The Skeleton in the Clock (A Sir Henry Merrivale Mystery)

Sir Henry Merrivale #18

by Carter Dickson

Book by Dickson, Carter

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Detective, Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1948

About the author

Carter Dickson is a pen name of writer John Dickson Carr.

Reviews

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of Carr's more ingenious mysteries but still an enjoyable addition to the Merrivale series of novels.It has the usual ingredients,creepy atmospherics(a midnight vigil at a disused prison).The star crossed lovers of course(yes they can be cloying at times,but Carr did love his starr crossed lovers!) Of course an impossible crime of sorts(the solution to which is a little bit of a letdown tbh)Merrivale's hilarious ongoing feud with a local dowager and then the titular skeleton in the clock which brings a hint of the Grand Guignol to the proceedings.

[Adam Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots to enjoy here: a mysterious skeleton, a night in an abandoned prison and a denouement in a mirror maze. And Merrivale is his usual eccentric self. But the solution isn’t great, and some sections drag a bit.

[Puzzle Doctor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atmospheric mystery - much under-rated. Full review at classicmystery.blog

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Skeleton in the Clock by Carter Dickson (John Dickson Carr) is the eighteenth mystery starring Sir Henry Merrivale and it features murder past and present. Twenty years ago Sir George Fleet took a tumble off the roof of Fleet House while watching the local hunt. When witnesses with binoculars and a telescope swore that no one came near him before the fall and no one was on the roof after, Sir George's death is put down as an accident. More recently, three postcards are delivered to the notice of Sir Henry Merrivale and Chief Inspector Masters that suggest that perhaps someone got away with murder. They are directed to investigate the skeleton in the clock, to figure out what the "flash of pink" on the roof was, and to find the evidence of the murder that is still there.

They arrive on the scene just at the time that Martin Drake has made a bet with Stannard, a middle-aged lawyer, about spending the night in the execution chambers of Pentecost Prison. The two men--along with Ruth Callice who likes Martin but is liked more by Stannard--have been discussing psychic phenomena and supernatural influences and have come up with the execution chamber as the most likely spot for spirits with unfinished business to hang out. As soon as they have fulfilled the terms of the bet and spent the night at the prison, a young girl is found murdered below the "long drop" and Drake is the victim of a murderous attack. An attack that fails only because of H. M.'s foresight. By the end of the story, H. M. will have found the skeleton in the clock and discovered its secrets; he'll solve the mystery of the pink flash; and will run the murderer to earth in the middle of a house of mirrors. All while holding an ongoing duel with Lady Brayle, the domineering and commanding friend of the Fleet family and grandmother to Drake's lady love--it's worth the price of admission to watch the three-act mini-drama between H.M. and "Sophie."

There's a good deal of the usual Merrivale antics and humor--this time all in good fun and fairly enjoyable There are clues to be had, although the solution to the rooftop mystery is almost too much to swallow. I can just accept it--with the right amount of suspension of disbelief. The thing that keeps this one from being one of Dickson's (Carr's best)--for me, anyway--is that I spotted the culprit as soon as s/he showed up. And not for any of the reasons H.M. gives. But....

Because, knowing how Dickson (Carr) loves to throw in the romance....I knew it just had to be her/him so the path of true love could run straight.

Overall, a light fun read coming in at three stars.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[March · Rating 1 out of 5]

The eighteenth Merrivale arguably inaugurates Carr's "late" period of precipitous decline. It takes forever for the mystery plot to get going, the first 50 pages being given over to slapstick and a love triangle between childish idiots; Martin Drake in particular is an insufferable ass although Carr seems to think the reader will like him; as for Richard Fleet, do sons, even squires's sons, call their fathers "my governor"? (Aside: In ch. 6 HM refers to reading a story about murder by hocussed field glasses, which is indeed a Dr. Fell story, "The Wrong Problem.") In a Carr-style mystery you absolutely need to have a clear conception of physical space, yet Carr's descriptions are more than usually convoluted and confusing -- well to the north, well to the south, if you craned to the right, if you craned to the left, "the upstairs window on the first floor just to the right of the front door" (ch. 8)...um, what? which is it, first floor or upstairs???: this book needs a floorplan, badly. The prison is a huge red herring, the murders of children and parental grief most insensitively handled; the solution to the impossible crime is unconvincing six inch parapet and cricket bat, really? and weakly clued -- pink flash indeed -- and only really a mystery because it occurred 20 years before and the many people who know the truth about what happened lie about what they saw/know and/or are dead; it is no trick to create impossible crimes when all the witnesses are dead or telling lies. Lastly, the truth about the skeleton is ridiculous. Art Bourgeau in The Mystery Lover's Companion awards this terrible book Five Daggers, signifying "a true classic," which tells you all you need to know about his dependability as a reviewer.

[Alberto Avanzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una piacevole sorpresa
L’azienda per cui lavoro, una multinazionale del software, ha il suo quartier generale nel Berkshire, dove sono stato qualche volta. I romanzi e racconti polizieschi ambientati in questa contea inglese mi suonano quindi sempre, se non familiari, almeno vicini. In più questo simpatico romanzo ha la caratteristica di essere il primo Carr del quale, grazie agli indizi, sono riuscito a anticipare la soluzione. Qui infatti Carr usa uno schema, anche se non usatissimo, che mi era noto (e che, date alla mano, dovrebbe essere stato introdotto da Carr proprio con questo romanzo). Mi sono sentito un po’ come quasi quarant’anni fa, leggendo “Pericolo senza nome” della Christie, per la prima volta riconoscevo gli indizi con i quali la vecchia signora cercava di imbrogliare il lettore!
E’ scritto nel ’48, poco dopo La lampada di bronzo, con il quale condivide una certa bizzarria e autoironia, con un personaggio di H.M. un po’ più caricaturale di quanto appaia in altri romanzi, in modo riuscitissimo
Il romanzo si apre con un colloquio in una casa di Londra fra tre amici, la giovane e avvenente Ruth Callice, il suo amico Mark infatuato di una misteriosa Jenny incontrata durante la guerra in un treno militare, e l’avvocato Stannard. I tre discutono sul soprannaturale, e concordano sul fatto che il luogo più consono per le sue manifestazioni potrebbe essere la prigione nella quale sono detenuti e poi uccisi i condannati a morte. Decidono quindi di organizzare una sorta di sfida in una prigione abbandonata. Nei successivi capitoli la Jenny del treno si materializza, e anche H.M. entra in scena, acquistando per ripicca a un’asta un buffo orologio a pendolo che ha la caratteristica di avere il meccanismo rimosso e sostituito da uno scheletro, quelli che una volta i medici tenevano in ambulatorio (e qualcuno ancora lo usa).
Ma presto la parte scherzosa cede il passo alla tensione: l’avventura degli amici nella prigione non passa del tutto liscia (non dico di più per non rovinare la sorpresa al lettore), e lettere anonime associano l’orologio con scheletro a una strana morte di vent’anni prima, archiviata come incidente.
Gli indizi che Carr con lealtà ci propone permettono a H.M. di venire a capo del mistero e di scoprire la verità sulla morte di vent’anni prima, e sui fatti misteriosi della narrazione.
Il tutto nella cornice della sonnacchiosa campagna inglese, descritta con efficacia da Carr, che ha realizzato un piccolo gioiellino, dove tutti i pezzi apparentemente male assortiti fra loro vanno a posto con la spiegazione finale, mai come stavolta assolutamente alla portata del lettore attento (anche se come ovvio qualche dettaglio mi era sfuggito). Un romanzo che non avevo mai sentito nominare fra i migliori di questo autore, che ho letto per caso, ma che comunque ho apprezzato tantissimo

[Stephen Brayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot

‘Twenty years between “accidents” is not long enough to lull the suspicions of crafty old Sir Henry Merrivale or bury, permanently, a family secret.

‘First come three post cards to stir things up, and then the Old Man is off and away — in a case that offers the usual Merrivale high speed action, both rude and gallant gestures, and bright young love — and finds H. M. triumphant at the end — over the most vicious murderer he has ever encountered.’

My Analysis

Have you ever seen one of those toy figures, maybe of wood or plastic, with small ball bearings as the joints? this story is like that. Disjointed, falling in different directions, with subjects that seem unconnected (but really aren’t).

You have reincarnation, a twenty-year-old murder, a supposedly haunted prison, an auction, swords and other pointy sharp objects, a fair, and oh, yes, a skeleton in a clock.

This books started weird and went in every direction but straight. The “locked room mystery” shows up as how could a guy on a roof be murdered when witnesses saw him fall… with no one else on the roof?

Merrivale isn’t even the protagonist in this piece, even though he’s the detective. A guy named Drake is. And a goofy mistake by the author put the name Drake as an unseen copper.

Yes, the clues are all there for the reader to solve, but it’d take a genius to keep the scorecard straight. There’s some humor, a second murder, a bit of romance, and a story that, once it’s explained makes sense.

But I didn’t follow anything all the way through.

Sorry, but this wasn’t my cup of tea. Carter Dickson (penname of John Dickson Carr) is supposed to be a great writer, but this one fouled me up to no end.

My rank:

Purple with a hint of green.

[Sparrow .]

A farce with a mystery embedded in it. (You can see that in the title.) It’s almost French! I mean, there’s awkward slapstick.

Did people write better in the past (this novel’s from 1948) or do their clichés simply strike us now as clever?

I love how mystery novels – especially English ones – allow you to see the most benevolent maiden aunts as possible killers.

Sir Henry Merrivale is possibly the most eccentric English nobleman I have ever encountered, in a book or in life. He deeply believes in reincarnation, and swears like a blistering stevedore.

Opening at random:

“With great care Puckston slowly hitched his chair around. He too looked down. His right hand, blue-veined, automatically brushed and brushed and brushed at the table-cloth.

‘What I’ve got to explain, sir, is that we only opened the ‘ouse tonight because I promised the choral society they could have the two parlours for their practice after chapel. Because it was hymns, you see. '"

[Daniela Sorgente · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is part of what is called the golden age of detective novels (it is from 1947) and it is by an author whose other books I have read that I liked. I actually didn't like this one very much, the mechanism is too complicated, there are two murders and for the second, rather brutal, no valid motive is given. At the end there is an explanation with all the people involved, like the one Poirot does in Agatha Christie's detective novels, or that are often at the end of detective novels, to explain what may have remained pending but here the explanation is very long and complex and in my opinion not very convincing. The scene where the murderer is revealed actually takes place in a mirror maze at a village fair that is introduced into the story with little credible motivations (Sir Henry Merrivale plays a prank on his friend/enemy Lady Brayle) which seems really forced to me. Furthermore the story of the skeleton inside the grandfather clock is really ridiculous.

[Jameson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another surprisingly decent, late Merrivale. I’d actually give this a little less than three stars. There’s just something unremarkable about it and the climax in a funhouse mirror maze is too confusing. There’s also a critical scene set in a laboriously over-described old prison. Was Carr embarrassed at this point to give his readers a diagram? Because it reads like he challenged himself to write rather than draw the diagram and it doesn’t work. The humor and the mystery both do, though, just. There’s also a surprisingly emotional scene with characters grieving after a murder—whodunnits usually skip that bit. It really brought home the old complaint that the detective’s penchant for reticence is deadly. Other than that, not bad, just not something I’ll re-read.

(Really wish I’d read the mapback edition.)

[Swapna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my first full-length Carr book and found it to be disappointing. I thought this would be a typical 1950s Christie style mystery, but it's not. I didn't like any of the characters - they all seem to be a weird lot. This includes the Inspector Masters who always begins his sentences with "oh ah" and Merrivale (the weirdest of them all). The reader doesn't get a clear picture of what exactly is going on. Carr's descriptions contain a lot of north of this, west of that and is confusing. It would have been better if he had given a map of all the locations - Fleet House, Pentecost Prison, the mirror maze at Brayle Manor grounds. The only redeeming part was the last chapter, but again the explanations were unconvincing.

And the million dollar question remains unanswered: whose skeleton was it?

[Rick Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story has several parallel mysteries occuring:
1. What happened to Jenny during the war, and can Martin find her again?
2. Why is there a skeleton in the clock case?
3. Was Sir George Fleet's death a murder? How was it done?
4. Will Martin and Stannard survive a night in the execution shed?
5. Who is sending the postcards?
6. Who is responsible for the murder of another character I won't name?

There is a lot going on in the story, and as usual, I had a bit of trouble following some of it - mostly due to the excessive use of pronouns instead of names, which caused me to lose track of who was speaking or acting at any given moment.

There is lots of humorous relief whenever H.M. is around, and his adventures - especially the bristly relationship with the Dowager and his misadventures at the auction house and the traveling carnival - are quite funny.

[Gabriele Crescenzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Di sicuro non uno dei migliori di Carr. Sebbene le vicende della trama siano complicate e bizzarre (si pensi a Sir George Fleet, spinto da una terrazza da una mano apparentemente invisibile, o al dr. Laurier che fissa uno scheletro dentro un orologio e si diverte a guardarlo sulla sedia a dondolo, o alle strane missive mandate a Scotland Yard in cui si fa riferimento ad un lampo rosa...), alla fine la soluzione mi ha abbastanza deluso. La logica di tutto funziona ma da Carr mi sarei aspettato un qualcosa che ti facesse dire "Era così semplice eppure non ci ho pensato!". Peccato perché tutto ciò non c'è stato

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not in the first rank but still a very solid book with a complex but well clued mystery with good atmosphere and very suspenseful setup . There is a lot of fun too . The solution to the impossible crime itself is a bit of a letdown and so is the reason of existence of the skeleton but everything does tie together in the end .

[Ian Durham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd actually rate this more of a 3.5 stars. It's not bad. In fact it's rather good. It's just that I tend to prefer the Gideon Fell and Henri Bencolin mysteries to the Henry Merrivale ones. (Dickson is the pen name of John Dickson Carr who wrote the Gideon Fell mysteries under his own name.)

[Laura Rye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this. I am becoming a fan of Carter Dickson/John Dickson Carr. His characters are interesting, and his "detectives" are quite fascinating. Sir Henry Merrivale is a crusty old bird.. I would recommend these highly...I'll be looking for more in this particular series.

[Nina Miteva · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ревюто в Wanderbook

Както и предните книги на Кар, "Скелетът в часовника" започна почти подмамващо, успокоително добре - та да те накара да си помислиш - "Ето, най-накрая случих! Ето затова съм харесвала книгите му!". В първите глави ни се представя едно късно парти, пропито с леко декадентска атмосфера, участниците на което се уговарят да отидат да проверят теориите си за живота след смъртта. За целта нашите герои планират посещение в изоставен затвор, в който навремето са извършвани екзекуции - къде другаде, ако не там, изтерзаните души биха оставили своя отпечатък?

Но после? После следват 120 страници от нещо, което трябва да мине за комедия и любовна история. Представете си сюжет, заимстван от Удхаус, само че злите лели са заместени с баби, и последователят на моя любим хуморист бъкел не разбира от човешки, остави романтични, взаимоотношения. Плачевни герои, толкова зле изградени, че дори не ми стигна силата да не ги харесам, поставени в абсурдни ситуации, обвързани с някаква логорея, неносеща никаква информация, която трябва да мине за диалог. Мартин и Джени бяха откровено глупави персонажи, и по отношение на собствената си, любовна история, и колкото се отнася до случаите, които разследваше Меривейл.

Чак някъде по средата на книгата всъщност намесваме отново тези две сюжетни линии, заради които "Скелетът в часовника" се кичи с гръмки названия като "мистерия" или "криминален роман". Както споменах, това е убийството на провинциален благородник, станало преди десетилетия, но разбунено отново - явно заради стар часовник - шкаф, зад чиято витрина има поставен човешки скелет. А към него се добавя и естествено, мистерията на стария затвор. Всичко обаче е представено повърхностно и нелогично и силно обезкуражаваше всяко зародило се у мен желание да положа някакви усилия като читател в следене на уликии и размисли върху престъпленията. А за да бъдат нещата още по-неприятни за четене, тук станах свидетел на една от най-бруталните злоупотреби със скоби през читателския си живот - поне в такава степен това го нямаше в предните книги на Джон Диксън Кар, които четох.

Допълнително сол в раната слагаше и фактът, че както си пролича и в началото... завързките на загадките всъщност съдържаха тонове потенциал. Който може би щеше да бъде развит поне донякъде в по-голяма степен, ако го нямаше това разтягане на локуми. Можеше да имаме гневни духове на екзекутирани престъпници. Можеше да имаме още скелети по шкафовете, реални и метафорични. Можеше да се нагнети една хубава атмосфера, или ако не друго, поне по по-адекватен начин да се свържат събитията там с активното разследване. А накрая имахме един незадоволителен за мен финал, изпълнен с абсурден екшън и нефелни хумористични опити.

[Cassandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Goodreads ate my review... quick recap because I don't want to write the entire review again. I ordered this book due to seeing a book cover poster at Half Price Books. Book was ok. Mystery was scattered. Sir Henry is hilarious. The End.

[Keith Boynton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immensely peculiar – with its maddeningly deferred murder, its mood swings, and its baffling behavior on the part of various characters – but also immensely charming, and captivating in its strangeness. Worth a read.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: Sir Henry Merrivale, expert in the supernatural, prods the police into re-opening an old accident case. It was murder.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable holiday read. Didn’t pick the murderer at all. Enjoyed the entwined love triangles as well and picked it up from a give away box.

[Juan Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

No es una de las mejores obras de Carter Dickson, pero tiene un misterio con un par de asesinatos sorprendentes y un final lógico. Muy buena.

[Carsten Nielsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A jolly good read. Probably the last good H.M. novel before Carr's decline.

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 2 out of 5]

The paperback book I was reading practically crumbled in my hands, but I made it through. At one point I was getting a bit aggravated by the continuous love angle of a main character... but I pursued. The main problem I have with the two books I've read from this series is that the main "detective" is not featured as prominently as the man with the love interest. So, while the mysteries are fun... the romance aspect can get a bit "mushy."

This story focuses on solving a past crime and a current crime. The Skeleton in the Clock is a clue kept from the past.

[Peter Spearing · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, terrible OCR.

This book is a fun read. Sir Henry Merrivale is an entertaining character and the story is ingenious. The reading experience is marred by the fact that the digital book seems to have been created by scanning a physical copy with no perceptible proofreading. Missing punctuation, extra punctuation, and words that make no sense in the context abound.

[William Bibliomane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A middling Merrivale mystery, with some nice elements and fun to it, but a bit batty all the same.

Full review here: https://bibliomaneblog.wordpress.com/...

[Jackie Hinton · Rating 3 out of 5]

likeable but irritating

Really loved the story. Unfortunately way too many typos and formatting errors.

I'm happy to offer my services in the future.

I would been scored 5 if not for this.

[Patrick\ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Merrivale is a character of spirit - and knows human nature. Read all you can of him.

Remember Dickson Carr and Carter Dickson are the same person.

[Irfan Nurhadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

love the feud between H.M. and Lady Brayle, it's hillarious.. xD

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, an amusing Sir Henry Merrivale story.