Knave but not as good as Irregulars. Ferguson and Maureen are in great form. There are heaps of 1940s references that must have felt extremely fresh back then and add a lot of color and context now. Really irksome when you can’t figure out what some of them mean. Looking forward to 7 Sneezes.

(I read this on a kindle and it included a bunch of preview chapters from the next book in the series, and it really füçkęd with my senses. The climax came near the 75% mark, so I thought it was a fake out. From now on I’m gonna check for that because it really altered my reading experience.)

[Ron Kerrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boucher's private eye Fergus O'Breen tackles the case of the murder of a blackmailer. This 1941 mystery is set against a Hollywood studio and includes a locked room (of course.) While it doesn't reach the heights of other 1940 classics of the genre (John Dickson carr's best, for example), it's an acceptable light, breezy read by a man who really excelled at picking the best of other people's writings.